I have a conference in Tucson mid March and if I can swing it, I'd like to ride Mt Lemmon on Thursday the 14th. I'll be staying on the West side at the Marriott Starr Pass Resort, which unfortunately means I'd have a +/- 23 mile ride to/from the base of Mt Lemmon climb. I don't see any other options than turning this into a solo century that includes crossing downtown Tucson twice and climbing Mt Lemmon. My initial thoughts would be to leave the hotel around 10am to miss the rush hour traffic both ways and hopefully also get the best riding temps. A few questions:


1) What's the traffic like in Tucson and will my proposed timing miss the worst of it?

2) Any recommendations for an West/East bike route across Tucson?

3) Assuming I can fill my bottles at the bottom of Mt Lemmon, are there places to get water on the way up?

4) Apart from riding my bike or Uber, any other ideas for how to cross Tucson?

5) Any other thoughts or comments on my proposed ride?


I'd classify myself as an intermediate level cyclist, age 56, 170 lbs, 280W FTP, typically ride 8-10 hours/week.


Thanks

Kevin