2023 Just North of the Border 600km Brevet

 Ride Report

Javelina Rocks at Saguaro National Park

To qualify for Paris-Brest-Paris this summer; 4 brevets of increasing distance must be completed in the event year, each under its own time limit.The 200, 300, and 400 kilometer distances are in the books for me and only a 600km is left to ride. Mike Sturgill combined two existing routes in Southern Arizona, Just North of the Border 400 and the Madera Canyon 200 for this 40 hour event.

Mike Sturgill gives the rider brief

14 riders gathered at the El Con Mall Starbucks in Tucson for the start at 0600. 8 were riding the 600 and 6 had selected the 400. Attendance on these brevets typically declines as the distances get longer. This year, many riders were able to complete their 600 requirement for Paris in December (the PBP qualifying year begins on October 1), so a number of Arizona riders already have their 600 in the bag. 

It was great to see some familiar faces as the riders gathered for the recap of last minute instructions and rider brief from Mike Sturgill (Regional Brevet Administrator for RUSA). Stephen Kinney and a several other fast men from Alberta Canada and Brian McGuire from Phoenix were lined up for the 600. Tom Altemus from Tucson, and an 'old racing buddy', Doug McLerran from Illinois were ready to go for the 400! The sun is about to come up, let's get going!

Paul Danhaus at Rincon Mountain Lookout

We rolled out and, as is my custom lately, I drifted back to the end of the group. I was a bit surprised to be joined by Paul Danhaus. I first met Paul at the 2008 Shenandoah 1200 somewhere in Virginia. He is an accomplished long distance rider (RAAM) and a wonderful person. He lives in Wisconsin, and winters in Yuma Arizona practicing veterinary medicine. He and his wife Jennifer often ride a tandem on Arizona brevets.

We had a chance to catch up as we headed toward the Saguaro National Park. Even though we were at the back of the pack, traffic lights on Broadway were holding up the fast riders, and we caught them several times during the first few miles.

In any case, it was a chance to catch up. Paul had a serious run-in with an unleashed dog last year that ended his Coulee 1200 early. Shortly after recovering from that serious incident, he fell victim to an unseen road crack that threw him again, "adding a few more broken ribs to his collection." He was not yet comfortable piloting the tandem with Jennifer and was riding the 400 at a recovery pace. Once we turned off Broadway the fast guys disappeared up the road and we enjoyed each others company to the Saguaro National Park.

Mike Sturgill, Doug McLerran and Tom Altemus

We rode together through the park and Paul dropped off as we made our way to the Chevron station in Vail. Tom and Doug were there getting ready to head out. Its the last stop for water for 30 miles (25 of it uphill) before reaching Sonoita. They rolled out shortly after I arrived and was able to grab some supplies and a picture!

Old Sonoita Highway

Its a 20 mile steady climb on AZ-83. A narrow and sometimes busy two-lane highway. This year, Mike added the Old Sonoita Highway to the route that replaced the first 6 miles of AZ-83 with a nearly deserted alternative. The road surface got rough in places, but it was a great route.

Tom leads the group

I played a bit of leap frog with Tom and Doug until we settled in to the real climbing on AZ 83. We stayed together to the top and the climb past the Border Patrol checkpoint on the way to Sonoita. We rode at a comfortable pace and were able to share stories, only interrupted by the the noise of passing traffic!

Snow on Mt. Wrightson in the distance

My two-speed bike

After the Border Patrol checkpoint, it is 10 miles of downhill rollers to Sonoita. Normally a section to really make up time after the long climb. Just clearing the top of the first roller, a hear/feel a pop in the real derailleur and I'm stuck in the climbing gear. I dropped off the group thinking my derailleur cable had snapped. I parked the bike near a handy road sign and dug out the repair kit with a new cable.

 

I tried to pull the old cable and it wouldn't budge. It was intact, but a spring in the derailleur was not. About that time Paul Danhaus rides up and stops to check on me. I tell him the bike is done and I planned to head back to Tucson, and asked him to let Mike Sturgill know I would probably be heading back. 

There was cell service there, and I called Mike Cox at Curbside Cyclery. He confirmed it was not repairable. He said this was only the second time he had heard of this failure over many years as a mechanic! SRAM derailleurs default to the largest cog and Mike suggested I use the limit screws to try to move the chain "one or two gears down" to make the bike more ride-able. His trick worked, I was able to get the chain from the 34 to the 27 tooth rear cog. The front derailleur was fine, so now I had a two-speed.

I sent Mike Sturgill a text saying I was headed back to Tucson and turned around and started to head back, and it actually was not too bad riding the two-speed, then I had an idea. What if Debby could bring another bike to Tucson. I would complete the next 300km on the two-speed then change to my old Canondale for the last 200 to Madera Canyon. I confirmed with Mike that plan was within the RUSA rules (no support allowed between controls), and decided to head to Elgin and decide then to either continue or abandon the ride.

Road to Elgin

Elgin Information Control

Lured into a false sense of progress by a strong tailwind, I make Elgin in good time and decide to continue the ride! In the 50/27 combination I could spin at about 100 rpm and hold about 15-17 mph on the flats and faster on downhills, or with the wind. Dropping to the 34/27 I could handle climbing the moderate rollers.

Mike's control at the Longhorn in Tombstone

The gravel section in Tombstone

All smiles and making progress

I roll into Tombstone and Mike welcomes me to the control. I am about two hours ahead of the close time and about an hour behind Tom, Doug, and Paul. I make it a quick stop and continue on toward Bisbee.

Mule Pass above Bisbee

The tailwind is now a cross wind, but manageable as I make my way to the steep climb to Bisbee. My derailleur was cooperating but I was not looking forward to doing the climb in the 27 cog. I decide to risk messing with it and adjust the screws to put it back in the 32 cog. I head up noticing that miles on the two-speed have taken a toll on the legs. Its not an easy climb normally, but today it was more difficult than usual, even with a slight tailwind.

I reach the top at Mule Pass just as the sun was setting behind the mountains, and at 6000 feet, the temperature dropped dramatically! I put on layers and tried to adjust the derailleur back to the 27. It dropped only one gear to the 30 and would not go further. Ugh!

Closed

The Market Cafe is normally a wonderful place for dinner, but its closed. Its 30 miles to Sierra Vista and I have food and water on the bike, so I press on though town.

Its not a stick-up, its cold!

Lowell Arizona Time Warp

The route leaves town and detours through Lowell Arizona. Most the town was overcome by the nearby open pit copper mine. All that was left was main street, and it has been restored to its 50/60s glory!

The terrain is gentle long rollers to Sierra Vista. Its dark and cold and with the rear stuck on the 30 cog, my 100 cadence only yields about 13 miles per hour, and my pace slows considerably. What was really frustrating, is that I could see Paul and Tom's taillights in the distance. I would make slight progress on the climbs, but they would disappear on the descents! I make Sierra Vista before the McDonald's closed and had a hot dinner. I put on my 250 wool layer and head back out. Its another 35 miles back to Sonoita and I get there about 1 am. Mike is waiting, like a guardian angel, with food and hot ramen. I am still about 2 hours before the close time but really hurting. 

The temps dropped into the low 30's; and felt much colder from the wind chill on the descent. Normally put the bike in 50/11 gears and bomb down the hill under full steam. Rolling down, not pedaling, there was no way to generate heat, other than get on the brakes to slow down and/or pedal against the brakes to stay warm. Obviously it took much longer to get down than normal.

Cold and fighting off the sleep monster, I roll into the Vail Chevron about 0400 to warm up. I was toast and decided to try to get a Uber to the finish. One pops up, but it cancelled and no others were found. I pressed on for the last 20 miles and finally reached the hotel control stop in Tucson at 0604. 24 hours of two-speed riding and cold did me in. Even though Debby and her sister Kathy drove to Tucson Saturday with a back-up bike and put it in my room; I did not think I could get the backup bike ready to ride (it was on a hook in the garage with flat tires and no pedals), get cleaned up, sleep a few hours, and finish the remaining 200km before the cutoff time at 10pm on Sunday. I pulled the pin and set the alarm to wake up an hour before checkout time at 11.

The bike is at Curbside getting a new derailleur and I'm browsing the RUSA site looking for another 600!

Steve Atkins

Click here for GPS data

2023 Arivaca 400km Brevet

Ride Report

Sunset at Sonoita AZ

For 2023 Mike Sturgill repeated this Arizona classic with a new start/finish in the heart of Tucson. Nearly thirty riders gathered at the El Con mall Starbucks to check in and participate in the 300 or 400km options of the 2023 Arivaca Brevets.

Mike Sturgill gives the rider brief

In addition to the usual Arizona suspects we had riders from the frozen north of Alberta Canada, Washington, and five Colorado riders from the Rocky Mountain Cycling Club! Weather looks good, so let’s get going!

One huge pace line at the start

The route takes mostly back streets through the University of Arizona as we head west toward Silverbell road. University boulevard is nearly deserted in the predawn chill as we roll through just after 0600! Watch out for parallel trolly tracks embedded in the pavement! The group stays nearly intact for the 6 miles to Silverbell road. Now heading north we start to split and regroup at traffic lights headed toward Marana.

Rashid, Jenn, and Steve at first control

The first control is a yogurt shop in a strip mall to answer a control question. For the promise of beer, Michael awarded me a day membership in the RMCC and we would ride together for the rest of the day! After we gathered the control information, we let the large group go and headed out at our own pace.

Leading the pack at sunrise

Pascal rode ahead to take the picture with yours truly leading the pack on Twin Peaks road. We settled into a nice pace with each of us taking one mile pulls. Our group grew as we picked up riders dropping back from the lead groups.

AZ  86W with Kitt Peak in the distance

The pavement on Sandario road is relatively fresh and traffic was light and before we knew it, we were heading west on AZ86 toward Robles Junction/Three Points. While not an official control, we stopped there to reload calories and fluids, already nearly 50 miles into the ride. There are no services for the next 38 miles and the Three Points store has tables out front so it’s a great place to stop. 

John and Pascal enjoying a great AZ morning

Again I rolled out with the RMCC riders and our group grew again to a dozen riders. With a building headwind, 34 miles of false flat, and nothing but a lonely boarder control checkpoint, one mile pulls made the ride much more enjoyable!

Lunch #1 in Arivaca
Steve, John, Michael, Pascal

The new start in Tucson means that we have 20 more miles to get to Arivaca and the world famous Arivaca Mercantile. More miles = more hungry, so we enjoyed our first lunch of the day! To each his own, for me; Mountain Dew, potato chips, and potato salad from the deli section!

Brian joins the party outside Arivaca

Back on the road we climb a few miles to reach the 3955’ summit before enjoying 20 miles of downhill rollers. The wind is now at our back, so we make great progress rolling along at a recovery pace! Brian McGuire from Phoenix joined the group on this section and it was great to catch up. 

Downhill rollers with a tailwind? Yes please!

Michael sizes things up in Amado

We roll through another Border Patrol checkpoint on the outskirts of Amado. We stop at perhaps one of the most photographed restaurants in the state… for a photo!

We turn right and south, and our old friend Tailwind becomes annoying crosswind! It’s 8 miles of I-19/Frontage road riding to the next stop, so while taking turns at the front does not provide as much relief from the wind, the miles go right by!

Adventures with Friends provides Lunch #2

Great lunch in the shade

Pascal, Michael, and Steve in the ‘team jerseys’

Lunch #2 two is in Tubac AZ. Volunteers from Adventures with Friends manned this control and provided fantastic hospitality. Mike Sturgill pre-ordered sandwiches so we just had to find one with our name on it and select from a wide assortment of drinks and snacks. The Adventures with Friends volunteers made sure we had everything we needed and were wonderful hosts!

RMCC regroup after a mechanical
Michael, John, Rashid, Jennifer, Pascal

The only problem with such a great control is that it is hard to get going! We rolled out for 11 more miles of mostly I-19 frontage road (with a freeway section or two) to the town of Rio Rico. Along the way John disappeared from the group as we were about to enter the freeway for the last time. He stopped for a mechanical and made a wrong turn but quickly corrected and rejoined the group.

River road leaving Rio Rico

Beautiful canyon outside Patagonia

From Rio Rico we again head east and the winds are again at our tail as we head to Patagonia. While there was some loose talk early in the day of hitting the Wagon Wheel Saloon in Patagonia, we wisely chose to stop at the general store for a quick reload. While John sorts out his mechanical issue, I headed out alone for the climb to Sonoita. I had been yo-yoing off the back on the climbs to Patagonia and wanted to get a head start on the group.

Sonoita Mercantile was open so we stopped in!

The group caught me just outside of Sonoita and we rolled into the Sonoita Mercantile for supplies. We arrived before closing time, so we stopped here instead of the Dollar General that stays open a few hours longer. I learned later that Brian McGuire stopped at the Dollar General and just missed our train!

Lights and reflective gear leaving Sonoita 

We left as a group and stayed together together with yours truly dropping off the back on the climbs and Pascal dropping back to pace me back up to the group! It’s about 9 miles of uphill rollers to the summit at 5176’ and 17 miles of fast descent on AZ 83. Its good to be in a group, especially at night!

We turn west onto Sahuarita Road for the 20 mile run to the next control. Along the way we welcome Roger Peskett back to the group. Well after sunset, the winds have died down and we trade pulls into town. The only fast food with an open dining room was Taco Bell or Arby’s (too late for McDonalds or Panda Express) and Taco Bell was the choice.

From here it’s 35 miles to the finish, so it was good to reload some calories for the final push to the end. The last obstacle is the Helmet Peak climb, about 6 miles of 2-3% moderate climbing before a mostly downhill finish in Tucson.

A definite highlight of the route was using about 6 miles of the Loop. A dedicated bike path that circles Tucson. At midnight we had the path to ourselves before exiting and rolling through town. One last pass of University drive, but this times its well before closing time and bustling, so we add a few aimless pedestrians to the trolley track hazard, but pass through without incident.

Pascal and Michael at the finish

The last hazard was a series of enormous potholes in the El Con Mall parking lot, but we successfully navigated through them to arrive at the Starbucks start/finish control. The store is closed so we take a few photos to document our arrival. We finished this one about 12 minutes after midnight to put this one in the books at 18 hours and 12 minutes. Great day on the bike with good friends from near and far!

Next up is the Just North of the Border 600 on March 25/26, come join us for two days touring Southern Arizona. Go to azbrevet.com to register.

Steve Atkins

Click here for GPS data