Tucson’s Most Dangerous Routes: Cycling Rides We Do Not Like
Oro Valley/Tucson is indeed the greatest place on earth for road biking, but here are areas you should stay away from or exercise caution.
Highway 83 to Sonoita Road Bike Route
Highway 83 offers little in the way of edge forcing motorists into the other lane.
This is often a favorite of national bike tours who stroll into our town. You will ride white-knuckled with no edge and many blind spots. Check out our video to learn why this is an accident lawyer’s dream ride. Sadly, GABA (GREATER Arizona Bicycle Association (GABA) and many tours have used this dangerous route for rides. Arizona Highway Patrol are really against cyclists being on this road. You have the legal right to do it if you have the stomach.
Highway 83 to Sonoita is not recommended by local police
Gates Pass/McCain Loop Ride of Tucson
Gates Pass of Tucson offers no shoulder and what edge show is now crumbling
We recommend this for experienced riders only. For almost the entire cycling route, cyclists ride without an edge and face blind spots going up Gates Pass coming up from Tucson. We do like this ride as an early morning biking experience during the non-tourist and low-traffic season.
These Tucson Shootout idiots take over the road creating road rage
El Tour de Tucson Bike Route
Many people come to Tucson to bike The El Tour de Tucson route, which changes year to year. This is a mistake to do on your own as much of the ride will take cyclists through congested areas. The best and most scenic of the El Tour cycling route is in Oro Valley, which is no longer featured by El Tour since the old ownership failed to make payments to the city for police support. Scrap this idea and go with one of our other Tucson cycling route suggestions.
There are much better century rides to be had in Tucson. A good alternative is the Amado to Green Valley/Arivaca to Sasabe Century Ride, which features a really intense climb and a fun ride to the Mexican border and back. Take this route ONLY on weekends as the rancher traffic is sparse.
Green Valley to Amado to Sasabe Road Bike Route:
www.tucsonbikerentals.org/2014/11/26/road-bike-tucsons-old-west/
Marsh Station Road Bike Ride – Tucson/Vail
The Marsh Station road has degraded greatly
Avoid this cycling route altogether. This biking road has not been maintained in years and has glaring potholes. It is a great place to try your hand at fixing flat tires while losing your fillings.
There are some local Tucson road bike group and bike shops who offer shop rides that will take you on these routes. You are definitely safer in numbers. We would prefer road bikers to avoid these routes.
Long and short: Tucson and Southern Arizona offers unlimited safe road cycling opportunities. While some of these routes are indeed very scenic and challenging, the upside may not be worth the downside.
For more information on road biking in Tucson, go to The Arizona Bicycle Association located at BikeAZ.org. For road bike or mountain bike rentals in Tucson, go to Tucson Bike Rentals.
