Originally Posted by
Bob Ross
We always make a point to do these two rides every time we visit:
- climb Mt. Lemmon (take Catalina Highway north-east from Tanque Verde for ~20 miles...all of it uphill. Get a slice of pizza at the Cookie Shack, then turn around and ride another ~20 miles...all of it downhill.
- the loop at Saguaro National Park East. Imagine a roller coaster that went through the most scenic, colorful portion of the Arizona desert. Now replace the tracks with smooth paved asphalt. Exquisitely beautiful. I think if I lived anywhere in the eastern part of the city I would make riding that loop my daily pre-breakfast ritual. It can be either peacefully meditative and a gut-busting workout...or both!
There is a reason so many coaching and training organizations have winter camps in Tucson. Even Phoenix based groups will do camps in Tucson, mostly because of Mt. Lemmon.
And I think the friendliness of the motorists is at least in part because El Tour de Tucson draws so many riders - it gets people used to eth idea of cyclists sharing their road.