Tag Archives: Bicycle

Ben’s Bikes Saturday B/C Ride

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Ben’s Bikes Saturday B/C Ride

A great east-side option for riders looking for a friendly, moderately paced Saturday morning group ride. The Ben’s Bikes B/C Ride is a no-drop road ride typically covering about 30 miles, with routes changing from week to week.

Being based on Tucson’s southeast side gives the group access to some terrific riding, including Saguaro National Park East and other routes around Vail, Rita Ranch and southeast Tucson. The emphasis is on riding together rather than racing, making this a good choice for cyclists who are comfortable riding in a group but don’t want the pressure of Tucson’s faster drop rides.

When: Saturday mornings
Distance: About 30 miles
Level: B/C
Ride: No drop
Routes: Saguaro East and other southeast Tucson routes
Vibe: Friendly, social and moderately paced

Ben’s Bikes of Tucson

Address: 7431 S. Houghton Road, Suite 100, Tucson, AZ
Phone: 520-574-2453
Website: Ben’s Bikes of Tucson
Facebook: Ben’s Bikes Tucson

Ride times and routes can change with the season. Call the shop or check Ben’s Bikes on social media for the latest ride details.

Tucson Bicycle Classic

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tbc road race-31

The Tucson Bicycle Classic brings four days of road racing to four very different parts of the Tucson region, combining serious competition with some of the roads and scenery that have made Southern Arizona a winter cycling destination.

The racing begins Thursday with the Marana Time Trial, a fast 4.5-mile prologue on the Chuck Huckelberry Loop where every rider races Eddie Merckx style and the first leaders of the General Classification are determined.

Friday brings the Sahuarita Road Race, racing in the reverse direction of Tucson’s legendary Shootout route. The 20.5-mile circuit around the Helmet Peak area combines climbing, rollers, fast descents and wide-open desert roads where tactics and teamwork come into play.

On Saturday, racing moves into the heart of Tucson for the Rio Nuevo Tucson Criterium. The 0.73-mile course alongside historic Barrio Viejo features tight corners and a 180-degree turnaround, with cafés, restaurants and breweries nearby. With racing throughout the day, this may be the best stage for spectators who want to experience the speed and excitement of bike racing up close.

The weekend finishes Sunday with the Oro Valley Circuit Race, a fast and tactical 2.8-mile course featuring rolling terrain and a punchy uphill finish on Musette Drive. Spectator areas and a finish-line beer garden make the finale as much fun to watch as it is difficult to race.

Four days. Four communities. Four completely different courses. Whether you’re racing for the GC or simply want to see what competitive road cycling looks like from a few feet away, the Tucson Bicycle Classic is a great showcase of why Tucson has become one of America’s great cycling communities.

February 18–21, 2027 | Tucson, Marana, Sahuarita & Oro Valley

Mt. Graham- State Hill Climb Championships

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The Mt. Graham Hill Climb is one of Arizona’s classic tests on two wheels and the Arizona State Hill Climb Championship. Starting outside Safford, the race heads straight up the Swift Trail into the Pinaleño Mountains, trading Sonoran Desert for pine forest and cool mountain air as the road climbs higher and higher.

And when we say climb, we mean climb. The full course is roughly 20 miles with about 5,700 feet of elevation gain, making Mt. Graham one of the biggest sustained road climbs in Arizona. Shorter 10-mile categories are offered for some age and masters divisions.

This isn’t a ride where you’re wondering when the next hill starts. The hill is the ride. Pace yourself, settle into a rhythm, enjoy the changing landscape and try to remember to look around occasionally as you climb thousands of feet above the desert floor.

For racers, there are Arizona State Championship titles on the line. For everyone else, there is the satisfaction of reaching the top of one of the most formidable paved climbs in the Southwest.

20 miles. 5,700 feet of climbing. One very large mountain.

September 20, 2026 | Safford, Arizona
47th Annual Mt. Graham Hill Climb

Tucson 10er

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Tucson 10’er at Old Tucson may have one of the most uniquely Tucson settings of any mountain bike race. This 10-hour endurance race takes place at historic Old Tucson, the legendary movie studio where countless Westerns were filmed, surrounded by towering saguaros and the rugged Tucson Mountains.

Race solo, as a duo, or put together a team and spend the day ripping wicked-fast Sonoran Desert singletrack. Between laps, Old Tucson becomes part race headquarters and part party, with a large barn, bar, stage, vendors, and plenty of room for racers, friends, and families to hang out.

And the location is hard to beat. You’re riding through classic Sonoran Desert scenery with Saguaro National Park next door, the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum just down the road, and Tucson only a short drive over the hill.

Come to race hard, trade laps with friends, or simply spend a January day riding bikes through the saguaros. Ten hours of fast singletrack, Old West atmosphere, spectacular desert scenery, and a venue you won’t find anywhere else.

January 16, 2027

SDMB Poker Ride

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The SDMB Poker Ride is one of those events that captures what the Tucson mountain bike community is all about. Expect a who’s who of the local MTB scene, plenty of laughs, libations along the route, and a massive pile of prizes. Ride from station to station collecting cards, build your best poker hand, and see what you take home. With enough prizes that practically everyone walks away with something, this one is much more about community and fun than finishing times.

If you ride mountain bikes and want to become part of the Tucson mountain bike community, this is one of those rides you need to experience.

But perhaps you’re a runner. You’re welcome too. Come out and make the mountain bikers question their life choices as you fly past them on the climbs and technical sections.

Bikes, trails, friends, libations, questionable poker skills, and a whole lot of Tucson MTB culture.

VelociPrints

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VelociPrint Bicycle Art Show celebrates two things Tucson does exceptionally well: art and bicycles. Tucson has become a mecca for public art, murals, galleries, and working artists, while also earning an international reputation as one of the best cycling destinations in the country.

And really, Tucson is known for three things just about every cycling tourist cares about: Art. Food. Bikes. VelociPrint brings two of those together, showcasing original bicycle-inspired artwork created by local artists and celebrating the creativity that is such a big part of Tucson’s identity.

This year, VelociPrint has teamed up with El Tour de Tucson for a special show at The Grand on the Tuesday before El Tour, adding art to the weeklong celebration surrounding one of Tucson’s signature cycling events. It’s a natural fit for a community where cycling is more than a sport and art is more than something hanging on a gallery wall. Both are woven into the culture of Tucson.

Nogales Bicycle Classic – Road Race State Championships

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Nogales Bicycle Classic

October 17, 2026 | Nogales, Arizona

There are plenty of organized rides where the attraction is the distance or the challenge. The Nogales Bicycle Classic offers something a little different: a chance to experience a part of Southern Arizona that many people have driven through, but relatively few have explored from the seat of a bicycle.

Now in its 14th year, the Nogales Bicycle Classic combines rolling terrain, wide-open views, Southern Arizona history and the unique culture of one of Arizona’s great border communities.

And don’t let the word “Classic” fool you. There is plenty of climbing out there.

A Different Side of Southern Arizona

Nogales sits in some of the most beautiful country in Southern Arizona. This isn’t the classic Tucson landscape of saguaros and sprawling desert.

Here, the elevation is higher, the terrain rolls, grasslands stretch toward distant mountains and the roads take you through a landscape shaped by ranching, history and generations of people moving between Arizona and Mexico.

October is also a pretty great time to experience it from a bicycle.

The Nogales Bicycle Classic offers multiple distances for different abilities, whether you’re looking for a challenging day in the saddle or simply want to get out, ride and experience someplace new.

This is a ride where looking up from your handlebars is highly encouraged.

More Than a Bike Ride

Part of what makes the Nogales Bicycle Classic special is Nogales itself.

This is a community with a culture and identity unlike anywhere else in Arizona. The influences of Mexico and the United States aren’t separated neatly by a line on a map. Food, families, history, language, business and traditions have crossed that border for generations.

The Bicycle Classic gives riders another way to experience that community.

Come down for the ride, but don’t be in too much of a hurry to leave when you’re finished. Explore Nogales, find something good to eat and make the bicycle ride part of a day discovering a corner of Arizona you may not know nearly as well as you think.

Ride With a Purpose

The Nogales Bicycle Classic is also a community event with a purpose. Proceeds help support local causes, allowing a day spent riding your bicycle to have an impact long after everyone crosses the finish line.

That combination of cycling, community and giving back is a big part of what makes smaller regional rides like this worth supporting.

You don’t need thousands of riders or a giant expo to create a great cycling event. Sometimes you need a beautiful route, a welcoming community and a few hundred people who believe spending an October morning exploring Southern Arizona by bicycle sounds like a pretty good idea.

Worth the Drive South

If most of your Southern Arizona riding happens around Tucson, Oro Valley or the Catalina Mountains, put the Nogales Bicycle Classic on your calendar and point the car south.

Bring your bike. Bring some friends. Expect some hills.

And give yourself enough time afterward to enjoy Nogales.

Ride someplace different. Experience a border community from the seat of a bicycle. And discover another beautiful corner of Southern Arizona.

74 Miles

USAC, Gran Fondo

Start Time: 8:00-8:05

62 Miles

USAC, Gran Fondo
Start Time: 9:00-9:10

40 Miles

USAC, Gran Fondo

Start Time: 8:20-8:30

20 Miles

Gran Fondo

Start Time: 9:15 Bicycle Classic

Tour De Palm Springs

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The 29th Tour de Palm Springs in Coachella Valley is one of the largest and most festive cycling charity events of its kind in America. Every year, we entertain up to 8,000 cyclists from 46 different states and 4 countries. Since 1998, and with the help of 1,500 volunteers, the Tour de Palm Springs has raised nearly $5,000,000 for over 150 local nonprofit organizations.

The first 7,000 registrants will be entered into a drawing for a FREE weekend stay at the Palm Springs Hilton. Each cyclists and walker will receive a Tour de Palm Springs in the Coachella Valley finishers medal. E-Bikes are welcome. Rentals and repairs available at Bike Wheel Tours and Tri a Bike.

Each cyclists and walker will receive a Tour de Palm Springs in the Coachella Valley finishers medal.

E-Bikes are welcome
Rentals and repairs available at Bike Wheel Tours and Tri a Bike.

SDMB Poker Ride

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The whose who of the Tucson MTB scene will be there. It will have libations on the route, massive amounts of prizes for the best hand, everyone wins something. Want to be a part of the Tucson Mountain Bike Community/ Then this is a ride you must do.

 

But perhaps you are a runner… you are welcome to come out and make the riders look slow as you fly up the hills and technical sections.

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