When I first thought about a trip to Tucson climbing Mt Lemmon wasn't in the plans especially since we would be coming in March before I had a lot miles in. Most of the rides I was considering were in the 1500 feet range in elevation and grades of 2-5% nothing too hard. As the trip grew closer I looked a little more at the Mt Lemmon and the actual climb. It started around 2500ft and got to 8000ft at a more or less constant 4-6% grade. I did not think I could get to the top but I could at least start up the climb and if it sucked just turn around.
Mt Lemmon is an iconic climb that that lures serious biker into giving it a try. I had downloaded a route from the Cactus Cycling club that went up to a little over 5200 ft in 14 miles and then turned around. I didn't know how far I was going to make it but I had a goal of riding at higher elevation than I had ever done before. That shouldn't be hard because the highest I think I had even been on a bike was Mt Greylock which is around 3400ft. We were starting at 2500ft so if I could get to 4000ft I would be happy.
We started the ride at 7am because we didn't know how long we would be climbing and because it was going to be a hot day. We had about 4 miles at 2% to get to the base of the mountain before the real climb started. At the first hairpin I looked to the right and saw the wall I was about to climb and didn't think I had to gears or legs to make it around the first corner. Then I did. And I got around the next corner and the next and kept climbing. The bike I had was a compact and had some low gears so I was able to kept grinding away.
At mile 7 I stopped at a scenic overlook for a break. (In case you didn't notice I just climb at 4% for 7 miles)
Dorothy was there as she was our sag in case we needed water or any other help. I took a few pictures and kept grinding away.The road had a wide bike lane so you really didn't have to worry about the cars going by. A lot of bikers climb this mountain ever day so the cars are use to them. The views are amazing which kept me distracted from the climb.
I passed 4000ft without a problem and kept going. As the profile suggested the grade was pretty constant so as long as you find a gear you could grind in you could kept going.
There were a couple of steeper parts in the 5 to 7% range but I kept climbing. I was maintaining a 5-5.5 mph rate but I could feel myself slowing down and getting tired. I stopped at mile 10 for a break and a stretch and then started again. I stopped about a mile later but pushed myself to kept going. About a mile later when I stopped again my legs were wobbly and I knew it was time to head downhill. I could have pushed myself and gone another mile or two but I didn't want to cramp or pull a muscle since we still had a few more days of biking left.
As I turned to go downhill I thought about that fact that I'm on a bike that I'm not familiar with. Not sure how well it had been maintained. It had disc brakes but I hadn't really had a chance to really test them out. BUT and I repeat this with emphasis I just spent 2 solid hours climbing 12 miles and I deserve to enjoy the downhill. In other words I'm bombing down this motherfucker even if it kills me...
...Which it didn't. I spend a glorious 20mins speeding at around 30mph down hill. The bike held together and handled well and the brakes slowed me down when needed. I stopped a few times to enjoy the view and easily made it back to the parking lot.
Jack on the other hand kept climbing. Jack likes long and hard climbs and has traveled to Europe just to do some of the iconic climbs there. His goal was to make it to the top. Some may say that Jack can be a little pig-headed or stubborn when he has a goal in mind but I would call it more determination than anything else.
After I got back to my car I changed and cleaned up a little before driving back up the mountain. I stopped at some of the overlooks to enjoy the view and take some more pictures. Somewhere between 6000 and 7000 ft I caught up with Jack who was still grinding away. Like a fan at the tour de France I clapped and cheered him on as he went by. After that I caught up with Dorothy in their car and we waited for Jack to pass us before moving on to the next parking spot or overlook. In this way we kept leap frogging our way up monitor Jacks progress and giving him encouragement and supplies as needed.
Jack was definitely pushing himself to his limit. I know he had some leg pain and other issues but he pushed through it and kept going. The Mt Lemmon climb does have a couple short downhill sections towards the top and that helped Jack recover a little before the final push to the top.
The view from 8000 ft were incredible.
There was one more climb towards the top that was 9% for about a mile and Jack made it up that and kept going. As he passed us I kept letting him know how may miles was left. At 2 miles we were close to the town of Summerhaven and at this point the climb was mostly over and it was downhill to the town itself.
Summerhaven is a the town close to the top of the mountain (There is a ski resort and observatory 1000ft higher on a crappy road but the unofficial top for biking is Sumerhaven). The town consists of a few hotels some shops and a restaurant. It was really crowded and we struggled to find a parking spot but eventually did. Jack was totally shot but I have to say I was really impressed by his effort and glad he made it to the top as that was important to him.
After he changed and recovered the three of us had a good and well deserved lunch at the Sawmill restaurant. It was a good way to end the ride. It was close to 77 degrees up top at 1pm. This was unusually warm for this time of year as it is 20-30 degrees cooler up here compared to Tucson. But Tucson was close over 100 degrees at this point. Before the trip I thought I would need a jacket and arm warmers with me to do the climb and decent but didn't need them because of the warmer than usual weather. After lunch we each made our way back down the mountain and back to the Starr Pass resort where we were staying.
Now that I have been to Mt Lemmon and biked up and drove up it I can see the reason people like this climb. This climb is easily in the reach of a biker in reasonable shape. I think if I had tried this in September or October when I would be in better shape I could have gone further. There is nothing impossible about the climb. I was very happy I made it up as far as I did and unlike Jack have no real desire to make it to the top but I'm really glad I did it (especially the down hill part.)
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