Road Cycling in Tucson

Boasting more than 500 miles of metro bikeways, Tucson was recently named the third-best cycling city in the country by Bicycling magazine. Road bikers will feel right at home on the paved streets of the Old Pueblo, which feature wide, designated bike paths on most of its roads.

Incredible Road Bike Rides

Competitive road bikers can not only train in Tucson, but also compete here in Southern Arizona's premier cycling event: Perimeter Bicycling's El Tour de Tucson. This 110-mile road bike race attracts more than 9,000 participants each November and is the largest "perimeter" cycling event in the country. El Tour de Tucson has events for all riding levels, with courses ranging from 31 miles to the 110-miler. The Tour of the Tucson Mountains, also provided by Perimeter Bicycling, takes place in April. The 73- and 27-mile courses ride around (not over) the Tucson Mountains, and are generally flat.

Join local pros and top amateurs for the Shootout Ride on Saturday mornings from FairWheel Bikes. The ride gets out of town nice and leisurely and then picks it up to just subsonic once it hits Valencia Road. Call Fair Wheel Bikes for start times, and expect groups up to 200 riders in the winter. Be aware, the Shootout is not recommended for beginners.

Road riders seeking a muscle-busting challenge can take on the 26-mile (one-way) Catalina Highway, which twists and turns from the desert floor to the top of Mount Lemmon's Ski Valley - a 2-plus-hour, 5%-grade, uphill excursion that takes adventurous riders up roughly 6,000 feet in elevation. The climb upward takes bikers from the cacti and warm, arid desert climate to the high-elevation pines and 30-degree temperature drop atop the mountain. Though the trip up is slow, bikers can enjoy a neary all-downhill cruise back down the mountain, reaching speeds of 40 miles per hour in places.

A popular training route begins on the north side of Tucson and stretches up through the Town of Oro Valley. Beginning at River Road & Oracle Road, the ride is all uphill one way - with both gentle slopes and steep climbs. Riders head north past the western slopes of the Catalina Mountains as far up Oracle Road as they wish, before turning around for the relaxing coast back down to Tucson.

The 34-mile McCain Loop route begins in midtown Tucson at the campus of the University of Arizona and loops over scenic Gates Pass and through the towering cacti of Saguaro National Park. The ride takes bikers past downtown and through sloping mountain passes, to the flat, fast roads near Tucson Mountain Park.

Many other routes created by local Tucson cyclists can be found on the MapMyRide.com website as well as the Greater Arizona Bicycling Association (GABA) website.

Like to hear the crunch of dirt under your two wheels?  Take a look at all of the incredible mountain biking trails that Tucson has to offer.

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Tucson Cycling Events

Get information on Tucson cycling events presented by the Perimeter Bicycling Association, which puts on our famous UMC El Tour de Tucson presented by Diamond Ventures bike race event each November, as well as the Tour of the Tucson Mountains, presented by the Town of Marana.

Last Saturday Mountain Bike Ride - May. 26 - May. 25  The Sonoran Desert Mountain Bicyclists hosts a group mountain bike-ride on the last Saturday of the month. Contact club in advance or visit the website for location, level of difficulty, and times.. Add to Trip Planner 17th Annual Holualoa Firecracker Triathlon - Jul. 1  750-meter pool swim, 12-mile bike ride around U o A area, 3-mile run through U of A campus; Youth Triathlon with a 250-meter swim, 4-mile bike, and 1-mle run.. Add to Trip Planner

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Tucson Biking Businesses

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Company Name	Phone Number
Broadway Bicycles	(520) 296-7819
Broadway Bicycles has been part of the Tucson community since 1975. You will be impressed by our …
JRPhoto	520-991-1402
Desert Journeys: A Guide for the Tucson Road Cyclist is a first-of-its-kind guide detailing …
Kitt Peak Hill Climb
If you like climbing, this is your ride. Thirty-five miles east of Tucson, Kit Peak Hill Climb …
Mt. Lemmon Hill Climb
Up to 26-miles of one-way climbing treat you to incredible views of Tucson and the surrounding …
Oro Valley to Oracle
This gentle, rolling 27-mile one-way will take you north out of Tucson, past Biosphere2, to the …
Santa Cruz River Park Trail
This mostly flat route follows the banks of the normally dry Santa Cruz River west of downtown. …
TriSports.com Retail Store	888-293-3934
Southern Arizona's swimming, biking, and running headquarters. We stock over 18,000 products in …
Tucson Bicycle Classic Stage Race	(520) 884-5564
The 26th Annual Tucson Bicycle Classic, Mar. 2-4, 2012. Three-day challenging stage race west of …

 

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