CYCLING TUCSON, ARIZONA – The Tucson, Oro Valley, Green Valley and Southern Arizona area is indeed the greatest road biking destination in the world. With wide streets, clean air, impeccable desert beauty and year round biking, Tucson is where pros from all over the world come to train and even live. Tucson offers the best road bike rides, the best sightseeing and the best Arizona cycling vacation you can have.
More and more cyclists choose to retire to Tucson than any place in the USA. Of any area to start your vacation – or relocating – Oro Valley and Northwest Tucson is the choice area for road and mountain bikers. Oro Valley is blessed with the scenic Catalina Mountains and 80 miles of bike paths and lanes that connect to over 100 miles of shared use bike paths called The Tucson Loop.
“Whether you are a serious cyclist or just a casual biker, the Oro Valley area is like no other place for road biking in Arizona,” says Bart Johnson, retired engineer and volunteer for The Arizona Bicycle Association. “I retired to Oro Valley and I can never see leaving.”
Road biking in the Tucson/Oro Valley/Southern, Arizona is great. Be prepared. Tucson is well-known for goat heads, a form of cactus that causes many flats. We recommend Armadillo or Gatorskin tires. All of our bike rentals come with flat protected tires.
And there are few places in the world that offer more varied and challenging mountain climbs than Tucson. Mount Lemmon’s 26 mile climb at 4.3 percent average grade is one of the most popular cycling climbs in America. Just an hour away, Mount Graham, however, is the most difficult. A short drive away and pros love training at Green Valley’s Madera Canyon, Whipple Observatory, Kitt Peak and even Arizona’s greatest century ride – Amado to Sasabe, Arizona on the Mexican border!
Want to get away from traffic and enjoy our clean, dry air? Start anywhere on the Tucson Loop and bike over 100 miles! The Loop connects to beautiful Oro Valley and the Catalinas. From there, enjoy another 80 miles of bike paths and streets with wide bike lanes.
Grab your road bike or rent a bike from Tucson Bike Rentals and Tours. Or better yet, hire one of our personal tour guides to give you a custom half day bike tour, mixed with road biking instruction. Tours are a fun way to go on rides that only us locals know about! Get away from the city and discover an off-beat path and road bike Arizona like you are a local! Call us today at 520-338-8536.
Just north of Tucson, Oro Valley is perhaps the best place in Tucson for riders of any level to enjoy. There are 79 miles of routes, paths and signed routes. You can bike and hardly experience any traffic. The 40 miler of El Tour de Tucson starts in Oro Valley, validating this clean, upscale community next to the Catalinas as a premier American cycling destination and the best area in Tucson – and Arizona for that matter – to start a biking vacation.
The Tucson Loop shared use bike path puts Tucson cycling in a class by itself with over 100 miles of paved bike paths that are wonderful for riders of all levels. Got the mojo? Our bike paths connect to beautiful Oro Valley and 80 more miles of paved bike paths and roads with bike lanes. Looking for fun “things to do”? Rent a bike from us and get rolling!
“I took several of my staffers on a fantastic mountain bike experience near the Mexican border. The guides are real pros!”
Doctor James Lunney, Ottawa Canada
“We were looking for something adventurous and wow! We found it. We did both road biking and a mountain bike tour and my family loved it.”
John Grosh, Denver Colorado