Morning. our road team is looking to do a winter camp in the Tucson area. We’ve heard some awsome things about the weather and riding, though i’ve never personally been.
I was hoping to get some opinions on some things.
- i’m trying to figure out where in the area to stay. we’ve looked at some private homes you can rent, that sleep X to Y number of people…or some hotels that are Suites, etc for week+ long stays. it seems like Tucson is pretty ‘big’ with outskirt suburban areas. i can only base this looking at the maps, and speaking to people. some camps suggest staying in down town, near the highways… some like the “east side”. others like to be North near Oro Valley (which i’ve heard the best stuff regardign)…personally, when dealing with 6 to 10 riders, i’d rather always, if possible , right out the driveway, avoid cars or van, etc. i gues sthe more downtown you are, the more your warmups are thru 5 miles of traffic, cars,etc.
i’d love to find “THE” area where everything is out the door, the recovery flatter stuff, the tough rides,
any thoughts or ideas?
- anyone know of any groups/people that do camps, taht can arrange the whole shibang, A to Z, the accomodations, airport transport, sag support, ride guidance… we’re pretty independent group of hardcores, but i’d love to find a price for all inclusive and just let someone else manage the nonesense.
nonsense stinks.
thx in advance.
sg
I lived in Tucson for 20 years. I can’t tell you about camps, hotels, B&Bs, etc, since I had a house, but I would suggest the far east side for its proximity to Old spanish Trail and the “cave ride,” Houghton and Wentworth, and then the ride south to Sonoita with good climbs and light traffic. From Sonoita there are excellent rides to Bisbee and other towns, Mule Pass, etc, and mostly light traffic except around Tombstone. The high desert of southern Arizona is fantastic bike territory.
The bike club there is very active and it’s worth checking in with them for suggestions. The name is Greater Arizona Bicycle Association, or GABA, and they probably have a website these days. If Fair Wheel Bikes is still in business they may still have a racing team, so it could be worth contacting them. My experience many years ago was that this was and exclusive clique and not visitor-friendly; hopefully that’s changed in the 9 years I’ve been gone.
Mount Lemmon is a popular climb, though I seem to remember Kitt Peak having a better road and less traffic.
See if anyone you contact has a copy of the old Ed Stiles book Bike Rides in Southern Arizona.
Good luck! Say hi to Tucson for me.
I’ve put on 1 camp there, lived there for 7-8 year and still go back even in the summer as often as I can to train.
You can ride from one side of Tucson to the other on your bike in bike lanes or on roads that are very quiet. You could ride 4 abreast most of the trip on some roads and 2 abreast for the rest. So I’d figure out if you want to be near Lemmon for climbing and the east side rides, or if you wanted to be closer to the University which is where the group rides roll from daily. The group head East on M,W,F west on T,TH and Sat. Sun they climb Lemmon.
Personally I do 99% of my riding to the west b/c it’s hiller, more bike lanes, less traffic, i feel that traffic is more forgiving of cyclists, more climbing (A. Mtn, Gates pass, Kitt Peak - which from i-10/speedway and back is about 115miles with a 12mile climb that avg ~7-8%. Lemmon avgs ~5% I believe, Gates pass avg about 5% on the roll in but 12-14% on the actual climb once you get 2-3 turns past the parking lot), more route options, you can go west then loop up north towards Oro Valley or you can head up Mission down helmet peak then across Houghton and make a complete circle coming in back from the east.
There is a place, whihc I believe is called Cyclists House that can arrange everything for you, google them. I volunteer to ba a tour guide for a day if I can wedge it into my schedule. If you need more info shoot me a PM.
I don’t live there, but get down about 3-4 times a year. We have a house there. My impression of Tucson riding is that you absolutely have to avoid the main part of town as the traffic is brutal and rather dangerous. Yes, there are ways to skirt in and out of town on surface streets and bike lanes, but you have to know which ones. For North South use Mountain ave. For East West use Pima ave and Old Spanish Trail. Also incorporate the Riilto River Bike path and the Santa Cruz River bike path for access in to and out of town. Many streets do have very nice bike lanes, the problem is the enourmous and confusing intersections. I’ve never seen anything like it. No dedicated turning signals either. It’s hairy if you get caught out in the middle of these “black holes”. As for riding the above posts pretty well say it. West is also my favorite, but some interesting stuff lies South and East of town. My personal prefence down there is to get OFF road, as the Mountain biking is incredible (except for the thorns). And no cars. Good luck. The guys at Arizona Cyclist shop at River rd. and Campbell ave. have good group rides and are helpful with local route info. Give them a call. When are you coming?
I have done 2 camps there and I would suggest staying on the east side of town. It is closer to Lemmon and If you go to Tucson, Lemmon is the climb to do. There is less traffic over there and statistically there have been fewer incidents with bikes and cars there. I would try to schedule it later in Feb because there is still some snow and ice up on Lemmon in Jan and early Feb.
I stayed with the guys at “the cycling house” Owen would be able to set you up. He owns the joint now. These guys are professional cyclists and they take you on rides and can provide support on longer rides if you need it. All food is provided. Unlimited Hammer products are also provided. Enjoy Tucson…It is a great place to get a jump start on your training this winter ; )
http://www.thecyclinghouse.com/