Rose Pedals . . .: Bisbee Bicycle Brothel (it's not what you think)

Day 5 - Thursday, March 15, 2012
Tombstone to Bisbee to Tombstone (out & back route) - 50 Miles

Today’s ride would be out-and-back route to the eclectic town of Bisbee. The morning weather was sunny, mild and warm enough that we did not even need to start the ride wearing any extra gear (yay!). Bisbee is located at the foot of the north side of Mule Pass, a 6,000 ft. pass, so our out-and-back route would take us up and over Mule Pass from both directions. To start, we descended out of Tombstone as we headed south toward Bisbee. Then the route was a mixture of gentle climbing and descending until we came to the start of the climb up Mule Pass at mile 16. The climb to the summit of Mule Pass from the south side is a scenic 6 miles with grades ranging from 4% to 9%. The descent down the other side is only about 2 miles and brings you right into downtown Bisbee. In fact, if you fail to make the last turn at the end of the descent, you’ll crash right into the patio of the famous Bisbee Coffee Company, which I almost did because I waved to some of the people from our group enjoying a cup of coffee there. Because it was a short-mileage day, we had time to walk around Bisbee and check out the town. The first place we went was the Bisbee Bicycle Brothel - the "Best Little Wheelhouse in Arizona." The Bisbee Bicycle Brothel is a unique bicycle “shop/museum” owned and operated by a man named Ken Wallace, who is basically a walking encyclopedia of cycling facts and history. The place is not really a bike shop in the traditional sense, because Ken doesn’t sell any new or modern bikes, although he does sell some accessory-type items such as lights and handlebar tape. It is, however, more aptly described as a museum in the sense that the place is chock full of all kinds of old-style bicycles from different eras. The walls are filled with unique posters and pictures of noted cyclists both past and present. On the counters are all different kinds of cycling relics and memorabilia. I could have spent all afternoon in the place just looking at all the photos and bikes and listening to Ken talk about each one. We spent so much time in the Bisbee Bicycle Brothel that we didn't really have much time to visit any of the other shops in Bisbee - but we didn't mind. After a hearty PAC Tour lunch, we headed back up the north side of Mule Pass, which is only a 2-mile but steepish climb, and enjoyed the fast and furious 6-mile descent down the other side. My maximum speed was over 41 m.p.h., which is a bit faster than I’m used to going on a descent, but the road was smooth enough that I felt comfortable with the speed. We arrived back in Tombsone just after 2:30. The day’s weather was, again, just perfect. After we cleaned up our bikes and ourselves, we sat around outside with other members of our group and the PAC Tour crew and chatted. It's fun talking to the other riders in our group and hearing all the different bike rides and races people have done. A group of us went to dinner at the Mexican restaurant we ate at the first night of our tour (Sunday). Lon joined us, and it was a real treat to listen to him talk about his experiences in endurance cycling.