Bikepacking and Endurance Mountain Biking

Sutherland and Baby Jesus

2009-12-15T23:07:00.007-06:00

Max and I headed out for the Tuesday Techy Taco Ride....

in search of technical climbing. We found it on Sutherland and Baby Jesus in the 50-Year Trail network. Quite possibly the most neglected area in Tucson for mountain biking.

Since the Charleau Gap ride two weeks ago, I have found a new love for the geared bike.

We headed down the trail and over to Rubio's for some more cheap fish tacos.

More 50-year riding scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday.

Giving back

2009-12-15T12:13:00.006-06:00

I heard on NPR yesterday about how non-profits are having problems collecting money in this economy. It's common sense, non-essentials are the first to go when the economy tumbles. Fewer people are donating money to non-profit organizations. What better time to really show how much we (mountain bikers) appreciate the Arizona Trail Association than now....

When and Where: Saturday, January 9, 2010 8:00 AM at Pistol Hill

The Arizona Trail Jamboree is a charity ride benefiting the Arizona Trail Association. All monies collected will go directly to the ATA. 35 miles of sweet singletrack (one way), ending with free beer and schwag at Pistol Hill Road.

GPX, maps, more information available here

I challenge you to be apart of this ride or help spread the word. We have all ridden segments of the AZ Trail. I have been at the East Rim View in Kaibab, ridden for days without a person in sight, wandered over to Sedona from Flagstaff, attempted to ride 300 miles and looked down into the Grand Canyon all on the Arizona Trail (the list goes on and on).

It is perhaps the greatest trail in the southwest. Let's do our part by giving back.

When was the last time.....?

2009-12-09T18:17:00.005-06:00

On Sunday, a few of us headed out for a mellow group ride to Midgate and back.

Few people go beyond the chutes to Upper 50/Cherry Tank/Midgate/Etc. I know I am guilty of neglecting this area recently (although this is the 3rd ride up there this week).

It goes without saying that I leave you (the reader in Tucson or Phoenix)....when was the last time you have ridden Midgate/Deer Camp/Cherry Tank? It is beckoning you....

Tuesday $1.25 Fish Taco Ride

2009-12-08T22:36:00.005-06:00

The new weekly ride was changed to Tuesday. This week, Max, Duncan and I rode the 50-year (Pumpkin Race Route) to Sutherland. Having just rained, the normal sandy trail provided a good time. A few pictures from the ride.

Some sections we had to walk...

Others we cleaned...

Perfect combination of technical singletrack and views. I was a bit disappointed with the amount of snow that was supposed to fall on Lemmon.

Followed by some Fish Tacos at Rubio's. Next week's ride leaves from 3:30 from Rubio's on Oracle/1st.

Charouleau Gap

2009-12-07T18:59:00.009-06:00

Scott has been dreaming of a new bikepacking route here in southern Arizona. When route searching, the conversation usually goes like this on any give call.....

"How about we go up and over..." or "If we want to add more miles..."

It's good to have another person on board to bounce ideas off of. Otherwise, you are not really sure how your crazy idea is going to be taken by others. This weekend, the ride was up Charouleau Gap to the Biosphere. Climbing steep terrain was the slogan of the ride

Good, technical climbing

Hawks watching as we climbed

and climbed

After reaching the gap, we descended

Only to climb again and later descend.

This process repeated for about 1.5 hours. Worst part was that we could see what we were going to climb as we descended.

Ah yes, the look of pain. Check out Max's face. It has been about 6 months since our last epic ride.

A quick break before continuing on the suffer fest up super steep sections.

Max eloquently commented on what section of the road... "This is one of the steepest roads I have ever been on." Pictures never really do justice...but trust me when I say it was brake, step, brake, step on some sections.

If you look close, you can see some snow on Mt Lemmon. Weather is predicting more snow tonight.

Kentucky Camp Pre-Ride

2009-12-01T22:44:00.002-06:00

Despite rain in the forecast, a group of us met out at Rosemont Canyon near Sonoita to pre-ride the Kentucky Camp short/long course this past weekend. We started out with sunny skies before it quickly turned to hail.

After a quick onslaught, the sun slowly came out making for some amazing cloud and lighting moments.

Even a full rainbow.

A few guys (Beto, Gabe, Steve, and Mike) headed to do the long course while the rest of us turned off to do the short course.

The semi-new segment from Box Canyon to Rosemont....

After the ride, we talked a bit, waited for some of the recovery socks to come out.

Even ate some killer Omega 3 Mini Bites, courtesy of Paula. Gabe showed up with this having bailed to the highway

8 months of riding his Ti Voodoo frame. Makes me really enjoy my Ti Lynskey SS all the more.

11 months

2009-11-30T23:10:00.000-06:00

...of riding in this shoe (left side). If you are looking for a hike-a-bike shoe, consider this one. I ordered the new pair a few weeks ago. The old shoe is still being used on short rides, but the ratchet is now super glued on.

Ripsey Canyon

2009-11-28T18:28:00.005-06:00

Scott and I have been talking about the Antelope Peak Challenge course. I was thinking about taking the course. Scott, in all his wisdom, suggested we go north on the Boulders Segment of the Arizona Trail. This section, with the addition of the Ripsey Segment is brillant singletrack.

Scott passed me the GPX track for the Ripsey Segment of the AZ Trail as he left for UT. On Black Friday, Ty and I headed out from Freeman road to ride the 50-mile loop.

As usual, singletrack prevailed during the route

A simple reason to support the Arizona Trail Association...their belief in rideable singletrack

Photo Courtesy of Ty

Photos Courtesy of Ty

One of the best climbs anywhere. A few switchbacks were super tough, but on the whole, it is a very, very well built trail. Check out those switchbacks on the side of the mountain.

Here is the view from the top, courtesy of Ty. This is the first endurance ride on the geared bike in over a year. This bike is going to be a singlespeed by this weekend.

Stunning views, great singletrack...this route is going to be a classic.

The only thing this trail is lacking is some riders. We saw 2 cars in the 8 hour ride (on the Kelvin-Florence Highway). No tracks, riders or hikers.

After the riding the ridge for a mile, we descended down to Florence-Kelvin Highway and headed back around to finish the Ripsey Segment loop, before finishing the out-n-back on the Boulders Segment Trail.

The new 116-mile option for the Antelope Peak Challenge is going to start around 3am (need to confirm with Scott). More info to come.

Turkey...

2009-11-26T20:28:00.002-06:00

..Recovery Ride at 50-Year Trail!

A comment from yesterday: We need some rain, this place is getting too sandy.

I also saw an old friend on his AM rig...guess who this is?

Antelope Peak Challenge pre-ride tomorrow (at least half of the 116-mile option in Ripsey).

Tucson Mountain Park Loop

2009-11-26T20:18:00.004-06:00

Scott and I had plans to do some a good epic today, the new route for the Antelope Peak Challenge. The route and info are not up on the site yet, but the new 116-mile long course option is not going to disappoint. Anyway, that fell through after some car trouble on Scott's end.

We opted for a milder, closer to Tucson loop... The Tucson Mountain Park Loop from each of our respective houses (see below for route and profile).

I met Scott at CDO and continued on toward Starr Pass and Robles (shown here)

up and over Golden Gate

and then to Sweet Trails and [I]over[/I] Brown Mountain

[I]Pictures Courtesy of Scott[/I]

After Brown Mountain, I began to bonk. My legs felt like Jello. Excited to see the Coke machine at Saguaro National Park visitor center, I was only let down by the fact that the $1 sucker machine was broken. Epic failure. After about 15 attempts, I finally got it to work.

2 Pepsis later (the iced tea button was actually Pepsi), the epic failure averted for now.

One of the few dirt road sections in all the loop is in Saguaro National Park, providing some good scenery

Before riding back on the gasline (Scott had to return to Sweetwater to ride since we met at CDO Trailhead and then home to get the car).

[B]Post-loop food:[/B] Nico's Breakfast Burrito

The loop info:
[B]64.5 miles
6861 feet of climbing
about 75% singletrack/dirt road[/B]

McDowell Monstercross V.2

2009-11-22T18:40:00.003-06:00

Results are available here. Props to Craig from Moab for the route idea.

Route is as follows:
Basha’s to Gateway Loop
Gateway Loop to Paradise
Paradise Trail to Quartz.
Quartz to Lost Dog.
Lost Dog to Ringtail.
Ringtail to Sunrise.
Up and over Sunrise.
Connect to Dixie Mine.
Dixie Mine to Windmill/Coachwhip
Windmill/Coachwhip to Pemberton
Pemberton (ccw) to Comp Track connecting via a gated utility road
Long Loop and Sport Loop
Back to Pemberton via utility road
Pemberton (ccw) to Bluff
Bluff to Granite
Granite to Pemberton
Pemberton (cw) to Tonto
Tonto to Pemberton
Pemberton (ccw) to Windmill/Coachwhip
Over Windgate Pass and down Windgate.
Gateway Loop

GPX file is available here

I can already see a few changed in next year's route.

Red Ridge Epic

2009-11-08T20:42:00.012-06:00

Picture from Topofusion and Scott's Blog

I managed to sucker Scott into a big ride yesterday.... The Red Ridge Epic II. The name seems a little lacking, but what it lacks in creativity it has in technical descending. The plan: go up Mt Lemmon Highway, use as much singletrack as humanly possible on the way up (Prison Camp, Cafe, 1918 and Sunset Trails) before dropping down the backside to Red Ridge up and over Charleau Gap, the 50 Year Trail Network and finally Catalina State Park.

I left my house to meet Scott on the Rillito Bike Path. Tons of people were out running and biking. It seems as though Tucsonans have a habit of waking up early to exercise.

After the crowded bike path, we took some lessons from El Tour and went across the Canyon Ranch wash, before heading up Catalina Highway. On the way up to Prison Camp, we saw Campy and Dave M, who were planning on doing Molino and over to Bellota. We had three road cyclists come up and ask us "What trails are you guys doing?" It was a pretty normal question, until each of them descended after asking us. Pretty weird, eh?

We split up at the Molino Basin, Campy and Dave heading east on the AZT up Molino (shown here)

and Scott and I headed up Prison Camp.

After Prison Camp, we had a decision to make. Continue up Bug Springs or take a rather large section of highway up to Cafe/1918/Sunset Trail. We opted for some road thinking that we may be short on time if we went up Bug Springs.

Then to more singletrack....Cafe and 1918. Some pretty sections for sure. Plenty of maple leaves to distract our attention from the goal at hand.

Mountain biking at its best....this was my favorite part of the trip on the front side of Lemmon

Here is a picture from Scott of the area, one of my favorites from the ride

We headed over to Sunset before reaching the General Store at Summerhaven. The new "Don Miguel Burrito" is this little beauty.....

Like this route, it lacks in name. Big Texas?! These 4.0 ounce treats are expertly- baked behemoth pastries that are packaged in a clear plastic wrapper emblazoned with the words Big Texas in purple print across the top of the package. Even better, it is only $1 and has 400 calories! After 20 seconds in the microwave, it tasted just as fresh as the ones from the Cookie Cabin across the street! I highly recommend it.

I used to cringe at the thought of eating "gas station" food. On long rides, you have to eat your occasional Don Miguel or Big Texas. Now, I savor and embrace it. Big miles mean Big Texas has to become a reality at times.

Calories in the stomach and bag, we headed to Red Ridge

Red Ridge in all its glory. Words are useless here. Just look at the pictures to really see what this first section is like

Same area of the above picture, only from Scott's camera

The trail seemed endless. Shouts of joy after nailing a switchback (attack!) echoed the canyon. A coatimundi ran across the trail. More rock drops. Piles of rock moved underneath your wheel is you sped down. Thoughts of I-hope-my-sidewall-does-not-tear as I go over this rock. Followed by more shouts.

Ahhhhhh, it was good to be on the bike....Notice the change in the vegetation. The rocks gardens got progressively bigger as we descended.

When you hit the wash, there is some route finding involved, although they are plenty of cairns to guide the way. A GPS would help although it would be pretty hard to get lost in the canyon.

Scott began to yell as he was cleaning some rocky technical sections, followed by a huge sandy pit. As he was yelling, "Yipppppppppppeeeeeee, woooo hoo!" continuously at the top of his lungs, I noticed some hunters in the tree. Classic moment. They asked us about the ride, which was only met with such statements as

"You climbed from your house?"
Where did you camp?"
"Do you have enough water?"

Although Scott had scared any chance of them getting a deer, they seemed pretty nice and inquisitive. A few minutes later we came to the CDO intersection.

And later the climb up to Charleau Gap

before descending into 50-year trail network

Once again, I was surprised to see how much fun descending (technical at times) there was in this loop. Scott and I traded off leading the fast descent into 50-year Trail.

Plenty of slickrock to really put a smile on your race.

The next two shots give you a perspective on how high on Lemmon we were before descending Red Ridge.

We exited the last section of singletrack to Catalina State Park as the sun began to set.

~11,000 feet of climbing
86 miles
13ish overall hours

The Red Ridge Epic: Catalina Highway-Prison Camp-Catalina Highway-Cafe-1918-Sunset-Summerhave-Red Ridge-Charleau Gap-Cherry Tank Area-50 Year-Catalina State Park

Scott uttered a phrase at the end of the ride that had me thinking about our epic rides: "That did not seem very hard, I feel great." Today, Scott calculated from the GPS tracks that we had done the route one hour faster than last year despite the addition of singletrack on front side of Lemmon this year (Prison, Cafe, 1918).

Read last year's version, the first Red Ridge Epic ride here.

Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet!

2009-11-08T20:30:00.003-06:00

Friday evening at Sweetwater with Kendall made for a classic ride. I also took sometime to test out the geared Leviathan. After a little under a year riding exclusively singlespeed rigid/hardtail, it was an interesting switch. Kendall switched back to flats rather than continuing to ride clipless. A good move; she has improved dramatically since the switch.

The ride got even more excited to change the Levithan over to a singlespeed. The special chain tensioner will be ordered tomorrow.

RRE

2009-11-08T16:47:00.000-06:00

The video from Scott about the Red Ridge Epic

Red Ridge Epic from Scott Morris on Vimeo.

Lighting here in Arizona

2009-11-06T12:29:00.008-06:00

It's hard to beat the lighting here in Arizona. Every time the sun goes down while I am on my bike, I can't help but be amazed. I usually have to quietly utter a "wow" each time. Ty, who has lived in Tucson since August, put it this way:"Arizona has some of the best lighting I have ever seen. Tucson is amazing in the evening."

Starr Pass is no exception to this superb lighting. Get your camera and bike, and head out to the trails at 430pm.

In fact, the lighting is multiplied by the rocky, at times Gothic landscape in this trail system. Besides a few hikers in the parking lot, we had the trails to ourselves. Even harder to imagine seeing how amazing the weather has been recently.

The first flat by Ty killed his tubeless. This is a different bike from last week's flat fest on Molino. You can't help but smile when you continue to have flats on a tubeless setup....

Check out the contrast in those mountains.

We headed to Golden Gate for a quick loop around to Kinney Rd. The first flat was followed by another flat at the top of Golden Gate. Simple fix: burly sidewalls. Rampage Panaracer or Saguaro Geax are my two recommendations.

The descent down the backside of Golden Gate at night was blissful. Technical water bars and the perfect amount of up/down/tight turns made for one of the most enjoyable night rides I have done all Fall. Only regrettable part of the ride was not "sessioning" some of the drops with the camera.

At Kinney Road, Ty flipped his light for the ~2 miles of road ride to get back over to Acupuncture and Yetman. About 2.5 hours of riding (30 minutes of flats)...followed by some "recovery" drinks in the parking lot.

I also rebuilt the Reba fork this week with Scott, new enduro seals and oil. Good times. Now that I have that fork working again, I was able to build the Leviathan back up again. By next weekend, I hope to have the Leviathan changed over to a SS.

A full suspension 29er Lenz Leviathan singlespeed....could you ask for anything else?

La Milagrosa

2009-11-02T20:04:00.005-06:00

Something you do not see very often, more mountain bikers riding up Lemmon than road cyclists on any given day. The explanaion we got: "As El Tour nears, road cyclists start to ride more flatter, longer miles." Hmmmmmm, interesting. Either way, we saw very few roadies as we headed up to Bug Springs.

I had heard of some work done on Bug Springs Trail; those reports were correct, although few if any things have really changed when you go up it (that I can remember).

We had two riders that had never ridden Bugs, Ty and Dominic. Both had some very impressive climbing skills.

It's easy to see why this is one of the best trails in Tucson. Great views of the Rincons and some very well-made singletrack.

Riding with Mr. 20x36 has me dreaming of switching back to gears. He makes it look so easy to clean everything. On the singlespeed, it is near impossible to clean any major technical ascent on Molino.

Some flats caused some moments to pause and take even more pictures of Milagrosa.

La Milagrosa...easlily the best technical trail in Arizona. I am lucky enough to have it here in Tucson.

Happy Wednesday!

2009-10-28T21:12:00.007-06:00

The Wednesday Weekly ride is back on now that it is getting colder. Todd and Krista moved to Tucson a few days ago from Santa Fe. Their commitment seemed to have even convinced Scott to come out for this week's ride. Here is the gang on 50-year Trail

We left my school, went around the back way to Catalina to 50-year Trail. You gotta look close to see the crew in this next shot.

Krista had strict orders "to keep the wattage under 200." Can you tell she was riding about 150 watts most of the ride?

A quick loop at 50-year trail before heading back to Catalina State Park

Best reason to ride this late...watching the sun go down behind the Tortolitas, Tucson, Silverbell, and Roskruge Mtns.

A post-ride burrito at Rubio's was the perfect ending to a 3 hour spin. Glad you got to join us Todd and Krista, hope to see you both more during the next few months.

The freeze warning is on tonight, although it should be warming up for another weekend epic!

Do you want to bikepack in the winter?

2009-10-26T19:12:00.007-06:00

I got the call from Scott a few days ago about another bikepacking route idea. I was flattered when he choose me. Without too much hesitation, I joyfully and emphatically said yes!

Only later he described the route. The majority of the route he described was dirt roads, although he lured me in with a promise of a small section of singletrack... migrant singletrack. Our first sighting of the migrant trail seemed promising....several fresh footprints, with an occasional overgrown section.

As things continued past the last section of double track, the singletrack only improved. I think it was Scott who commented how well the singletrack was built. Besides the few overgrown sections, this migrant trail looked like it belonged in the Tucson Mountain Park.

See any peaks or mountain ranges that look familiar?

As usual, Scott seemed to be riding his bike more than both Lee and I combined.

After talking with a few local ranchers, we continued in toward Roskruge (whoa whoa, pump the brakes! Make sure you say Roskruge with your best Irish accent).

to more singletrack. Here is Scott looking inquisitively when asked about the name of the new route. His name sounds pretty legit, although I will let him disclose more of the beta on the route. My hint: think Guero Canelo/Sonoran Hot Dogs meets southern Arizona migrant trails/AZ Trail.

What would a route be without a few barbed wire fences standing in the way?

Items left behind by the migrants were everywhere. The amount of backpacks, phone cards, clothes, toiletries, and bottles was staggering. While riding, it was tought not to think of the people that have walked this singletrack, migrants and drug runners alike. The former are in search of money for their family back home. Pretty noble given the harsh environment out there.

The well-built singletrack continued for ~3 miles toward Roskruge and the Land of Many Cacti.

In about 7 hours, we only saw 2 cars. Desolate. Parched. Perfect for winter riding.

..but pretty area.

I compare exploring new routes (ST or DT) to buying a new bike....gitty is how I would describe it. I anxiously await completing the loop.

Godspeed

2009-10-22T23:47:00.004-05:00

Check out Dave H do an ITT attempt of the Coconino Loop Race. Per Lynda, he is starting out tomorrow morning. Weather looks great. I am hoping he finishes in less than 48 hours. Godspeed, Dave.

Here are some fun race replays that Scott posted:

Coconino Loop Race 2009 Replay - all riders from Scott Morris on Vimeo.

Coconino Loop Race 2009 Replay - stage riders from Scott Morris on Vimeo.

Fifty-Fifty

2009-10-18T22:38:00.008-05:00

It is hard to quantify how hard the Rock y Road 50/50 is on a normal October day in Tucson; add some 99-degree weather into the mix and you have a good recipe for pain and possible dehydration.

Picture courtesy of Scott

We had 9 starters this year head out at 6am up Reddington. We were quickly met with a pleasant surprise, Scott Morris. He had decided to venture up early to take some pictures of the race as we slowly worked our way up Reddington. What a nice guy!

Chuck and I played leap frog for most of the mtb portion of the race. He was faster on some of the hilly sections, while I was faster on the technical section. It worked out pretty well as we were chatting a bit when the riding would allow. We continued this for much of the AZT, before reaching Scott again (he had zoomed up the road while we rode out near Chiva). His photo wizardry was at work again:

Picture courtesy of Scott

In fact, I encourage you to look over at the other pictures he took of the race. Milagrosa and the AZ Trail in this area is a special place, as conveyed in these remarkable pictures. Thank you again Scott for the support and pictures.

At La Milagrosa, we ran across a Nimbus rider. At first I mistook him for a 50/50 racer and friend Jim Kirk, who also races for Nimbus. It was Russ Scott, who opted for the mountain bike portion and late start option. Chuck, Russ and I rode down Milagrosa. Mr. Dave Harris can I appreciate what happened next. At the tequila tree, we stopped for a shot of Jose.

Chad: "Alright, who is going to have some [Jose Cuervo]
Russ: "Not me, no thanks,"
Chad: "Chuck, it is mandatory to take a shot if you are going to ride with me."
Chuck: "Okay, alright."

Good move. That tequila tree has helped many a person to complete the technical riding required to complete La Milagrosa. Today was not without exception. We zoomed along to the end of Milagrosa. Amazing trail, quite possibly the best trail in Arizona.

As Chuck and I hit Snyder Rd on the mountain bikes, he kindly waited around as I was spinning my brains out on the SS. "It's sometimes better to ride in company," he commented. Well said. It probably should be said that Mr. (Chuck) Hess was my 7th grade P.E. teacher. Pretty funny, eh? He made me run miles, now I am putting on a century ride that is, as he put it when he finished "the hardest thing I have ever done."

As Chuck and I were readying our gear for some the 50 miles of road bike, Ryan came into the transition area. Chuck was first to leave, although I was not too far behind him. I had decided to complete the "SS Finish" by riding my mountain bike up to Palisades instead of my geared road bike. I had to question this numerous times during the mtb portion, but alas I decided to just go for it.

I lost a lot of ground between Chuck/Ryan on the flat section to the base of Lemmon. That lasted until the Mt Lemmon pay station, where I slowly crept on Ryan. I reckon it was probably 95 degrees as we were heading up Molino on the road. Painfully hot. I started getting into a rhythm and later passed Chuck, although that did not last very long. We played leap from again for most of the rest of the ride up to Palisades.

After reaching Palisades, I hydrated for a few minutes, I wet my shirt and head, before beginning the fast descent to the finish. Both Chuck and Ryan sped past during the descent, leaving me to a glorious 3rd place finish. Congratulation to all the finishers this year.

Results are available here from the 50/50
Scott's Pictures are here

Rock y Road 50/50 V.3

2009-10-16T00:02:00.007-05:00

Historically, this has always been the hottest race for the AES. I remember the first year when Mike F. and I started this race, each pedal stroke on the road bike seemed like it was going to be the last. I was prepared mentally to finish this race; physically, well, not really sure back then. I barely managed to finish that first year but not without having to rest about a dozen times as I was descending Mt. Lemmon. It's hard to think of another time in my life when my mouth has been so dry.

Last year, a similar situation emerged while riding the road bike. Again, the heat duplicated a similar road ride. The profile of Lemmon (seen below) is such that riding this loop (after getting beat up on the mountain bike) without stopping to rest is impossible.

That first part looks pretty easy, right? The colors (in Topofusion) is speed. Notice how the blue gets lighter and lighter? That means I am slowwwwwwing dowwwwwwwn.

The third annual Rock y Road 50/50 in all its "glory"...

The mountain bike course has been changed, but the premise still remains the same...ride ~50 brutal, technical miles on the mountain bike followed by riding ~50 miles on the road bike. Without getting too sentimental, I should probably add that this was my first "race" that I (and of course my friend, Mike F) ever put on.

I am looking forward to more starters this year! Anyone on the fence about the race, please come on out.

The forecast this weekend is not on our side again, 99 degree temperature. I think we are going to move this race back another week for 2010.

CLR 250

2009-10-13T10:00:00.012-05:00

Before you read this post, make sure to check out this previous ride for more pictures.

The Coconino Loop Race 250 could not have been chosen at a better time. Weather was perfect, fall colors were changing, and trail conditions were almost ideal. 10 riders showed up for this year's inaugural self-supported stage race. As far as I know, it is the first race of its kind. The premise is simple: you ride hard to a designated location, stop and rest with everyone in the group. Sounds pretty easy, right? Well, there is about ~250 miles and 32,000 feet of climbing. Although the race might not be for everyone, the loop needs to be added to your must-do list. Plenty of singletrack and views await everyone, even plenty of places to take refuge, get water, add/subtract miles. Here is the run down:

Stage 1: Flagstaff to Hot Loop, Sedona
Here is Yuri on the AZT just before Mormon Lake. Yuri, thanks again for the shots from the flask on the first stage, I think it helped me sleep a little better on my "boogie board."

Just one of many areas that had some vivid fall colors.

Stage 2: Hot Loop, Sedona to Mingus/Trail 105
After the first state stop out side Sedona, the hardest day was to come: Ride from the top of Hot Loop in Sedona to the top of Mingus Mountain via Mingus Ave and Trail 106/105.

I got to ride with Tim for a while. After cleaning a technical section on Broken Arrow, he commented. "Hey Chad, I am in 20x32 just like you!" Errrrr...not funny I thought, as I was walking up in my 32x20. I am not one to ever change my gear ratio, but I needed a 32x19 for most of the race.

In Sedona, we rode Munds-Broken Arrow-Llama-HT-Cathedral-Baldwin-Red Rock State Park

Before connecting on the ever elusive and sandy Lime Kiln trail to Cottonwood and Dead Horse State Park. After a brief stop in Cottonwood, we began the climb up to the top of Mingus. Can you see Scott Morris in this picture?

Scott caught me on the first part of the Trail 106. For those that ride down this trail, it is pretty tough to imagine riding up, especially on a singlespeed. I walked most of it but did have a few moments of good riding.

Trail 105 in all its glory....hike-a-bike in its best form.

Less than 1 mile from the top, Scott made a simple comment that summed up the entire afternoon. "100 feet at a time, then rest."

4 racers bailed before making it to State 2 on Mingus. Understandably so. It was the hardest of any of the 4 stages.

Stage 3: Mingus to the city of Williams (over Bill Williams Mtn)
The next day was going to be the longest section of dirt road, about 25 miles. Again, plenty of things to be inspired by during the long road ride.

Sometimes you have to look smaller to really see the beauty in everything

The reward of the dirt road section...Bill Williams singletrack.

with Mingus Mountain in the background, about 70 miles away (Stage 3 is the longest stage).

Another bailout left 5 racers to eat pizza and beer at a hotel. As someone coined the term last time we pre-rode the route, you are on a Luxury Tour. Hardly. The sleeping/leg recovery was often inadequate for the speed that was required the next day as .

Stage 4: Williams to Flagstaff (via Sycamore Rim, Wing Mountain, Fort Valley Trails)
That morning, Tim and Rob left pretty early as the rest of us headed for some breakfast and coffee.

I was the first of the remaining riders to leave Williams, although I was quickly caught just before the Sycamore Singletrack.

With fall in the air, aspens and oaks are changing. It made the perfect backdrop for some great riding. Although I did not have too much time to capture the colors, I was forced to take a few pictures when my screw cleat broke (yes, it broke not fell out).

Scott zoomed by never to be seen again until Flagstaff. I was spinning out pretty hard to catch him with no avail.

Some more forest roads to connect Wing Mountain ST and some ST on the peaks....

This race is a keeper, one of my favorite multi-day endurance events that I have done. It was great to see such a good group at the start his year. As for the 350-mile version, I think it is safe to say that it needs to be on a different day/month in order to allow for two different races.
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This route came about from a simple dream of connecting some of the best singletrack in northern Arizona. Unlike other races that have only dirt roads, this race comes with a hefty amount of singletrack (and I hope to add more next year, or at least more doubletrack at the minimum). Not all singletrack is created equally, as in the case of Mingus Mtn where you have to really, really work to get to the singletrack. Other stuff in Sedona and Sycamore Rim seems to flow if you have some technical skills.

Finally, this race was a collaboration of a handful of people, thank you to all those that helped make the route, especially to Scott and Lee. Also, thank you to Joe from MTBcast for allowing us to do the call-ins.

Coconino Loop Race Updates

2009-10-06T19:13:00.005-05:00

No road is long with good company. ~Turkish Proverb

Chris Plesko had planned to come down to race the 350-mile version of the CLR. A recent accident seems to have forced him not only out of the race but off the bike for quite some time. I hope you heal up soon, "battling" it together would have been a ride to remember.

That changes a few things since I would be the only racer doing the 350-mile option. The edge of the Grand Canyon with a bike is sure tempting, peering into its abyss after riding more than 300 miles. Nonetheless, I still have some problems with my lungs (I was able to get a new inhaler this week from my doctor). That said, I might have to decide on route if I will be doing the 250 or 350-miler to see how the lungs perform. That also may leave you, the reader/bike enthusiast/family member, more interested in watching my SPOT as I near the I-40 crossing.

Either way, you can watch the race unfold here...

Race updates and discussion
My setup, same as the AZT 300 and Grand Loop Race
MTBcast that will have call-ins

Check back as the race begins at 730am, Friday, October 9th.

Riding in the Tortolitas

2009-10-04T21:31:00.004-05:00

After a quick stint up at the Tour of the White Mountains yesterday, we came back early to find the weather seemed to be superb. I tried my normal means of persuading people to join (Tucson forum and prank calling), nonetheless I was met with a uniform no, not today.

Hmmmmm.... solo ride it is then.

Scott, Eric and I had ridden a section of the Tortolitas last year and I was curious to try to connect both sides of the Tortolitas via Wild Burro Wash (left side trail is Wild Burros, right side trails are the Como Trail/Rail X). As Scott mentioned, nobody really ever talks about riding in the Tortolitas.

I spent the early afternoon scanning some aerial views before starting down Tortolita Preserve. At the first windmill/mine area, I headed on my exploratory "road" that would head toward Wild Burro Wash.

The "road" ends at a now solar windmill and trough, where this was scribbled into the side

The rest of the wash (I concluded from aerial views) would be a combination of wash and cow singletrack. At first, the cow singletrack was very, very rideable. I was praising cows in the southwest.

Nice eh? This lasted for about 1 mile, too short lived. I passed some great slickrock sections. After riding a little under 3 miles, I could see the Wild Burro ST come into view onto my GPS. Success, some may say but I doubt anyone would ever want to ride this wash and cow singletrack.

After reaching the Wild Burro Trail system, I turned around and started riding back to the first windmill to ride what I call Como Trail. I saw this little critter before the big descent

Como Trail is everything that a trail needs, views and technical rock sections. A few rider might dislike the trail b/c of the overgrowth, but on the whole it is pretty darn good singletrack.

It's a shame nobody ventures out here. I only saw tracks on the first few miles of the powerline road, no tracks on any of the singletrack sections.

A true sign of a legit trail, a gate.

Sad to see one of these critters in this state...

At the top of the trail, before the you drop into some pretty fast, technical shoots, you have a great view into Oro Valley and the La Cholla Airfield.

I enjoyed an easy ride east on Moore Rd to my car, I periodically would glance around my shoulder to see the car-less stretch of road and this

Pretty amazing. It's quite different than a race with 60+ people, isolated on singletrack that few people ride. If I had to choose between a race and a solo ride, I would go for the later. There is a time and place for the former, although I find that once/year is perfect. Now back to the smaller-participant races, like the Coconino Loop Race.

As it starts to get cool here in Arizona, I hope to see more people riding around Tucson and in the Tortolitas. If you want the GPX file, you can get it here.

Trans Utah 2009

2009-09-27T19:37:00.004-05:00

Follow it here on Trackleaders.com as Troy, Dave Kirk, and Blair attempt to be the first finishers. Discussion is going on over at Bikepacking.net.

I have nearly finalized the GPX track for 400 miles of touring/racing in northern Arizona. The current 250 mile (Coconino Loop Race) track that we rode last June is simply stunning. My hope is that the new 150ish miles to the Grand Canyon and back on the AZT will make the route blissful.

Here is a view of the route Flagstaff-Sedona-Mingus-Williams-Grand Canyon-Flagstaff:

Race details on CLR
Discussion on the CLR 250/400