timmhaan

was in AZ this week and got to borrow a friend's road bike. now, i grew up in tucson but only rode BMX bikes as a kid so i didn't know exactly how tucson was as a road cycling city.

there are a number of bike lanes on major routes which are nice. the swan rd. bike route took me all the way across town. i rode from mid-town up to river road. sunday morning there wasn't a lot of traffic and i made great time. i road along 22nd street and wilmot as well (each had bike lanes). later in the afternoon traffic started to get a little thicker, but for the most part everyone was civil. i saw quite a few roadies out. temps were perfect in the morning at 70 degrees, and got into the 90s during the day (good for tucson, but still a little warm nonetheless).

one snowbird got confused and tried to turn into me when i was crossing an intersection. he was probably around 80 years old. i had to slam on the brakes and he did the same thing. i raised my arms to show i wasn't happy. but i deal with that all the time in new york so no biggie there.

the riding was better on the north side of town, and i wish i had a bit more time to explore. nice smooth pavement and long blocks. my biggest regret was not having enough time to ride up mt. lemmon. we drove up there to show my GF (she'd never been there) and we saw about 10-12 cyclist climbing it. looked like great fun. i think it's about a 12-15 mile climb, right? oh well, maybe next time.

all in all, it seemed an okay cycling city. traffic is getting really bad though and i wouldn't feel too safe on a road without a dedicated lane. like grant for example. on the outskirts it seems like a gold mine for riding though.

Surferbruce

i went to u. of a. and really miss being able to hop on a mtn bike and within minutes being able to be in the middle of beautiful desert with endless singletracks. to this day some of the best offroad riding i've ever done.
we used to always go down to nogales to drink and party, but with the current border town scenario's (read kidnapping and murder) i sure wouldn't do that now.

timmhaan

ah yes, same as me. went to the u of a too. been to nogalas a few times as well - but i'll probably never go back there again. i never really liked the situation down there too much anyway.

bvfrompc

My wife and I took a vacation down in Tucson late Nov last year, great low 70s temps, awesome off-road stuff all around, we were down there during the Tour of Tucson, something like 7500 roadies. I wish I remembered all of the trails but we mountain biked North, West, and SE of the city and even got in some trail running on a inner city mountain bike park south of Downtown, and a real nice bike path along a arroyo just N of Downtown to jog along. Cheap little ethnic places near the University, great place to visit. I didn't have my road bike but the stuff north of town on Oracle looked like a great place to ride, nice wide shoulders and rolling with hills. If you've never mountain bike with cacti, well, be careful!

Mr_Super_Socks

I went to UofA and did some pretty heavy cycling just before I left to come to NY. there truly is some awesome riding. You gotta get out of town a bit, but there are many very good rides. Saguaro nat'l monument East is one of the best bits of riding I have done anywhere. it's a ten mile, hilly, nearly traffic free loop through virgin saguaro filled desert. link this into a longer ride on Old Spanish Trail and you could make a damn good day of it. Too many rides to list here, but if you look at past routes of the El Tour de Tucson, that will give you some idea.

For all the riding I have done there, I never tackled Mt. Lemmon. but I have family there so maybe this Christmas!!!

Brahman Bull

I am currently a student at the "U" but I was born and raised here as well. I love Tucson! I have to say, there are some great routes here. If anyone decides to visit here are some of my favorites:
1. Mt. Lemmon - a must ride for the locals and roadies alike. I did it last week. The hardcores favorite.
2. Town of Oracle - see the Biosphere. Great stretch of road.
3. Gates Pass - Nice ride w/ a great mountain pass. Take it to Old Tucson or Desert Museum. No Bike lanes.
4. Painted Quail Hill - off of Snyder and Kolb. Great "Hill" climb a low traffic residential area.
5. Colossal Cave - Take Old Spanish Trail to the Cave.
6. El Tour De Tucson - Nov 19th. Choose either 109, 83, 67 or 33 mile ride around the perimeter of Tucson.

These are just a few rides I like. Traffic is fine during the morning but picks up in the early afternoon. Motorist are very respectful, just watch out for "snowbirds", they will cut you off and bump you off the road w/out a care in the world.

pricklycommute

I live in Tucson too, and ride a 20-mile roundtrip commute daily. I live near Skyline/Campbell, and ride to downtown. The weather is getting great now (60 degrees to work, 80 degrees home). The motorists are definitely above average, simply because they are used to seeing bikes everyday. My favorite ride is also at Saguaro National Park East, but Mt. Lemmon is tops on weekdays (less traffic). I have ridden the entire way once, all the way from my apartment in midtown to the very top (at the top of the ski lift). Pulled a BOB trailer loaded with camping equipment too - it was a long day. Beautiful ride though.

Uphill Battle

Planning on El Tour in November. Nice little ride. I'm driving down with a couple of friends from Colorado.

Between El Tour and Spring Training for the Rox, we've always had a good time in Tucson.