Mount Lemmon, Tucson, AZ 2009

Tucson is surrounded on all sides by mountains affording great biking opportunities. To the North is Mount Lemmon (yes, with two m's). It is over 9000 feet tall and actually has a minor ski run at the top. 30 years ago the road up Mount Lemmon was narrow with no shoulder making it a very dangerous ride for cyclists. Today it has wide shoulders and in great shape. A great place to park for an ascent of Mount Lemmon is in the shopping center at the corner of Tanque Verde Rd and the Catalina Highway, the road that ascends the mountain. The Cafe "La Buzz" comes recommended by the bikeshop as a pre/post ride stop.

I rented a road bike from Fair Wheel Bikes (1110 E 6th St, (520) 884-9018). The bike was a middle of the road aluminum frame bike with carbon fork and Ultegra 105 groupo. Compared to my custom steel frame the bike felt a bit dead and the ride had the classic aluminum harshness. The bike was stiff and light however which made for a reduced effort climb but the harshness was a bit mentally tiring. The staff of the shop was very friendly, knowledgeable about biking in the area and very helpful.

I started the climb at 12:30 a bit late. The temperature was probably in the mid 80s. Way too hot for someone coming from the ice and snow of Idaho. :-) Parking at the mall gives you about 4 miles of gentle incline that makes a great warmup before starting the climb. Initial altitude was about 2600 feet. As Tucson continues to expand I am sure all of the land I am passing through will be filled with houses. Already Tucson is using five times the water that falls on the lands around Tucson. I don't know what they are going to do as more and more people fill the valley.

The climb begins up an arroyo filled with beautiful saguaro cactus. (see picture left) There is not a breeze to be had and the sun is intense. The road is hot but in good shape and not too steep. The shoulder is even wider than I had hoped for. This is a great road for cyclists and I see many on the ride. Some look like they might be at a competitive level. I have heard that Lance Armstrong is known to spend time on this mountain and the surrounding rides of the valley. The climb quickly leaves the saguaro behind (their climate zone limits them to at most 4500 feet under favorable conditions). I can tell the heat is getting to me. Clearly for a first ride of the season this is going to be a bit ambitious. The road sinuously climbs the mountain going east and then makes a turn going northwest behind the forward hills. The views are mostly of the creeks, springs and dales of this area. There are camp grounds and picnic areas. Elevation is marked off in thousands of feet but I have an altimeter with me but no GPS or other way to mark the miles than roadside mileage markers.

It is a very pretty ride and would be even prettier earlier in the day when it was cooler. At about 5000 feet there is some welcomed air movement and the temperatures is noticeably coming down. Perhaps by 10 to 15 degrees. As I continue to climb the temperature continues to fall. It looks like there is great hiking in the area. Lots of trail heads and shady picnic spots. I took a 3 minute break in the shade of a tree standing over my bike just to cool down in the light breeze then back on the road. My left tendon, that I had injured, is a bit unhappy and letting me know but I continue the upward climb. All in all the road has no really steep parts and there is a lot of variety of terrain, open meadows and craggy rocks.

At 6600 feet (mile post 14) I arrive at Windy Point lookout. (The picture at right is about a mile before Windy Point.) The first place since early in the ride that you can look out over the Tucson Valley. Fabulous airplane-window-view. For those that might go on from here, the road at Windy Point has a highly textured road surface (made to look like fake cobble stone) so if you are coming at speed from higher up the road it makes for a tricky bumpy surface. So watch out. I am sure this is intended to slow people down in a potentially crowded area.

I had a nice 15-30 minute stay up there taking in the view and eating a Cliff bar. Since I was tired and had to get back to eat dinner with Marilyn and Linda, I turned around here. The bike came with a decent high end gear that I quickly overtopped and coasted in a tuck much of the way down probably in the 30-40 mph range. The road wasn't steep enough and straight enough to get some truly serious speed, but it was fun and you could keep within 10 mph of the traffic flow going down. There were a few short slight up hill sections on the way down to give some relief on the descent. The road was pretty quiet and I was passed by only a handful of cars. The road is straight enough that neither the cars nor I really held up anyone. I was off the mountain in 30 minutes (2h 45m going up [kind of pathetic]) and fought a stiff but cooling headwind back to the car in under 45 from Windy Point. Great ride. Total time: 3h 45m Total climb about 4000 feet.

Notes for other riders: take plenty of water and start early. I am told that when you come off the top you will want long sleeves for the upper part of the ride.

Date: Mar 17, 2009
Est. Distance: 28mi
Elevation Gain: 4000ft
Catalina Highway picture by mac4run at http://www.panoramio.com/user/48731
Road to Windy Point picture by Ekenborg at http://www.panoramio.com/user/1183299