Saguaro, Sabino and Lemmon, Oh My!

Saguaro, Sabino and Lemmon, Oh My! 200km Brevet

This route will explore 3 of the Tucson area’s cycling gems. Stringing them together does yield a challenging ride, but rewards the adventurous cyclist with the unmatched beauty of the Sonoran Desert. Let’s take them one at a time.

Sabino Canyon:
Cycling in Sabino Canyon is restricted to only certain hours and days. So, we need to host this event on Sunday and start early enough to get to, and out of, the canyon by 9am. So, we will head straight to Sabino from the start. After Sabino, we’ll exit the park and head directly to Mt. Lemmon.

Mt. Lemmon:
Climbing Mt. Lemmon is a bucket list climb for most riders. But, hey, we live in AZ and get to do it whenever we have the legs! It’s a BIG climb in distance (28 miles) and elevation gain (6900′). Oh, but what a glorious descent! You’ll pass through multiple climate zones as you make your way higher and higher. At the top is the southern most ski resort in the US. Even after Sabino Canyon and Mt. Lemmon, there’s even more to experience.

Saguaro National Park (SNP) East:
Saguaro National Park shows off the beauty of the Sonoran Desert. There are no big climbs here, but there are a bunch of short, steep ones. It’ll be a stark contrast from the gentle “forever” slope of Mt. Lemmon. After SNP, you’ll head back to the finish and sample a short section of the famous Loop Bike trail in Tucson.

In all, riders will have covered 125 miles and about 11,000’ of climbing. It’s a full day on the bike so make sure not to forget your camera!

Mt Lemmon as viewed on the descent