Tour de Scottsdale : Official Thread

Roads are pretty much pristine with bike lanes 99% of the way, save for a bit on 9 mile and then on Shea coming out of Fountain Hills.  

I'm riding it but only because I won a free entry, so I'll treat it just as a training day ride going into Soma.  Plan to stay off the back of the front pack, hopefully clear of the crash fest.

Have a good ride... I plan on doing the El Tour de Tucson, where is that thread?

Sweet, thanks for the tips. 

And I think I'll stay off the back as well if there are lots of crashes...

There's one part of the course, I think it is Shea, where they have cones to block off the bike lane. I saw so many cyclists hit a cone or swerve and almost cause an accident. The biggest problem I had was that riders did not call stuff out (debris etc), you end up riding with people that you don't know in these packs and you are at the mercy of the riders around you. That said, I had an awesome experience and want to do it again. I was planning to do it this year but we got a condo at the beach instead.

The surprising thing to me about this course is how fast it is. Despite the hills, it's a really fast course. Don't fry your legs in the first third, then you have that nice long downhill after the Dynamite hill, that road is a bit bumpy in places, but it's fast and the pace just keeps building after that.

Best of luck and have fun on that beautiful course! 

I just rode 9 mile hill, Rio Verde, Ftn Hills, Palisades this past weekend.  Most of the road is looking good.  When you get into Rio Verde, the bike lane has not yet been smoothed out or re-paved, and was bumpier than I was used to.  But that is a good ride almost all the way through.

The climb up Dynamite is a little less than 2 miles, but at a good grade, so take it easy.  9 mile hill going downhill is awesome, then the rollers through McDowell Mtn are fast.  I have not (and probably will never) done TdS, but I know the course well and it is a fun ride.  Have fun, stay safe!

Speaking of the TdS, if anybody is wanting support the cause the Jobing.com/Tribe Women's cycling team is hosting a fundraising bbq this saturday....  come say hi and support the Phoenix Children's Hospital!

I'll be dropping by after my swim.