Tommy_L

Hello all,
Im planning to ride from the outskirts of San Diego CA to Durango CO in 8 days. I have a conference there on Friday, leave Saturday, join the Ride the Rockies ride on the event's 2nd day (Monday). I am lucky enough to have a wife who will drive the VW camper along the way and support the whole ride. I'll have a gravel bike and a road bike with me.
Im looking for advice for the route. I dont really know where to start with the research. Im comfortable with the distance (approx 100 miles per day), I just dont like being surprised by narrow roads with lots of trucks and no shoulder....
So, anyone who's on that route and knows a few good miles of trail or a picturesque quiet long strip of road in the right direction, Im all ears.
Or even if someone has advice on a good web/book resource for bike-friendly roads that would be great too.
Thanks in advance,
Tom.

mev

I haven't ridden all of it specifically, but looking at the map as well as an observation that you need to be fairly direct... gives me the following inputs:

1. The initial section between San Diego and Aguila Arizona could be the same as the Southern Tier which goes through those same two points. I've ridden this twice and it is a reasonable route.
2. Busiest traffic is going to be related to the largest metro areas, particularly San Diego and Phoenix. Outside that there just isn't enough population to matter. The Arizona Bicycle Map (https://www.azbikeped.org/downloads/D...User-Map-1.pdf) gives additional information about traffic volumes.
3. A good portion looks like it crosses indian reservations. These have special rules and it may not be as easy to just stop and camp where you want. So I would double check Navajo Nation in particular.
4. Time of year is going to matter. Adventure Cycling in particular pin-points desert areas between the Imperial Valley and the Colorado River. See this note and description on "when to ride": https://www.adventurecycling.org/blo...southern-tier/ Here for example are temperature *averages* for Brawley - https://weatherspark.com/y/2199/Aver...tes-Year-Round Some of the time will be hotter than those average temperatures...

Having a support vehicle will help but ~800 miles in 8 days with limited places to stop, potentially compounded by Indian reservations and desire to get out of worst heat means some of those days could be considerably longer than a 100 mile average. I would be tempted to try AZ 89, US 89 and then cross over the Navajo Nation in NW Arizona. However, I would personally avoid it mid-summer and also do a bunch more of my own research about the reservations...

Edit:

• Here is the reason I personally would avoid some of this mid-June. I've seen heat exhaustion from cycling in extreme heat on two occasions. One was in Sudan where I spent several hours over 40C (104F) and my bike computer recorded a max of 47C (116F). Not sure if it got that completely that warm, but it was to point I couldn't proceed. I ended up not being able to get enough water and eventually threw up most of the water I could get. The group I was with ended up putting in a drip IV to resaturate and I was one of six cyclists of ~50 in that condition. The second occasion was an instance of "Las Vegas Hell Week" where we cycled from St George UT to Las Vegas on a day temperatures exceeded 110F. Everyone reacted differently, but we had at least one person that went very quickly from normal pulse to racing pulse in the heat. These desert areas have reasonable day/night swings and can be 65F overnight and 105F during the day. So the trick is to get most all your cycling in while it isn't hot and not spend too much time cycling in temperatures above human body temperature. However, trying to do 100 or 120 miles on some of those desert days makes it a lot tougher to avoid the heat since I don't cycle fast enough to avoid being out in close to hottest periods. So for that reason, I wouldn't join you on that aspect of the ride.

Tommy_L

wow, all great things to think about thanks! I do like to ride in the heat, Ill take a look at some averages and give it serious thought. And 'support' means SAG wagon in a phone call away, I wouldn't tackle a desert without that.

mev

By the way, your via points may not be too far off the RAAM route - Race Resources
RAAM racers cycle through the night with support vehicles in close proximity so may not be a good comparison, but you can see route directions and elevation profiles.

Tommy_L

Im getting a little nervous about those temps.... Maybe Ill drive 6 hrs to Vegas and start from there, I think I knock 8 degrees off the top, out the frying pan and into less frying pan.

andrewclaus

The best part of that route, in my opinion is the high country between Prescott and Flagstaff. Most of the desert below 4000' would be tough. I've ridden two routes to Flagstaff, 89 through Ashcroft to I-40, and 89A through Sedona. The latter is far more interesting, but more hazardous especially in Oak Creek Canyon.

Crossing the Navajo reservation between Flagstaff and Durango, especially near the Little Colorado River crossing, would be really hard in June.

Tommy_L

Andrew, thanks for your advice! Would be hard in June because of the heat?

timdow

If it were me I would do it in early June, not in late June. It still may be hot, though. Late Winter or Spring (now) is the right time to do this trip.

Tommy_L

Im sure you're right, and it is in the first half of June..... Im fitting this trip in around other commitments out West. Meeting in San Diego on the Friday 4th June and Ride the Rockies (13th June) are set in stone. Ive been tinkering with a ride already listed on ridewithGPS from Vegas to Durango and it looks wonderful, so I think the advice given so far has already borne fruit.

Kelly I

We've ridden through Navajo Nation twice, once each direction. We were self supported, but stayed in motels. Both trips were in June.

https://www.cycleblaze.com/journals/...ers-chinle-az/ - this is our journal from 2020. It is correct that you can't camp just anywhere on Navajo Nation, you need to stay in designated areas. COVID has hit the area hard. They have weekend closures and nighttime curfews at this point. After much discussion, we bicycled through last summer and made it just fine. There are KOA campgrounds.

If you are comfortable with 100 mile days and have a SAG, I don't see why your plan won't work. Certainly your legs will be ready to go by the time you hit Colorado!

It's not the direct route - but riding through Monument Valley on a bicycle is a Top Ten experience. Kayenta-Monument Valley- Mexican Hat-Bluff is a spectacular piece of road.

Rereading your original post, you have concerns about traffic. It's the Big Empty crossing most of Arizona and into Utah. We always ride with two bright lights on different flash patterns. My current favorite is Cygolite 350. I have read that ACA's exit route from Phoenix around the Globe area is very miserable riding. But, I don't think that would be your route?

Start early in the morning and beat the heat. It will be a ride to talk about!

Kelly

Tommy_L

Thanks Kelly! I read a few pages of your journal, makes excellent reading and Ill dig deeper. this is my 7th post, they have a rule you need 10 to post a link.... Ill put my tentative route up here shortly, I'd be super grateful if you have any feedback on it.