Sedona, Arizona’s four-season red rock playground, is famous for it’s beautiful lush green landscapes, purported to have spiritual properties that nourish your mind and soul. What may not not know is that Sedona is home to an eclectic dining scene, that after a day of cycling or hiking on Sedona’s desert trails, will nourish your body.

Whether you want to stop for a midday treat or indulge in a post-ride meal, these 5 wallet-friendly restaurants in Sedona can’t be beat.

Indian Gardens Cafe & Market
3951 N. State Route 89A, Sedona

Nestled in Oak Creek Canyon you’ll find the historic Indian Gardens Cafe and Market, Trip Advisor’s top pick in all of Sedona for dining. For more than 70 years Indian Gardens has been a gathering place for residents and visitors. Stop in mid-ride for a hearty sandwich (made with all fresh ingredients and homembreaade bread) that will keep you fuelled for hours. Our tip: take home an Arizona wine from Indian Gardens as a souvenir of your time in Sedona.

Sedona Memories
321 Jordan Road, Sedona

Skip the tourist traps on Sedona’s main strip and head to Sedona Memories, where massive sandwiches on soft, fragrant homemade bread make it a favorite for locals and visitors alike. Starting at $6, these sandwiches are definitely easy on your budget and are big enough to share with your riding buddies making it by far one of the most affordable places in Sedona to grab a bite to eat. Our tip: Sedona Memories is only open for lunch, so grab a sandwich to go by packing it either in your jersey or pannier.

Red Rock Cafe
100 Verde Valley School Rd Ste 107, Sedona

This breakfast and lunch spot is a hidden gem! Red Rock Cafe is tucked away in a strip mall and could easily be overlooked – but savvy diners flock to the sunny patio for delicious (and cheap!) grub. The powerhouse breakfast of an 8 ounce handcut New York steak and 2 eggs is only $12.99 – and more than enough protein to keep your legs going all day long. Our tip: Red Rock Cafe is open at 6:30 – why not ride from your hotel for an early bite to eat?

Pisa Lisa
2245 West Arizona 89A, Sedona

This isn’t your typical pizza joint. Boasting organic ingredients, thin delectable crusts baked in wood-fired ovens, it’s tempting to eat fill up on the pizza – but you will certainly want to leave room for dessert! These pizzas taste even better than they look. Our tip: If you are cutting out gluten from your diet, ask for a gluten-free pizza crust – available for all pizzas on Pisa Lisa’s menu.

Oak Creek Brewery and Grill
336 Route 179, Sedona

Beer lovers, this is your go-to place to toast your epic rides! Open late, so you can take your time exploring Sedona, head over to Oak Creek Brewery for a hearty meal with Southwestern flair. Ribs and burgers cooked over a wood-fired grills are what they’re famous for – try the Baja Burger or Black and Blue for a change from the usual ho-hum burgers. A huge selection of beers, including their award winning seasonal ales are on tap. Our tip: take home a growler filled with your favorite brew.

To learn more about cycling in Sedona, check out our supported self directed tours. Contact us to customize your Sedona vacation.

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At Pure Adventures, we live and breathe mountain biking. Everything from our specially designed self-guided tours for mountain bikers to our staff and guides boasts our commitment to providing travelers with an authentic and exciting mountain biking vacation. For example, did you know our guides are pro mountain bike racers and Pure Adventures founder Loren Siekman races Cat 1 Masters?

The trails on our US self-guided tours in Sedona, the Grand Canyon and the Sonoran Desert are fast and flowy, offering cyclists of all abilities epic vacations –  but we recognize not every one is a pro when it comes to mountain bike handling skills. If you are new to mountain biking, or your handling skills are rusty from the off-season, check out these tips to help improve your mountain bike handling skills.

Look Where You Are Going

“The first thing every mountain biker needs to know is the bike will take you where you are looking!  If you are taking a hairpin corner, you need to look through the corner in the direction you are going so your wheel will follow.  And if you are staring down a big gnarly cholla cactus, you will more than likely steer directly into it,” says Scott Keller, a Pure Adventures guide in Sedona and professional mountain bike racer.

“In the rocky terrain of Sedona, it is vital that you seek the line of least resistance, by placing your front wheel into the crack of two rocks if you are going up a ledgy section. On the opposite end, if you are going down a steep slickrock or stairstep section, besides hanging your butt off the back, keep an eye on where you want the front wheel to go. That’s where it will take you!” advises Scott.

Relax

“Whether you are riding a rigid bike or a full suspension, the best suspension you have is your arms and legs,”  David Alden of Twin Cities Sports tells Active.com. Let the bike move beneath you and relax your grip on the handlebars. This lets the suspension absorb the shock (like it is supposed to) and prevents your hands and arms from early fatigue.

Smooth Out Your Pedal Strokes

“If you’re fairly new to the sport, you’re probably stomping hard on the down stroke,” Andy Wadsworth of What Mountain Bike tells Bike Radar. Remember that each pedal stroke is a full circle and that you need to push and pull evenly throughout the pedal stroke for optimum power. Drills are the best way to perfect your pedaling.

 Brake Better

“Novices are far more prone to panic braking, harsh use of the brakes at the last minute or in an emergency, which causes one or both wheels to skid leading to loss of control of the bike,” says MTB Techniques, a website dedicated to teaching new and novice riders the foundation of mountain biker. By spotting hazards, keeping one finger on your brake levers and braking progressively, you’ll reduce the risk of wiping out on the trail.

Master cornering

A whole blog post alone could be dedicated to the art of cornering, but if your cornering skills are shaky, a few simple tweaks to your position on the bike may be all that is needed to improve your time on the trails. “As you approach the corner, you want to have a low, aggressive position, with elbows bent and the inside pedal should be up with your knee pointing into the turn, pressing your foot into the outside pedal” advises MTB coach Martin Baker. “Keeping your center of mass outside can also help in quick transitions, allowing you to flick the bike back and forth more easily for fast riding on twisty single track.”

Pure Adventures offers five great self-guided and guided mountain biking tours to put your bike handling skills to the test:

• 8 nights Sedona & Grand Canyon Mountain Biking Tour Summer Self Guided. Starting at $1075 per person
• 3 day Scottsdale Sonoran Desert Mountain Biking Self Guided Deluxe. Starting at $945 per person
• 3 days Scottsdale Sonoran Desert Mountain Biking Self Guided Basic. Starting at $595 per person
• 5 day Guided Sonoran Desert Mountain Biking 5 Days Arizona. Starting at $895 per person
• 6 day Sedona Arizona Desert Winter Mountain Biking Tour. Starting at $799 per person
• Scotland Coast to Coast Mountain Biking – Guided.  Starting at $1775 per person

Click here to contact Pure Adventures to book a mountain biking vacation or fill out this form to have us create a custom mountain biking tour for you.

The post 5 steps to better mountain biking (plus 6 great tours to test your skills) appeared first on Pure Adventures.

Pure Adventures’ signature blend of top-of-the-line travel planning and execution introduces Sedona Arizona Desert Winter Mountain Biking Tour from now through April 30 with departure dates organized at the convenience of guests. Guests transfer from Scottsdale after bike fittings and orientation first to Carefree Resort & Conference Center for uncluttered views of the Continental Mountains in the Arizona desert. The second lodging is Red Agave Adventure Resort surrounded by red rock formations near Sedona. Both accommodations provide off-bike diversions for a cyclist and a non-riding companion on this 6/day-6-night adventure.

Although recommended routes aren’t classified as technical, daily rides can be from one to four hours and for up to 20 miles on a wide variety of trails suited to intermediate to advanced riders, including over 200 miles of single track that have opened in the last five years north of Scottsdale. One riding icon is Black Canyon Trail, an out-and-back ride that includes mostly smooth trail with a lot of punchy climbs and some hillside overlooks. The per person double rate is from $799. Included are a route book and personal review with expert staff; six nights lodging; rental mountain bike and emergency repair kit; Giant Revel or equivalent gloves; helmet and specific pedals when requested.

Flexible five-night/six-day departures from now through Mar. 31 will be arranged for Death Valley Guided Bicycling Discovery for groups of four or more. These guide-escorted trips are flexible, allowing for extra hikes and sightseeing on a whim. Guests lodge and dine at an eclectic mix of the choices accommodations on the route.

Death ValleyNational Park at 3.4 million acres is the largest park in the United States. A rogue geography includes mountains rising to 11,000 feet on either side of a valley that, at its deepest resting place, holds the honor of being the eighth lowest elevation location on the globe at 282 feet.

An abandoned but never-finished “castle” is an excuse to travel to Stovepipe wells for spectacular views of the salt flats and sand dunes, dropping nearly 3,000 feet into Panamint Springs. From here it’s a steady 2,000-foot climb Emigrant Pass (5,328 feet) and a great ride over to Panamint Valley. Other icons to absorb are Furnace Creek and Dante’s Peak, offering the contrast of the eighth lowest place on earth immediately adjacent to 11,000-foot Telescope Peak, the highest point in Death Valley.

The per person rate double is from $2,150. This includes the best lodging available in this remote location, most meals, transportation from/to Las Vegas, guides, support vehicles and a bicycle mechanic, any transfers during the tour, support water and snacks while riding, bicycle rental, all use permits, all vehicle fuel, taxes.

Pure Adventures is focusing first on the Southwest for early winter through early spring adventures where warm temperatures are expected to entice cyclists from both the United States and abroad.

To help celebrate the launch of its new domestic programs, those booking a US trip before Dec. 1, 2013, will receive a free Pure Adventures cycling jersey.

Pure Adventures has formed a new exclusive partnership with AOA Adventures, also based in Scottsdale, AZ, supplies custom outdoor services and logistical assistance to groups of all types from corporate to charities and other tour operations. The operation offers the Southwest’s most diverse and extensive (over 400) bicycle rental fleet. Other equipment rentals include kayaks, camping and backpacking gear.

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