Las Vegas to Phoenix in September -- feedback please

[BikeDutchess]

Nevada & Arizona gals, I need some route planning advice. My company is organizing a 5-day bicycle tour from Las Vegas to Phoenix in September. Somehow I ended up getting the lead route planner assignment, even though I live in Utah and haven't ever traveled from LV-PHX. Some teammates who are based on PHX will provide some assistance & feedback, but I thought I would ask TE'rs as well.

A preliminary route was handed to me:
Day 1: LV - Laughlin NV (98 mi)
Day 2: Laughlin - Kingman - Seligman AZ (110 mi with 5000+ ft of climbing)
Day 3: Seligman - Ash Fork - Prescott (77 mi)
Day 4: Prescott - Wickenburg (60 mi)
Day 5: Wickenburg - Phoenix (50 mi although we'll probably add some extra miles in the greater PHX area)

I'm trying to find out if we should reconfigure the first 3 days, but am not at all familiar with this area so need some local input.

Questions:

To get from LV to Kingman, is the Laughlin route (using what looks like US-95) more suitable for cycling than using US-93? How do US-93 and US-95 compare in "bike-friendliness"? Scenery?

To get from Kingman to Seligman, is it better to ride on I-40, or would it be an option to take historic route 66 to Peach Springs? Not sure if historic 66 is suitable for cycling at all, or what the elevation gain would be compared to I-40.

So some alternate routes might be:

Alt 1:
Day 1: LV - Kingman 105 mi (US-93)
Day 2: Kingman - Seligman 74 mi (I-40)
Day 3: Seligman - Prescott 77 mi

or:

Alt 2:
Day 1: LV - Laughlin 98 mi (US-95)
Day 2: Laughlin - Peach Springs 85 mi (AZ-68 and hist US-66)
Day 3: Peach Springs - Prescott (114 mi) -- very long, unsure about elevation change, road suitability

For me these are all just places on a map (and I don't have very good maps yet), so if anyone on the ground in those areas has advice or comments, I welcome the feedback. I also have to keep in mind the lodging options. My AAA guide shows just 2 tiny motels in Seligman with a total of 31 rooms between them. Peach Springs has 1 hotel, but with 57 rooms.

Thoughts anyone?

(BTW, we have to stop in Prescott due to an event that's been organized there.)

[Pedal Wench]

Wow! I wanna work for your company!!! Will there be support? I've driven alot of those roads, and reststops are few and far between. Getting water will be an issue. Plus, the heat. I40 is pretty busy, and I would probably prefer to be on Route 66 wherever possible.

[Running Mommy]

The speed limit on the I 40 is 75 mph- which translates to 85 mph as an average speed. Add to that the fact that it's a MAJOR east/west cross country route and well, it is busy. Lots of truck traffic.
The 93/95 are also very busy routes, though not as bad. Still pretty decent speeds w/ vehicles tho.
Of course I'm no help with alternate routes. I just know what I drive when I go from Phoenix to Vegas- and I would never wanna ride it! :eek:

[BikeDutchess]

There will be support, thank goodness. We're still working on all the logistical details, but there will definitely be support.

I'm really excited about this tour. Our goal for the tour (and 6 others that are taking place across the country) is to promote health awareness and improved health outcomes. As riders we want to spread the word about the importance of following a healthy lifestyle. On this board it would be probably be preaching to the choir, but there are so many things each of us can do, even small choices every day, that will have a positive effect on our health and well-being.

Thanks for the route feedback so far, keep it coming!

[PinkBike]

i always take 93 from PHX to LAS and back, and there's a lot of those memorial highway markers (where people commemorate loved ones who died in accidents on the road). traffic is spread out but very fast. it would be a great road if there were NO CARS, but i would be leery unless i had support vehicles riding with me (like in the RAAM).

i hope you can get a good route, but like pedal wench said the rest stops are few. its very sparce country. miles and miles and miles and miles of nothing but joshua trees.