Originally Posted by
pdlamb
...If you can do climbs, head up the road to Mt. Lemon -- it's a lot cooler if you drive up to 4,000' and ride from there. Beautiful scenery, generally decent road and polite traffic, and coming back down is an absolute blast!
Ditto that suggestion. Mt Lemmon is probably the best road climb in the western US. It has a dedicated climbing lane all the way. And though you have to share the lane on the descent, it's so fast all the way, no traffic will need to pass. There's one stretch on a ridge it feels like you're in an airplane coming in for a landing. I generally do not enjoy descents that much.
And yes, the first 2000' in summer can feel like an oven if you have a tail wind. That can be rough.