Transfer boards make trips easier for adaptive athletes

El Tour de Tucson is one of the country’s leading cycling events.

The team that puts the event together is making strides to ensure that all athletes, including those living with disabilities, have the tools and resources they need to compete.

Transfer boards will be one of the most meaningful new options for riders. They allow handcycle riders to easily transfer into wheelchairs if they ever need to stop and use a portable toilet.

This year, El Tour leaders will offer a fourth year of ever-expanding services, knowing that more than 100 adaptive riders will participate in the race. This is a significant increase from the 23 adaptive participants in 2019.

Paul Davis said it’s important to see this kind of progress to grow the El Tour. Davis is head of access and mobility for race sponsor, Omeo America .

“We’re not reinventing the wheel,” Davis said. “We’re simply listening to adaptive athletes and identifying ways to make the experience more inclusive, from transfer boards at rest areas to wider turning radii on the field. Even a small change like this can make a big difference.”

Mia Hansen said she wholeheartedly agrees with the upgrades. Hansen is the managing director of Adaptive Sports in Southern Arizona .

“Cycling should be accessible to everyone,” she says. said. “We’ve worked with El Tour to address barriers, from accessible parking to ensuring the medal stands are wheelchair accessible.”

Hansen also shared a bit of news that will mark a first for Southern Arizona Adaptive Sports: The team will have a blind cyclist entry on a side-by-side tandem bike.

“It’s about radical inclusion,” Hansen said. “Making sure everyone can participate and feel welcome,” she said. Steven O’Brien said he has felt the welcome embrace as a hand cyclist making his third personal run at El Tour.

“The station areas at the start and finish lines make it easier for us,” O’Brien said. “This year, the addition of wheelchairs and porta-potties at aid stations shows how much thought has gone into making this event inclusive.”

Davis said this year’s project serves as a reminder that when leaders take the time to include others, athletes of any background can shine. To that point, Davis said thanks to input from groups like Omeo and SAAS, El Tour de Tucson has become a blueprint for other major athletic competitions to follow.

“Our goal is to inspire other races to adopt similar practices,” he said. “This is just the beginning.”

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