Arizona Desert Training Camp

Are You Going to Train All Winter Watching Old Cycling Videos?
Shhhh......Come Play Outside to Tucson, Arizona

Our 14th Year!

Originating in Tucson, Arizona cyclists will enjoy the fine weather and roads in the southern region of the state. Each week includes breakfasts, lunches, sag stops, motels, Travel Shirt, and technical support. Collectors Edition Jersey if you register before December 15th, plus some of the driest spring weather in the United States.

Susan's Photos - Cactus Classic Tour

Susan's Photos - Coaching Week

Susan's Photos - Historical Town and Hotel Bike Friday Tour

Susan's Photos - Chiricahua Mountain Tour

Susan's Photos - Century Week

Susan's Photos - Mountain Tour

Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Training Goals | Signup and Details

We will begin each tour from the Country Inn and Suites Hotel located 1/2 mile from the Tucson Airport. Your arrival hotel room is included in Tucson the day you fly in to Tucson. Your departure hotel room is included the last night of the tour before you fly home the next day. A hotel shuttle bus is available to bring you and your bike to the hotel. You will be able to ship and store your hardshell bike case at the Country Inn and Suites Tucson. Rider Packets and Travel Plans will be mailed around December 15th.

Country Inn and Suites Hotel 6681 Tucson Blvd Tucson AZ 85706 Reservations call: (520)741-9000

Tucson Weather Now

The Country Inn and Suites Hotel will take your reservations should you wish to arrive early or stay over a few nights. Make those reservations early! Click here for their special offer page.

Whenever PAC Tour stays in Sierra Vista, Arizona - we will be enjoying the newly renovated Windemere Hotel! The modern meeting rooms, the access to a full spa, and a full american breakfast buffet will be some of the benefits we will enjoy at this Hotel. Included - On the Camp weeks when we stay full time in Sierra Vista – We will celebrate our final night with a fantastic group dinner in one of their banquet halls.

Newly renovated Windemere Hotel

If you would rather not travel with your bike to camp - you have an option of renting a bike. Contact Jessie Menard of Cycle Tucson at www.cycletucson.com. They can put together a bike that fits you and will deliver and pick up the bike at the Country Inn and Suites.

This is an annual event first held in 1996.

See Desert Camp tips on RoadBikeRider.com.

2009 Info

Week #1
Cactus Classic Desert Tour

$995 based on double occupancy Single supplement $350
Arrive in Tucson (fly in), Saturday, February 21
68-89 miles per day to Wickenburg and back
Depart from Tucson (fly out), Saturday, February 28

This week of Camp is a fun week of riding through beautiful desert terrain. We will tour for six days in the flat lower desert west and north of Tucson. The weather is always warmer here and a good place for February training. Our out and back route offers flat to gently rolling landscape suitable for early season miles. We will eat breakfast and several lunches during the week at interesting local restaurants. This is a good tour to start your cycling season and break up a winter of indoor cycling.

2009 Itinerary

The riders at this camp will range from beginner to experienced. All riders should be able to ride 50 miles in 4 hours with stops.

Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Training Goals | Signup and Details

Week #2
Coaching Week

$1095 based on double occupancy Single supplement $350

Arrive in Tucson (fly in), Saturday, February 28
Based in Sierra Vista 50-82 miles per day
Depart from Tucson (fly out), Saturday, March 7

Each day will begin with a stretching class. Breakfast will follow in the hotel restaurant. Daily rides will offer longer and shorter loops to interesting destinations surrounding Sierra Vista. Lunch and snack stops will be provided along the route. Additional miles will be available on some days. We will have afternoon and evening seminars presented by our staff of coaches. Topics will cover nutrition, training, motivation, equipment, event preparation and other long distance related topics.

2009 Itinerary

The riders at this camp will range from novice to experienced. All riders should be able to ride 50 miles in 4 hours with stops.

Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Training Goals | Signup and Details

Week #3
FULL
Tour of the Historic Towns and Hotels

Special welcome to Bike Friday owners!
Bike Friday owners are responsible to bring their own spare inner tubes (4) and tires (1) to fit the unique sizes of their bikes.

$1,295 based on double occupancy Single Supplement $450
Arrive in Tucson (fly in), Saturday, March 7
Depart from Tucson (fly out), Saturday, March 14

Arrive in Tucson and saddle up for a tour filled with sizzlin' southwest history every day! The first day we'll ride 66 miles to an old stagecoach Hotel in Patagonia. The following morning we'll head out on an easy 55 miles through the wine country of Elgin before spending an evening walking the wooden sidewalks of historic Tombstone.

On day three, we'll ride 47 miles to the hillside mining town of Bisbee. We will divide the lodging of our group between the Copper Queen and Hotel and Hotel La More. The first 25 paid entrants will stay at the Copper Queen Hotel. There's an optional side trip into Mexico to stop and smell the enchiladas.

The fourth day of riding is an optional 56 mile round trip ride into Douglas, Arizona to have lunch at the Gadsden Hotel. Then return to Bisbee for great shopping and things to see in the revitalized old town area. The final two days of this tour will follow the old stagecoach routes back through Tombstone and Benson before returning to Tucson.

This tour is for riders who are looking for a fun cycling holiday with less focus on training and fitness. It's the easiest tour of the PAC Tour Desert Camp format. You'll enjoy this tour more if you can average 10 mph to have more time to explore the old southwest along the way. If you want to train for racing and average faster than 15 mph you should not attend this week. Please consider joining a longer mileage week of Desert Camp.

2008 Photos

2009 Itinerary

Bike Friday welcomes all their customers to join this fun tour. See http://www.bikefriday.com/desertcamp for multimedia reports of previous Bike Friday Desert Camps. More PACTOUR on a Friday at http://www.bikefriday.com/pactour.

The riders at this camp will range from beginner to experienced. All riders should be able to ride 50 miles in 5 hours with stops.

Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Training Goals | Signup and Details

Week #4
Chiricahua Challenge Tour

$1,095 based on double occupancy Single supplement $350
Arrive in Tucson (fly in), Saturday, March 14
Depart from Tucson (fly out), Saturday, March 21

This week is a cross between our popular Mountain Week with more time to ride the beautiful Chiricahua Mountains. The 15 mile climb to the Chiricahua Monument is considered one of the best roads in the region. You will spend 2 nights in Willcox and 3 nights in Historic Tombstone to customize shorter or longer routes if you wish.

2008 Photos

2009 Itinerary

This week is for experienced riders. All riders should be able to ride more than 50 miles in 4 hours with stops.

Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Training Goals | Signup and Details

Week #5
Century Week

$1,095 based on double occupancy Single supplement $350
Arrive in Tucson (fly in), Saturday, March 21
Based in Sierra Vista 60-100 miles per day
Depart from Tucson (fly out), Saturday, March 28

This week is for riders who want to ride long miles everyday, but stay at one location during the week. Daily rides can be customized for riders with specific interests. Evening cycling entertainment and programs will be provided on a variety of topics. Each day will offer longer and shorter routes with 60-100 mile options.

2009 Itinerary

The riders at this camp will range from beginner to experienced. All riders should be able to ride 50 miles in 4 hours with stops.

Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Training Goals | Signup and Details

Week #6
Mountain Tour

$1,195 based on double occupancy Single supplement $350
Arrive in Tucson (fly in), Saturday, March 28
80 -100 miles per day, to New Mexico
Depart from Tucson (fly out), Sunday, April 5

After descending for 5 miles, I took a picture of this sign... George M.

This point-to-point tour stays at different motels each night. Our route will loop around southeastern Arizona into New Mexico. This loop has become famous among veteran camp riders for the strenuous mountain climbs and variety of scenery. The four-hour climb up Mount Graham on Day 6 is one of the highlights of this tour. This is one of the most popular weeks of Camp and is limited to 50 riders.

2008 Photos

2009 Itinerary

The riders at Mountain Week are experienced. All riders should be able to ride more than 50 miles in 4 hours with stops.

Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Training Goals | Signup and Details

Training Goals Before Desert Camp

The training base for riders attending Desert Camp is different than for riders joining our other cross country tours. Most riders are coming from winter climates. They are unable to ride outside during the three months before Camp. These riders can still arrive at Camp ready to ride. Here are some fitness goals:

• Try to include 10 hours per week of physical activity in your routine. Walking to work, shoveling snow, chopping wood, skiing and snowshoeing all help maintain winter fitness.
   
• Join a Health Club and participate in Spinning Classes. Riding three sessions per week will help your cycling. Training with other people will help keep you motivated. While you are at the gym, include some stair climbing, weight lifting, pull-ups and stretching in your routine.
   
• Don't forget some intensity. Remember Lon's 90% guideline of max heart rate — try to accumulate one hour per week in this intensity zone. Use a heart monitor watch with upper limit memory. When you ride your indoor bike trainer; include sprints and hill climbs. Don't plod through every workout at a conversation pace.
   
• Eat Right. At Camp it is difficult to diet and still ride long miles. If you need to lose weight...start now. Lose those extra pounds gradually before camp.
   
• The Desert Camp days are planned at a 3-4 hour per 50 mile pace with rest stops. That means riding down the road at 14-18 MPH. Use this as a guide for planning your training pace.
   
• Overhaul and test ride your bicycle before coming to camp. If you bike has been sitting in your house all winter, make sure the cables and bearing are in good condition. PAC Tour will not be performing winter overhauls.
   

Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Training Goals | Signup and Details

Chiricahua Climb

by Charles Breer

There's no question that Chiricahua is a tough climb, but I would say that it has some steeper parts and some less steep parts, so it's not just a continuous slog (like Mt Ventoux in southern France). The first few miles are relatively gentle as the scenery starts to change from desert to more forest and you get your first view of the unusual rock formations. To break it up, riders can stop at the Park Service visitor center, which has bathrooms and interesting displays. The middle part of the climb is deep in a forested canyon, which can be cooler than on the desert floor. Sometimes, water is flowing in a small creek bed and you get more close-up views of the bizarre formations. The last few miles are a bit steeper, but still not as steep as parts of the Mt Graham climb from Mountain Week. This stretch is also very rewarding because of the expansive views and switchback road that clings to the hillside. Riders are back into the open at this point and you can see the twisting road up ahead. There is a nice parking lot at the top, surrounded by miles of rock formations, with interpretive displays and short hikes to overlook vista points. In sum, while this is clearly a good climb, I've rarely been on a climb that is as rewarding as Chiricahua and best of all, there is very little traffic. The descent is thrilling, but with excellent smooth pavement, so it takes only a fraction of time to get down.