February couldn’t arrive fast enough. This year’s winter was the kind that makes you question every life choice that led to living somewhere with actual seasons—subzero temps, relentless snow, and skies so overcast even Punxsutawney Phil wanted to retreat back into his cozy den. But the light at the end of this frozen tunnel and what got me on the trainer every day: I was going to The Cycling House (TCH) Women’s Gravel Camp in Tucson, Arizona! Yes, sunshine, warm weather, and 15 strong, independent women who understand that “one more climb” is always a good idea.
I love Tucson in the winter. I’ve shipped my bike there for several trips, but in 2024, I discovered TCH’s women’s gravel camp (read about it here). I fell head over handlebars in love with the experience they provide.
Sure, TCH offers a variety of co-ed trips, but there’s something special about an all-women’s camp. Everyone is very supportive, well-traveled, and you can come to breakfast in PJs if the mood strikes you. No judgment, just coffee and carbs.
The Full-Service Cycling Experience
TCH handles everything—and I mean everything. Three meals a day, logistics, route planning, SAG support, and even bike rentals if you don’t want to ship yours. They offer a fleet of Cervelo Aspero pedal bikes and Specialized Vado SL 4.0 ebikes.
The Great Debate: Rent vs. Ship a Bike
The cost to rent a bike for the week is $400, which includes two wheel sets (gravel and road), setup to your specifications (sent before arrival), and all maintenance during the trip. If I shipped my bike, the TCH staff would assemble/disassemble, but you’re stuck with whatever wheels you brought. Since the week’s routes promised mixed terrain—from smooth pavement to washboard that could rattle your fillings loose—I went with a rental like in 2024.
The Cycling House offers 2025 Cervelo Aspero with SRAM Rival eTap AXS 12-speed rental bikes.
2025 Cervelo Aspero Road/Gravel bike specs:
Gravel – 45c Panaracer GravelKing tires set up tubeless
Road – 35c road tires
SRAM Rival eTap AXS, 12 speed
Cassette: SRAM 10-36T
Crankset: SRAM Rival double 30-43
Full bike specs found here
Daily Itinerary
A week before arriving in Tucson, TCH sent an email with staff names and bios, a link to join the WhatsApp group (where we get all our daily trip communications), a suggested packing list, link to Google Photos, and RideWithGPS files. Of the five TCH staff, two were from my 2024 trip. Not only was I excited to see them, but that’s two more names I don’t have to learn.
The initial itinerary was the same as in 2024, but you learn quickly that things are fluid. Once in Tucson, I was excited to learn that two of the routes would be new for me – the day 1 shakeout ride and day 3 Box Canyon.
Arrive Early, Skip the Stress
Learning from my 2024 mistake, I flew in a day early. Chicago’s weather has a nasty habit of delaying flights at the worst possible time, and last time I didn’t arrive at the house until 3 p.m., which meant rushing through lunch, bike fitting, and a shakeout ride while everyone else was already relaxing by the pool.
Monday – Chicago to Tucson
This time? I traveled on Monday with Kim, a riding buddy from back home who’d attended the camp last year after I told her how great it was. TCH provided hotel recommendations with a Tuesday morning pickup, so we stayed at the Hilton a block from The Loop—a 50-mile paved path.
I took a four-mile walk on The Loop and was rewarded with sightings of a red-tailed hawk with its lunch, roadrunners doing their cartoon-character sprint, and some seriously impressive big cat paw prints. There were also a lot of cactus flowers blooming due to the rains earlier in the month.
Kim opted to visit the Pima Air & Space Museum, which is absolutely worth a visit if you’ve got time. I’d been on a previous trip, and trust me, it’s fascinating whether you’re into aviation or just want to see really big planes up close.
That evening, I met up with a friend who lives in Tucson for dinner.
Tuesday – Shakeout Ride
Mileage: 21.7 miles
Elevation Gain:1497 feet
Max. Grade: 11.6%
Terraine: Mixed of road and rough gravel
Suffer Level: Minimal with a side of “Is my bike fit right?”
TCH van was scheduled to pick five of us up at 10 am, so we met up with Cathy, her sister, and a neighbor at 830 am for breakfast. This was Cathy’s third women’s camp, and we met during my 2024 trip.
Arriving on schedule, the van whisked us away to the house. Once there, we were assigned our rooms, fitted for our bikes, and had the first in a long line of fabulous meals. Sophia was our chef and culinary wizard for the week, and you could taste the love she put into every dish. Her task of feeding 20 cyclists became even harder after the first day when the oven broke. But you would never have known except for the gaping hole in the kitchen. Sophia didn’t skip a beat and continued serving nutritious, tasty, belly-filling meals using a BBQ, a pizza oven, and a small stove out back.
In the early afternoon, after most of the women arrived, we gathered in the garage where the bikes are stored, nutrition/hydration selections, and cubbies with nameplates assigned to store shoes, helmets, etc. for the week.
Gathering for a pre-ride talk before heading out for our first ride.
The shakeout ride took us up Redington Road for some stunning vistas and properly rough gravel—the kind that makes you rethink your tire pressure choices. On the descent, we stopped to see someone’s pet camel. Because in Tucson, apparently, that’s just a “normal” backyard pet.
Photo courtesy of The Cycling House.
I’d been nursing a cranky knee for several weeks before the trip, which had forced me to back off training. Armed with KT tape and optimism, I managed to do okay during the week.
That evening, over appetizers on the patio, we handled the hardest task of the week: memorizing everyone’s name—twenty-one to be exact. I had a slight advantage since I already knew eight of the women. But I’ll admit it took me two full days to get everyone’s name right.
After a wonderful meal, there was a briefing on the next day’s ride and the timetable for coffee, meals, and ride start. This became a nightly routine.
Wednesday- Patagonia
Mileage: 52.1 miles (42-mile option)
Elevation Gain: 3,021 feet
Max. Grade: 7.8%
Terraine: Gravel with lots of washboard
Suffer Level: High, with scenic distractions
Last year, Patagonia was on day 3, giving us time to acclimate to the heat and altitude. This year? Welcome to Arizona, now climb.
Today was an early morning start since it was an 80-minute drive to Patagonia. The ride leaders loaded the bikes on top of the two fully stocked vans that doubled as our SAG/rest stops en route.
There were two distance options: the full 52.1-mile lollipop route with an 11.5-mile initial climb, or the 42-mile option with a shuttle up to Boomshakalaka. Part of the route comes so close to the Mexican border that my phone cheerfully welcomed me to another country.
Here’s what my brain remembered from 2024: “After the initial climb, it’s just rollers.” In reality, it was quite different. Sure, I PR’d the 11.5-mile climb, but those “rollers” included some short, steep grades that made my legs file a formal complaint. And the washboard roads? They’re exactly as terrible as I remembered. However, the scenery was beautiful—Mother Nature knows how to distract you from suffering.
Around mile 27, my knee and lower inner thigh decided to stage a rebellion. It was the same issue I had during Unbound Gravel last June. I’ve since learned it was my sartorius muscle, and I need to stretch and strengthen the area where it attaches to the knee and the hip. By mile 34, I had to call it quits.
It was the first time I’d ever abandoned a ride or race, and it stung. After a pity party, here’s what I chose to focus on: I completed 2,700 feet of climbing, the majority of the elevation for the day. Sometimes the victory is knowing when to save yourself for another day.
After dinner, there was a surprise. ROKA gifted a pair of sunglasses to every guest.
Thursday – Box Canyon to Medera Canyon
Mileage: 34.6 miles
Elevation Gain: 2,392 feet
Elevation Descent: 4,381 feet
Max. Grade: 11.8%
Terraine: Rugged gravel “road” and pavement
Suffer Score: Low suffering, challenging, and high adventure
Instead of riding The Loop and Gates Pass route as in previous years, the staff surprised us with something new: Box Canyon to Madera Canyon. The van dropped us off along South Sonoita Hwy, and I was so excited to try something new.
The route started innocently—three miles of paved, slightly uphill road. Then the fun began. A ten-mile gravel descent on Box Canyon Rd.
Photo courtesy of The Cycling House.
We saw a couple of cars and several dune buggies on the ride down. “Road” is a term I’m using extremely loosely here. Think washboard, large rocks, sand, and deep ruts. We saw a couple of cars and several dune buggies, which should’ve been our first clue that this was not a maintained road.
Photo courtesy of The Cycling House.
A mountain bike would have been my preferred mode of transportation, but the gravel bike handled it with some careful line selection.
After the gravel ended, we had an out-and-back up Madera Canyon Rd, followed by a long, screaming descent toward the town of Green Valley, where the van waited in a local park with lunch.
I would have to say this was one of the highlights of the week. It was new and challenging. A great combination.
The staff arranged for a massage therapist (at an additional cost) to come to the house on Thursday and Friday. The woman turned out to be from the Chicago area…small world.
After dinner, the neighbor kids were practicing for the weekend rodeo. I grabbed some carrots and went over to meet the horses, learning that these kids compete in barrel racing and calf roping. Welcome to cowboy country.
Friday – Saguaro East National Park + Colossal Cave Gravel
Mileage: 36.1 miles
Elevation Gain: 1,420 feet
Max. Grade: 5.4%
Terraine: Pavement, singletrack, and gravel
Suffer Level: Minimal (I hiked)
The plan: a little bit of everything—pavement, singletrack, gravel. Mother Nature’s plan: intermittent rain and a gorgeous double rainbow as an apology.
The singletrack portion was canceled due to weather, but the rest of the ride was a go. I chose to give my knee a rest and hike Saguaro East. It was a perfect opportunity to explore this stunning national park on foot since I’ve only biked it.
Those women riding left the house and rode a short distance to the park. Once there, they could ride the main eight-mile one-way paved loop around the park or take the gravel trail up the middle. The cold, rainy weather kept tourist traffic to a minimum, but wet roads prevented the screaming, fast, windy downhills that are so much fun.
Before dinner, local bike mechanic and racer Evelyn conducted a bike clinic. She did a similar clinic during my 2024 trip, and it was very informative.
Saturday – Mount Lemmon
Mileage: 47.3 miles
Elevation Gain: 5,735 feet
Max. Grade: 10.9%
Terraine: Paved road
Suffer Level: Legendary
Sometime during the evening or early morning, the TCH team swapped all rental bikes from gravel to road wheels and fitted two riders onto e-bikes (available any time during the week, no judgment). I informed the two e-bike riders of one critical rule: no screaming “wheeeee!” as they pass us going uphill. In 2024, someone did exactly that, and while hilarious, it was slightly demoralizing.
Always service with a smile. Ellen (foreground) and Aimee served double duty – bike mechanics and ride leaders.
The staff adorned everyone’s stem caps with hearts for Valentine’s Day. It’s the final day of camp, which means it’s the epic Mount Lemmon climb – the Queen’s Stage.
My original goal: beat my 2024 time. My knee’s goal: absolutely not. So I adjusted, setting smaller milestones. First goal: Bug Springs at mile 7.5, where the van waited with snacks. Spinning in an easy gear, slow and steady, I made it. Quick refuel, then on to Windy Point at mile 14, where the second van was stationed.
Only another 6.5 miles to go, but my knee was starting to have other ideas. Determined to keep climbing, I got back on the bike, but finally had to call it quits three miles from the summit to avoid further damage. The descent was really cold, but such a blast!!!
My final stats: 40.6 miles, 4,806 feet of elevation, eight PRs. Did I summit? No. Did I climb smart and live to ride another day? Absolutely.
Back at the house, Sophia had soup and sandwiches ready, and we gathered poolside to soak in the hot tub and trade war stories from the climb. Not one for sitting still, I grabbed a couple of women and hiked down to the hot springs I’d discovered during my last TCH visit. We saw waterfowl, turtles, and even a coyote—Tucson’s wildlife does not disappoint.
Keeping with tradition, our last evening was a fiesta-themed dinner and an unconventional game of “All In” ping pong. It involved lots of laughter and healthy competition. We said our goodbyes before heading off to bed, since the van was taking some of us to the airport at 530 am.
TCH Experience: More Than Just Riding
Let’s talk about the house. TCH owns this sprawling property located just a few miles from the base of Mount Lemmon. Built by the original owner from timbers cut from their property in Summerhaven (atop Mount Lemmon), it’s got character for days.
Room configurations vary—some with shared bathrooms, others with private—but the heart of the home is the massive central dining room. All meals are served buffet-style at a long table that seats 20, fostering a community where solo travelers never feel alone, and friend groups can expand exponentially.
Some women came alone, others traveled with friends. By week’s end, we were all friends.
The Takeaway
Would I take another trip with The Cycling House? In a heartbeat. Would I recommend The Cycling House to others? Absolutely, in fact, several friends have booked trips with the company.
This week reminded me why I love cycling: the challenge, the community, the stunning scenery, and sometimes the best victories are the ones where you listen to your body and ride smart.
The Cycling House doesn’t just deliver a fantastic cycling vacation—they deliver an experience, which I can largely attribute to the staff. They constantly anticipated your needs, provided service with a smile, and worked tirelessly to make everyone’s trip something special.
Sheri Rosenbaum regularly contributes articles and reviews products for RBR. She’s an avid recreational roadie who lives in the Chicago area and a major advocate for women’s cycling, serving on the board of directors and volunteering with the Dare2tri Paratriathlon Club. Click to read Sheri’s full bio or visit her web site sunflowersandpedals.com.