While the weather gods continued to be their nasty selves, keeping only the most determined logging trainer miles or boldly tempting fate outdoors, 15 riders representing 3 teams gathered in sunny Tucson for a healthy dose of pave and 
vitamin D.
Late in 2007, much discussion took place regarding a destination that would provide the terrain we required to get a well-rounded dose of hills and flats and offer the highest assurance of predictable weather. A fine list of qualifiers included Asheville, coastal California, Texas, Arkansas and Mallorca (Spain). Tucson was chosen in large part due to the weather and previous experiences from riders who’d experienced Tucson in years past. Although the road conditions were not the most agreeable on some of the routes, a daily routine of sunny skies, daytime temps in the high 70’s or low 80’s and terrain that challenged everyone’s abilities clearly overshadowed a few potholes.
Most riders managed to log 7 solid days of training with a few squeezing in a day or two more. Highlights from the week include:
- The infamous Shootout ride. This ride has been a huge part of the cycling community in Tucson and many a famous face has been seen on this ride, from local hammers to Olympic champions, domestic pro’s to those accustom to the European peleton. We were in awe of the sheer enthusiasm on this ride and even managed to ride at the front of the pack when the pace got hot.
- Mount Lemmon exists for one sole purpose if you’re a cyclist – to test your ability to suffer 25 miles of constant 6% incline. It’s a game of patience and not having pitches even remotely close to it in Wisconsin, regardless of the season, our pale legged group set off not knowing how hard it would really be. The group met the challenge head on, each setting their own pace which would get them to the top with a heart still beating. Those that made it were rewarded with healthy doses of home made pie.
- A 100-mile journey called the Tucson Roubaix – not an official ride on any local calendar, but epic to say the least. Navigator planned the route, with approval from Scoots. Only when we got to what we thought would be a great road to see some canyon scenery, we in fact found what barely qualifies as passable road. A hearty group pushed forward with a stack full of tubes through the Coronado National Forest and did get some great shots and a couple laughs from passing traffic amazed we were on the road with our skinny tires. Amazing we could ride gravel covered roads for 15+ miles, not puncturing a single tube yet we had incidents of multiple flats in our own parking lot. The power of believing.
Countless calories were burned, along with some skin alongside the pool, and probably a little muscle fiber too. We all came back with our own stories from Tucson and most of us in a lot better shape than when we arrived. The season starts in a few short weeks so the trip will be well entrenched in our systems and we’ll all be ready to perform in the early races.