SDMB is the best resource for Southern Arizona and Tucson mountain biking!
The Sonoran Desert Mountain Bicyclists is a club devoted to the promotion of mountain biking. We view the sport as a vehicle to encourage low impact outdoor recreation opportunities that are environmentally and socially responsible.

SDMB's LATEST NEWS:

6-23-2009 - New Trails Added to the Trails Section
Take a look at our three newest trail descriptions... Green Mountain, Bug Springs, and Prison Camp/Molino trails. All fantastic rides up on Mt Lemmon!

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6-22-2009 - Redwood Creek's "Greater Outdoors" Project Update
As you know, SDMB had been driving support and votes to help the Arizona Trail win Redwood Creek's Greater Outdoors Project's $50,000 Grant to help complete the trail. Although we led the contest by a wide margin for most of the contest, the New Orlean's voters caught up fast and passed us in the last week. We want to extend our sincerest congratulations to them. The results can be seen here. Thanks to everyone for your votes!

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6-16-2009 - June Last Saturday Ride 6/27 - Tucson Mountain Park!
For June, we're going to meander around in Tucson Mountain Park, a popular destination for local riders. TMP has a little bit of everything... rocky descends, smooth singletrack, technical areas, climbs, and some great views. It's starting to heat up so we'll have an early start with FIP (feet in pedals) at 7 a.m. at the main parking lot and expect 3-hours or so of ride time. Map and Ride description here. Remember, all SDMB social rides are beginner friendly and no one is left behind. If there will be speed demons among us, we can always break up into groups based on skill level. Contact Graeme if you're planning on riding with us.

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6-8-2009 - May Last Saturday Ride - Aspen Draw on Mt. Lemmon
Howdy folks, well we had another great Last Saturday Ride at Aspen Draw on Mt. Lemmon with 11 or 12 riders. We left Le Buzz Coffee Shop around 8:15, dropped cars at Molino and met at Summerhaven at 9:15 to drop more cars for shuttling. Meadow has a nice rolling start, to the log roll, then through the only flat spot in the Catalina's - a nice grassy a meadow at the top, then the trail gets tricky, lots of rocks, roots, tight switchbacks, fallen trees, it's a fun short drop to the fire-road with incredible views. A quick climb back by the cars and the ski lift to Aspen Trail. It is truly all down hill from here. Aspen is fully rideable with some steps, water bars, tight switchbacks and roots. Not too bad, steep at times. The trail is in good shape. We encountered a few hikers on a busy Saturday but we stopped or slowed and everyone was friendly. No one seemed to mind sharing the cool temps one bit.

After aspen, we rolled down Turkey Run Rd. to the cars for a second shuttle. Round two was mostly the same with a couple detours to see the sights. The Lemmon Rock Fire Lookout Tower is the oldest active Fire lookout in AZ. We left the bikes at the Wilderness boundary and walked a couple hundred yards for the incredible views of Wilderness of Rocks. As we approached the small
(200 sqft) cabin at the top, we were graciously welcomed in for the 2-minute tour and fire science lesson with Glynn Thompson. He's about the nicest guy you'd ever meet, well worth the trip.
Here's a story in the Weekly about the lookout and Glynn.

Three of us left after the second run, while the rest shuttled down to Prison Camp for the grand finale to Molino. Everything worked out great, the weather was a perfect 75-80 ish degrees
with some clouds and the threat of rain which never materialized. Only one casualty, an OTB on Meadow resulting in a split lip.

Below are a few photos from the event and the rest can be seen here. If you have any photos of the event to share, e-mail them to the webmaster.

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5-18-2009 - Lee's Bicycling Summit Trip on MBAA Web!
As you know, our very own Lee Blackwell made the trip to Washington, DC for the Bicycling Summitt. The Mountain Biking Association of Arizona posted his thoughts in this great article. Take a few moments to give it a read. If you're not already a member of MBAA, we encourage you to join!

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5-12-2009 - May Last Saturday Ride - Aspen Loop Trail on Mt Lemmon!
Don't forget about May's Last Saturday Ride, due to take place up in the cool upper elevations of Mt Lemmon! Aspen Loop is a short but super-fun, worthwhile ride. Take a look at the ride here. Block out 4-hours or so on the morning of Saturday, May 30th for this great ride. We'll be meeting in the parking lot in front of Le Buzz Coffee Shop on the NE corner of Tanque Verde and Catalina Hwy. at 7:30-7:45 am to head up the mountain by 8:00 am. We can figure out cars and ride vs shuttle arrangements then, depending on who all shows up. Should be loads of fun! Contact Zach if you're going to attend.

Tucson and some SDMB members are mentioned in the June 2009 Bike Magazine!
Head to your local newsstand and pick up the latest copy of BIKE magazine. Inside you will find a great article on Southern Arizona Mountain Biking and our very own Mark Flint, Jobie Gross, Scott Morris, and others are mentioned. If you catch them on the trail, maybe they'll autograph your issue, eh?

SDMB Cinco de Mayo Dos Ride/Party = Food, Fun, and Freakin' Awesome Trails!
We had nearly 40 folks show up, bringing bikes, kids, and dogs to enjoy the 2nd annual Cinco de Mayo ride! Brian Vance generously hosted yet again, and the potluck-style grub was perfect. A huge amount of tasty dishes were consumed by everyone after their sweet ride at Sweetwater, only a couple miles from Brian's front door. Folks also enjoyed the Ninja Trail, a short loop Brian built around the perimeter of his property, complete with jumps, log-rolls, tabletops, and teeter-toters! It was especially entertaining to watch/hear riders' reactions to a special hidden treasure Brian stashed along the trail: A 6' long rubber rattlesnake!

A special thanks to Todd at Epic Rides for donating water bottles, which we used to water the plants at the Sweetwater trailhead.

Below are a few photos from the event and the rest can be seen here. If you have any photos of the event to share, e-mail them to the webmaster. Thanks, and see you again next year!

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4-23-2009 - New Belgium Urban Assault was a Huge Success!

A good number of SDMB-folk both volunteered and participated in the kick-off Urban Assault thrown by New Belgium Brewery. Despite the negative spin the local media put on it, the event was NOT about drunken bicycling. We are very proud to have been a sponsor for this, and we invite New Belgium back anytime! Click on the photos below or here to see the rest.

You can also download New Belgium's UAR Report. (300k PDF)

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4-6-2009 - Fantasy Island Celebrates 10-Years Today!

Possibly Tucson's most well-known trail - Fantasy Island - celebrates 10-years today! It's been the center of quite a bit of controversy and it's still around, thanks to the hard work of many dedicated folks. The battle to develop the land is on hiatus due to our down economy, but the war is far from over. Why don't you take a few hours and take a spin to celebrate?

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4-1-2009 - Help the Arizona Trail Win a $50,000 Grant!

Please help spread the word so the ATA can win a $50,000 grant that will help build the Arizona Trail! Tonight (Wednesday, April 1st) at midnight EST voting will start on a competition among five finalists to win a $50k grant.

Find out how to vote here...

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Don't forget to take a look at this year's earlier events in the Year in Review page.