Tucson Apr 2025

Day 1

Arrived. Had very easy flights from PHL -> PHX -> TUS. Made my way to the hotel (very nice).

Got dinner at a Juanito's Tagueria. Had a good carne asade burrito. Not sure what style. The rice was also good.

Had drinks with some of Sara's friends on the hotel pavilion.

Day 2

Picked up my rental bike (Cervelo Soloist) from Tucson Endurance Performance Center. It's a nice bike, but I felt a bit too upright on it. It's not clear to me that it's supposed to be an endurance bike. Cervelo claims to position it somewhere between the S and R series.

Did the Shootout route. Kinda boring to do alone, but I can see how it would be fun with a group. It would've been nice to tack on Madera Canyon, but I didn't have time. Here's a link to the ride.

Day 3

Got up and drove out to climb Mt. Lemmon. A monster of a climb, but beautiful. I felt pretty good about myself for the first 15 miles. As soon as I hit ~6000 ft my power started to drop. I still felt alright, I just couldn't put out what I'd been able to at the start. Altitude is a thing so that's not surprising. I also could've fueled better. After I'd finished the Lemmon segment proper and went past Summer Haven I took a beat before climbing up to the ski area. That was the hardest 30 minutes I've spent on a bike. It was physically challenging, but also mentally tough to convince myself to keep climbing at an even steeper grade. I'm glad I did it though. Here's a link to the ride.

Still, I left feeling like I could've done better. Not that I'm disappointed, just that I have a better idea of how to approach it next time. First, have a fueling plan. Second, go harder at the bottom when you have oxygen. Third, take advantage of dips and tailwinds, especially as you get higher. Go hard through those and do your best to keep your momentum. I also don't feel the need to do the ski area again. I think it'd be more fun to spend some time in Summer Haven.

Got back and went to Sara's reception and had dinner with some of her friends. It was nice.

Day 4

Mostly just lounged around.

Returned my bike.

When I got back we checked out of the hotel and headed towards the Tucson city center. We had lunch at Boca Tacos y Tequila (chips and cauliflower taco were great). From there we went to Barrio Brewing (only okay) and MotaSonora (good, had a nice vibe).

Checked in to our hotel near the airport and basically crashed.

Day 5

Woke up ~3:30 to catch an early flight home TUS -> PHX -> PHL. Smooth sailing the entire way.