Santa Catalina Weekend

The 9th La Vuelta a Santa Catalina presented by Explore Pinal County

(Oracle Road Race + La Clásica San Manuel)

Arizona’s hardest road race!
Tucson, AZ
February 4-5, 2023
(USAC Permit: 2023-6636)

Welcome!
The UA Cycling Team and Sabino Cycles Team are excited to host the 9th Annual Santa Catalina Weekend. The weekend features LaClásica San Manuel and the Oracle Road Race. This event also serves as a fundraiser for a scholarship for the Mammoth-San Manuel Unified School District! See BikeReg on how to support this fund.

All events start and finish in San Manuel.

The tech guide, with course maps, start times, and elevation charts, can be found here

Registration:
Road race registration
Crit registration
THERE IS NO DAY OF REGISTRATION! Entry fees increased by $10 on 1/26!

Our event could not be possible without the support from:

Pinal County is the title sponsor for the weekend. Live, work, and play in Pinal County! VAGrants_web_sized
fairwheel logo circle blackThe title sponsor for the crit! Providing countless primes and prizes. Your full-service bike shop located next to campus! sabThe presenting sponsor for the Oracle road race! Providing wheel support and prizes. Your full-service bike shop on the east side!
Screen Shot 2014-01-20 at 1.28.54 PMProviding lunch during the crit for our volunteers. A wonderful bakery with 3 locations in town. rbarFresh, simple & delicious energy and protein bars crafted in small batches. Vegan, gluten-free, non-GMO & dairy-free.
Screen Shot 2014-01-20 at 1.34.26 PMRitchey produces outstanding stems, handlebars, seat posts, frames, and more! They are providing several sets of prizes for the crit! sidi-logoSidi makes the finest cycling shoes in the world and provides some excellent prizes (no, not shoes) for the races.

And, of course, a massive thanks to Visit Arizona, Pinal County, Oracle Visitor Center, and the town of San Manuel for welcoming us into their community and making this race possible.

Lodging
There are several fine establishments in Oracle and San Manuel. In San Manuel, 7 Sky Motel has several rooms available. In Oracle, the 3C Ranch is a unique converted ranch with beautifully restored casitas! Rancho Robles (also in Oracle) provides a similar feel closer to town. Airbnb: Casa Anaya

Food
In San Manuel, Mel’s Drive-In is right on the course (with awesome shakes), Phat Flavors is around corner one of the crit (with great burritos and sandwiches), La Casita Cafe and Pizza Garden are a quick walk away as well. In Oracle, the Patio Cafe, Ore House Hilltop Tavern, Peppersauce Kitchen, and Nonna Maria’s are our favorites!

Hospital
Oro Valley: 551 E Tangerine Rd, Oro Valley, AZ 85755

Things to do
Looking for some activities to do after the road race? The Arizona Zip Line Adventures is ready for you! With the longest zip line in the state, AZ Zip Line Adventures is sure to please everyone with stunning views of the Sonoran desert! Come up a weekend early and scope out the road course, and then hit up the zip line!

Is science more your thing? Look no further than UA’s Biosphere 2! Stretch your legs after a difficult race and enjoy learning how the Biosphere is advancing research about our world and moving us toward a sustainable future.

FAQ:
1.) Why a “weekend”?
We went with an omnium in 2015 to keep the crit and road race on the same weekend.  However, running it as an omnium meant finding more prizes and a fairly complex points structure that delayed results. Plus, we found it did not increase participation. The events are still the same great courses you love, just no overall prizes between the two events.

2.) Do I have to race both days?
Nope! But we hope you do!

3.) What happened to the road race?
We transitioned to the out and back in 2017 because of the insurmountable costs associated with using AZ-77. Because it is a state highway, we were required to use AZ DPS officers to control traffic – at 1.5x the rate of Pinal Co. Deputies. There were also additional traffic control signage required such as two message boards placed 3 days prior to the event, and ADOT requires a $5 million dollar insurance policy to use their roads. This added up to more than $4,500 to use just that road. In 2016 we lost $3,400 on the road race- luckily, the criterium covered the costs, and we barely broke even. We felt we had raised entry fees to the highest we could go, and for 2017 we could not take the risk of losing money. We are not professional event promoters- we are college students with full course loads, jobs, and a love for cycling. We put on the event to provide a great race experience and raise money for our team. While we are always on the search for more sponsors for the event, at present, we do not have the ability to source out the $4,500 needed to use AZ-77. Should the situation change, we will explore bringing back the full loop. The out and back is still an incredibly difficult course!

4.) Can I help out?
Absolutely! Our events, especially the road race, need tons of volunteers. We can always use help with registration, podium ceremonies, driving follow cars, corner marshaling, set up, and clean up. Drop us a line if you are interested!