Savanna Ride 2012 (RAMI)

My regular Saturday cycling buds have been riding out to Savanna Illinois to the Mississippi River and back for, I believe, the last 3 years or so.  Vacations, work and life in general have gotten in the way of my joining in on this excursion.  Alas, this year, I finally was able to participate in this now traditional late summer ride dubbed RAMI or Ride Across Most of Illinois. 

Here is a map and ride stats for our trip out to Savanna on Saturday, August 18.  This route stayed primarily north of Route 64.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/212188690

And here is our route back to Winfield on Sunday, August 19.  We had to take a different route because contrary to most opinion, no two Illinois corn fields look alike!  The return trip was routed south of Route 64. 

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/212710206

Amazingly, both routes were right at about 135 miles each.  Pure coincidence. 

We had a total of 9 guys along for the ride, with our friend Chuck riding out with us as a 10th to the mid-point in Lindenwood, IL and then solo back to Winfield on Saturday.  We commondered my van to stow our overnight bags, tools, coolers with drinks and snacks to keep us going along the way.  We alternated drivers every 15-20 miles or so, so that everyone had an opportunity to get a 100+ miles in on both days.

We were blessed with absolutely stellar weather for a long weekend of being outdoors.  It simply could not have been any better.  Temps were cool in the low 50s at the start of both mornings, which quickly gave way to low to mid 70s the rest of the day.  Gentle winds both days, with a slight cross-head wind on the way out and an equal cross-tail wind on the return.  Given all of the 90+ weather we have had this summer, I was worried we would need to be concerned about heat stroke on the trip.  Fortunately that was not the case.

Ready to Ride.  6:30 am Saturday morning.

Our trip out averaged a very comfortable 17 miles per hour while on the road.  While everyone in the group were experienced strong riders, there was no point in pushing the pace on such a beautiful day.  No sense in getting to our hotel in Savanna before check-in time. 

By the time we cleared Sycamore, we could already begin to see the plumes of vapor rising from the Byron nuclear plant which was still more than 25 miles away.   Similar to a nuclear reactor, you can see in the photo below that Eric's engine began to overheat as evidenced by his top blowing off excess steam.  Sadly, this sometimes happens when you take a pull at the front for too long!

Eric blows his top!

Twin 500 ft towers.

After a Subway stop for lunch in Oregon, the route and topography got a bit more hilly.  We proceeded westward on some pretty lightly traveled back roads which we essentially had all to ourselves. 

Historic Brick Road just east of Oregon, IL

We arrived in Savanna at around 4:30 in the afternoon, about 10 hours after the start.  Most of the guys did the obligatory dip of the wheel in the Mississippi before we rode one final steep hill to our hotel.

Baptising the bikes in the Mighty (and murky!) Mississippi.



Bridge to Iowa.  Thanks for shooting me Steve!

Savanna is the original hometown of Steve in our group.  Today it has a definite appeal to bikers, although not our particular variety of biker!  We hit one of the most popular spots in town for dinner, Mannys, known for its pizza and tacos.  We did hit this spot at peak busy time so had to wait more than an hour for pizzas to arrive, but once they did, we devoured them instantly!  And by many reports, they were digested nearly as fast :o)

Sunday morning we got a later start, as we needed breakfast and to prep the van for the return trip.  Another cool gorgeous morning with the sun rising quickly and warming us in the first hour to the point we were again in short sleeves.

The train departs.  Hills and quickly rising sun provided early warmth.

If anyone was tired from the previous 135 mile day, it didn't show on the return trip.  We averaged about 1 mph faster on the return, part in thanks to a gentle tail wind.  With the later start we got back to Winfield at around 5:30.

Hard to imagine a better way to spend a fantastic weekend than with a bunch of people who love to see what is up the road and around the next corner.  Can't wait until next year! 

Top Row (L to R) Doug, Eric, Bob, Randy, Rich

Bottom Row:  Sead, Jon, Steve, Fred

Missing :o( Chuck (Saturday)

GLR 200K

Click below for route and ride stats:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/189676193

Another great ride up in Wisconsin today.  What was supposed to be a 93 degree day, turned into a much more pleasant day of riding with some early morning rain which kept things cool!  Well ... cooler than what was forecast.

I was glad to have been accompanied by a few of my regular Saturday morning friends Eric and Bob.  We got to the Super 8 by about 6:45, so we were a tad late in pushing off on time for the usual 7:00 am start.  It appeared that there were only about 10-12 other riders at the start for either the 200K or 300K route.  The 400K and 600K riders left at 6:00.  I am not sure how many were in that group.

By the time we registered, got bikes assembled, sunscreen applied and that whole routine done, we rolled out about 15 minutes late.  Beutiful morning temps at about 75 degrees made early spinning swift and comfortable.  As we made our way to our first stop in Brodhead, skies were overcast and it was looking a bit dark in the west.  About 10 miles out of Brodhead, it started to rain gently, and as each mile ticked over, it got steadily heavier.  We got a pretty good soaking by the time we reached our first stop, to the point the water was gushing out of the shoes.  This wasn't overly concerning as air temps were relatively warm, until we stepped into the air conditioned mini mart.  Brrrrr!

The next leg to Evansville was a lot of fun.  The rain was back to just a drizzle and we picked up a nice tailwind.  By the time we reached the second stop, the rain had stopped altogether and the sun was coming out.  During the time of our stop, the roads went from wet to completely dry as we continued north to Oregon.

Eric and Bob at BP in Brodhead

Now, me and Bob

The trip to Oregon was another short and fast leg.  By now we were getting fairly well dried out and it was sunny and warm.  As we turned the corner which began to point us back toward Delavan, we were greeted by the head and cross winds which would accompany us the remaining 50 miles to the finish.

Bob breaks away ...

... Eric with the catch.

 

 

We took it fairly easy on the last two legs back to the finish as the winds kicked us around a bit, especially on the last 15 miles into town.  During the last 30-40 miles, my knee started giving me trouble, so I was definitely glad to see the Delavan water tower in the last 5 miles of so of the ride. I am especially grateful I had company today.  Thanks for the ride boys!

Can smell the barn now!

GLR 300K

Click below for route and ride stats:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/180088258

Had a great ride today on this second of the GLR Brevet series in Delavan WI.  I missed the first ride 2 weeks prior and debated about whether I should do the 200K or 300K today.  I haven't logged a ton of miles yet this year, and really have not done many long rides since mid March, so wasn't in the best shape.  While the 200K might have been the saner choice, I could not resist pushing the extra distance today, given a decent forecast for the day and I had nowhere else to be.  How can it get much better than having the opportunity to ride your bicycle all day?  I figured if I got too tired, just pedal slower.  There, problem solved.

Temps at the 7:00 am start were already a pleasant 65 degrees with forecasts calling for mid to upper 80s later in the day.  We began the 45 mile westward push to our first control stop in the town of Brodhead with a group of about 30, with about half opting for the longer 300K route, which split off of the 200K route just after the first stop.

Beautiful morning for a ride.

Half way to Brodhead already.

The early pace was moderate was quick enough, but not overly labored, thanks to a SSE breeze.  This was not surprisingly the fastest leg of the day.  Our group was first to arrive at the Brodhead control with many others arriving minutes after us. 

Lycra army descends on the Stop-N-Go

Cool retro Schwinn one speed

After a quick refueling, we were off to the northwest and a stop in New Glarus, little Switzerland.  This section is where the hills start becoming more pronounced.  While the pedaling was still comfortable, the cool feeling of morning was now a thing of the past.  Even though we had a nice tailwind during much of this section, you don't get a lot of cooling relief with the wind blowing at your back, but hey, no complaints here.

Our group, now at 3, arrived in New Glarus at just after 11:00.  We took a few extra minutes to ensure we got plenty of liquids and electrolytes (Sour Cream and Onion potato chips!) and were off to the next control in Barneveld, roughly the 100 mile mark and the far point of the course. 

Good place for ice cream

New Glarus Lumber

The leg to Barneveld was the hilliest portion of the route with several steep grades to be negotiated along the way.  I was watching my Garmin as Lee and I worked our way up the Barber Road climb.  It topped out at 13%.  I was panting by the time I got to the top.  Thankfully it was short.  As it goes, the tougher the riding, generally, the better the scenery.  This was a challenging and rewarding leg, all in one.  By the time we hit the control in Barneveld, it was about 1:00 and getting hot.  I always get a good feeling when I hit the far point of the course since every pedal stroke gets your one step closer to home.  I did not elate for terribly long however, as it was still 90 miles to the barn and we would be heading back into the wind.

Lee rolling into Barneveld control.

Our next leg on the way back to Delavan stopped in Oregon, WI.  Although the profile was easier than what we had just finished, we were getting hit by some nagging head and cross winds which required additional energy, something I was starting to run low on at this point.  This was the toughest leg of the day for me, because it was also at pretty much the hottest point of the day.  I got to Oregon and was feeling a bit beat up.  Lee and I took a longer break this time to recover a bit more.  I loosened the shoes up which really helped and drank lots of liquids. 

We rolled out of Oregon with a soft pedal up a hill for a half mile or so to our turn onto County A.  Highlights of the trip to Edgerton included some remote back roads of Wisconsin, including a mile-or-so stretch of gravel road which was soon to be paved.  I didn't mind this so much, given that some day I will be likely riding a brand new smooth road in its place.

We also saw many other riders out on what appeared to be another organized ride in the area.  As we passed through Paoli on our way to Edgerton, we passed by one of their rest stops.  Wished I could stop, but must press on.  A few miles later, I was hunkered down on the bars trying to stay low and out of the wind as much as possible.  I knew I wasn't carrying any kind of speed (just wanting to keep it moving forward), but then this young guy from one of the other groups passes by me like I'm standing still.  He didn't even appear to be breaking a sweat.  Go get em' I thought to myself.  I'm just going to go back to my one-speed tempo ... slow. 

I think we hit Edgerton at just around 5:00.  I was feeling a lot better at this point, knowing it was just another 27 or so miles to the finish.  It was still hot, but temps would be starting to come down a bit on the final leg as night time approached.  What finish would be complete without a spin down County Road M, a road one can love to hate.  This time, however, M was under construction, so we were detoured to the east and then south around the construction.  Just when I thought I would be denied my nemesis, the detour ended and we were kicked back onto M for about half of it's length between Milton and Delavan.  Oh well, grin and bear it.  I will miss the potholes and patches that are laid so skillfully that they are like scabs which make up about 50% of the road surface. 

Gotta a love "M".  "M" is for Monotenous

Lee and I rolled in a few minutes after 7:00, just over the 12 hour mark.  The end of another great day of riding in beautiful southern Wisconsin.  The GLR really puts together some great routes. Love coming up here!

Desert Camp Day 6 - Back to Tucson

Click below for todays's route and ride stats:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/160817150

... and back among the living.  Broke the fever by 2:30 am, so was not feeling great but was definitely OK to ride back to Tucson today. 

It was a gorgeous day the whole day.  It just kept getting better.  50 degrees at the start.  I overdressed but wanted to keep my chest warm the whole time and certainly was not up for anything too obnoxious.  I was grateful to have Rob, Randy and Susie to ride with the whole day and to shepherd me along.

The first leg to Whetstone was 15 miles and predominantly downhill, so that was a good way to start things off.  At Whetstone, we turned west, for the next 20 miles to Sonoita.  This leg I sort of dreaded as it was mostly uphill and I didn't want to bring on any coughing fits.  Fortunately our group kept the pace reasonable and I outright enjoyed this stretch.  We even blew past the first sag stop as we were good on fluids and didn't need to stop.

Elite Tour Reunion.  Patrick, Me, Randy, Rob, Andrew, Susie

Susie, Randy, Rob

It was perfect weather conditions as we reached Sonoita.  Sunny, and probably 72 degrees as we turned to the north and a generous tail wind.  There were many riders milling about at the sag stop, pretty much like they didnt want this incredible day to end.  No one was in a hurry.

There were several long rollers leaving Sonoita as we departed onto perfect pavement.  I got the rush to push fast up a hill or two which felt pretty good.  Randy was feeling good as well and buzzed up to join me.  After that bit of fun, we slacked it back a bit.  Fortunately, the route today had a net elevation loss, so there was not an incredible amount of climbing left in the day.  I think on the trip out the previous Sunday, Lon remarked that there were a total of 9 rollers to contend with before we were treated to a net elevation loss of 2,500 feet over the last 35 miles of the day.

Snowing in this spot 1 week ago!

There was one last tough 5% grade for about a mile or so, and we reached the top of the route profile for the day at just over 5,000 feet.  This was the location of the sag stop last Sunday where most riders abandoned the ride.  Funny what a week does, last week it was 33 degrees and snowing in this spot, today was warm sunshine and a bitchin tailwind.  Our group of four spread out for the fun descent of 6 or so miles down the mountain.  Rob was feeling good and set great tempo down the hill.  I kept him within my sight but was not going to catch him today. 

We regrouped at lunch at about mile 61, with only 20 miles to go for the day.  Had a great tuna wrap and downed the better part of a 2 liter bottle of Mountatin Dew.  After a liesurely lunch we set off at a liesurly pace to finish off the day.  While the peadaling was easy, the pace did pick up because of continued favorable winds pushing us into Tucson.  A mile from the finish, we all stopped at Wendy's for Frosties and other assorted cold treats. 

When we rolled into the hotel, it was only early afternoon, but fortunately room keys were ready.  I grabbed a quick shower and the rest of the afternoon was dedicated to breaking down and packing the bike for courier pick-up on Monday.  Later that evening, Susan put a slide show together of all of the week's pictures which was a nice recap.  And of course there was ice cream!

Despite the unfavorable weather at the beginning of the week, and being sick in the latter half, I did manage to get some good rides in.  I especially enjoyed the opportunity to reunite with friends from the 2010 Elite Tour as well as meeting some new faces during the week.  Will definitely be back for another Arizona Camp in the future!

Desert Camp Day 5 - No Ride

Didn't sleep last night.  Hacking, high fever, chills, aches, the whole enchillada.  Hardly got out of bed all day.  Roomie sick too, but doesn't look as bad as I do. 

Popped loads of pills, electrolyte caps, and Monster.  Fever continued to spike all day.

Later evening the boys (Bill, Rob, Steve)  saved me.  Broght me soup, and flowers (swiped from the lobby), to lay on my corpse!  Nice touch.  Hope to break the fever this evening as I do not want to sag the whole ride tomorrow back to Tucson.  Supposed to be a beautiful day.  Will see ...

Desert Camp Day 4 - The Fort / Patagonia

Click below for today's route and ride stats:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/160219617

Had a bit of a coughing fit last night.  Tighness in the chest following the ride yesterday followed by coughing though dinner and throught the night.  Although the numberrs were unimpressive from yesterday, I rode almost the whole day solo and felt I probably worked a bit too hard and definitely wanted to slack it back for today's ride. 

Today's ride traveled back toward the way we came last Sunday from Tucson, except we would be traveling through an active military base, Fort Huachuca, which is just about six miles out of Sierra Vista.  IDs were required at the gate, and unfortunately our Aussie and Canadian companions were not permitted on the base, so they were required to ride an alternative route around it.

I started off with Steve again today and advised him I was definitely taking it easy to avoid aggrivating the resperitory distress I was experiencing.  We later met up with Rob and the three of us hung in proximity for the first part of the day. 

The Fort was pretty busy with traffic and whatnot, and there wasn't anything too special to take note of per se, just pretty much looked like any other town, just a lot of cammo and such.  Upon leaving the fort, which was at the base of another mountain, we did have a lot of tight steep rollers which offered a good time.  The terrain gave way to hilly to rolling prairie as we turned left, up, right and then down.  Sunny again all day, so temps were quite pleasant in the mid 50s in the mid morning.  The roads were also pretty desolate so we essentially had it all to ourselves.

By mile 37, we reached the town of Sonoita, where there was a rest stop which doubled as our lunch spot as well.  Today, the optional extension of the route continued to the west for 12.5 miles to the town of Patagonia.  There, it was an about face and back to lunch in the same spot.  Now the "fun" part of the extension was that Patagonia was about 800 feet below our current location in Sonoita, so there was an easy as you please continual downhill of 1 to 2 percent grade to the bottom and an equal climb back out to the top of the hill.

Steve and I averaged about 26 mph on the way down, in about 28 minutes.  Steve took off up the hill like a man posessed.  I didn't have a choice, so I just marked two riders in front of me and hung on.  It took me just under an hour to get back to the top, exactly twice the time and half the speed of the way down.  Fair enough.

When I reached the top, it was one of my favorite PAC Tour lunches, grilled cheese with tomato.  The sun was finally getting warm enough that I was able to shed my leg warmers and wind shell.  I kept lunch short as I was continuing to cough and was not feeling well overall.  Wanted to keep moving to get back and see if I could get some rest in before dinner. 

I got back on the road and head back east toward Whetstone rather than going back through the Fort which cut our some of the hills.  I was moving steadily but slowly.  A few miles outside of Whetstone I look back in my mirror and see a rider dotting the horizon.  I surmized it must be Steve trying to reel me in ... so I hammered for a few miles to keep him at bay.  As I approached the final turn to Sierra Vista, and our now regular Shell station, I needed to stop.  I reached the stop light just before Steve caught me and turned past.  Slugged a Red Bull and got back on the road with a slight tailwind back to SV. 

When I got back into town, I stopped for the obligatory Reeses Blizzard.  After a hot shower, I climbed into bed feeling like total crap.  I popped 3 ibuprophen, knowing I had a fever.  This is not looking good!.

Desert Camp Day 3 - Coronodo Bisbee Loop

Click below for route and ride stats:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/159951182

Although we started Tuesday morning at a new record low of 27 degrees, it did begin with sunshine that lasted all day.  Temps did climb to an afternoon high of 52.  So it was off again in full winter wear, but calm and sunny made for very upbeat riding conditions.

I rode out this morning with friends from the 2010 Elite Tour, Rob and Randy, along with his wife Susie, perhaps a future Elite Tour rider!  The route today was a counterclockwise loop to the south to Coronodo National Memorial, then to the east to the old mining town of Bisbee, to the North down Mule Pass and continuing on to Tombstone, finally back west to Sierra Vista.

The first hour roll out was very relaxed along smooth highway on a wide shoulder.  We flanked some of the biggest peaks in the area, which notably had the most snow cover from the previous two days.  As the road pitched to the east, there was an optional turn-off with a 6.5 mile climb up Coronado Monument.  I elected to check out this climb while the rest of the group was planning on getting to Bisbee to spend some time taking in the local culture. 

Randy and Susie - time to ride!

Elite Tour mates Rob, Randy and Susie.

At the turn-off to the Coronado climb.

After a short downhill, the climb up began at what was a decievingly tough grade, that is, it was much harder than it looked!  I was able to pick off most riders ahead of me except for one who I didnt have a prayer catching.  Got to the top, where the road turned to dirt, and it was back downhill to the sag stop and then follow the original route to the east and Bisbee, and lunch, in the next 20-25 miles or so.

After returning to the route following the 13 mile round trip Coronado climb, I pretty much knew I wouldn't have much of a chance rejoining my previous companions, but was now alone to put down whatever pace I felt comfortable with.  It was downhill for several miles before a long gradual climb into Bisbee for lunch.  The Bisbee welcome sign was placed way too far out of town, as it seemed like forever to get into downtown to where the lunch trailer was parked.  Today was spaghetti and meatballs which went down great on what was still a cold morning.

The Bisbee Bandit

After finishing lunch, I was of the incorrect impression that the descent down Mule Pass would begin momentarily so I donned my full mask to stay warm on the way down.  Boy, was I wrong.  It was at least a 2 mile uphill ride through the city and then onto an old closed road that was a steep climb above the main road which lead out of town.  Although streets were dry, there was still yesterday's snow in the front yards of homes.  The road quickly turned to crap and then there were barricades which needed to be navigated to get across the washed out road near the top of the pass. 

Top of Mule Pass

After a quick stop at the top, the road finally pitched back down to rejoin the main Highway 80 to begin a 6 mile descent down off of Mule Pass.  The road and shoulder were not in the best shape which hampered a fast descent.  That, and we were heading back into the wind.

Shortly after the grade began to level off, there was a turn-off to the left on Route 90 for those that wanted to cut off a few miles.  Otherwise, the route continued to the north to Tombstone, and then backtracked to the southwest to Sierra Vista. 

As I proceeded toward Tombstone, the weather finally started warming up, to the point, I was able to shed a few of the warmer things I was wearing.  Once unobstructed by mountains, visibility was incredible across the desert valley, which was a huge bowl among the surrounding mountains. Over my left shoulder, I could see the snow-capped mountains where Sierra Vista lay at the base.  So it was interesting that I could essentially trace my 36 remaining miles to home base over the horizon in front of me.

Looking back toward Sierra Vista while climbing to Tombstone.

There was a moderate climb into Tombstone (it now appears there is climbing involved as you are moving to or from just about any town), which warmed me up even further.  Having been through town yesterday on our shortened route, it was pretty easy to find the road back to Sierra Vista.  Fortunately, there was a pretty decent tail wind which pushed me all the way back into town,  On the outskirts of SV, I came across a number of riders who took the cut-off back to town.  And on my last turn before reaching the hotel, I rejoined Randy and Susie. 

It was off to DQ to celebrate a fun day riding.  While the average speeds from the bike computer, even after factoring out stops, don't indicate any impressive level of effort, I felt as though I rode pretty hard today.  I could feel it most in my lungs from heavy breathing and climbing in all that cold thin air.  I started developing a cough which persisted into dinner.  Hopefully this would abate by tomorrow's ride. 

The Seven was built with 2 cup holders!

Later in the evening, the whole group was treated to a presentation by Randy and Susie on thier experiences at the 2011 Race Across America.  Randy completed the solo division in 11 days which is simply phenominal.  They did an awesome job.

Desert Camp Day 2 - Whetstone Tombstone Loop

Click below for route and ride stats:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/159951197

There was some improvement in today's forecast compared to the freezing wet slog from yesterday, but not much.  Lon and Susan switched the planned route to one which followed a lower and flatter profile, with the hope of avoiding running into additional snow which was expected in some of the nearby mountain passes.  By the start, it was already announced that there was another storm due to dump rain and snow in the area between 11:00 and noon, which would continue throughout the afternoon.

To avoid the additional logistical problems associated with providing a moving support caravan and the sag nightmares experienced yesterday, the supported route was cut to 52 miles for the day with lunch provided back at the hotel.  This gave everyone an opportunity to get a decent ride in and hopefully avoid all or much of the weather.

Steve, they guy I met up with at the Shell station yesterday, and I head out together to get a quick ride in.  It started off pretty slowly however with both of us getting flats within minutes of one another in the first 15 miles.  After that, we quickly hit the first sag stop in Whetstone, and turned to the east for a 16 mile leg to Tombstone.  As soon as we made the turn, we were escorted onto brand new pavement and a bitchin tailwind in excess of 20 mph.  We had very little difficulty maintaining upper 20's or lower 30's the whole way across.  Oh yeah, it was mostly downhill too!  As tempting as it was to try to wind out the gears, I was feeling a bit tender in the right achillies, so I had to hold back.

As we reached the outskirts of Tombstone, the party was over.  One turn, one climb, and we were back in the wind for the 22 mile trip back to Sierra Vista.  Steve was already out for the previous week's camp, which included a couple of overnight stays in Tombstone, so was not requiring any additional sight seeing opportunities.

The first half of the trip back to SV was downhill to a river basin, followed by a gradual uphill climb back into town.  The strong cross and head wind pretty much negated any benefit of the downhill, as we were working pretty hard just to keep things moving along. 

As we pitched up again coming into the outskirts of SV, we were nearing the 11:00 hour, and that meant ... snow time!  Today, the snow was not a major pain, primarily because it was just 5 miles to go, and it wasn't rain, so no soaker!  By the time we got, in lunch was ready.  Sandwiches and hot lentil soup hit the spot!  It did wind up snowing most of the rest of the afternoon with measurable accumulations at higher altitudes.  Good afternoon to take in a movie ... which was provided.  Steve opted for some snow-tubbing.

Desert Camp Day 1 - To Sierra Vista

Click below to review route and ride stats:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/159951215

The first scheduled ride of the PAC Tour Century week was from Tucson to Sierra Vista, where we would be based for the week.  Several days prior to the start, the weather forecasts were not looking favorable for the start of the week.  Having had such a great day on Mt. Lemmon the previous day, I didn't mind too much that today would be a long wet slog.  ... little did I know.

Morning temps were quite comfortable at around 58 degrees, however, these were expected to fall througout the day.  Winds were also expected to be a challenge out of the southwest at between 20 and 25 mph.  We would be heading to the southeast, so would either have a cross headwind or quartering tailwind.  We were off by 7:30 under cloudy threatening skies.  The sun was still visible, at least for the first mile, and then it began to rain.  At first it was a light drizzle, but by mile 5 it was coming down steadily.  Many of us pulled ot the side of the road to put on rain gear. 

By mile 10, I was completely soaked but still was keeping relatively warm, at least in the core.  Fingers and toes were starting to go numb.  We were also gaining altitude, from about 2,600 to over 5,000 feet, so it was getting colder as we went up the first set of mountain passes. 

Climbing was slow and labored.  There was about an 8 mile climb to the second rest stop of the day.  By the time I got there, there were already a number of riders who were in the vans trying to get warm or who have already quit for the day.  I made my stop quickly and got right back on the road to avoid getting too cold.

I was now riding some pretty nice rollers at just above 5,000 feet.  By now the rain had turned to snow.  I didn't realize it at first because I was just trying to focus on the road.  The snow and ice became much more evident as it began hitting me in the side of the face from the blowing wind.  There were some fast downhills into the town of Sonoita which made for good speed, but was also bone chilling with the increased wind and stinging ice crystals hitting me in the face.  Glasses were no good at this point, so there was little protection from the elements.  The forecast only called for temps to drop to the mid 40's.  In the mountains, I was later told temps boottomed out at 33. 

Thankfully, the route turned to the east as I reached Sonoita, which made for a ripping tailwind until the scheduled lunch stop at mile 56, about 6 miles up the road.  I was pretty trashed at this point and was looking forward to getting off the bike and getting something hot into me.  As I clicked off the milage, I was also descending a bit again, so things warmed up ever so slightly.  I got to the scheduled lunch stop and there was noone to be found.  I pulled to the side of the road to check my cue sheet to make sure I wasn't missing anything.  A car pulled up beside me, to ask me if I needed assistance but I waved them on.  As it turned out, they were with our group, and were driving out to Sierra Vista for the camp. 

I realized at this point, there would likely be no lunch today, given all of the craziness of the day and a lot of riders who were dropping out, there may have been a change of plans with respect to scheduled rest stops.  I pressed on into the town of Whetstone where I found a Shell station at the corner, this was the last turn to the south for the last 15 mile leg into Sierra Vista.  Got something to eat and drink and also got some hot chocolate to hopefully warm up.  I started shaking uncontrollably, to the point I was nearly dumping the hot chocolate all over myself.  During this stop, another rider in our group, Steve, came walking into the Shell.  He was equally cold and looking for a place to warm up for a few minutes.

Steve and I finished the last leg into Sirra Vista into a headwind and uphill.  It was slow going.  I hate when they put the town signs out too early.  We saw the "Welcome to Sierra Vista" sign, thinking we were home free, the bike computer still said we had another 6 miles to go.  At our pace, another half hour or so.  Bugger!

When Steve and I rolled into the parking lot, everyone was there, cleaning bikes, and getting gear bags sorted.  We were greeted by cheers.  We later found out we were probably less than 10 of 60 on the tour who weren't sagged in.  The hotel lobby was pretty chaotic, with dozens of wet shivering bike riders milling about waiting for room keys to be assigned.  It took another half an hour or so to get our room keys and finally a long hot shower, to begin recovering from a pretty dismal day on the bike.  PAC Tour organizers later stated that of about 500 days they have run these camps out in Arizona, today was among the worst 5 they have ever experienced.  I believe em!

Desert Camp Day 0 - Mt Lemmon

Click below for route and ride stats:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/158889893

The Saturday before the Sunday start of PAC Tour Desert Camp Week 5, I had the absolute joy of riding to the top of Mt. Lemmon in Tucson.  Actually, to the town of Summerhaven which sits near the top of the mountain.  This almost wound up being a no-go, due to a forecast of high winds in Tucson, and especially on the mountain.  Weather reports called for 25 to 30 mph winds with gusts to over 40 mph, which can tend to be a bit dicey at higher altitudes.  At one point, I had decided to call it off ... but looking at the mountain in the distance, and conversations I have had about it from friends, I couldn't resist the temptaion to go check it out.

Unfortunately, I could not find any other "takers" among riders who came out to Tucson early, so this would be a solo endeavor.  I rationalized that once I got to the base and started climbing, I could make the decision on what the actual conditions were, and whether it would be safe to continue.  Besides, I came out here to ride, and I certainly wasn't going to sit around the hotel all day.  Additionally, today was to be the last nice weather day of 80+ temperatures prior to record cold and rain coming into the area beginning on Sunday.

The start of the climb begins at the northeast edge of the city.  We are staying by the airport in the southwest corner of town, so just to get to the start was a 20 mile ride across the city - both ways.  This was kind of a drag, as the early Saurday morning roads were busy and were in crappy shape.  When I reached the road which leads to the climb, there is a cafe, "Le Buzz", which I was told is a cycling hangout for those riding up the mountain.  Sure enough, I rode by and there must have been 50 or more cyclists milling about.  I also saw many already coming down off the mountain, with others heading up.  This put me more at ease about the wind forecast.  Certainly, they can't all be as foolish as I?

I filled up on liquids and began on my way.  It was a 25 mile climb uphill to Summerhaven and I knew I had to ration the two water bottles I was carrying, as I heard mixed reports about the availability of water on the way up.

After a 3 mile or so gentle grade, the real climbing began.  In just a single turn, you could already begin to see far across the city.

It was great to feel the warm temperatures of Southern Arizona, even though we have had one of the mildest Chicago winters on record.  This was going to change over the next 24 hours, so I was determined to enjoy it.  I probably started climbing at too quick a pace, but was enjoying the effort.  Every now and then, I would slack back a bit to recover a bit and remind myself it was still a long way to the top.  I was told to plan on 3 hours as a guideline. 

The base of the climb is at about 2,800 feet, with a top out at about 8,200 feet, making the climb just over a vertical mile.  In the first hour of climbing, I reached to just under 6,000 feet, so was proceeding well.  Thusfar, wind had not been a factor at all.  There were a lot of turns which had walls that buffered the wind.  Temperatures by now, were starting to cool.

Above 6,000 feet, things started to open up a bit on the mountain.  You could again start to see the city at the floor far below.  Winds were also starting to get stronger because of the increased exposure.  I was entering a section with some amazing rock formations and where you could see the road twisting ever upward. 

Above 7,000 feet, temperatures were in the upper 50s or lower 60s, but was having no trouble keeping warm because of the effort.  Winds were really starting to gust at this point.  The last 1,200 feet to the top were tough,  Unfortunately, once I reached 8,200 feet, there was a pretty steep 2 mile descent, followed by a 1 mile climb and another 1 mile descent into Summerhaven ... so ... there still will be work to do after departing from Summerhaven.  Above 8,000 feet there was still plenty of snow on the ground.  With the wind blowing off of the snow pack, it was really starting to get cold.

It took me about 2.5 hours to reach Summerhaven, including several stops along the way to shoot some pictures.  I stopped off at the Mt. Lemmon Cookie Factory for a bite to eat.  The place was buzzing with cyclists and tourists.  I met two riders in front of me who were also out for PAC Tour Century Week, although they had the good fortune to have had a car and drove to the foot of the climb.  After asking them how long it took to get a slice of pizza, I opted to go with a cookie the size of my head!  That, along with more fluids for the ride down would be the extent of my caloric intake.  As it turned out, timing was good.  As soon as I got my food, a huge crowd showed up.  Nowhere to sit inside, I frozed sitting outside scarfing down my cookie, so I got on my way quickly ot heat up again.

Once I climbed back out of Summerhaven and that second 2 mile climb back to 8,200 feet, a thrilling descent ensued.  I broght my GoPro helmet cam and recorded the entire 40 minute descent on video.  Fortunately the descent is not terribly technical as most of the turns are very gentle.  The grades overall are not that steep, probably at an average of 5%, so it is really difficult to get things too far out of control.  I also had to wrestle with the wind in a number of sections.  I had to put a lot of effort into the pedals to go as fast as possible.  Even then, I think I only hit a maximum speed of 48 mph.

Here is a 4 minute excerpt of the video on YouTube:

It was all smiles all the way down!  A must-do if you are in Tucson.