Penta Bypass at the McDowell Mtns

I've been meaning to do this ride for a while and perhaps this weekend was not the best choice but I got it done. It was a solo effort, mostly because not many people on their right mind would try this when the temperatures are expected to hit 110 ferenheit with a fair amount of humidity.
Below is a map of the ride. I started a little later than expected, so I was rolling shortly after 6 am. My first goal was to climb to the top of Microwave Towers which is one of the highest points in the valley. You can see this road climb from far away, however its grade becomes more evident as you get to the bottom of the climb. According the Garmin data one of the sections pitches up to 38%, I had to climb out of the saddle and get my chest as close as possible to the handlebars to maintain both wheels on the ground. The view a the top is amazing, too bad I didn't bring a camera. Not that I had any energy left to do it either. The 19 minute effort from the wash at the bottom to the fence in front of the towers was the hardest climb I have ever done. Even the ride down was difficult. I had to put my chest on the saddle to avoid going over the bars and keep braking traction on the rear wheel.
Once at the bottom, I knew I had four more passes to go. The next one was Windgate Pass. After a quick drop to the west side, I connected with Tom's Thumb and started the third climb. My knee was bothering me a bit but I was able to clear all the switchbacks going up to the Thumb. The downhill to the East Side entrance was really loose but I came down without problems.
The next climb was Bell. I was starting to run low on water which meant the load was lighter however I was concerned about how long it would take me to get to the Lost Dog trailhead to refill. I made it to the trailhead and refilled my camelbak and two bottles then I soaked my gloves, shoes, beanie and arm coolers to make the Sunrise climb a little more comfortable. By the ime I made it to the top, everything was dry. From there I could see the end but I still a while to go. The climb to the top of the Sonoran Trail is not considered one of the passes, however that late into the ride it felt like one. Once there the rest of the ride was fairly easy back to the car. I could have made the ride a little longer by completing the rest of the Long Loop, however it was past 1 PM and I was really low on water so I cut through the maintenance road to the end of the long loop. As I excited the long loop I saw the pump track and decided to give it a try. Not a good idea when you've been out for over 6 hours however I managed to do three loops without pedaling or crashing.
Made to a very hot car, took a shower then drove to Señor Taco for a well deserved post ride burrito.


Not sure if I can do the Towers climb again but I would be interested to do this whole ride again.