Ride Like You Mean It

RIDE

LIKE YOU MEAN IT

TIPS FROM WOMEN ON WHEELS TO EXPLORE TUCSON BY BIKE

BY JANELE HAEGERT

If you’d really like to get a feel for Tucson, try exploring it from the saddle – of a bike, that is. The sun’s warmth on your skin, a gentle breeze whispering through mesquite trees, a ground squirrel darting along the roadside dirt, the smell of creosote after a rain: these are the joys of the desert that you notice when you’re skimming along trails on a bicycle.

Your chariot awaits. If you aren’t bringing your own, Fair Wheel Bikes comes highly recommended for mountain bikes or hybrid bikes (a cross between a road and mountain bike); its rentals are well-stocked, high-quality, and well-maintained. For quick trips in the downtown and University of Arizona areas, you can rent a bicycle at any of the TuGo Bike Share self-service docking stations, offering more than 330 bikes at 41 stations throughout the city. Tucson Bike Tours provides bikes for its guided tours through the downtown historic neighborhoods. Choose between their Historic, Mural, and Taco tours to get a glimpse into the city’s many offerings. In addition, some hotels near multi-use trails, including JW Marriott Tucson Starr Pass Resort & Spa and The Tuxon, rent or loan bikes to guests. Or, for a completely turn-key experience, book a customized mountain biking itinerary with the experts at Homegrown Mountain Biking Tours. Their team will outfit you with the newest mountain biking gear and arrange rides in and around Tucson while accompanying you every step of the way. Most Tucsonans with a bike will head straight to The Chuck Huckelberry Loop, a 136-mile network of shared use paths running along the edges of the city in a near-continuous circle. Consisting of the Rillito River Park, Santa Cruz River Park, Pantano River Park, and Julian Wash/Harrison Greenway, The Loop is open to anything without a motor. Olympic cyclist Chloe Woodruff remembers The Loop as one of her favorite ways to explore: “Riding a bike lets you see and experience so many more things than you would zipping through by car.” She particularly recommends stopping for fresh tortillas and empanadas at Anita’s Street Market between the Santa Cruz River and Dunbar Spring neighborhood. If you’re looking to extend your trip, you can tap on additional mileage in Oro Valley, where the loop intersects with Catalina State Park.

Longtime Tucson cyclist Daniela Diamonte credits bike touring as the catalyst for her cycling passion. She recalls her first ride was down to Madera Canyon, a beautiful riparian canyon in the Santa Rita Mountains, about 35 miles southeast of Tucson. Also high on her list of local rides are the routes to Brown Mountain, Colossal Cave, and Catalina State Park – the last of which can be achieved entirely via The Loop system. Pack a few light camping supplies and turn your bike tour into a hiking and camping adventure, too.

Courtesy of Pima County

Clockwise from Left: Home Grown Mountain Bike Tours; The Chuck Huckelberry Loop; Madera Canyon

If you enjoy the bike-and-hike idea but want to stay a bit closer to town, consider making your way up Sabino Canyon. During the day, this Coronado National Forest land is packed with visitors enjoying the foothills of the Santa Catalina Mountains – but every morning and evening (before 9 a.m. and after 5 p.m.) the paved roadway leading up into the heart of Sabino is also open to cyclists. Test your legs with some uphill work and take in the quiet beauty of one of the most vibrant canyons in the Catalinas. And remember; what goes up gets to coast all the way back down.

Ah, but can you talk of adventure in Tucson without looking to Mt. Lemmon? Consistently voted onto cyclists’ lists of top road bike climbs in the country, the Mt. Lemmon Scenic Byway boasts a perfectly cambered 4 percent to 5 percent grade with breathtaking views at every switchback. Amy Orchard, member of Perimeter Bicycling Board, says Mt. Lemmon Road is among her favorite rides. She is still amazed at the biodiversity of the climb – after all, she notes, you’re making the very same elevation and vegetation changes as if you were riding from Mexico to Canada. Just try not to start when the sun is already high in the sky. The mountain may rise to 9,000 feet, but it still has its roots in the valley desert. And it’s not just road bikers who sing Mt. Lemmon’s praises. The mountain is also home to a complex network of mountain biking trails that are frequented by experienced riders.

Take your connection to nature a step farther on mountain bike trails that curl and crisscross their way through the Tucson and Rincon Mountain ranges. Just don’t get too close to any of the cholla cacti that line the routes. If you do, don’t panic: a fine-toothed comb should remove any larger spines that might be hanging on, and tweezers can take care of the rest. It’s not just your shins that are in danger, either. Avid mountain cyclist Nina Simon recommends going tubeless when riding the Sweetwater Trail System, one of her favorites because it offers a wide variety of opportunities for all skill levels.

Image: Mt. Lemmon Scenic Byway

If you’re looking to connect with other cyclists, visit the event pages of Sonoran Desert Mountain Bicyclists and Great Arizona Bicycling Association. Tuesday Night Bike Ride is a popular social ride that starts at Old Main on the University of Arizona campus with varying routes each week. Tucson’s cycle-friendly lifestyle is never more apparent than during Cyclovia. Twice a year, Tucson streets shut down to motorized traffic and people-powered fun prevails on routes throughout Tucson. For more cycling events, race through the desert south of the city during the Tucson Bicycle Classic in March or go on a 106-mile (or less, if you prefer) racing adventure through the streets of Tucson during El Tour de Tucson in November. If you’re a serious mountain biker, try 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo, one of the largest day-long endurance events of its kind in the world each February. Tucson’s newest biking event is the Mount Lemmon Gravel Grinder, as much a spectator event as it is a serious competitive challenge. This 40-, 50- and 60-mile gravel ride up the backside of the mountain, also offers a Halloween costume contest, live music and vendor expo each October.

Exploring Tucson from atop a bike promises to open your eyes to the beauty of the Sonoran Desert while also testing your strength. So go as far and as high and as long as you can, and then reach beyond that. You might surprise yourself.

Above: Sweetwater Preserve Right: Mt. Lemmon Gravel Grinder