I like to ride my bicycle - for long distances. I have earned the California Triple Crown and finished the Furnace Creek 508. My goals include qualifying for RAAM and ...(read the blog to find out).
"The bicycle has a soul. If you are able to love it as it deserves, it will give you emotions you will never forget."
Mario Cipolini
"Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of a bike ride."
John F. Kennedy
"The important decisions in my life I make while out riding my bike."
Former Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi
"Pain is temporary, quitting lasts forever.” Lance Armstrong
Thursday, February 08, 2007
South Mountain – Phoenix, Arizona
Work has sent me to the Phoenix area for a conference. The weather hear is near perfect for cycling, highs near 70° F during the day dropping down to the low 60s° in the early evening. With this nice weather, I really should be on my bike. But do not worry, as soon as the conference ended today, I jumped on my rental bike and headed for South Mountain, the closest hill around.
I lived in Phoenix in the late 1980s. I did climb South Mountain back then, and I remembered a steep climb on a very rough surface. I was looking forward to climbing it again.
I left my hotel in Tempe at 5:30 pm and headed west and then south on Hadley Rd. I had a general idea of the route I wanted to take by searching out routes on www.routeslip.com, checking the local bicycle map and talking the folks at Dominic's Bicycles. However, all good plans sometimes do not work out as expected and my plan was no exception. I intended to turn west on Baseline from Hadley Rd, but when I got there, I found a six lane expressway busy with rush hour traffic and no bike lanes. So, I continued straight on Hadley and worked my way through a neighborhood. Much to my distaste, Baseline was my only choice to head west, unless I backtracked up to the north, something I did not want to do because of the setting sun. So I road the sidewalk.
As darkness fell, I somehow found myself at the base of South Mountain and began to climb. I was pleased to find that the road surface was much improved. Very nice! After entering the park, the road gently climbs 300 feet in 2.25 miles to the left turn onto Telegraph Pass Road. Now the real climbing begins. For just over 1.6 miles, I climbed 438 feet. I then had a short descent before the climbing continued. The next 3.7 miles contains nearly 650 feet of elevation gain. As such, the steepest portion of the climb is the middle section, although there are some steep pitches near the top. All of the distances and elevations noted here are based upon routeslip.com.
The top was an empty parking lot that overlooked the city of Phoenix.
The descent was slow as it was dark and the temperature had now dropped to 60°, so I wanted to keep the speed down to keep the wind chill in check.
The ride back to the hotel was in the dark and mostly utilizing bike lanes. I arrived shortly after 9:00 pm.
Ride data to follow once I return home.