Wanted to ask a question but figured it could be a good segue into a full thread about races in the Southwest. I’ve always wanted to come out to do some early season racing. Arizona has Valley of the Sun and Tucson Bicycle Classic. After careful consideration, I think I have landed on TBC (reasons below).
My question then became, is it worth flying out to AZ from the east coast for an event like this? It’s still going to be indoor trainer season back home, so just being able to ride outside in warmer weather sounded like a good reason. And some early season racing. But it’s $190 for the event (4 races), plus around $450 for flights and another $600 for hotels. So I’m looking at $1200 to fly out and race my bike. For those who have done these races or flown to others, is it worth it? Tell me why I should come out to AZ in February.
Why I chose TBC over VoS:
- I don’t own a TT bike. VoS is a timed stage race with a 10-mile TT. The results from the TT pretty much determine the GC results. So there’s no way I’d be anywhere near the front without a TT bike. TBC is doing a shorter Merckx style TT
- TBC is a points omnium vs a timed stage race. As cool as it would be to do one of the last remaining timed races, I think a points omnium is jusr a better option. Though with a Merckx TT, the time gaps would be a lot closer than if they allowed TT bikes.
- TBC is 4 races vs 3 for VoS
- I’ve heard the driving between VoS stages can be over an hour everyday
So there’s a few reasons why I chose TBC but it’s mainly the TT. If I had a TT bike that I could bring I likely would have chosen VoS.