Tucson Spring Warm-up

This ride is a fixed-base or semi-fixed-base ride, please read the ride description for more details.

† Explanation of BAC Ride Fee – This fee is not included in the Estimated Cost and is non-refundable once submitted. The Ride Fee for US and Canada is $85 and $100 for all other countries, both are per participant.

Ride Description

Ride Description

OVERVIEW
Tucson is a city that loves to bike.  With its mild climate, stunning scenery, and abundance of trails, it's no wonder that Tucson is a popular destination for cyclists from all over the world. Tucson has a top rating from the League of American Bicyclists and is regularly noted as an outstanding riding destination by numerous cycling magazines and media outlets. Our fixed-base tour provides a chance to escape the gloom and get in some sunny and warm spring riding days!

One of the best things about biking in Tucson is the variety of routes available. Whether you're looking for a leisurely ride along the Santa Cruz River, an urban ride to view the murals, or a challenging ride up Mount Lemmon, you'll find the perfect ride in Tucson.

This fixed-base tour has no required riding days, instead it offers choices of more than 20 RideWithGPS routes, featuring a long and a short ride for each day. Most rides start directly from the hotel, but we also include choices with optional remote starts. (For this reason, a car or carpooling is recommended for the tour) With so many choices to choose from, you’ll want to pay particular attention to road conditions as well as route length and BAC rating. The route descriptions are included in a separate document listed in Ride Info, Ride Leader Docs. 

Other Attractions: Based on rider feedback, we have added an extra day to this year's tour. For those riders who would like a day off the bike there are several good museums and other attractions in Tucson. The Arizona Sonora Desert Museum is one of the best in the world for desert environment, the world class Tohono Chul Park and Botanical Gardens is only 6 miles from the hotel. The Pima Air & Space Museum has an excellent selection of vintage and historic aircraft. Further out of Tucson, the Titan Missile Museum and Karchner Caverns offer unique tours.  And there are many opportunities for hiking in the area.

HEALTH & SAFETY
Vaccinations for Covid are recommended, but not required.

Prior to the final payment for the tour, an infectious disease plan will be developed and communicated. The plan will identify possible actions for dealing with any person with an infectious disease on the tour that could affect their ability to ride or the health of others in the group. The plan will include items such as isolation protocols, testing, masking, distancing, and leaving the tour.

Participants are expected to come to the tour in good health and ready to ride. Should someone's health become compromised and the group’s health and safety placed in jeopardy, a plan will be developed by the ride leader(s) and communicated to all individuals. The expectation is for the group to work together to mitigate any spread of infection or illness as a means to ensure the tour can continue as planned.

RIDE RATING
Although this tour is rated 2B, there are many routes that can be chosen that are more or less than the ride rating. The routes offered during the week provide many different types of riding and many different road surfaces; dedicated car free trails, urban cycling on busy streets with/without bike lanes, several challenging climbs, and some rural roads with little or no shoulder.

Many of the routes will be on the Tucson Loop (https://tucsonloop.org). The Tucson Loop is a shared use 12-foot-wide bike path that extends over 130 car free miles throughout unincorporated Pima County.  Pedal assist E-bikes are welcome on the Loop, no motorized vehicles or devices are allowed. Be aware that some of the trails have cattleguards.

The Ride Leaders will suggest a short and a long ride for the next day at Social Hour. Although the focus at each Social Hour will be the next day’s featured daily rides, all rides are optional and participants are welcome to choose whichever courses they want to ride at their own speed and pace.  If you decide to do the Mount Lemon climb on the suggested day, the Ride Leaders will use their van to provide a rest stop with water and snacks on the climb. With the exception of Mount Lemon, this tour is self-supported, no SAG support is provided.

Bikes: Tandems and e-bikes are welcome on this tour; the Ride Leaders will be on either a tandem or e-bikes. Bike rentals are available in the Tucson area,

Tucson Bicycle Rentals (https://tucsonbicyclerental.com/) has received good reviews and will deliver bikes to the hotel. All arrangements for bike rental are between the participant and the bike shop. The Ride Leaders cannot guarantee bike rental availability or quality.

CUE SHEETS, MAPS, GPS FILES
Links to the Ride with GPS (RWGPS) files will be posted and available for download under Ride Leader Docs. No maps or hard copy cue sheets will be provided but participants may print their own from the RWGPS files.

WEATHER
In March, the weather in Tucson is perfect for biking. The average daytime temperature is in the mid-70s, with low humidity and plenty of sunshine. This makes it the perfect time to get out on your bike and explore all that Tucson has to offer, having said that, the weather in southern Arizona is famously variable and temperatures can run +/- 10 degrees from these averages. Rain can be a possibility and it can be windy. We may adjust our riding schedule based on the Mt Lemmon forecast.

This is a desert, carry lots of water and check that your patch tube cement hasn’t dried out.

LODGING & MEALS
Lodging will be at the Comfort Suites near the Tucson Mall. This Comfort Inn is located two blocks from the Loop Trail. The hotel was completely updated last year and is very nice. If you store your bike in your room, please keep the carpet clean.  There is plenty of free self-parking is available at the hotel. 

The tour includes eight nights of lodging, eight Social Hours with snacks and beverages, two catered dinners at the hotel, and eight continental breakfasts. Water and snacks will be provided to riders at a rest stop during the Mount Lemon climb. 

Please contact the Ride Leader to discuss any specific strict food requirements before requesting to join the tour.

LOGISTICS
Tucson Stagecoach (https://tucscoach.com/) van service and taxis are available between the Tucson airport (TCS) and the hotel.  Some previous participants have found flights to Phoenix (PHX) with a rental car more economical than flying directly into Tucson.  A car is recommended for the trip as you may opt to start a few rides remotely, or want to venture out and visit some of the various attractions in Tucson.  There are several good restaurants within walking distance of the hotel.

The tour begins on Thursday, March 20, 2025 at the Comfort Inn. Social hour will begin at 5:00 PM in the hotel meeting room. The tour ends with check-out on Thursday, March 28, 2025. The hotel will honor our tour rate if you wish to extend your stay. Send your requests directly to me, not to the hotel and I’ll arrange it.

Bring your America the Beautiful pass, if you have one, for admission to Saguaro National Park.

COST & ADMINISTRATION
The estimated cost of this bike tour is $1380 per person plus the non-refundable $85 BAC registration fee. This cost includes eight nights lodging, two group dinners, eight breakfasts, and eight social hours with snacks and beverages. Electronic RWGPS files will be provided. The cost does not include additional lodging before or after the tour, or bike rental. The deposit is $800 and final payment of $580 is due no later than November 1, 2024.  Any riders who register after November 1, 2024 will need to pay the full tour amount at registration.

SINGLES & SOLOS POLICY
A “single” is a member who signs up by himself or herself and wishes to share a room with another participant. A “solo” is a member who signs up by himself or herself and does not wish to share a room. It is recommended that singles who want a roommate try to find their own. After receipt of the initial deposit, a single without a roommate will be placed on the pending list and given until November 1, 2024 to find a roommate. If they are unable to find a roommate, they will have the option to receive a full refund (minus the BAC Ride Registration Fee and Payment Processing Fee) or pay the $760 solo supplement and stay on the ride. If a single rider pays the supplement, they may continue to seek a roommate, but must plan to participate without a roommate if necessary. If the single finds a roommate, the solo supplement will be returned. The Ride Leader will assist by attempting to match singles who apply for the ride.

Solo supplement payments need to be sent to the BAC office by Nov 1, 2024 by check or Zelle. Make checks payable to “BAC” and mail to Bicycle Adventure Club, PO Box 23998, San Diego, CA 92193. Send Zelle payments to treasurer@bicycleadventureclub.org. Indicate the ride name when using either method.

CANCELLATION POLICY
The BAC Ride Registration Fee and Payment Processing Fees are not refundable unless the entire tour is canceled because the number of participants registered is less than the minimum established for the tour. Refunds of tour payments will depend upon whether a replacement rider signs up, and on costs that can be recouped. The amount refunded will be based on the principle that the tour’s remaining participants will not incur any additional cost as a result of cancellations. If the canceling participant is replaced, a refund will be made at that time. If the canceling participant can't be replaced, any refund will be determined after the ride and final expense report are completed. If a single participant cancels and another roommate cannot be found, in addition to other costs that cannot be recouped, the canceling roommate may also be liable for the solo supplement fee of the roommate remaining on the tour. BAC encourages members to purchase trip cancellation insurance.

RIDE PARTICIPANT RESPONSIBILITY
Please remember that BAC Ride Leaders are volunteers, and that successful tours depend on participants providing much of their own support.  Participants are expected to come to the ride well trained, in good health and ready to accomplish the required daily riding using a well-maintained bicycle.  All participants should accept responsibility for a safe and enjoyable tour.  We encourage you to read the ride description carefully and respond to requests from Ride Leader.  While on the ride, support your Ride Leader with offers to help with various tasks such as Social Hour preparation and clean-up.  Please do not interfere with the ride by inviting non-participants onto any portion of the ride or tour.  Please keep the Ride Leader informed of any special request you may have and respect the Ride Leader’s decisions.

INSURANCE
Before participating in any BAC tour, you should assess whether your medical and travel insurance coverage is sufficient. BAC maintains insurance that covers expenses related to accidents. This coverage applies when touring inside the US, regardless of your nationality. It’s assumed that members’ personal insurance will cover medical emergencies such as sudden and unexpected sickness, so these have not been included in the BAC policy. Coverage is subject to a $1000 deductible. You may want to consider personal coverage for emergency evacuation, as this is not included. The costs of treatment or quarantine for Covid and other unexpected illnesses are not covered. You should ensure that your vaccinations are up to date.

SIGN-UP
To register for this ride, use the sign-up links just above the Ride Description. After preliminary acceptance, you will be moved to the pending list and receive an email requesting you to go back to the BAC site to digitally accept the Release of Liability (ROL), and pay the non-refundable BAC fee ($85) and tour deposit ($800) by credit card. As soon as your deposit has been processed, your name(s) will be added to the Participant List. The final payment of $580 will be due November 1, 2024.

BAC members with questions may contact the Ride Leader by "clicking" the name at the top of this Ride Description, or preferably calling Albert at 253-797-4647, or emailing at albert.meerscheidt@gmail.com.