Last month I finished the Phoenix Metro Bike Club’s Casa Grande Century. This loops through the desert from the southern suburbs of Metro Phoenix through Florence, Coolidge, and Casa Grande. It’s flat, but the desert can deliver some potent headwinds. Today was no exception. The early hours of the day were calm, but by the time we reached mile 55, a serious breeze was blowing from the northeast. Thus, the final half of the ride was an upwind grind. I’m happy to say that I was able to pour on the coal for the final 15 miles, maintaining about 13 miles per hour into the wind along Arizona route 87.
The PMBC runs a nice century. It starts at a civilized hour of 8AM, but one should arrive early to avoid the lines at the check-in table. This is one of the only centuries in the country in January! One should also bring something warm for the morning chill. While Arizona temperatures reach the upper 60s in January, the mornings can be a bit chilly – especially on the hands.
At first blush, there’s not much to day about riding in the desert: cactus, sagebrush, crows and buzzards. In reality, if you’re paying attention, there is a lot going on. There is significant agriculture out on the Arizona desert. I passed numerous irrigation canals, pumps, waterworks, and sluice gates. In one area around Coolidge, cotton was a major crop. It was so prominent that balls of cotton lined the road everywhere. Remnants of this year’s harvest could be found for miles, including along the roads leading into the large town of Casa Grande. At one point they looked like little piles of snow.
And there was cattle. Every now and then we would pass a cattle feeding pen, or get passed by a cattle truck. At times like these the wind became a bit more friendly, carrying the unique smell away quickly.
There were orange groves as well, ripe with un-harvested fruit. And, citrus fruit stands sprouted along several intersections.
For a cyclist, development and growth in Phoenix is a good thing. The road designers have been pretty consistent at establishing bike lanes along the major arteries of suburban Phoenix. On this ride, we were able to use bike lanes only in a few areas, but they were a welcome respite to the shoulder-less roads of the old days. The ride organizers advertised the use of ‘low-traffic’ roads, but this Sunday in January seemed to draw a lot more traffic that I had pictured with such a claim. Doesn’t anybody watch the NFL playoffs in Phoenix?
