Almost. It was in a pre-GPS era. I turned into a wrong way and ended up in... Sabino Canyon. I wish I had another opportunity. PS I know you are great climbers, but Mt. Lemmon under 15 minutes?! Wow!
Aloha from Maui Hawaii. I think you guys need to come here to check out the "SEA TO SKY" ride to the summit of Haleakala, which is 10,023 feet. Starting from sea level, climbing to the summit, and descending back to sea level is around 60 miles. The views are amazing, the route is safe, and well traveled, with varying temperatures. Reaching the summit grants you the gifts of breath taking views of the Island, and 4 other island. This is a must ride, for those that refer to climbing as a way of life.
We think you're right! Our triathlon buddies at GTN did it... it's about time we show them how it's done 👉ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-2nf9rLImy7s.html
Yup, as I commented above, Mt Haleakala is incredible, 10,000 feet and unlike anything else on earth. The crazy plants and volcanic fiends are otherworldly. Not to mention Mauna Kea which is voted the world’s number one climb, 13,700 feet in 42 miles.
@@gcnyeah, Maui is a completely different island than the one featured in the gcn-triathlon video you referenced. I think GCN should do a video in the state of Hawaii just to teach the Brits a bit of geography.
i live here and can say it is a safe road up and there is a good number of riders every day. Head out early though the sun sets earlier than you might think here and the ride down is no joke.
When you mention "ride down is no joke", what are the actual concerns? Cars, road quality, rocks, ...? That would help me to know as I am planning on riding Mount Lemmon in a couple of months. Thanks.
Rode it yesterday, last 1.5 miles was gated off but slid under to make it to the top. Lots of snow, an epic climb. Don’t underestimate, bring plenty of water and carbs. 65 miles round trip from the cafe/parking lot.
I have done this climb a few times and It is epic. I even got hypothermia coming down as there was snow at the top and I was underdressed. Lesson learned for future ascents to always pack a jacket for the descent done ;)
@@gcn Haven't ridden Pike's Peak, but I lived in CO for 10 years and did geology studies out there. The views at the tops of 14ers like Pikes are worth the altitude sickness! Pike's Peak is also special because it is slightly off-set from the rest of the Rocky Mountains. The view from Pike's is different than what you'll get at the top of Mt. Evan's. Absolutely gorgeous, both. Caution though, you *start* at a mile high in Colorado, and it goes up from there! Give yourself a week to acclimate. Being super athletic will get you riding up Lemmon and the 8000ft stuff feeling okay, but the air on a 14er is THIN. Bonus: less air resistance on the way down.
Good format, especially with the loss of GCN+. This shoes off the ride, pointed out some helpful tips, and was nice and compact. I do miss the long form videos though.
Thanks for the kind words! Have you started watching more of out RU-vid content after we had to close GCN+? We would love to hear some idea, what should we be making?
Mt. Lemon is the only place you can ride up and enjoy 12 different climate zones!! Absolutely do not try to ride this in the sumer during the day!! This is probably my favorite episode. Thank you GCN!!
@@gcn because it's not true... "There are 5 separate ecological zones on Mount Lemmon that you go through over the course of about 25 miles and about 8000 feet.", also Haleakala has 5 as well, is in the US technically, and is fully paved and higher.
Loving all the attention Tucson is getting in these videos. It’s a great place to live for year round riding. Never too far from the loop or some awesome mtb trails.
I've climbed Lemmon, Palomar, Diablo and since I live in Hawaii, I've got Haleakala, Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa. I would say our climbs are much more demanding than Lemmon, but one cannot diminish any of them with respect to the others.
Echoing the comments about Mt. Blue Sky (formerly Mt. Evans). It is the highest paved road in North America topping out at 14,140 ft. (4,310 m), making it a nice bucket list item. The ride has about 6.6k of gain over 27 mi. if you start in the town of Idaho Springs. If you’re altitude acclimated, it’s a pretty pleasant climb, although you’ll definitely struggle to output high power. Easily accessible in the summer months, just west of Denver.
I live in Tucson and have ridden Mt. Lemmon many times. It is a wonderful climb and quite the challenge. There is also many Mt. Biking trails up on the mountain as well. Mt. Lemmon is definitely a treasure on the Southwest and Tucson. There used to be a Mt. Lemmon Time Trial race, MP 0 to MP 17ish, Palisades Ranger station. Thanks to Hank and Ollie for highlighting some of Tucson's and Patagonia's awesome riding. Love living here!
Tucson has some great riding including Mt. Lemmon. Done Lemmon several times along with places like Gates Pass, Pistol Hill etc. So much fun and great cycling culture in the region. Gravel rides too.
So true! Tucson has some amazing riding, we were super lucky to get the chance to ride out there. Did you catch Ollie and Conor try and hang during this epic race 👉 ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-H9YostVYD40.html
Lael Wilcox has some epic challenges on Lemmon. One year she rode it every day for a week. The next, she rode 5 times in a row. Then the following year, rode it10 times in 4 days. I don't know what her latest challenges on Lemmon have been.
Thank you for highlighting our beautiful Mt Lemmon. It is the southernmost spot in the US for winter skiing and snowboarding in the bright sunshine. While in the valley we enjoy sunning by the pool in the 70+ degree winter days. Our summer respite from the unbearable months of 100+ degrees in the valley. We treasure it.
Tuscan really is a wonderful biking Mecca. Along with Mt. Lemmon is The Chuck Huckleberry loop with well over +130 miles of paved riding on dedicated exercise roads. It’s a fun place for cyclist to hull up in for a week or two during the winter.
My weekly riding path. Constantly taking and relinquishing Local Legend status on about 23 segments, which is the advantage of retirement. I highly recommend it! 😊
I'm from Cali, and you guys have ridden in more places than I have in the 13 years I've been riding. Don't get me wrong, I'm riding for health and I'm happy with my local trails but it's nice to see foreigners take advantage of the places closer to me. I never thought of leaving the state to ride a bike but now it's an option. Haha! Guess what I'm discussing with my friends later today. Haha!
@@gcn ...(sigh)...seems so. In fact, we're going out tomorrow on a different local trail BUT this time we're taking our bikes and mount them on a car to go somewhere 20 to 30 miles from our place. First time our group's ever going to take a convoy of us to a different spot. Haha! The adventure never stops 'rrround hurrr! Haha!
I have climbed Mount Lermmon twice top to bottom since moving to Tucson four years ago. However, I have ridden the lower part of the ride once or twice per month for the last two years. I like the fact that I can climb for 8, 16, 24 or 32 km (5, 10, 15, 20 mi) and still be going up. It is great training for climbing. Also the decent is fantastic. I rarely brake on the way down now and that has taught me descending skills I never thought I'd have. I live a short ride away from Le Buzz and have a view at Mt Lemmon from the window of my snug. If I could mention, every year one of our local cycling clubs, the Greater Arizona Bicycling Association (GABA) has their Mt Lemmon Hill Climb in May. It is a fully supported ride. There are training rides on Mt Lemmon starting at Le Buzz every Friday during the eight weeks leading up to the Ride. GABA also has a leader lead ride on Mt Lemmon called "One Hour on Mt Lemmon" which occurs once or twice per month, usually on Friday as well. Final notes. Check ahead on water. Right now the taps are turned off due to a water shortage. We do get a bit of snow on the summit and it can be quite cold up there, even when the weather is beautiful down below, so bring a jacket and leg warmers, possibly some chest insulation for the descent. Also watch out for slippery spots due to melting snow on upper parts of the descent. Lastly, enjoy your time in Tucson when you come here and have a great time on Mt. Lemmon, as well as the other great rides here. Thanks Ollie and Hank for doing this video. I was hoping you did make one while you were here. I miss GCN+ and Mt. Lemmon would have been a good video for it. Thanks for bringing us quality cycling videos via RU-vid.
@@worldender_tv not really, which is why I ride the the "Chuck Huckleberry Loop" bike path in Tucson. Ironically, the path namesake Chuck Huckleberry got crippled by a car while riding on the road a year or so ago and had to retire.
I never understood those signs. They imply that the bikes should be the ones taking the advice when it’s clearly the opposite. At least that’s how drivers usually treat them.
@worldender_tv Definitely not on the weekends. It's full of traffic. Motorcycles are practicing their MotoGP skills splitting between cars while the cars are trying to move around the cyclists at the same time.
Mt. Evans via Idaho Springs or even from the base of the park climb...you guys are still climbing those baby Euro mountains. You guys should try the Triple Bypass in CO this summer.
You guys will have to come to western Canada and show case Mt Revelstoke to Meadows in the sky in British Columbia and Kanaskis road through the Highwood pass an hour from Calgary Alberta.
Looks like a bucketlist ride. Loveland pass or Mount Evans Colorado or in the Northwest, Mount Hood would be a fun climb or ride the Columbia gorge past the amazing waterfalls into the three sisters range. If you're feeling interested in recent history, You can now ride what's left of Mount Saint Helens.
I climbed Mount Lemmon many times when I lived in Tucson. The weather is so hot in the desert the trick is to climb to the top during the cool morning so you can enjoy the breezy downhill all the way back. I like climbs like this where you can get into a rhythm and find your zone without steep pitches. Another great climb not far away is Mount Graham.
I absolutely love these videos. My wallet hates them though. Booked myself to Tuscany Arizona post the last gravel ride video. Climb suggestion: Leh to Khardungla Pass (the highest motorable road in the world). It's an absolutely stunning climb.
I’ve done the climb several times. In the spring there is the annual Pie Ride sponsored by a local cycling club. Make it to the top and you get a big slice of pie. Many people choose lemon. 😅
Our pleasure Tim! We love making videos for our community, what would you guys like to see more of? We are always looking for the best ways to improve 🙌
I am not at all a climber but I did quite enjoy riding up Lemmon. The riding around Tucson is amazing in general although I've never visited in the middle of summer
I rode all the way to the summit in the early spring. There was snow right before the observatory on those steep climbs. Also the gate was closed and slid under. The biggest challenge was staying warm on the way down after sweating on the climb I was quite cold on the first part of the descent.
The day I rode it I just rode the segment… there was a freak weather system that made it unseasonably cold. So cold, I didn’t even ride down (my wife rescued me). Can’t wait to try this one again!!
Not too far away is Kitt Peak, another awesome climb up to all of the observatories. 12.1 miles (19.5 Km), average gradient is 5.6% but some sections up to 9-10%. I have climbed Mt. Lemmon, it is quite a challenge!
I used to be a test driver for Volkswagen/Audi/Bentley. There's a test facility in Maricopa, AZ. On my last day, my supervisor gave me the keys to one of the Bentleys, and said "don't bother reporting anything, the car is fine. Take it up Mount Lemmon and enjoy your last day." It was a hell of a send off to drive that car up Mount Lemmon. I've always wanted to ride up that mountain. The American Southwest has amazing cycling opportunities.
I definitely want to do this ride some day. For better or worse, most of my cycling friends are mtn bikers and can't understand why I love road riding just as much as riding a double-black DH track. .
Definitely going to have to hit this climb some day. I hope you guys are stopping in Colorado to do either Mount Blue Sky (formerly Mount Evans) or Pikes Peak. Both are brutal climbs that will have you re-thinking why you took up cycling, but the scenery makes it well worth it!
This is a bucket list ride for me in New York. But I'd be remiss if I didn't mention here that you need to cover mount washington in New Hampshire! It's only open to cyclists twice a year, and is absolutely brutal!
Did a west coast road trip this past summer hiking and biking all around you guys need to ride in no particular order 1. Hurricane Ridge Road-Olympic Nat Park 2. Going to the Sun Road-Glacier Nat Park 3.Loveland Pass-CO 4.Independence Pass-CO 5.Trail Ridge Road-Rocky Mtn National Park Bonus (Around Lake Tahoe)
Top of mount Lemmon is 30 degrees Colder at the top than the start at the bottom of the mountain. So even during the summer is it very cool going up the mountain on a bike.
Living in Tucson has afforded me the chance to ride up from both sides. Front side on an IBIS road and the back side on an old GT HT. I bonked hard coming up the front but made it finally. Couldn’t make it all the way coming up the back side. Someday maybe I’ll try the epic up and over loop. My only apprehension is that coming from the back side puts you on a state highway from Oracle to Tucson and that road has gone bonkers for traffic. Loved the video…hope you enjoyed Tucson. BTW, I love your indoor training videos! Cheers!
You GCN folks are always welcome to visit the States. I love to hear your take on things here. One thing though. A conversion to degrees F, and miles is nice. Not a big deal, but it would be appreciated. Anyway, keep up the good work. Y’all come back now, hear?
Yeah, used to go to Tucson every year. Would pass the Mt. Lemmon road entrance in Northern Tucson area where I used to go for business. And thought, maybe I will try that. Would do the Tuesday group ride...but I'm not a climber...and nope...never did it. There is nobody at the top with some lemonade if you make it. Like a local climb we have around where I live called Ice Cream hill. Guess what, nobody with ice cream at the top of that either. Beautiful city and area. Generally a younger college mix of people and businesses, and culture. Tons of bike lanes. The roads can be rough and seems they have done some repaving in areas though which are long overdue. Glad to see Tucson getting some love and respect with cyclist in the US with GCN...great stuff.
I’ve wanted to ride that, but didn’t have a chance to get out there after doing the tour de Tucson like you guys did. There are some incredible climbs in my neck of the woods one state to the north. The tour of Utah highlighted several like mt Nebo, Empire Pass, Powder Mountain, and my personal favorite, the alpine loop. Kolob canyon in southern Utah is still on my bucket list.
I've done it. I took my time so it was doable, even though I'm not all that strong a rider. No problem with 50-34 and 11-28. An incredibly beautiful ride. I stopped a few times to look at the view. As you go along it's a bit like going from Los Angeles to Seattle in onecride. But don't try it in summer! And at the very top it often snows in winter. There are a lot of other great rides around Tucson too. A really great part of the US. I found the descent back to town rather terrifying because I live in a fairly flat place.
What you didn't mention is that as you climb from the start (in the Sonora desert climate), the higher you go, the more climate zones you pass through. From cacti at the beginning to Aspen groves at the top. The higher you go, the more vegetation there is because in the desert, mountains act like islands in the atmosphere, causing water to precipitate out. I.e., the higher the elevation, the greater the amount of annual rainfall, so barren at the bottom, and trees at the top...just the opposite of what you'd expect (think Mount Ventoux). Mt Lemmon is truly bucket-list worthy. And there's a ton of great cycling in the Tucson area besides Mt Lemmon, so it's well worth going there.
I’d like to suggest the Tour of the California Alps, AKA the Markleeville Death Ride. 20,000 feet of climbing over 5 mountain passes. It’s a real suffer feast. And keeping with the death theme another ride you might try is Mt. Diablo near the San Francisco Bay Area.
Everything is big in America! I orderd five pancakes, just about got through 2 and a half washed down with plenty of coffee. Great vid lads. Time for a trip to the US of A
Love to see you guys head to Hawaii for some riding. Oahu, Maui and Hawaii all have great riding. Plus Maui and Hawaii each have epic climbs up Volcanoes.
My favorite terrain for a long climb is the high desert like this. Yes it can get hot in the summer but you can start early and the low humidity makes it tolerable. If there are Ponderosa pines around, count me in. I’ve never done this ride and I am very jealous of Hank and Ollie.
It’s starts in the lowland Sonoran desert with saguaro cactus, climbs into a more high desert zone then to a temperate climate zone and associated flora as and finally into a mixed conifer stand as you approach the summit. The road winds back and forth across the ridge on the way up with stunning east and west views and as they described, much of the giant rock formations look like something from Wiley coyote cartoons or the movie cars
Pike's Peak outside Colorado Springs, Colorado is another massive, yet, beautiful climb in the Western US, can be done in a day... but it's another behemoth ride. My favorite ride that I've done so far though, 3 days to ride from Modesto, CA up to Mather, CA, then from Mather, to Tioga Rd into Yosemite National Park's High Sierras to the Tioga Pass Overlook. Spent the 2nd night at the Junction campground a short distance from the overlook, and on the 3rd day rode all the way back to Modesto as the return trip is about 75% downhill, only one significant climb part way down to the valley floor than a long relatively flat run over the last 50 or 55 miles into Modesto. Anyone not at and Advanced or Professional level should plan for at least 3 days of riding, minimum of 2 days up, and one day back, and bring a water filtration kit as water sources grow more limited once you enter in to the park and the meat of the climbing on the second half of the ride in. It's a pretty rigorous ride for a long weekend at about 295 miles (~475 km) roundtrip. and just over 15,000 ft ( just shy of 4,600m)of total climbing, with a peak elevation of 9,948 ft (3,032 m), but it's absolutely worthy of being a bucket list ride.
I took a cycling mini-vacation to Tucson just before the pandemic shut everything down. Lemmon was first on my list; well worth the effort. There are several other slightly less epic rides in the Tucson area, my favorite of which is Madera Canyon. Check it out if you're ever back there.
I’d second the climbs in Colorado, never ridden them but the mountains are bonkers and the views are insane. I’d be worth checking out some of the mountain passes in Washington as well, the transition from epic forest in pacific north west as you travel east is equally spectacular.
Here is one for you. The traditional Climb To Kaiser, rated as one of the 10 toughest rides in America by Bicycling Magazine; It is 155 grueling miles with over 15,000 feet of climbing.
Great you.lads were in my neighborhood ..i ride up lemmon 2x per week.esp.in summer as it gets quite hot in the basin at 45 c usually ..at mm 10 its 10 to 15 cooler ..by mm 20 ...15 to.20 less . Goodonya
You went to the Observatory, that is a real deal climb. Most people just go the Palisades and then go down to the Cookie Shack. When we go to the Observatory from Le Buzz we go straight there and then go down to Cookie Shack. I can't imagine eating at the Cookie Shack and thenb climbing back up to the Observatory on a full stomach.
Agreed! I usually go straight up to the observatory, then go down for pizza and some cookie. I bring saddle bags tho for layers and stick the remaining cookie and the fudge from the general store in them. That fudge is soooo good.
Looks like a brilliant ride. But I have to say, some of the best riding I’ve done is the PCH, Pacific Coast Highway in California, specifically Big Sur. While you’re at it, check out the Tour of the Unknown Coast, California’s toughest century. 100 miles with 10,000 feet of elevation. It’s brutal.
