Traffic was heavy at the UA's Main Gate yesterday when more than 1,000 bicyclists rode through in the Tour of the Tucson Mountains.

Jon Gibson, a University of Arizona cycling club member and an electrical engineering graduate student, placed second, finishing the 62-mile race in 2 hours, 16 minutes. The race began and ended at the UA Main Gate.

"The UA cycling team was battling with the Casino of the Sun team for first place," Gibson said. "Our team held strong and worked together during constant attacks for the lead.

"Of the eight UA cyclist club members that participated in the ride, three or four placed in the top 10," he said.

The 10th annual event benefitted the UA Alumni Association and SAFE KIDS, which educates children on bicycle safety and provides children with helmets.

The adult ride began at 8 a.m., followed by the children's 5-mile ride through campus.

About 71 children participated in the event, finishing with a quarter-mile ride in wagons, strollers, tricycles and bikes, said Jeremy Pitcock, director of children's events.

Monica Steenerson, who placed fifth in the women's division, traveled from Las Vegas with husband Bob to participate in the event. She sustained cuts and bruises when she and five other bikers crashed as they made an attempt for the lead, but still completed the ride in 2 hours, 29 minutes.

"It all started when my wife said she wanted a bike," said Bob Steenerson, who placed 104th overall.

"He's the one that started entering us in competitions," said his wife.

"This is a wonderful crowd to ride with and the organization is great," she said.

Seventeen cases of minor cuts, scrapes and bruises were reported to the first-aid unit, said Capt. Randy Ogden, a Tucson Fire Department spokeman.

Two people were sent to the hospital for X-rays, he said.