2020 Kitt Peak 300km Preride

Ride Report
March 2020

Another week, another great ride through the SNP!

In order to support the upcoming Kitt Peak brevets (600, 400, 300, 200),  I set out to preride the Kitt Peak 300 course. RUSA rules allow for a preride for event workers in the weeks before to check out the course, navigation tools, and controls before the main event. The ride is self-supported, but I was able to convince Tucson resident and randonnuer Tom Altemus to join me for this adventure.

With Tom Altemus at the start

Balloons over Tucson

We rolled out of the LaQuinta at dawn and were treated to a great view of several hot air balloons taking advantage of the cool and calm conditions just after sunrise. The route heads west to Silverbell Road then south toward the Tucson Mountain Park. Silverbell, once a narrow bumpy route, has been improved over the years and is now freshly paved and is a great section to warm up and get the legs moving.

We reach the turnoff at Sweetwater and make our way over a section of rollers through a beautiful residential area tucked in the foothills of the mountains. Turning right onto Gates Pass Road, we enter the park for the short climb to Gates Pass.

Tom at the top of Gates Pass

Traffic is light and we clear the pass in no time and start the descent. On the way up, Tom mentioned that he had heard the road surface on the descent was rough. It seems each time I pass through here the frost heaves get a little worse. They seem better taken at speed and we roll out of the park heading south on Kinney Road.

On AZ 86

Turning west on AZ86, we pick up a slight tailwind and are cruising easily at 20+ mph on the descent to Robles Junction/Three Point. The road here is in fantastic shape, with a full paved shoulder and marked bike paths through the intersections as we head out of town.

Kitt Peak from Robles Jct/Three Points

Is it Robles Junction, or Three Points? No matter, its a quick 15 miles on AZ 86. The old convenience store building was replaced last summer and now includes indoor restrooms. A big plus, but the covered patio out front is gone. The table is still there, but the cashier hoped they would add a patio cover later, and maybe even some covered parking. Not a official control, it is the last chance for water before the control at the Kitt Peak Visitor Center, so we stop to reload.

Kitt Peak in the distance

Back on AZ 86 the road surface is still excellent as we approach the peak. While the road tilts up slightly, the nice tailwind pushes us along, and we cover the next 16 miles in under an hour.

Kitt Peak Turnoff

The cue sheet and GPS track were spot on all day, and with hardly any other roads in sight, the turnoff for the climb to Kitt Peak would have been hard to miss!

'Doh, COVID-19 strikes again!

We make the turn and in just 500 meters or so, we find the road closed to the public. Later we would learn that the visitor center and road is closed to the public due to COVID -19.

Construction zone on AZ 86

We head back to AZ 86 and continue our journey westward toward Sells Arizona. We are covering new ground for both of us, and other than a 3 mile construction zone about 7 miles from Sells (traffic was light in the construction zone, and the few cars/trucks that passed gave us plenty of space), the road is perfect with a smooth shoulder. The only thing better; the great mountain views and blossoming wildflowers!

We did notice that our favorable tailwind had become a bit of a headwind in the last few miles to Sells. We were fine with that, since once we hit the control we would double back and head out the way we came, with another tailwind!

War memorial in Sells

Sells is a small town on the Tohono O'odham Nation, and at the edge of town, our route takes us off the AZ86 to Main street through a residential section, schools, and a park before arriving at the shopping plaza. Its a Basha's Grocery store, so we head in to get some lunch and supplies.

Our lunch companion

We sit down in the shade outside the store, and a dog walks up and looks like he wants to join us for lunch. He was very polite and patient and just plopped down next to us. Then he offers this proposition; "If you share some of your ham sandwich, I'll tell my friends not to chase you on your way out of town."

Deal is done!

Sounds like a good deal to us, so we seal the deal. He kept his word, and there were no chase induced dog wind sprints on the way out of town!

With a tailwind, and slight down hill, the 35 miles flash by and we are soon back at Robles Junction/Three Points. In addition to the normal reload, I pick up some WD40 for my sticky rear derailleur that had been giving me shifting problems all day! It seemed to help and we made our way back toward Tucson Mountain Park. We stopped at the Kinney Road Circle K control to get a receipt and headed back into the park. 

Tom at the Saguaro National Park

The road was rough with some uphill rollers past Old Tucson Studios and the Tucson Desert Museum, before entering the Saguaro National Park. The road here is butter smooth, and the scenery is fantastic! Its also generally downhill from here all the way to the next control in Marana. Its a Circle K that has been used as a control in many brevets in this region. This is the first time I have been here with less than 15 miles to go before the finish! A quick stop for a receipt and bottle refill and we are back on the road.

Again the winds continued to shift so that after enduring some cross and headwinds for a short time, we were treated with another tailwind to the finish!

At the ride finish

It was a great day on the bike, and even better to be able to share it with Tom Altemus. We packed the bikes in our respective vehicles, said our good-byes, and called this a day.

At the 'real' finish

Oh yeah, need to pick up a finish receipt and some post ride nourishment! Could this day get any better?

Editors Note: Unfortunately with Kitt Peak closed because of concerns about COVID-19, the Kitt Peak brevets were cancelled from the Brevet Calendar.

Hopefully it will be rescheduled later in this year!

Steve Atkins

Click here for photo album