PHX is pretty big. Might be better to segment which side of town.

For instance I lived SW PHX and rode Riggs rd, out to Chandler, through the res, out to Casa Grande and home quite often. Wide shoulders, very few lights great for putting your head down and going. I also rode S. Mtn a lot.

There are numerous threads in the archives detailing great routes in & around PHX

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Brian Stover USAT LII
Accelerate3 Coaching
Insta

Any where really. I have been there multiple times and know how big and spread out the city is. I am asking where the very best area (or areas) to ride are located.

That route looks like a good one. Smooth pavement?

My criteria are safety (i..e light traffic), good roads, hills, scenery. In my view the riding that best meets those criteria is between Paradise Valley and Fountain Hills. Recently the Hidden Hills subdivision in Scottsdale opened up a path to Fountain Hills. That means I can get from my house in PV to Fountain Hills and not have to ride on any major roads. I have lots of hills, only a few lights, and lots of options for extending to 4 hrs or so or shortening the ride.

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Andrew Inkpen

Awesome Andrew, thanks for this. I will look it up

There's a huge group ride that leaves Gainey Ranch Health Spa every Tuesday and Thursday at 5:30am. On Tuesday it makes a route around CamelBack mountain and has either an 'A' group (pretty darn fast) and a 'B' group (more moderate pace). On Thursday, the group goes up to Hidden Hills and does a series of hill repeats. This hidden hills route also is the route to get to the path to Fountain Hills (mentioned in an earlier post). I mention these Gainey Ranch rides for two reasons: 1. they are excellent rides, and 2. they will expose you to a huge group of riders who can then expose you to other group rides and other routes.

Phoenix/Scottsdale has amazing cycling in every direction. You can get hills (South Mountain, Via Linda, etc.), you can get Time Trial Flats (Sonoran Desert Parkway) and everything else in between. Cave Creek offers amazing cycling and great mileage from the central Scottsdale area. As somebody else mentioned here, you shouldn't need to get into a car in order to get out of town on your bike. There are tons of organized group rides and tons of ways to stay connected. If you're interested in Triathlon, connect with TriScottsdale on Facebook. Or message me, if you want more information. Happy to help any way I can.

Longer day, flat but few traffic lights: https://www.strava.com/activities/1323451420
Medium day out-and-back with good winter climbs https://www.strava.com/activities/1329753380
Fountain Hills > Troon loop https://www.strava.com/activities/1328473069

Awesome thanks Carl.

Do you know of any early group rides on Thursday night or Friday or Saturday morning? On Saturday I need to be back at the Phoenician by 9:30 or so for a 10 o'clock meeting. I might just try to get out around 6 and find a good route. Thanks!

can you provide more detail on route from PV (and where starting from) to Fountain Hills and path. thanks

There's a 7pm ride on Thursday from Bicycle Ranch in Scottsdale. (http://bicycleranch.com/scottsdale-rides/) You'll need a light. I'd call 480-614-8300 to confirm the time.

There are tons of Saturday rides. Including at least 3 from Bicycle Ranch at 7am. Same website and phone number as above.

In addition, there's a Saturday morning ride that leaves from Panera Bread (usually at 7am) that would have you back by 9:30 or so. You can turn around early, if you need to. This ride sometimes leaves earlier depending on the weather. Check the TriScottsdale Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/triscottsdale/) for more info. Also, sometimes members of that club will organize other rides on Saturday that leave at different times or do different distances.

Tribe Multisport also does a Thursday evening ride and a Saturday morning ride. (https://www.tribemultisport.com/pages/group-rides)

All that being said, there are a thousand routes you can take on your own from anywhere in Scottsdale. In fact, from the phoenician, there's a great route that goes around Camelback Mountain. Message me and I'll give you my cell number if you need more info.

From Paradise Valley, head east via Doubletree, turn left on Via Linda, left on 84th St, right on Mountain View and continue to 124th. Turn left on 124th St, cross Shea and turn right on Via Linda. Follow Via Linda all the way up the hill and go through the gate at the top. The road will turn into 145th Way. Follow that all the way up and the Adero Canyon bike path will be on the right. When you get to the top of the bike path hill, you'll be in Fountain Hills.

Not to be negative, but to call any riding in Phoenix 'amazing' is insane.

So sick of seeing cyclist getting hit by this growing city. I too would have safety as number 1 priority as that teenager doesn't give AF about your workout plan.

Again sorry to be negative, but unless your mountain biking there just isn't a whole lot of great riding.
(Man I sound negative lol).

Hah, okay, well everybody is welcome their own opinion and perspective. But as someone who was living in Indiana a little over a year ago, I can tell you that, for me, ANY Scottsdale cycling beats the hell out of spending 4 hours looking at a TrainerRoad screen in a basement for 7-8 months of the year. And for the 4 to 5 months in Indiana when you actually could ride outside, there were little to no bike lanes. Worse yet, cyclists are seen as pests on the road and have no rights. I know, I was hit by a car in Indiana. It's all about perspective. Yes, distracted driving is a problem, but it's a problem everywhere. Not just Phoenix/Scottsdale.

Check out Arizona Outback Adventures website (https://aoa-adventures.com/ride-planning-center/) as they have cue sheets for a lot of good rides like McDowell Mountain loop; the Sonoran Parkway and Bartlett Lake. You could also do a Strava search for rides based on town (Scottsdale, Cave Creek, Chandler) and then refine it by road type and distance.

FYI: Bartlett Lake is a great ride - just do it during off-peak hours and never on a nice weekend due to lots of boat trailers. While on that ride it's also worth the climb up toward Horseshoe Rez while you are at it...just turn back when the pavement ends (adds a total of 4 miles).

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Straightenin' the curves; Flattenin' the hills
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Coached by Mike Plumb @ TriPower MultiSports
https://www.strava.com/athletes/1149072 - https://www.instagram.com/thoswoods/