Winter Cycling - "winter" in Tucson

I am not sure what just happened to my post.

I'm in Tucson visiting, and winter here is much different than Minnesota. I'm chilled in the 59 degree weather, there are winds here, everything is brown, and has thorns. My legs are now covered in scrapes from getting too close to bushes that had they had leaves I would have avoided.

With it being dry here there is a lot of sand, and tires and sand don't necessarily work all that well together.

It's fun. I'll have pics to post and more adventures to tell of my wintering in AZ.

Please do! I love the southwest. :)

I'm wiating!:)

I spent most of Dec in Tucson, LOVED the road cycling there. Very friendly people, more then enough bike lanes, and miles and miles of open roads.

Post some pics. If it looks like my kinda place maybe I'll retire there in a few years.

I'm tired of this already, suppose to be 80 today, this is not winter. Although back home (Twin Cities) it's 40, so there probably won't be any snow when I get there.
There are tons of bike paths here, with a lot of signage to share the road, and they do. We went out in the desert yesterday, and had to share a couple mountain climbs with some guys on their Colnagos, dressed in their riding kit. I wanted to be on the front, or at least drafting.
It has been suggested that this be the place to come to in the winter. I may have to work that out, get a bike down here so I can get out and ride, cause this looks like a great place to do some serious road work. I'm already MTBing on the Rillito (pronounced= Ree-ee-toe), and looking for some single tracks through the Saugaro cactus, locals say these things live 70+ years.
Spring is coming, there are buds on the trees here that get bigger each day. I can only imagine if today is going to be in the 80s what it must be like in August.

I'm tired of this already, suppose to be 80 today, this is not winter. Although back home (Twin Cities) it's 40, so there probably won't be any snow when I get there.

And the olianders are blooming! Its a regular paridise up here. Of course we'll be dumped on, the day you come back( God's funny little way of reminding us of his existance).

I'm tired of this already, <SNIP>

:rolleyes:

Do you actually expect us to believe this? :p

:rolleyes:

Do you actually expect us to believe this? :p

One of the many reasons I don't visit warm places in the winter: I might like it so much I'll stay there and not go back home :D

One of the many reasons I don't visit warm places in the winter: I might like it so much I'll stay there and not go back home :D

Truth-be-told, I am actually from Central Texas. Most of my family is still down there. I went back for a visit and didn't really care for it. I even moved to Minnesota for 3 years. It was ok, but I guess I'm not crazy about over population.

There is just something about Montana that keeps dragging me back. We have a saying here:

"Once Montana gets in your blood, you can never get rid of it."

Here's a story on training in Tucson actually just posted today...isn't that a coincidence...

http://www.lvvelo.org/suhl.htm

Hey, naisme, as of 2:30 pm Thursday the 19th there is still plenty of snow on the ground. The roads are all clear and the temps balmy, but I hear we might be in for a storm tonight into tomorrow. Wet snow, not the dry stuff we've been getting. Enjoy your stay down there, I envy you.

Well, fairing rather well here, except I went out and did the crazy thing, picked up my own bike. I found a "used" bike store, and got a beater to leave here. Couldn't just be a beater either, it's got to be single speed. So I'm out riding on it for the first time, the very first road ride I've really done here, and I hit a pot hole. I flatted the front tire, and the rear, but also flattened the old steel rim. Those don't flatten very easily. I suppose had I been riding aluminum I'd have tacoed the damn thing. I was beside myself.
The bike lanes here are like anywhere else, full of stuff to watch out for. The big problem here is traffic on your left is doing 40 mph, so you're paying attention more to them than what lies ahead. Of course I also had my head down and trying to keep up with traffic. fun ride, miserable walk home, there's no shade here.
The adventure continues.

The Rillito

Mountains and the Rillito

Careful

(In my best announder voice) And so we bid farewell to this desert oasis of the Southwest, a wonderful gem, that we may have to come back to again and again...

Nice pics! Thanks!