Ride Report
January 2025
Perfect day for a bike ride!
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| Mike gives the pre-ride brief |
Less than two fistfuls of Randonnuers lined up for the Bartlett Lake 200km and 100km brevets. Perhaps because two weeks earlier the Saguaro Lake 200 brevet was held. Debby and I were in Austria over the holidays so I was especially glad Mike added this ‘non-supported’ ride to the Azbrevet.com calendar.
It is always great seeing old friends and meeting new ones on these rides. Brian McGuire signed up for the 100km version and led the pack the first few miles to Cave Creek Road. From there we started taking pulls at a conservative pace, but it was only a few more miles until the group split apart and most riders settled into solo paces.
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| The end of Pavement on Seven Springs Road |
After I made my turn-around there was a huge peloton of junior riders from the Bicycle Haus team on the road. They were hammering the last few miles to the EOP! They were resplendent in their matching team kit and bicycles, and even had a chase car following them!
After the EOP it’s only a mile or two back to the Sears-Kay turn-off. As I drifted into left side of the lane, the lead group of the Bicycle Haus team flashed by! I made my way to the control to check-in. The lead riders on our event were just finishing their reload and were about to head out. It was great, and unexpected, to have a supported control, especially with Cindy Sturgill and her friend providing water, food, and encouragement for the riders. I would have liked to stay longer, but the clock is always ticking on a brevet. It was especially nice that Cindy set aside the one Mountain Dew (my favorite) until I got there. With the Dew done, water bottles reloaded, and a couple of bananas in my pocket, I headed out as Brian and a few others were riding in!
Once off Cave Creek Road, there were substantially fewer cyclists and relatively light lake traffic. Although, it must have been a day for club rides/drives as a large group of Mazda Miatas flashed by on the way down to the lake along with several motorcycle clubs.
I made it to the control at the Bartlett lake about an hour after leaving Sears-Kay. It’s mostly downhill but there are two sustained climbs on the way down to the lake. I didn’t need any water or supplies, so I snapped a photo of the control, and got back on the bike for the climb back to Cave Creek Road. At least on the way up, there are a couple of ‘intermission’ descents. In any case, it took an hour and a half to complete the climb.
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| Cindy and friend at the Control |
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| Just in case… |
It’s mostly downhill through Carefree and Cave Creek but with lots of Saturday traffic, you need to stay alert and watch for tourists and snowbirds. Only one close call; with car from Nebraska attempting the dreaded right hook. That is the driver overtakes the cyclist, and not seeing you in the mirror (you are in the blind spot), completes the right turn directly into your path. Luckily I saw it coming and was able to slow, dart left and behind into the lane and pass on the left as the oblivious driver made her way into a Curio Shop parking lot.
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| Sharp enough to puncture! |
Soon the route joins the Carefree Highway. There is heavy traffic, but a good shoulder. While it was slightly downhill, the winds were building from the southwest, so that there was little benefit from the traffic draft. In a short construction zone the road narrowed and the shoulder disappeared. Luckily, there was room to ride just to the right of the traffic barricades, so it was like riding on a protected bike path. The only downside; it was full of glass and road debris. About half-way through the zone a shard of glass sliced my rear tire.
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| New River Control |
I took about 10 minutes at the control to reload the bottles and get some solid food (hard boiled eggs, string cheese, and a Starbucks Frappuccino) and liquid calories on board before heading back out.
The next 10 miles toward Lake Pleasant were right into wind, but not as bad as I have experienced on other rides. This flag at a batch plant confirms the wind direction! It’s only a few more miles before the route turns south toward Peoria and the wind would be crossing or on the tail for the remainder of the ride.
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| Windy section |
Mike selected a great route through planned communities in Peoria with wide roads and smooth bike lanes. It’s another 10 miles of stop and go riding through the streets of North Phoenix past the Deer Valley Airport before landing back where we started, for me, 9 hours and 30 minutes after the start.
Alex was at the finish, packed and ready to head out as I rolled in. It was nice to visit and share ride plans before packing up and heading back home. No need for fast food today, Debby told me a big pot of Ham and Navy Bean soup was awaiting my arrival.
More brevets are on tap, head to AZbrevet.com and check them out!
Steve
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