Month: February 2010

J&P 10: Florence to Mesa

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Phil was again up before me, no surprise.  This Holiday Inn had a much more decent continental breakfast.  I sat with Jan and Annette at first, and when they finished I joined into a nice conversation with Geni. Randy was scheduled to drive the RV for the first segment, and so he stationed himself in the parking lot collecting riders’ bags.   Sally, Phil, me, Darlene, Tom, and one other rider (guy with grey curly hair) rode though Florence, and stopped at the Blue Mist to see what was happening.   Tom decided to wait for Paul, and suggested we take off

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J&P 10: Tucson to Florence

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I awoke around 6am, but rolled over and dozed off again, especially when I saw that Phil had decided to do the same. About 6:45am I decided to get moving, and just about then a key went into our lock and the door opened. Only then did I realize that “Phil” was actually a pile of pillows on his bed, and that the real Phil had been up for quite a while getting coffee. Phil left again, and I eventually got dressed and headed out across the cold parking lot, still well before sunrise. We had debated last night on

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J&P 10: Casa Grande to Tucson

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Breakfast was included with the room at the Holiday Inn, so Phil was up by 6:15am.  A nice looking buffet table turned out to be meagerly supplied, and the breakfast area was quite understaffed.   The eggs and pancakes were passable, the bacon not so.  Other riders slowly drifted in and scrounged up their morning fare as well. Just about ready to go, Phil stowed his bags in the RV.  We generally congregated for a while out front, just socializing and seeing what other riders were doing.  Pretty soon there were 7 or 8 cyclists all ready to go at the

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J&P 10: Mesa to Casa Grande

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Took off about 9:15am in order to meet the tour group at the Starbucks at Dobson and Warner Rds. by 10:45am. The bike handled quite well. I could feel the extra weight, especially in terms of slow starts, but not as bad as last year. I left the house no less than 3 times, each time remembering something else, like bringing the garage door opener with me, or taking a daily vitamin. Heading south down Lindsay Rd., I was increasingly bothered by a nice creak every time I pushed on the right pedal. I must have missed that with the

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J&P 10: Preface

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Having a century under my belt in December, I kept up a decent riding schedule throughout January in anticipation for this year’s J&P Tucson Tour.   This being my second year for it, I knew better what to expect and how to pack. My front tire, which had been rotated from the rear a few months ago, was showing serious wear, so I decided to again change both out for my touring tires, reasoning that they would handle the additional weight better, and be more resistant to road debris.  Just like last year, those tires were a real beast to get

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