Headed out for a week of training next week…looking for recommendations on good rides, places to run, etc. I will have a car. I was planning to swim at Eldorado because it is outside and that would be a welcome change for me, but let me know if that’s a bad idea for some reason.
Any and all guidance (on this topic) is welcome. Group rides, runs, whatever.
Thanks in advance!
Wes
I can’t help you with the group rides, but when I want to ride alone I go up and down State Route 87. It has a nice wide shoulder all the way from McDowell Rd. to well past the Four Peaks turnoff at Forest Road 143. Perhaps I forgot to mention - a really nice, wide shoulder. A former roommate of mine rode all the way to Payson once and had someone pick him up. If you’re ten times the cyclist I am, you could just ride to Payson and back, about 75 miles each way. Or if you’re like me, turn around when you’ve had enough. You can do outdoor swimming in Saguaro Lake not far off AZ-87 (at least out to the buoys and back, a couple hundred meters square), but you need a Tonto Pass for $6 a day to park. Use the Tempe Town Lake water temps as a guide. Running? You can do that anywhere, but just point to a mountain and there’s probably a trail to the top, and a circumference trail if you’re lucky. Maybe check hikearizona.com, select Regions at the bottom, and you’ll see the Phoenix NE trails from a hiking perspective. Unless you prefer asphalt.
Rob.
I can’t help you with the group rides, but when I want to ride alone I go up and down State Route 87. It has a nice wide shoulder all the way from McDowell Rd. to well past the Four Peaks turnoff at Forest Road 143. Perhaps I forgot to mention - a really nice, wide shoulder. A former roommate of mine rode all the way to Payson once and had someone pick him up. If you’re ten times the cyclist I am, you could just ride to Payson and back, about 75 miles each way. Or if you’re like me, turn around when you’ve had enough. You can do outdoor swimming in Saguaro Lake not far off AZ-87 (at least out to the buoys and back, a couple hundred meters square), but you need a Tonto Pass for $6 a day to park. Use the Tempe Town Lake water temps as a guide. Running? You can do that anywhere, but just point to a mountain and there’s probably a trail to the top, and a circumference trail if you’re lucky. Maybe check hikearizona.com, select Regions at the bottom, and you’ll see the Phoenix NE trails from a hiking perspective. Unless you prefer asphalt.
Rob.
Tribe Multisport has group rides on Sat and…Thurs I believe. Landis has group rides, and the running shop next to their Tempe location has group runs. You could also check out the Arizona section of beginnertriathlete, there’s a bunch of people around the valley.
John
Since you have a car, and if you have time, I’d make it a point to drive down to the South Moutain Recreation area. Straight south on Central Ave and Park at the ranger station. Do the climb all the way to the top (TV Towers) for a view of the entire valley (on a clear day). Its only about 13-14 miles round-trip, but I think it is the most scenic local ride and one of my favorites. Also, if you have time, ride out to the end of San Juan road and back another 12 miles round-trip maybe. Most of the road is closed to traffic and it’s basically rolling hills.
Brad Hendron
www.triscottsdale.com has a group ride that leaves from mid town Scottsdale on Tues (flatter)and Thurs (hills) morning. Around 26 miles each. They both have nice routes through some very nice neighborhoods. X2 on South Mountain. You can swim with the www.sundevilmasters.com at Cactus in Scottsdale or at ASU. They are very friendly and dropins are welcome.
I’m in Phoenix for business quite often, and I always love to run along the canals there. Flat, packed dirt and they go on forever. Not necessarily scenic, but I always seem to see interesting stuff.