Written by: Dan Sheridan
Today was a relaxing day of desert cycling. We began our long climb out of the Valley of the Sun by pedaling up a steady 1% grade for about 25 miles. We’re about 1,000 feet above Phoenix, so it’s 2 or 3 degrees cooler here. It was a short day, 46 miles, with a tailwind. We started at about 5:30 am, about 10 minutes after sunrise, and the last riders arrived by about 10:15 am.
Tomorrow the climbing gets more serious. We will ride 68 miles and climb 6,250 feet. We will have some downhill too, but will end up about 3,000 feet above our current elevation. I think many of us are a bit nervous about the climb in the heat, but are excited to climb to cooler temperatures.
It’s amazing the hospitality that our church hosts show us. Peace Lutheran church in Peoria offered great hospitality, and today St. Alban’s Church in Wickenberg welcomed us with cool beverages, fruit, and comfortable places to spread our gear in air conditioned comfort.
We will continue our journey north to the Grand Canyon, where we will arrive on Thursday
