Pistons Then Pedals

The second day of my trip to Oro Valley began cold and early. I slept poorly overnight in the abnormally frigid temperatures. My sleep was often interrupted by an extremely cold face or toes. I’d wake up and retreat further into my sleeping bag. But I’d wake up shortly later in a claustrophobic panic because my face was covered.

The alarm on my iPhone went off around 6am, uncovering a thin frost across the inside of my tent. I fortunately had the foresight to put my cycling clothes inside the bag for warmth.

As I reluctantly climbed down from my tent, it was clear just how cold the desert had gotten that night. A thick layer of frost covered all my gear. The water bottle which I filled the night before was frozen solid. Another camper told me that their car indicated an air temperature of 24 degrees. By far, it was the coldest weather I have ever camped in.

Visiting Campfire Cycling in Tucson, Arizona

The day’s group ride began early, around 7:30am. Our destination was Campfire Cycling, which is a very cool bike shop in downtown Tucson. Their shop caters primarily to bikepackers and gravel bikers. The shop, which was about 24 miles away, had arranged to meet the group with coffee and donuts at 10am.

When asked the night before, many people had raised their hand to say they were attending the group ride. However, most people opted to stay in their tents and RVs until it warmed up a bit more. I think about 10 of us were in the group, including my new friend at the campsite next to me.

We headed along Tucson’s excellent “Loop” pathway with cold faces. My Garmin indicated an air temperature of 32 degrees, but, as soon as the sun emerged from behind the Catalina Mountains, we began to warm up.

The pace was casual and, admittedly, I felt like my Canyon road bike was a bit out of place. Everyone else had rugged alloy bikes intended for long haul bicycle travel. Meanwhile, here I was on a bike with no racks and lightweight Vittoria tires. However, no one ever made me feel uncomfortable for my choice of bicycle that day. We stopped at a few destinations along the way, including the “bicycle church”, which is a church-shaped art installation made of bicycle parts.

Our arrival at Campfire Cycling was right on time. I tried to be sociable, but my face was weirdly numb from the cold. I struggled to talk coherently. Warm coffee did its’ best to help, but it would take time.

The day became very independent once we were done at the bike shop. My friend and I stuck together for the ride back to Catalina State Park. A woman joined us for much of the return trip as well.

Around 12:30pm, we decided that it was time for lunch. There was a semi-organized group meetup at Dove Mountain Brewing. Our arrival time would be too late, so we decided to stop back at the campsites first.

Tire Issue Ends The Trip Early

I wanted to reapply sunscreen and shed a few layers since the temperature was now in the 50s. Unfortunately, I also discovered at the campsite that my weekend was nearing a conclusion.

A quick rotation of my tire uncovered a questionable tear in my tire. My TPU tube was holding well, but we agreed that it didn’t necessarily look safe for the long term.

I could have tried to scrounge up some new tires at a local shop, but they probably wouldn’t be the tires that I wanted. Also, since this was already my backup bike and I slept horribly, I took this as a sign from the universe. My ride to lunch and back would be the end of my weekend.

Lunch was delicious and I was grateful to have made a new friend. The weekend had pushed me outside of my comfort zone. Although it ended earlier than intended, I was glad to have made the trip.

As I packed up at sunset, he graciously gave me a parting gift from his car. It was a handlebar bell for bicycles that is inspired by Austrian cattle bells. I’ve been using it on my Fuji since I got back. It’s a great bell.