2022 Arivaca 400km Brevet

Ride Report

March 2022

Sunrise in the Saguaro National Park

Rider meeting before the start

Two dozen riders assembled in the Marana Starbucks parking lot for the 2022 Arivaca brevets. 15 riders selected the 300km distance and 9 of us went for the larger helping of 400km. We would all start together and share the same route to the lunch stop in Tubac 113 miles down the road.

I decided to drive down and not stay in a local hotel, so the alarm went off at 0400 and I was on the road at 0415. Timing my arrival perfectly I had 15 minutes to unload the bike and check the lights and Garmin. DANG! Power meter battery was dead. Mike was starting the rider brief and I grabbed the spare out of the repair kit and replaced it with a minute or two before we started at 0600.

Paul and Jennifer Danhaus

 

We rolled out of the parking lot and by the time we hit Picture Rocks Road a couple of miles later, the hammer was down and the group took off. I drifted back and soon was the Lantern Rouge as we rolled through the beautiful north section of the Saguaro National Park. There are steep rollers here and I could see the group's lights extending into the distance.

Paul and Jennifer Danhaus were on their tandem and at a great disadvantage on the steep rollers so I was able to catch them at Picture Rocks and spend a few minutes catching up. Once the road flattened out they dialed it up and I dropped off. 

Winds were building as predicted from the south, and even though the sun was up, the temperature continued to drop to 37F!

AZ86 with Kitt Peak in the distance

Riding alone I passed a few riders that had dropped from the main group as I made my way to AZ86.  Its slightly downhill to 3 Points and the first control. The road surface is good and traffic is light.

Ray volunteers at the 3 Points Control

I roll into the control and about an hour and a half into the ride. Normally too early to stop, but its 35 miles of headwind and open desert to Arivaca, so its wise to stop top off the bottles and grab a snack. Still too cold to strip off layers, I fill the bottles, grab a banana and roll out after a 2 minute stop.

Nice pace line

I have ridden this route many times and cannot recall a ride where there wasn't headwind along this section. Shortly after leaving the control a group of 6 roll by and I hop on. We picked up another rider or two from the front group and soon are a group of 9.

Yours truly (photo by Bob Fisher)

Bob Fisher had the group organized and we each took one mile pulls into the wind. Its 35 miles to the next turn, and relief from the wind, so only having to go to front every 8-9 miles and have some company made this section easier to handle.

We made a group nature stop that also allowed a few layers to come off before making the much anticipated left turn onto Arivaca road.

The group heads off on new pavement!

Butter smooth new pavement greeted us for the next 12 miles to Arivaca. Readers of previous reports may recall this road was so patched and rough it rivaled Belgian cobblestones! The group was riding harder than I preferred, so with a cross-wind, and new pavement to enjoy, I dropped off the pace to tried and recover.

Brian and Chris leaving Arivaca

Again, I made it a quick stop at the control in Arivaca, since lunch will be down the road in Tubac. So I top off the bottles, grab a Frappucchino and some PB&J crackers. Brian and Chris are ready to go so we leave before the rest of the group. The road turns north-east, and after about 3 miles of climbing, its descending rollers with a tailwind for the next 20 miles to Amado. With the wind, and pedaling through the descents, we were able to soft pedal or coast over the top of a bunch of the rollers. We covered those 20 miles in about 50 minutes!

Rolling into Amado (photo by Chris)

All good things come to an end, and with the right turn at Amado, its back into the wind for the run to Tubac and lunch. The route follows the I-19 frontage road and actually merges onto the freeway for a few miles. No worry, the shoulder is wide, and the truck traffic actually broke up some of the headwind. Our group of three (Brian and Chris) worked together to the lunch stop in Tubac.

Rolling into Tubac (photo by Chris)

Lunch, great volunteers, and live music

We rolled into the Tubac control and were greeted by Vicki and Penny. They were leaders of 2 youth groups called Friends for Life and Adventures with Friends.  The kids checked us in and gave us our pre-ordered sandwiches. Cokes, chips, a break from the wind and encouragement were also on offer at this great control stop. It was located in a Mercado near a bar, so we also enjoyed live country music!

Chris and Brian on River Road

Our group of 3 rolled out together and back into the wind for some more Interstate and frontage road riding to Rio Rico. We decide to make a quick water stop before heading east and the climb toward Sonoita. Roger catches us and we ride as a group for a few miles before turning north-east on AZ83. Another nice tailwind as we begin the 25 mile climb to Sonoita. Brian and I settle into a slower pace as Chris and Roger disappear into the distance!

We roll through Patagonia and continue into the high grasslands surrounding Sonoita. The views are spectacular and we arrive in Sonoita and stop at the Dollar General Store. I select a can of soup and some Chocolate Milk. Brian wants to complete the descent in the daylight so he rolls out while I put on layers and enjoy a can of creamy chicken soup!

A most welcome sign!

Sunset, but plenty of light for the descent

Its a 12 mile descent on a twisty desert highway, but with twilight and my Schmidt Dynamo generator and E-Lux headlamp, there is plenty of light and no reason to use the brakes!

Sahuarita Road

Another 22 miles go by in about an hour before turning west on to Sahuarita Road. The sun has set, but the wind is still strong and back on the nose for the next 20 miles to the Sahuarita control. I see Brian up ahead and catch him just outside town.

One last obstacle before dinner!

We take a short break at a RR crossing before rolling into an Arby's for dinner. We loaded up and ate about half of what we ordered! Note: If you are looking for coffee, don't stop at Arby's! Its not on the menu!

Leaving town its a 5 mile climb up Helmet Peak road and we each rode at our own pace to the top. We regrouped in the hills outside of Tuscon, but I was still craving coffee, and stopped at the Circle K on Kinney road while Brian went on ahead. Lots of cream and 6 sugar packets makes a warm high-powered beverage. Starting to chill while enjoying the coffee curbside, I dump it into one of my thermal water bottles, and get back on the road.

The road through the Tucson Mountain Park is bad and gets worse with every passing. Eventually, we turn into the Saguaro National Park and enjoy smooth roads (I could finally take a hand off the handlebar and enjoy the still warm coffee) there and all the way to Picture Rocks. We still have ten miles to go when I catch Brian again just outside Picture Rocks. I offer to pull but he decides to ride it in at his own pace.

I rolled into the finish at 0030 (12:30 am) putting this one in the books at 18 hours 30 minutes. I quickly load up the truck and am about to head out when Brian rolls up (he booked a room in Marana). We said our good-byes and I pointed the truck toward Tempe for the 90 minute drive home. I packed a sleeping bag in case the sleep monster made a showing, but the caffeine from the Sugar Coffee would keep him at bay until I rolled into the driveway at 0200!

Next up for me, the Scorpion 600. Another array of new routes around Kitt Peak will be offered two weeks after that, so there is something for everyone! Go to Azbrevet.com to check them out.

Steve Atkins

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