Day 1: Tuscon to Mammoth (~45 miles) Sweet descent from Oracle to Mammoth: 12 miles of 7% grade, with great views, nicely paved road and minimal traffic. The San Pedro river cut a deep canyon here, making for spectacular views.
Day 2: Mammoth to Central Heights (~62 miles) Easy descent to Winkelman. The climb over the Pinal Mts into Globe is tough, specialy if done in the middle of the day. You enter the Tonto National Forest, which makes camping on the side of the road legal.
Day 3: Central Heights to Mazatzal Mountains (~80 miles) Cycle along the Roosevelt reservoir, which was freakishly high this year. Not much in the way of towns so make sure to resupply in Jake's Corner, because that's you're last stop before the suburbs of Pheonix. The climb up the Mazatzal Mts is the hardest of the route, specially since there is heavy traffic and often no paved shoulder, and the head winds are vicious. The descent on the West side of the mountains isn't too great because of the lack of paved shoulder and the strong headwind, which conspire to slow you down. The ascent is still worth it, though, because of the spectacular views.
Day 4: Mazatzal Mountains to Tempe (~70 miles) Steadily lose elevation and fight the head-wind as you head into Pheonix. A pretty decent (albeit dirty) shoulder most of the way.
