It’s a big loop

After attempting (with marginal success) to ride with Krista and Todd last week, it was finally time to do a big mountain bike ride. Earlier rides had broken me, so I took an easy ride the day before while they kept riding. I needed all the help I could get given how poorly my back has responded to focused mountain biking in the past.

Our goal was a loop we rode several times last winter, the TMP Rock ‘n Road Challenge course. It’s a virtual time trial, GPX defined, and one that links together most of the best riding in the Tucson Mountains. Even better that it’s right out the door. A late start, general fatigue amongst the group and my weak back gave us a pretty low “probability of finish.” There are plenty of bailouts, and there wasn’t plenty of available daylight.

Krista is tired, but still moving along at a nice clip.

As we coasted through the 6′ culvert, exiting Robles Pass, my probability of finish increased significantly. Only 1 hour in, but I wasn’t cringing at every rock, and Robles is the most consistently bumpy part of the route. It was also the hottest part of the route for us. The midday sun felt near 80*, which was just fine with me.

I asked, “should we skip Golden Gate?” (a difficult climb and following technical descent).

“No, stick to the route!”

It was a good choice. I managed to get everything on the climb and descent, and Krista even stopped to session a few spots.

It took great amounts of self control to not ride like usual myself. I avoided jumping off rocks and kept the manuals to a bare minimum. Some lines literally hurt my brain to not take. But my back appreciated the understated style, for sure.

It’s been too long since my last run down Golden Gate. Brilliant trail.

Too, it’s been too long since I’ve ripped through the ‘west desert’ singletrack. With open lines and smooth trail the legs came back online and we started getting some rhythm.

“No walking pictures!”

We missed the opportunity for many walking pictures by skipping Brown Mountain. If you hike-a-bike up Brown, you get an hour time bonus. No bonus for us.

We pushed through the scenic roads of Saguaro National Park, again at a steady pace. We were racing the sun more than anything. Well, maybe racing for our lives on Picture Rocks road, the only bad part of the route. As Todd put it, “bikes just don’t belong on that road. Drivers know it, we know it, everyone knows it.” But we rode through anyway, and kept our brains in our buckets.

I love how this loop connects so many different riding areas, in this case by way of some (fun?) pipeline roads.

Okay, steep pipeline roads!

Our next trailsystem — Sweetwater! I haven’t been back to Sweetie since last spring, and this was a great way to return. Five hours of riding in the legs, sun fading and a happy mental return to singletrack. There’s some great flow out there, and each big bump just made me smile at the lack of back pain.

warm cloud blanket

The prudent thing might have been to tuck tail and take roads back home, forgetting about the remaining Starr Pass trails to ride for an official ‘finish’. Especially when Todd’s tire went low and needed some work. We were all expecting it to get cold, or be windy. But the blanket of clouds was setting up the perfect evening. Temperature held constant and comfortable, and as night fell the desert fell even more quiet. There was a stillness in the air, so we flipped on our lights and kept pedaling.

From the Camino de Oeste Trailhead out to 36th Street we rode by lights, and though it may not have been fast, it was some of the best riding on the day. It felt like we had started a new ride altogether, not like we were finishing a long one. And that’s how some of the best ones end.

Thanks for the great ride guys. I want to see some new names and new times on the results page. So, Tucson locals (and Phoenix folks too, it’s right off the freeway) get on out there! Our time was 6:24 with no bonus. Not my fastest but not my slowest either.

And finally, a photo I snapped on the easy ride the day before. I just happened to be looking at the evolving sunset (duh) to my left when the sun lit up this cholla monster as I rode by. It was the only pic I took on that ride, but I love how it turned out: