Hiking Now Right Around the Corner

I jumped in with the Cyclefit group for a short ride of 26 miles on Thursday.  A guy crashed after his front wheel slipped into an expansion joint as he was turning but he was ok other than the usual road rash.  Another had a flat tire and a dropped chain so kind of an unwanted, eventful ride. On Friday, Amy and I drove to Sierra Vista so I could participate in.....

....the Sky Island Tour.  A record turnout of 300+ cyclists but really, that's not all that good considering its proximity to Tucson and what is a challenging route that took us through the mining town of Bisbee.

Amy was at the 7am start to take pics with her usual, brilliant smile.

And so we were off on our 62 mile route on a beautiful day having a starting temp of 57...brrrrr.  That's me, 2nd from the left with the black sleeves.  I did not stay in front for long.  I hung with the lead group for 5 miles but then dropped anchor and soloed for a few miles before being caught by a group of 12-15.  Really enjoyed riding with them as we climbed for about 10 miles.  Drafting in a group is such an advantage.

We crossed the San Pedro River a few times. We descended into Bisbee and then began a fairly steep climb of 4.5 miles to....

....a rest stop at mile 38.  Almost all of the 3300' elevation gain of this ride is in this 38 mile section.  I was kind of beat but knowing I had a 14 mile section that was mostly descending in front of me, I did not linger and got back on the bike.  I finished with 61 miles and an average of 16.5mph.  Not great but considering my miles ytd, not horrible either.  We drove back and a few hours later were hosting a euchre party.  I fell asleep while sitting on the couch but that was after the card playing had ended.  lol.  Hiking on the near horizon.