Tulsa Tough
Race details
DateJune
RegionTulsa, Oklahoma
DisciplineRoad
CompetitionNational calendar
TypeStage race
History
First edition2006 (2006)
Editions23 (as of 2021)
First winner Jason Donald (USA)
Most wins
(2 wins)
Most recent Cory Williams (USA)

Saint Francis Tulsa Tough is a unique three-day cycling festival experience for racers, riders, and spectators, all centered in beautiful downtown Tulsa, OK and along the banks of the Arkansas River.

Tulsa Tough exists for two sole purposes: to promote healthy lifestyles and to elevate Tulsa.

Tulsa Tough is Tulsa's most popular biking event[1] featuring professional competitive bicycle racing and non-competitive tour riding held each year over the second weekend in June attracting riders from all 50 states and eight different countries.

For enthusiast riders, Saint Francis Tulsa Tough offers two days of tour rides with a variety of distance options each day covering nearly 400 miles of Northeast Oklahoma hills and scenery. All routes feature aid stations and rolling support for riders of all sizes and abilities.

The Saint Francis Tulsa Tough has achieved quite a lot in its 17 years. Ranked as one of the top omniums[2] in the U.S., the Tulsa Tough three-day omnium consists of the McNellie’s Group Blue Dome Criterium, the FC Tulsa Arts District Criterium, and the McElroy River Parks Criterium, home of the famous Cry Baby Hill. Among professional and amateur crit racers, Tulsa Tough bike racing is a famously unique cycling event[3] featuring three evenings of wicked fast, fiercely competitive and big money criterium racing. Cry Baby Hill,[4] the last part of the grueling River Parks Criterium race, serves as the annual finale of the Tulsa Tough race. There, Tulsan's line the hill to cheer them on, chug beers and parade around in costumes.[5] Although the event began organically with the help of Team Soundpony, it has grown to become one of the largest parties and social events in the city.

For the rest of the city and visiting spectators, Tulsa Tough a three-day cycling extravaganza that resembles a college summer block party more than a professional bike race.

Saint Francis Tulsa Tough is jointly promoted by the Tulsa Sports Commission and Tulsa Wheelmen and is supported by corporate sponsorship. Guidance for the event comes from an executive committee made up of several Tulsa-area cyclists and business people.

References

  1. ↑ Rahn, Matt (June 7, 2023). "Excitement builds for annual Saint Francis Tulsa Tough". News on 6.
  2. ↑ Discoe, Peter (June 7, 2023). "Saint Francis Tulsa Tough preview: Andrea Cyr and Danny Summerhill look to defend their American Criterium Cup lead". Velo News.
  3. ↑ Drew Coleman, Anne-Marije Rook (June 13, 2022). "Tulsa Tough photo essay: Scenes from America's criterium mecca and its wildest spectators". Cycling Weekly.
  4. ↑ "Throwback Tulsa: Cry Baby Hill is the annual highlight of Tulsa Tough bike races". Tulsa World. Jun 9, 2023.
  5. ↑ World, Tim Stanley Tulsa. "Tulsa Tough: Cry Baby Hill partiers help conclude annual race with a bang". Tulsa World. Retrieved 2018-07-19.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.