That said, the past couple days, I have confirmed that the good people of Tucson, AZ do not Se hobla Cyclocross. Lucky for me, I brought one of my off-season trainers (aka road bike) on the trip.
The climb to the top of Mt. Lemmon is somewhere around 25 miles. In the parking lot where all locals meet is Le Buzz Caffe/Espresso. All rides tend to start and end there.
Pros:
+ The 5000+ feet of climb to the top is a spread out in a consistent 5 to 7 % all the way up. The consistency of the grade allows for controlled interval work.
+ The road was rebuilt around 5 years ago and re-surfaced with new tarmac. It is buttery smooth with not a single piece of chip-and-seal to be seen in the whole 25 miles.
+ The surrounding terrain starts with desert cactus and ends with forest at a ski area. You will never be bored with the view.
Cons:
- There is not a ready supply of places to fill water bottles. There first place with running water is the ranger station at Palisades which is 24 miles from the start.
- The narrow bike lane all the way up may be an issue for the cyclists who demand that they be able to ride 3 abreast everywhere they go...... like... say.... some in Boulder, CO.
Lower Slopes are 5%
There is a crap load of cactus to go past on the way up.
In Colorado, tree line is 11,000ft. In Arizona, Saguaro Cactus line is 4500 ft.
Then trees start to grow.
Looking up the hill about mid way up the climb.
You know you are getting near the top of a hill when you see this sign in AZ
The view back out over Tucson, AZ from near the top.
I did some of the materials testing when they re-did the road. I was still working at Federal Highways, at the time, and we added a couple of new retaining walls to build pull-outs and just widen the road.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome.