Flagstaff

[mtkitchn]

I'm thinking about escaping the Phoenix heat on the weekend of the 28th to do some road riding in Flagstaff. I saw online that Absolute Bicycles has a women's only ride that day. Has anyone done rides with that shop? Or would anyone from northern AZ like to ride with me that weekend? I need to do a bit of riding at altitude in prep for Triple Bypass in July. Climbing would be good.

[motochick]

I would like to ride with you. I live in the Verde Valley which is on the way up to Flagstaff, and I love to climb. I am slow, very slow, but I love to climb. I will be riding up there this weekend on a GABA ride, PM me and we can exchange numbers if you are interested.

Brenda

[spokewench]

Hi Mountain Kitchen

The ride I think you are referring to from Absolute is led by Leslie Gilmore. This is a mountain bike ride - if that is the one you are referring to. Leslie has good skills and can teach you a bit on the mountain bike. If you're riding your road bike, I'd say skip it!

I'd love to ride with you, but sorry to say, I have two tennis league matches that I am hosting that weekend so I'm not able to ride.

spoke

[mtkitchn]

Oh shoot....I thought it was a road ride.

Motochick, is that GABA ride mtb as well?

Spokewench, sorry I'll miss you! Would love to do the Lake Mary loop again sometime.

[motochick]

No MTB, road ride. Start Sat from Happy jack and ride into flag. Spend nite in flag and ride back next day. 60 miles a day. It is this weekend. Lemme know if you wanna go, may be able to share a room with you. Fully supported and they do good rides!

Brenda

[mtkitchn]

Ah that ride sounds great! Doggone it though, I'm working this weekend! Any similar rides or any type road rides up that way next weekend?

[motochick]

None that I know of, but there is plenty of good terrain up here to ride.

Brenda

[mtkitchn]

motochick, have you ridden up to Snowbowl? That looks like a nice climb. I don't have a mtb....only do road riding. I've not ridden in the Verde Valley; how are the roads? I've driven through and it sure is pretty!

[motochick]

I am a road rider only as well. I have not ridden snowbowl on a road bike (only my dirt bike) but it is a very short climb. Only 6 miles. It would be a nice ride but you would have to do it more than once to make it worth it. 180 is the road you take to get to snowbowl and it is a little sketchy from what I have seen. Lots of construction last time I saw it and little or no shoulder with speeds up to 55 MPH. There are better places up there to ride besides that stretch of 180 near snowbowl.

The Verde has a few good rides with plenty of uphills all around. Some steep, some not so steep but it is all beautiful. The climb I have been doing lately is right behind my house. It is 15 miles to the top and it goes up 4000ft. I usually ride down the other side and then back up again so I get two descents!! I also ride from my house to Sedona thru Page Springs which is wine country. Very nice riding and little rural traffic. The road to Sedona has a huge shoulder all the way up and back. You can do a nice 65-70 mile loop into Sedona from my house.

Let me know if you wanna ride, I do nothing all day! Except lounge in the pool.


Brenda

[mtkitchn]

Hi Brenda,
Sounds like some great rides up there! Wine country, though....I might get distracted and stop riding!
I think I'd definitely be interested. Will PM you.
Sue

[spokewench]

I am a road rider only as well. I have not ridden snowbowl on a road bike (only my dirt bike) but it is a very short climb. Only 6 miles. It would be a nice ride but you would have to do it more than once to make it worth it. 180 is the road you take to get to snowbowl and it is a little sketchy from what I have seen. Lots of construction last time I saw it and little or no shoulder with speeds up to 55 MPH. There are better places up there to ride besides that stretch of 180 near snowbowl.

The Verde has a few good rides with plenty of uphills all around. Some steep, some not so steep but it is all beautiful. The climb I have been doing lately is right behind my house. It is 15 miles to the top and it goes up 4000ft. I usually ride down the other side and then back up again so I get two descents!! I also ride from my house to Sedona thru Page Springs which is wine country. Very nice riding and little rural traffic. The road to Sedona has a huge shoulder all the way up and back. You can do a nice 65-70 mile loop into Sedona from my house.

Let me know if you wanna ride, I do nothing all day! Except lounge in the pool.


Brenda

Depends how much riding you want to do; but if you ride from town out to snowbowl and back, you'll probably had had enough. I usually don't do hill intervals on Snowbowl - its not not short. 180 is not so good, but it really is not that bad!

[Tri Girl]

We just got back from Flagstaff. Didn't do much riding (we stayed at some cabins off of Lake Mary Rd). We LOVED Flagstaff- so many bikers and bike lanes everywhere. What a great city!!!
We drove out to Snowbowl on 180 to climb Mt. Humphreys (highpoint in AZ), and 180 didn't look too bad to ride on (I'm always looking at roads to ride on when in the car). We'd planned on doing it, but cut our stay a day short.
The road up to Snowbowl looks crazy hard to ride, but that's coming from a flatlander. We figure even casual cyclists who just ride around town could kick our butts because they ride all the time on hills, and we never do.

[spokewench]

Hi Tri Girl - you were staying at the bottom of the hill from my house. I would liked to have met you. We were definitely in walking distance or up a steep hill to my house!

spoke

[Tri Girl]

You were right there? Dang! I guess I forgot that you lived there or I would've MADE you come down the hill to meet me. We were there Sunday the 15th-Tuesday the 17th. My brother and sisters went to NAU (I, on the other hand decided that I didn't want anything to do with them or snow and went to UofA), and I guess I had forgotten how beautiful Flagstaff was. It was breathtaking. Such a fun, vibrant community (although we did almost get run over on Rt. 66 by the Dairy Queen/Greyhound bus station on an ice cream run one day). We even rode our bikes up the Lowell Observatory (Ok- I rode my bike halfway up and then started in on an asthma attack so I stopped and waited while DH finished riding up and back down). We loved that city- and we'll definitely be back again soon!!!
Next time: we're going all the way down the Grand Canyon (instead of only 3 miles down like we did on this trip).

I'm really sorry I forgot that you lived right there. Didn't even think about it. Next time- we're meeting up for sure!!!!