DM Solo Training Ride: South Mountain Morning

Three times in the last week, I've popped out of bed (ok, I wasn't quite so excited) and hit the road for an early morning ride. There's just nothing quite like getting in a good, brisk ride before starting the rest of the day.

Today, I rode South Mountain... Before work.

I didn't quite have time to get in my full "35 Miles and a Mountain" route, so I drove to South Mountain and rode from the park's entrance to the summit and back. The ride is about 16 miles round trip - with over 1,500 feet of climbing. It was such a nice morning for a ride. Lots of cloud cover, not too hot, and a cool breeze blowing between the mountains. There were a handful of other cyclists and joggers on the road, but the Summit Road was pretty quiet.

So quiet, in fact, that a lot of the wildlife was out and about, including a couple coyotes prowling the middle of the road. I've seen a handful of coyotes since I've been in Arizona, but it was so cool to see a couple up close on the mountain.

The quiet time offered an excellent opportunity to enjoy the stunning views of the valley and the desert. I'm going to try to do this early morning riding thing a couple times a week... At least until the temperature comes back down again.

DM Solo Training Ride: Central Phoenix/Downtown/Capitol

 Choppy panoramic shot of the Arizona State Capitol and legislative chambers

I got out this morning for my first ride on my NEW new bike! Great ride. Rode from my apartment in Central Phoenix to downtown and cut West to the State Capitol. Between the Federal Courthouse and the Capitol, there were PLENTY of news crews and cameras out. The networks all have little tent studios set up in front of the Capitol building. It was kind of crazy. From the Capitol, I headed back toward Central Avenue, then South to Rio Salado Park. The park is usually pretty quiet, so I was able to pick up some speed along the river on the trail. It was great!

Lots of wildlife out this early... Rabbits, wetlands birds, and I THINK I saw a wild ferret (yes, they're rare, but there is a species of wild ferrets in Arizona).

On my way back through downtown, I wasn't really happy with my distance, so I tacked on another trip to the Capitol and back before heading home.

I got in 19 miles and burned TWICE the calories I would have burned in the same amount of time at the gym. Awesome!

DM Solo Training Ride: 35 Miles and a Mountain

One of the things I love about living in Phoenix is that we've got a GREAT place to work on mountain road training and climbing - South Mountain Park. When I was visiting Arizona to visit Arizona State University, the first ride I did (on a subpar rental bike) was South Mountain. The road offers over 1,500 feet of climb over the course of 7.5 miles. Anyone who's done the ride knows that the last half mile or so is a real bitch.

Me on my first ever climb of South Mountain in October 2007

So every now and then, I've got to honor this killer hill by climbing it - just because it's there.

Tyler can tell you that I always set a goal of riding South Mountain once a month while I train for AIDS LifeCycle each year. Tyler can also tell you that I'm really bad about actually holding to that. Every now and then though, I just want to get out and do it. This morning was one such morning.

I set out from home around 5:30am and pedaled South along 3rd Street, eventually cutting over to Central Avenue just below downtown. Central Avenue is relatively flat until you get to the Rio Salado, at which point there is a modest incline heading in toward the mountain. Central Avenue runs right into the park and the park road begins to pitch and drop through the rolling foothills. At the intersection of the San Juan road (another good route for rolling foothills and short climbs), the road makes a sharp turn to the left where cyclists begin the first real climb - a consistent climb up the Northern face of South Mountain. As you climb this first section and look off to the left, you can see how high you've moved above the entrance to the park and everything below is getting tinier and tinier still.

Around a few bends, you hit a welcome flat that gives a great view of Ahwatukee to the South. There are often lots of hikers and runners in this area, where several of the park trails converge. And then you climb again!

Over the top of the second long climb, there's a great series of rolling hills that are a great deal of fun after the climbing. A turn away from the lookout takes you back toward the TV towers on a road that winds along the ridge of the Mountain... And then, through the final gate to the TV towers, the curving road takes a slightly steeper pitch - over one hill down a little and then up, up, up. The road hugs the side of the mountain around bends and curves just below the towers. The final half mile can be a little tough, but once you pass the final access point for the tv towers, you come over the top of the mountain with a brilliant view to the South and West including Ahwatukee, the Gila River Reservation, and Estrella Mountain. It's beautiful... Then a little baby climb up to the parking lot.

The summit of South Mountain, the TV towers, and some of the Ride for Semper Fi cyclists

I rode a good part of the way up with a large group of cyclists training for The Ride for Semper Fi - a ride in October from Scottsdale to San Diego in October. Sounds like a great adventure. They'll need to train on South Mountain if they expect to cross the mountains in Southern California between here and San Diego!!!

 Me looking fierce on top of South Mountain. I wore the same jersey I wore my first time!

It was a great ride up, but it was getting hot, so I only rode around in circles long enough to hydrate and hit the road back down the mountain and home. I had such a great time!

DM & TG Training Ride: Tracy's First Training Ride

Training has begun for AIDS LifeCycle 10!

Today I completed a 51 mile ride in the oppressive Phoenix heat. I started in Central Phoenix at 5:30am and rode to Tempe to pick up Tracy for her first training ride. There was quite a bit of cloud cover this morning when I left the apartment, but the sunrise managed to show itself on the horizon - with the sun blaring brightly above the Superstitions as I crossed the Mill Avenue Bridge into Tempe.

Tracy and I rode from her apartment, down Rural Road to Tempe Town Lake, caught a lap around the lake and set out to the north on the Greenbelt. We rode as far as Chaparral and turned around to repeat the route. The cloud cover was burning off on our way back into Tempe, which meant I was going to ride home to Phoenix fully exposed to the sun - which also meant it was getting hotter and hotter by the minute.

I tried to keep a quick pace on the route back home - 17-22mph. On my way along Washington, I saw a sign displaying the temperature as 108' F. On the final stretch into downtown, I was starting to feel the effects of riding so hard in the heat, but pushed on the remaining few miles to home to hydrate and CRASH!

Great ride. Very proud of Tracy this morning!