Tulsa Tough To Bring Thousands To City For 3-Day Event

The 12th annual Saint Francis Tulsa Tough gets underway on Friday, and thousands of people will visit downtown Tulsa for the three-day cycling event. Organizers said they are ready. 

At a news conference Wednesday, the Executive Director of Tulsa Tough introduced five young cyclists, and one is just 8-years-old. 

Malcolm McCollam has been with Tulsa Tough for all 12 years, and he says one of the things that makes this event so special, is how people of all ages come from all over the country to ride here in Tulsa.

He said out-of-towners are always impressed by how much the community comes together for the event. 

"People just can't believe how many come out in a supportive effort all at once," McCollam said. 

The executive director said Tulsa Tough has put our city on the map in the cycling community, growing every year since it's inception over a decade ago.

"Tulsa, Oklahoma will see over 1,000 racers a day in Tulsa competing for a prize of over $100,000," McCollam said. "They will ride for all kinds of reasons - some will ride for fun, some people will ride for the challenge."

McCollam said Tulsa will host riders from 36 states and six countries, including Canada, Italy and Australia.

He said the theme of this year's event is "Freedom Machine," as a tribute to bicycles being the first thing to give women the freedom of transportation.

The event goes from Friday to Sunday. For more information about Tulsa Tough, visit their website or Facebook page.