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.
