From a cycling perspective, Tucson is most famous for Mount Lemmon, one of the great climbs in the U.S. It’s also well known as a winter cycling destination for people from the cold northern climes.
While Mt Lemmon is the most famous ride in Tucson, there are many other good rides in the area. There is an excellent book about road rides around Tucson, so I generally won’t bother describing the ones in the book.
One ride that distinguishes Tucson from most other cities is The Loop, which consists of a 54 mile loop around the city, and several spurs which can add considerable distance.
Besides the rides out of Tucson, I describe several wonderful rides that involve driving to the start, rides such as Salt River Canyon, the Mining Country Loop, and Parker Canyon Lake.
Map showing the start of the rides below.
Mount Lemmon
Tucson Trifecta: Graham, Lemmon, Kitt
The Steepest Climb in Tucson
The Five Fingers of West Tucson
The Seven Snakes of Silverbell
The Tucson Mountains Inner Loop
The Tucson Mountains Outer Loop
Mount Wrightson Road Loop
Arivaca Road
Sonoita to Parker Canyon Lake
Fort Huachuca Loop
Salt River Canyon Century
Mining Country Loop
Winkelman to Globe and back
The Loop
Cycle Uphill 