This is the 3rd year of having Russell Cree and friends down to The Cycling House for a camp in Tucson, AZ. When rain was in the forecast for the first big ride the Portland Velo crew probably questioned why they left the Pacific NW. They definitely paid their dues on the guided ride out to Saguaro E. National park and Old Spanish Trail. The first half of the ride it only threatened to rain, the second half the clouds delivered in a fierce way.
After the inaugural day of questionable weather, the bikes were washed by The Cycling House staff, lubed up and ready to roll to Gates Pass. The sunshine came back out first thing in the morning and the mood brightened immediately. We rolled out from The Cycling House for 4 hours of riding on the West side of Tucson…Gates Pass and Saguaro W. Natl. Park.
Russell Cree, Proprietor of Upper Echelon Fitness and head coach, was on site to work with the riders on coaching, technique and bike fits and race schedules. He is a master in coaching with Power. The Cycling House has multiple Saris PowerTap 2.4 SL demo wheels on hand and it was great to have Russell around to analyze data and teach people how to train properly with wattage.
With the wild weather we have been having in Tucson, we weren’t quite sure whether a Mt. Lemmon summit was in the cards. We held off on Lemmon until the 2nd to last day of camp to allow for Catalina Hwy. to dry out as much as possible. The sun worked it’s magic and on Friday we hit the summit no problem. Most riders were able to ride the whole 21.5 mile climb in shorts and a short sleeve jersey. The decent is always chilly and the support car had extra clothing, fuel and water for the riders at the top. The next day the crew rode up Madera Canyon and the temperature was a perfect 68 degrees. Madera Canyon is definitely a highlight ride for The Cycling House. It’s just a desolate desert road that dead ends at the top of a really hard climb. It’s really great.
