Saint Francis Tulsa Tough Pushing Forward With Three-Day Event In June

Organizers of "Tulsa Tough," the annual cycling event, have confirmed that the event will return for 2021. The event was canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Organizers say the event is scheduled to take place on June 11, 12, and 13. According to Tulsa Tough organizers, the final decision was made on Tuesday.

Tuesday, April 6th 2021, 5:22 pm

By: News On 6, Amy Slanchik

The Saint Francis Tulsa Tough annual cycling event is happening this summer, after the pandemic canceled it last year.

Thousands of cyclists usually participate in the three-day racing event. Tulsa Tough said they are planning for the dates to be June 11-13th.

Tulsa Tough said it is working on making changes to crowd flow when it comes to spacing and will announce what people can expect closer to June.

2019 was the last time the crowds got to see cyclists zipping their way around Tulsa, and across Green Country, for Tulsa Tough.

Looking ahead to the second weekend of June, Executive Director Malcolm has a lot to look forward to.

"Just the feeling of the energy and seeing people downtown smiling and laughing again. It's just going to feel really great,” McCollam said.

Tulsa Cyclist Scott Reed said he will be in the crowd.

"We missed them last year. Not much to do in June without hanging out at Tulsa Tough,” Reed said.

Tulsa Regional Tourism President Ray Hoyt said in a statement that he is thrilled to see events like IRONMAN, the Senior PGA Championship, and now Tulsa Tough, will be happening.

"These events are not only an economic boost that we need coming out of the pandemic but are also those cultural elements that make Tulsa such a fun place to be," Hoyt said.

Reed said another benefit of Tulsa Tough is that he thinks drivers will pay more attention to cyclists on the road.

"It seems like once some of the culture of Tulsa Tough comes in, gets a little more recognition, brings some business to Tulsa, I think maybe changes some minds about having riders on the road,” Reed said.

McCollam said word traveled fast about Tuesday’s announcement and cyclists can't wait to push forward in June.

“Pretty much what I'm getting from my friends across the country is universal joy,” McCollam said.

The team said its decision to have the event this summer is based on the COVID-19 infection rate, the case positivity rate and the percent of Oklahomans vaccinated.

They also cite vaccine availability and said their first responsibility is to look out for the best interests of the community, especially healthcare workers.

But the announcement comes with caution. Tulsa Tough said its decision to have the event in June may be “revoked” if predictions based on current COVID data are wrong, but right now, registration is open.

If Tulsa Tough does revoke its decision to hold the event in June, it said it will move the event to September 17-19th.