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History of The Shoot Out by Ralph Phillips
The Shoot Out has been happening since the early seventies. It has changed in many ways, the course has changed, the number of riders has grown from five to one hundred fifty-five, and the players have changed. One thing that has not changed is its consistency- it is always there- Every Saturday Rain or Shine. It is always competitive. It is a benchmark for competition.

The man that taught me how to do this and helped me organize it, was Bob Cook. Bob was a student of the University of Arizona, as well as a member of the Olympic Road Team. There is a scholarship in Bob’s name at the university, and a hill climb named the Mt Evan Bob Cook Memorial Hill Climb.

We have had Olympic riders like Kent Bostick, Davis and Connie Phinney, and Alexi Grawall in the early years. Professional riders such as Gord Fraser, Mike Sayers, German rider Steffan Wesseman, and Stephan Schreck, and world famous triathletes Jimmy Riccitello and Peter Reed have also graced the peloton.

In the past there have been organized prizes for Shoot Out winners, and we’ve even had a winner’s jersey that was exchanged from week to week to the new winner.

The current Shoot Out route goes through the Tohona Oodham Indian Reservation. The route was chosen specifically for the least amount of automobile traffic. The first ten miles or so is the neutral section of the ride. Cyclists catch up with each other on the week’s events. The next thirteen miles, is a false flat that turns into a sprint to be the first to reach the bridge top. For another three or four miles it is rolling terrain passing Helmet Peak Rd, then another three or four miles reaches a stair step climb for about a half mile. The top of this climb is the true finish to claim the winner’s jersey.