Tag: Florence

J&P 11: Florence to Tucson

I slept pretty well, despite the steady flow of tar and nicotine.  At 6:30AM I opened up my door for some fresh air, and waited until 7AM to meet Jesse.  We rolled out to catch an electric sunrise over the state prison and then made a few cruises through Old Town Florence, which looks sort of like an unimproved Tombstone. We pedaled over to the Holiday Inn where there was a Burger King and, I was hoping, other choices, but found none.  We returned down the main drag to Old Pueblo, already open for breakfast.  I had a pancake sandwich

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J&P 11: Mesa to Florence

Out of the house about 9:30AM.   I got about 3 miles from home before realizing that I’d forgotten my Artie, the (soon-to-be-a-collector’s-item) mascot of the J&P rides.  Worth a 6 mile detour to go get it?  Nah.  I didn’t want the group to be waiting on me. South down Lindsay, then east on Ray to Higley, my rendezvous point.  The bike was rolling well and I was motoring, around 18 mph, although I think a tiny tailwind was helping out. At the intersection, I waited about 25 minutes, until 11:10AM, and finally gave Jesse’s phone a call,  He picked up

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J&P 10: Florence to Mesa

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

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: Preface

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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J&P 09: Florence to Tucson

Phil awoke quickly at 5:10am, and I rose more slowly.   The HIExpress had quite a good help-yourself free breakfast, including cheese omelets, bacon, and biscuits.   While we are there, more than a half dozen actors in Elizabethan costumes join the breakfast, and so we guess there is a Renaissance Festival somewhere close by today.  Just as we’re leaving breakfast, Bob Turner shows up and informs us that Sharon will come by about 7:45am for any bags we want to deposit in the van. After all my knee twinging yesterday, I make an easy decision to go with Plan B and

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J&P 09: Mesa to Florence

Tom’s last email indicated that the group would meet Bob and me at 11:30am.  I figured that riding with the loaded rig would be slower, and so I budgeted 2 hours for the 18 miles.   However, when 9:00am rolled around, I was so amp’d up to go, I just rolled on out of the driveway and started out onto Recker Road. My bike was certainly a different beast with its load.  Of course, the extra weight made start-ups slower, and accelerations took a lot more pedal effort.   Handling was particularly sensitive to grooves in the pavement, and even rolling at

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J&P 09: Preface

At the end of September, my friend Mary Ellen Coe sent me a pointer to the J&P Tucson Tour.  I asked further about it and she simply told me it was a bunch of fun.   2008 was a strong cycling year for me, basically culminating in the El Tour de Tucson ride in late November.    In early December, I rode in the Phoenix Metro Bicycle Club’s Free Ride.   Mary Ellen and I pushed hard the last 25 miles or so, doing 22-24 mph the whole way, and as a result I strained my knees plenty.  The pain lasted a week

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