The Bicycle Adventure Club - Come Ride With Us!

Tucson Sunshine and Saguaros Spring 2022

March 5th to March 12th

Ride Director: Jerry Porter
Ride Co-Director: Kim Porter
Report by: Terri Grant

One might ask: “Why come to Tucson for a week of bicycle riding in March?”  Typical March weather has highs in the 70’s and 80’s – perfect riding conditions.  Tucson has a network of over 150 miles of paved bicycle paths, including a 55-mile loop surrounding the city.  It has many excellent day rides, and of equal importance, great restaurants.

2022 met most of these expectations, except for the weather.  With lows most nights in the 30’s, the temperature didn’t break 50 degrees until around 10 a.m.  Uncharacteristic for BAC rides, many riders waited until 10 a.m. or later to start their rides. 

Forty of us were welcomed by Ride Leaders Gerald and Kim Porter for happy hour, Saturday night, March 5 in the lovely patio of the upscale Homewood Suites Hotel where we would spend the week. A catered Mexican dinner followed.  Instead of the usual introductions, riders began their own meet and greet, including meeting new cyclists and renewing old acquaintances. 

More than 20 ride options were posted on Ride with GPS. Riders decided amongst themselves which ride to choose each day.  Many used the WhatsApp group set up by ride leaders to let others know when and where they were riding.  WhatsApp provided a wonderful means of sharing our experiences and pictures from our rides. Following are some thoughts about the more popular rides this year:

Sabino Canyon Recreation Area is a very scenic destination.  The canyon scenery can only be viewed by bicycle prior to 9 a.m. or after 5 p.m. (no e-bikes allowed, and no bikes on Wednesday or Saturday).  A tram ride through the canyon is available on the hour from 9 a.m. through 4 p.m.  It is best to reserve tickets for the tram online at Sabinacanyoncrawler.com.  One can walk the park road or hike the park trails at any time.

The 55-mile loop is virtually all on a paved bike path, only recently completed.  The loop offers restrooms, water refill stations, and short detours to restaurants all along the path. One popular choice is the Mercado, with several eating choices. 

The ride to Catalina State Park is another excellent choice.  It is the only other ride entirely on bike path.  The park offers attractive picnicking, although the trees had not yet leafed out.

Kim Porter provided support for the famous climb up Mt. Lemmon on the least windy day.  Eight intrepid riders started the climb, but only one chose to ride to the top, which still had remnants of snow. 

Another popular ride is Saguaro National Park East.  The posted route to the Park and the posted remote start route include some bike lane on streets with heavy, fast traffic.  Some riders chose to drive to the park and ride the beautiful 8-mile loop in the Park one or more times.

Few elected to ride to Saguaro National Park West, as it required a difficult climb on a narrow, busy road. The Arizona Sonora Desert Museum is on this route but is best driven to.  It is not to be missed.  Its displays of desert wildlife, plants, and ecosystems are the best you will find.  Plan to arrive early enough for the 10 a.m. raptor show (none on Wednesday).

Our farewell dinner was held at Union Public House. We feel grateful to Kim and Gerald Porter for leading this ride which provided an enjoyable week of riding and making and renewing friendships.

PHOTO: Allen Hardy at the beautiful Sabino Canyon.