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!
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