Best Road-Bike Insanity

Tucson Mountain Loop

STAFF PICK: Take Anklam Road over Gates Pass (the last mile is a big climb), turn right at Mile Wide toward the Desert Museum, then left onto McCain Loop Road (this is a big horseshoe with a really fun downhill, and a really hard uphill). When it comes back out on Mile Wide, turn right (back the way you came), continuing on past Old Tucson Studios on a roller-coaster stretch that turns into Kinney Road. Turn left on Ajo Way, and attack the long, false flat (read: slow climb) which dumps you onto flat Mission Road after about three or four miles. The whole trip is about 35 miles, over some of the most scenic desert you'll find in Pima County. This is a ride for intermediate to advanced cyclists only.