Roland & Julianna: Cycling the Tucson Loop

After leaving San Francisco I head for Tucson to meet friends Mark and Scott and to ride the Tucson Loop. Julianna flies in from Denver and joins us on day two, as we explore this impressive cycling infrastructure, and get some warm weather winter riding in. Unfortunately the weather system from California seems to have followed me, but we have some great days of riding. the saguaros, the San Xavier Mission, and the Titan II Museum make for a great few days in this lovely winter getaway city.

[@maxdugan5319]

Beautiful video as always and having Julianna in it easily raises the thumbs up count👍 thanks for continuing to produce quality videos with excellent information to assist those heading that way to ride in the area!

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Thank you Max! Tucson has done a great job of making their system a real destination.

[@TheBicycleTourists]

And you'r right, so nice to have Julianna back on the trail!

[@akelley5963]

Our cycling group has done The Loop three times now over the last five years or so. Well worth it and many side trips are accessible off the Loop. Big thumb's up to Roland and Julianna for this one.

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Thank you! Loved the loop but the side trips are the best, crappy roads aside.

[@amylipkin2116]

YAY, nice to see Julianna in the saddle again!! Beautiful video

[@TheBicycleTourists]

I know! It's been too long!

[@Bikepacking_sa]

Aah, lovely to see you guys out and about cycling around some lovely scenery. Cheers, Tony 😎📸🎖💪 Best wishes from Cape Town.

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Thank you!

[@seancoxe1094]

An unfortunate reality is that the City of Tucson and Pima County are two very separate entities. The Chuck Huckleberry Memorial Loop is maintained by the County (which enjoys a much more robust budget than the City). The streets in town are maintained (or rather, not maintained) by the City which struggles at times financially. BTW, if you ever get down this way again, you should check out the Pima Air and Space Museum and the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. Don't come now, though. It's routinely over 100* during the day here this time of year.

[@TheBicycleTourists]

I will keep that in mind next time we get down there. definitely in winter. Or spring.

[@michelesauret7779]

Heureuse de revoir Juliana et de profiter des si beaux paysages de cette région exceptionnelle. Un ciel superbe et de magnifiques cactus. Bon choix.

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Yeah, awesome to get a trip in with Julianna! And, yeah. That sky was just incredible!

[@LornaT460]

That’s such a great place to ride. I live a mile from the loop trail for a few months and would ride after work most evenings. Just beautiful.

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Nothing like a great bicycle trail system to make a place livable.

[@peterbedford2610]

This was my favorite part of living in Tucson.

[@TheBicycleTourists]

I can certainly see why!

[@PumpkinVillage]

Good to see you both out and riding. Another well done video. Thanks and take care, Al

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Thanks Al, yes, we've been missing our rides!

[@addertooth1]

My wife and I are planning on taking our eBikes up and doing some of the loop in the near future.

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Enjoy! It's a really lovely system of trails.

[@unconventionalleo]

Such great clouds!

[@TheBicycleTourists]

I know, just amazing.

[@karlintucson]

WooHoo! Welcome to my home town! I live 1 mile from the loop, and ride it often. Rode it this morning! *Edit* Yes, our streets suck! But we can ride year-round!

[@akelley5963]

Karl, I used to live in Tucson (pre-Loop) many years ago. Started coming back because of the Loop. I sent this link to my Council Member here in Mesa as the Council is having trouble pulling the trigger on good cycling infrastructure.

[@TheBicycleTourists]

If you stick to the loop, you never have to worry about the streets. but there are some really nice side trips.

[@dennispiciullo8060]

Pretty cool ride, my buddy rode in Arizona in the summer. I cleaned up my bike, now it's ready to ride. Walked to the bike shop, contemplating buying a new bike. Looking at Specialized Roubaix, got cool equipment on it, hefty price tag of 5k. We'll see, first I need to is to ride the one I have. Your friends really are kicking butt, I can't imagine riding that much, the wife isn't into stuff like that. She's the one insisted that shouldn't ride so much, I was riding 3 times a week. Oh well, time to get back into it. Awesome video

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Thanks Dennis. I always feel like I should ride more. The more I ride, the better everything seems to be. But there is more to life I suppose! Summer in Arizona sounds undoable.

[@alethearobinson8132]

Nice to see Julianna back in the saddle. Any big tours planned for this summer?

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Thanks Alethea, it is so nice to have Julianna back. We're hoping to ride from the North Sea to the Adriatic in August, a few obstacles in the way so we shall see.

[@freddixon]

We truly enjoy Tucson and the Loop but LOL the roads are crap and busy too. Thanks for showing me some new routes to try. Sub'd. ;

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Nice! glad we could be of service!

[@PanthraxIV]

Our roads suck mainly because they are underfunded, but also the monsoon rain really does damage. It can be a challenge to keep up with im sure. but that doesn't excuse the roads that have clearly been untouched for over 20 years. Many people here don't realize how quickly the city responds to potholes that are reported. I had two taken care of within a couple weeks in my area. But still, by far the worst roads i've ever encountered.

[@TheBicycleTourists]

i hadn't thought of the monsoons. What surprised me was that, here in Colorado as well as anywhere there is winter, roads suffer from the freeze/thaw effect. Usually warmer climates enjoy better roads. Tucson sure makes up for it with their trails though.

[@tabottietjen3186]

Other beautiful rides in Tucson include Mt Lemmon & Sabino Canyon. I really miss the loop since moving to Boise

[@TheBicycleTourists]

We were hoping to try Mt. Lemmon, we'll probably have to revisit that next time we come. i'll check out Sabino Canyon next time as well, thanks for the tip!

[@charlesmansplaining]

The roads conditions might actually be a blessing in disguise because it forces vehicles to go slower. Nicer roads tend to lend way to speeding and distracted driving.

[@TheBicycleTourists]

That's a good point!

[@claudemarie9136]

Nope ! E.g : Russia : - terrible roads. - atrocious traffic-related number of deaths. ( other third world countries available).

[@claudemarie9136]

That’s you introduced to Brexiter’s alternative “logic”, the later (logic) meant loosely. File that with alternative realities, post-truth and parallel universes. Not at all. You’re welcome.

[@kenmcclow8963]

Next winter season I plan to spend some time in Tucson. This past winter I had intended to but never got that far. I’ve heard about the quality of the roads from realtors there

[@TheBicycleTourists]

I hope you get out there. It really is a great break from winter.

[@claudemarie9136]

Salut J & R, Wow, that scenery !! Where else in the world can you find a desert landscape with cacti and snow capped mountains in the background ?? .... in other news, Friday, I believe, the World Economic Forum (not exactly a bunch of hippies) has ranked 🇺🇸 world best destination for travel and tourism in 2024. Glad to see Julianna back, doesn’t she “pédale carré”, a little bit 😉?

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Good morning Claude, Yes indeed Tucson has a very unique landscape, nothing quite like it anywhere. I wonder how the World Economic Forum comes up with their rankings, but nice that we haven't been forgotten. I'm curious about the term "pédale carré” - I translate it to mean square peddling, but don't quite get it. I do think she was riding a bike this time that was slightly big for her.

[@claudemarie9136]

Pédaler carré : slang/ colloquial road cycling as opposed to “pédaler rond” as in with fluidity, effortlessly, at a regular cadence. Was commonly heard said by Tour de France TV sport journalist late Robert Chapatte (see Wiki Chapatte’s law) when a lone attacker, gone too soon, running out of steam, having miscalculated the peloton speed (and eagerness to catch him) was about to be caught meters before the finish line. In such circumstances (before powermeters / cadence meters and “onboard” computers were a thing) exhausted riders would coast too early before the traditional last sharp bents, not slam the brakes hard enough, miss the apex, stand on their crank (or mash those pedals) not fast enough exiting a corner, in a worse case scenario miss a gear change (down tube friction shifters, you remember that ?) giving visually the impression of an uncoordinated riding style. Métaphorically, pedaling a a bike which front ring wouldn’t be round or oval but square. Poor Julianna was very likely riding a guy’s bike with a too long top tube for a female rider, hence this correct impression, that her bike was too big for her ?

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Thanks for the explanation. Makes sense. Yes, she picked up a used bike that she hoped would work as a second bike, but, yes, proved to be slightly too big.

[@claudemarie9136]

Where’s my old anorak ? Oh, there it is ! 😉 .... Back in the days.... bicycle manufacturers made proper (as in fast and light, *not* city bikes) female frame, the iconic Reynolds 531 tubing Peugeot PK65 is a case in point. Today, manufacturers can’t be bothered with “women geometry” ( long legs/shorter torso) specific bikes, it seems. One size-fits-all, fitting nobody, at the end of the day keeps their inventory simple ( and profit margin 📈). Standard frame, slap a shorter stem and a straight seatpost instead of one with and offset, job done ! Reduces the reach at no extra cost. Don’t get me started with small frames meant to be ridden by riders in the 100 pounds range which tubing is exactly the same as the XXL frame for 200+ pounds riders. If it wasn’t for shorter top, down and seat tubes a XS frame would weight the same as a XL frame. Rigid forks (carbon, steel or aluminum) sans steering tube (marginally longer for XL frames) weight exactly the same. When a 200 pounds rider benefits of some amount of flex and vibrations dampening, a 100 pounds rider enjoys the benefits of big fat nothing, nada, zilch. Never forget that short riders, female riders riding ill-fitting bikes are always at a disadvantage when they ride off-the-shelf standard, mass produced and overbuilt, for them, bikes. My 2€ cents.

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Excellent points, Claude, as always. I admire your knowledge of all this, I confess that I am somewhat at a loss with products of all kinds, I'm the worst kind of shopper and consumer. Would you say that there are no off-the-shelf bikes made for women at all any longer? She was riding a Trek Domane, not exactly a department store bike, but obviously not built with gender differences in mind. She does have plans to sell it, BTW, when she bought it (used) she hoped it would be a good second bike, but in the end it was simply too big. It may partially explain the back problems she's been experiencing this spring. Fit is everything on a bike.

[@HackHunter1835]

Welcome back Julianna. Ive watch alot of your videos in the past, I could tell you were trying to get into your normal groove, just not there yet? Riding in those cold temps probly didnt help much

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Yeah, I'm usually a bit more comfortable with a few more rides under my belt!

[@dondonner1095]

nice

[@TheBicycleTourists]

It is indeed, Don.

[@fionahunt8530]

If you think those roads are bad, you really don't want to try British roads.....

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Well, that's not encouraging. I hope to ride through the UK some day!

[@juliannahenley4921]

That bike has to go. Not a good fit.

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Yes indeed!