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Best Road-Bike Route

Mountain Avenue

READERS' PICK: Mountain Avenue is probably one of the Old Pueblo's most heavily trafficked utilitarian paths, and easily the most expensively and elaborately constructed. Part of the beauty of the wide paths adjacent to the street traffic is that cyclists are not required to share with either automobiles or pedestrians, who are provided with a sidewalk for their two-legged shenanigans. Generally well maintained and kept relatively free of broken glass and other pointy debris--nightmares of every urban cyclist--the concrete path is smooth and fast, especially if you happen to be riding north with the wind at your back, working with the slight descending grade. Provided you miss the peak cycling traffic hours, you can work up a nice little head of steam between Speedway and Grant, where the Mountain Avenue route is at its smoothest and finest.

READERS' POLL RUNNER-UP: The Rillito River Park is the miniature-golf course of cycling: all manner of zany fun condensed into a breezy little east-west jaunt stretching from Campbell Avenue to La Cholla Boulevard (further if your bars are straight and your tires nubby). But come prepared to share the road--the river park is scenic, but it's not well-suited for a swift pace. Occasional grit, hairpin turns, narrow bridges and blind exits off graded underpasses are a playground for the sporting adventurer. The smooth asphalt of the main path offers a great little agility course right in the center of town, best and safest in the vacancy of the wee hours.


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