Five Days · Four Rides · Fully Supported
From $1,496 per person
The Epic
6,300 feet up Mount Lemmon and back - the climb that builds your whole season.
The Idea
Five days where the only thing you spend energy on is the riding. Lodging, routes, support vehicle, meals, recovery - all of it scouted, booked, staffed, and on the schedule before you arrive.
Home base is the Comfort Suites at Tucson Mall - clean, modern, and central, with a free hot breakfast that gets you out the door with food in you. Quick access to the whole valley: the Mount Lemmon ascent, Saguaro National Park, Gates Pass, and the quiet desert roads north of town.
Every ride rolls out fully supported: a support vehicle behind the group all day, a pro-level mechanic on staff keeping your machine dialed and riding with the group, real food to rebuild on, and recovery handled so you can back up a hard day with another. Group dinners at the best of what Tucson has to offer - and yes, kit gets washed.
Bring your bike, your kit, and your legs. We've got the rest.
Ride Profile
Itinerary
Arrive between 2 and 6 p.m. (hotel check-in starts at 3). Drop your bags and settle in - outdoor pool and whirlpool if you want to shake out the travel. Optional easy spin on the Rillito River path, which runs right past base camp and is where we roll out each morning. Evening: a group welcome dinner in Tucson (we'll share the spot ahead of time).
Included meals: Dinner, Snacks
36 mi · 2,028 ft climbing
An honest opening day. 36 miles out to Gates Pass and the McCain Loop, west into the Tucson Mountains - a winding, saguaro-lined climb to one of the most jaw-dropping overlooks in the desert, dramatic cliffs and the whole Sonoran valley opening up below. About 2,000 feet of climbing to wake the legs up. Full support all day. It's a short one - back at base camp by late morning, where lunch is waiting, then pool, whirlpool, and the group debrief. Evening: group dinner in Tucson.
Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Snacks
View the route36 mi · 2,028 ft of climbing45 mi · 1,562 ft climbing
A real day in the saddle. 45 miles east to Saguaro National Park East and the Cactus Forest Drive loop, out along Old Spanish Trail - densely packed saguaros in every direction with the Rincon Mountains as the backdrop. About 1,600 feet of climbing, rolling and fast. Full support all day. Rolling out around 8, we're back at base camp by midday, with lunch ready when we return. Evening: group dinner in Tucson.
Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Snacks
View the route45 mi · 1,562 ft of climbing89 mi · 8,270 ft climbing
The day everyone's here for. 89 miles with 8,270 feet of climbing - the legendary Mount Lemmon ascent, nearly 28 miles and about 6,300 feet of climbing at a steady 4.3% average, from the desert floor to pine forest, then a careful descent and rolling roads back to base camp. Full support throughout. The top runs cooler than the valley floor - sometimes 15 to 20 degrees cooler - though on a warm early-April day it can still reach the 60s or near 70. If you run cold, the support vehicle can carry extra layers for the long descent. Lunch at the Cookie Cabin at the top of Mount Lemmon - pizza, soup, and the legendary oversized cookies. Back to base camp to recover. Evening: group dinner in Tucson.
Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Snacks
View the route89 mi · 8,270 ft of climbing41 mi · 933 ft climbing
A recovery spin before checkout. 41 easy miles on Tucson's protected river paths - the Cañada del Oro and Santa Cruz river parks - swooping turns, mountain vistas, and quiet undeveloped desert, only about 900 feet of climbing to loosen the legs. Full hot breakfast at the hotel first. Then goodbye until next time.
Included meals: Breakfast, Snacks
View the route41 mi · 933 ft of climbingA note on fitness and ability
The riding is open to intermediate to strong riders - you don't need to race, but you should be able to sit in with a group at 16-18 mph average on rolling terrain for several hours.
Off the front is fine. If you want to push, push. Take your segment, find your gas station, regroup later - we won't hold you back.
Off the back is not. A group this size has one support vehicle, and it stays with the group. If you can't hold the group's pace, the day breaks - for you, and for everyone else. That's the only line.
Bike Rentals
Flying in without a bike? Fair Wheel Bikes (1110 E 6th St, Tucson) is our recommended rental shop - a longtime Tucson institution with a deep selection of high-end road bikes. It sits right between the airport and the hotel, so you can grab your rental on the way in. Reserve ahead, especially in the spring season.
Base Camp
We've taken over rooms at the Comfort Suites at Tucson Mall - a clean, modern hotel central to everything we ride, with quick access to Mount Lemmon, Saguaro National Park, and Gates Pass. Free hot breakfast every morning (grab-and-go bags too), an outdoor pool and whirlpool, a fitness center, free WiFi and parking. Not a resort - a base camp built for riders: eat, recover, sleep, repeat.
Rooms are spacious two-queen with a pull-out sofa, quad-ready. Significant others welcome - Tucson has world-class desert hiking, Saguaro National Park east and west, and a downtown food scene for the hours you're off the bike.
And we run a private hospitality suite for the group the whole trip - open throughout for coffee before dawn, ride supplies, route briefings, and refueling after a hard day. Plus the hotel's breakfast area for the daily after-ride debrief.
More Photos
New This Year
We've put a pro-level bike mechanic on staff full-time - riding with the group every day, in camp every evening.
Before each ride: every bike is greased, lubed, and dialed in. After each ride: every bike is cleaned, checked over, and set up for tomorrow. Flat on the road? Handled. Skipping in the cassette? Handled.
No one is fixing their own flats. No one is lubing their own chain at 6 a.m. This isn't a guide with a multi-tool - this is a pro mechanic, on staff, just for your bike.
Bring your legs. Bike issues are our problem.
Everything Is Handled
Your own bedroom and your own bathroom. Not a dorm. Not a shared bunk. Significant others welcome.
A real bike mechanic, on staff full-time, riding with us every day. Bikes prepped before every ride, cleaned and dialed in after. Flats on the road? Handled. You don't fix anything yourself.
All meals included - every breakfast, every lunch, every dinner - plus on-bike nutrition and snacks out on the road.
Outdoor pool and whirlpool. Fitness center. A private hospitality suite stocked for the group all week. Recovery handled so you can back up a hard day with another.
On-route navigation support with GPS files and daily ride briefings
A dedicated support vehicle following the route for safety and logistics
A custom-designed cycling jersey for the trip
Laundry service so you can pack light and ride fresh every day
Gratuities for local experts, restaurant staff, and hospitality teams
An experienced guide riding with the group for navigation and support
A mesh laundry bag for easy drop-off and pickup
Mid-ride snacks, hydration, electrolytes and fuel to keep you energized on the road
Cold drinks and refreshments waiting for you at the finish each day
Tucson sits in the Sonoran Desert, ringed by mountains - the Santa Catalinas to the north, the Rincons to the east, the Tucson Mountains to the west. Endless quiet desert pavement. The legendary Mount Lemmon climb - nearly 28 miles and 6,300 vertical feet at a steady 4.3% average, every road cyclist's dream. Saguaro National Park's iconic cactus forests. Gates Pass through the Tucson Mountains. And after the ride - a city that knows what tired riders want for dinner.
Travel
Closest airport:
Tucson International (TUS) is about 13 miles from the hotel, roughly a 20-minute drive. Direct flights from most major Western hubs (Denver, Phoenix, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Salt Lake City, Seattle) and several Eastern hubs (Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Chicago).
Rental cars are available at the airport, and rideshares are plentiful. Airport transportation is on your own - plan to rent a car or grab a rideshare for the roughly 20-minute drive to the hotel.
Weather
Early April in Tucson is desert spring at its best - warm, dry days with highs in the low 80s (often into the mid-80s), mornings in the low 50s (long-sleeve roll-out weather), almost no humidity, and reliably blue skies. The saguaros are blooming and the ocotillos are flowering.
Rain is essentially nonexistent in early April - Tucson gets well under an inch across the whole month, one of the driest stretches of the year. Sunrise is around 6:00 a.m., sunset around 7:00 p.m. - plenty of daylight for long days on the bike.
Mount Lemmon has its own weather - the summit, over 9,000 feet, runs cooler than the valley floor, sometimes 15 to 20 degrees cooler, though on a warm day it can still reach the 60s or near 70. If you run cold, the support vehicle can carry extra layers for the long descent.
"Mount Lemmon is the climb every American cyclist should do once. We make sure your bike's ready and the support vehicle is waiting at the top."
Book This Escape
From $1,496 per person.
This escape runs Apr 7-11, 2027. Reserve your spot with a refundable $750 deposit. Final balance is due January 7, 2027. Payments become non-refundable after February 6, 2027.
Your founder is on this ride. Carey builds every escape and rides every mile of it with you.
$750 deposit at booking · Balance due Jan 7, 2027 · Non-refundable after Feb 6, 2027 See full booking policy →
More About This Trip
About the routes. All four rides have been scouted and ridden by us personally. Routes range from rolling desert tempo to the iconic Day-4 Mount Lemmon ascent - the climb that defines this trip.
Route flexibility. Spring weather in the desert is mostly stable, but we reserve the right to change routes if conditions warrant.
Time of year. Early April in Tucson is the sweet spot - daytime highs in the low 80s, cool mornings in the low 50s, low humidity, next to no rain, and the saguaro blooms starting. The kind of weather you'd build a camp around.
Hydration note. Desert riding is deceptive - you sweat constantly and don't always feel it. The support vehicle carries extra water and electrolytes on every ride. Plan to drink more than you think you need.
One more thing. Bring a positive attitude and a willingness to push when the road kicks up. We'll handle the rest.
