2023 marks the 40th year for the El Tour de Tucson. Over 7,000 cyclists ride in this event (that’s huge!) and they have a ride for everyone. El Tour de Tucson is about charity, community, health and wellness and it is truly a ride you should check out at least one.
El Tour De Tucson is held every year on the Saturday before Thanksgiving. Amateurs and pros of all ages and abilities participate. It’s a great way to see Tucson by bike and meet new people.
Our Experience
Our trip to Tucson happened to coincide with El Tour de Tucson. Randy did the 109 mile ride while Kalden and I did the 6 mile fun ride. This is a great event attracting over 9,000 cyclists of all ages. Kalden and I got up early to watch the 109 mile ride take off at 7am. It was a huge group and it took about 10 minutes for all the riders to cross the start line.
At 8am we lined up for the fun ride. It was mostly families (except for #30). Kalden was very excited to be up front and start “the race.” As always once we actually started he became cautious and made sure to stay in control and be aware of the cyclists around him. It was a good strategy as the group ability amounted to a bunch of kids and inexperienced cyclists. When the road opened up Kalden did put the hammer down. The event was very well run. There were police at every intersection stopping traffic for us and about 3 aid stations for the 6 miles. The crowd for the fun ride was also refreshing to see. In Colorado these types of events are dominated by hardcore cyclists trying to get their kids interested in the sport. Here it was mostly non-cycling families out to enjoy this event and spend time together. At the end everyone got a medal and there were smiles all around.
Since we had to wait a few hours for Randy we headed to Whole Foods and then In and Out for a well deserved burger! When we got back to the event around 11:30 the first cyclists were finishing. It was a tough year with 20-30 MPH winds. Randy came in around 6.5 hours and was beat. He pretty much did the ride “off the couch.” He was still very excited about the event and experience. It was amazing to see the amount of people and the different types of riders. Some people were out on the course for 11 hours! An event to keep on the radar if you are in Tucson around Thanksgiving!
El Tour de Tucson 2023 Dates
The event will take place on Saturday, November 18, 2023.
El Tour De Tucson 2023 Routes
All Rides/Routes start and finish in downtown Tucson.
- The Century (7:00am start)
102 Mile - The Metric Century (9:00 am start)
62 Mile/100 Kilometer - The Half Metric Century (10:15 am start)
32 Mile/50 Kilometer - The FUN Rides! (8:00 am start)
10 Mile / 5 Mile / 1 Mile
The Century
The Metric Century
The Metric Half Century
Tour De Tucson Expo
The Expo & Fiesta is at the Eckbo Plaza of the Tucson Convention Center. Most of the activities including the live music, food, beer garden and exhibitors are outside.
The longer routes enter the Sonoran desert including Davis Monthan Air Force Base, the mountainous and saguaro lined vistas of Old Spanish Trail, and Colossal Cave. The route will also pass through the communities of Corona de Tucson, Vail, Sahuarita and Green Valley.
Note: Rides close at 4:00 pm. All support ends at that time. Each aid station will close prior to that time according to a schedule that will allow finishes by 4:00pm.
Fun Rides
The Fun Ride is only $15 per cyclist.
There are three to chose from and all start at 8AM on Cushing Street (just south of the Tucson Convention Center).
- 10-mile course starting on Cushing Street (just south of the Tucson Convention Center) and heads to the Santa Cruz River multi-use path – scenic and mostly away from traffic.
- 5-mile course: easy and mostly flat along the Santa Cruz river path.
- 1-mile course a very easy, all flat ride out-and-back ! Starting on Cushing Street (just south of the Tucson Convention Center) to Stone, to 18th Street, to Meyer and then back to Cushing Street.
Family Notes: Pulling a child (pulled in a trailer or a kid in a seat on the bike) is FREE for the child but full registration is needed and the adult must register and fully pay the entry fee.
If you are signed up to ride in El Tour’s late morning events (the 63 mile or the 32 mile) you can ride one of these before the event with your kid!
Where to Stay in Tucson
You definitely want to be staying near downtown for this ride. Tucson is huge and even driving 10 miles and take forever with the traffic and lights. Tucson is just not an easy town to drive around. Plan to bike to the start line.
Best Spots (within 1 mile of start/finish)
Doubletree Convention Center – This hotel is right at the start/finish/expo! Can’t get a better location than this but book early.
Hampton Inn – Also a good location plus they have a nice pool and breakfast options.
The Downtown Clifton – If you want a more unique and vintage vibe check this hotel out. The price is also reasonable for being right downtown.
The Tuxon – Another unique and modern place is The Tuxon. They call it a hotel but think of it more like an upscale modernized motel. And that’s a good thing. the have a pool, a bar, and a fancy breakfast!
Things to Do in Tucson
Bike the Loop
Need to warm up for the event or want to spend more time biking after. Check out the loop for road riding routes around Tucson.
Visit Saguaro National Park
Both the East and West section of Saguaro National Park are amazing for biking, hiking, and sight seeing. We love the 8.3 mile The Cactus Forest Loop route around the east side. The views are unmatched and it’s an overall great experience on a bike. It’s one way so you don’t have to worry too much about speeding cars. The west side has a museum, campground, road and mountain biking!
Bike Mt Lemmon
If you’re in Tucson you need to bike up Mt. Lemmon at least once. You start off at about 2,500 ft surrounded by saguaro cactus and mesquite trees and climb to over 8,000 ft to pine trees and cool to cold temps. Mt Lemmon is a climbers dream road as the road is in great shape with a wide shoulder.
Tucson Bike Shops
Tucson is all about biking so there are plenty of shops for service, rentals, gear, and places to ship your bike.
El Tour De Tucson has a partner bike shop, Bicycle Ranch Tucson. They are able to receive your bike as well as assemble, disassemble and repack. Bicycle Ranch Tucson will receive your bike and reassemble, ensuring that things like your shifting is good and there was no damage in shipping. The assembly cost is $55 and if you are needing to repack the bike after El Tour, then the total price to $90.
Fair Wheel Bikes. Fair Wheel Bikes is Tucson oldest and most reputable bicycle shop. They have a famous road ride that leaves from there on the weekends called the Shoot Out. They are well known for specializing in high end exotic road bikes, especially through the internet, but do have a strong local shop presence in Tucson
Have you ridden the El Tour de Tucson? What did you think?