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

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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

Click here for GPS data

2021 Arivaca 400km Brevet

Ride Report

March 6, 2021

Sunset on E. Sahuarita Road

A bakers dozen of randonneurs turned out for the 2021 editions of the Arivaca 400 and 300 brevets. Still in COVID protocols, this would be a 'no touch' brevet with electronic sign ups and ride verification. Frankly, we think the new protocols simplify the process and make it easier on the riders and organizers. Hopefully the new rules will stick when we get back to 'normal.'

Our hard-working Regional Brevet Administrator Mike Sturgill pre-rode the 400 earlier in the week, and was back to ride the 300 with Canadian hard-man Stephen Kinney. The 300 follows the same route for the first 100 miles to Amado, so both groups would start together.

Mike Sturgill gives the pre-ride brief

Since the ride starts at 0600 we decide to book a room near the start in Marana for the night before, and night of since we expected to finish around midnight. The cheapest alternative was the Super 8 and it was anything but 'Super.'

Winds were predicted to be heavy in the early part of the ride (15-25 mph gusting to 35-40), and mostly unfavorable cross-winds. Leaving the hotel for the ride across the street to the start, the flags were already standing straight out!

Mike provided the rider brief, we turned on lights and GPS units and were off at 0600. The route snakes through the north end of the Saguaro National Park through Picture Rocks pass. Mostly heavy cross-winds until we reach the top for the run down to Picture Rocks. The wind is on our tail, we are rolling at 35 mph, and its totally calm.

New pavement on Sandario Road!

Lights blazing!

We quickly reach Picture Rocks and turn south, and are treated to a micro abrasion treatment from the desert sands flying in the 30 mph cross-wind. At least Sandario road was recently repaved! Its 15 miles to the next turn so it was quite a slog to AZ86. We are in a group of 6, but there is little relief from the cross-wind!

Baboquivari Peak in the distance

Turning right on AZ86, its slightly downhill with a tailwind for some relief for the next 6 miles to Three Points. Those miles flash by, and we turn south again for more cross-wind for the next 32 miles on AZ286. 

We pass the Border Patrol checkpoint with the group. Its unmanned, after the ride we find out that many of the agents have been called to the border crossings in the large towns along the border. Its 3 hours into the ride, and with at least 15 hours to go we decide the pace of this group it just too fast. We drop off the back with about 15 miles to go to the control in Arivaca and dial the pace back about 25%!

Traffic is light and we are able to enjoy the wide open views including Baboquivari Peak and Wilderness area. We are also riding through a nature preserve that is usually teeming with 'Birders,' not so this year, another COVID impact.

The fans really turned out in Arivaca!

Turing onto Arivaca road, the wind is back on the nose, but it is much lighter than earlier. The road surface is rough and consists of patch on patch on patch. Including some brand new 'patches' that consisted of loose piles of asphalt tossed (not compacted) into holes just a few days earlier. The fresh tar was quite a mess, sticking to tires, frames, and legs!

The road surface didn't bother the cows grazing on the roadside just outside of Arivaca, and they seem only slightly curious as we ride by!

Stephen Kinney enjoys his lunch

We roll into Arivaca to find the A team just finishing their lunch. We go inside to grab some food and drinks, and they are gone by the time we finish our selection and get through the checkout. We plunk down on the sidewalk for our lunch and bottle refill. Arivaca is hopping with tourists and artisans, and the smell of the killer weed (now legal in AZ) was definitely in the air!

We finished up just as another group of riders rolled in. The legs are starting to stiffen, so we make the decision to push out alone for the run to Amado and the I-19.

Longhorn Grill in Amado

The road surface is much improved, and after a few miles of climbing, it is a spectacular ride with rollers that generally descend to Amado. Its wide open with great views, and not a cloud in the sky. We pass another Border Patrol checkpoint. The lone agent waves us through and we continue to the most photographed sight in Amado, the Longhorn Grill. Its open, but we have many hours ahead, so take the obligatory photo and continue on!

The route follows the I-19, mostly on the frontage road toward Nogales and only a short section of 1.5 miles is on the highway shoulder.

Roger Peskett leads out on River Road

Between Tubac and Rio Rico, we spot Roger Peskett up the road. We are riding the same pace, but dial it up a bit and catch him just outside Rio Rico. We stop at the convenience store to refuel and reload supplies before heading out. The route heads northeast toward Patagonia and the next control in Sonoita. But first some sharp rollers on Pendelton Road, then easy pedaling on River Road before joining AZ82 to start the climbs to Patagonia and Sonoita.

Ward Ranch near Patagonia

Shrines at the Ward Ranch pullout

We pass the Nogales International Airport and the legs are feeling the effects of the morning effort, and we drop off the pace as Roger continues up the road. We take a break at the Ward Ranch Historic Monument pullout before continuing through Patagonia.

High desert grasslands near Sonoita

We are still on pace for a midnight finish and should make Sonoita and the descent toward Tucson before it gets dark. Nearing Sonoita, Catherine Dickson powers by with two other riders. We pick up the pace and try to tack on, but no dice! We'll see them again rolling out of Sonoita, as we settle in for a canned soup dinner on the Sonoita Dollar Store sidewalk!

New pavement on Sahuarita Road!

We push out of Sonoita at 1715 with plenty of sunshine. We pass another Border Patrol checkpoint, this one abandoned too, indicating only 2.6 miles to the summit.  We hit the summit and start the 12 mile descent. The sun has set, but there is still plenty of light, and we head down dodging the rumble strips before the sharp turns. By the time we reach Sahuarita Road, we are relying on the lights to see, and enjoy a glowing western sky for the 20 mile run to Sahuarita and the next control. 

More fresh pavement, and with a slight tailwind, we make great time and pull into the McDonald's for dinner. Two cheeseburger meal (one for the pocket) and a McFlurry and we push out for the last long climb up Helmet Peak road. Traffic is light, but we are riding back into the desert and with no moon, its totally dark and hard to measure progress on the 6.5 mile climb. Finally we see the stop sign near the top and climb to the summit at the Helmet Peak fire station. We stop to put on the knee warmers and roll on only a few hundred meters before stopping again. The temperature is 55, but with wet kit and wind chill, its quite cold. We put on the rain jacket under the reflective vest to cut the wind, it does the trick and we enjoy more smooth roads through dark desert with the lights of Tucson in the distance.

Reaching the lower elevations and heat island of the city, it warms to 63. We stop at a Circle K for another snack and keep the coat on expecting the temperature to drop as we enter the Tucson Mountain and Saguaro National parks. The temperature drops again as we hit the rough roads through the Tucson park. Turning into the Saguaro National park the road surface is fresh and the nighttime views are stunning. We try to take a few photos, but not enough light for my iPhone 8 to pick anything up. Time for an upgrade? A slight tailwind helps as we continue north and down Sandario road. We roll through Picture Rocks, and a few miles of old pavement, before we turning east and south on Twin Peaks road, over Rattlesnake Pass, and the finish.

We roll into the finish at the Marana Starbucks 38 minutes into Sunday morning and are happy to put this one in the books! More canned soup and an ice cream from a nearby convenience store before a shower and crawling into bed at the 'Super' 8, and this day is done.

Steve Atkins

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