14 Copper Queen: Riding in Bisbee

Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 2 Timothy 2:3 NIV

Bisbee is a quaint, historical, mining town nestled in the mountains of southeastern Arizona. Art enthusiasts fill the art galleries, small cafes, and museums.  The Copper Queen Hotel can be seen as you drive onto Old Main. Tourists bob in and out of the shops. 

However, there are very few people stirring on Saturday mornings at 6:00 a.m.  Why would mountain-bikers rise early to visit this curious town?  Stairs, stairs, and more stairs, is the answer!  There are block-concrete stairs that bend and turn unexpectedly, meandering the steep mountain sides, weaving between houses and through parking lots, over grassy knolls, leading to main roads and antique shops; stairs that spiral and propel you and your bike, giving you a sense of riding a Brahma bull. 

As I would wait to drop in and glide down, I’d look down toward the bottom of the stair-set and my stomach would twinge with butterflies. I was tempted to hold my breath on the set—I wanted to close my eyes, but I knew I couldn’t. I felt the rhythm of the drops, sometimes bouncy and slow, other times fast and vibrating every part of my bike and body.  I could hear my heartbeat in my ears, and there were victory shouts as I hit the last step and jump-drop the last section. 

Why would mountain bikers ride the steep hilly streets and drop the stair sets of Bisbee, Arizona?  To train for the granite drops and steep rocky descents found in nature on trails to come; Bisbee, Arizona is the mountain bikers’ gym.

Don’t forget to grab some coffee and breakfast at the Bisbee Coffee Company before you leave this quaint city. It will top off the morning and you’ll be glad you did!

Father, I endure sufferings, at times, and I need to examine myself; do I, like a good soldier, move forward, pace myself, endure and continue to train for the goals ahead of me?  Or, do I give up, drop my hands, lag behind and lose sight? Give me this day, my daily bread, and give me your strength to carry on when I want to quit. Challenge 14: Think of your life, including your cycling.  Where have you given up trying, and how can you make one decision today to stick it out, dig deeper, or pick up and try again?  Choose to make this day a day of victory in at least one area of your life.

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