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!