According to Outdoor Magazine’s recent “Top 10 Bike Towns”, Tucson ranks as the best bike town in the country! This adds another praiseworthy distinction to the Old Pueblo that many residents already have realized. What exactly makes a town ideal for cycling? The magazine’s website states, “This college town is surrounded by mountains but also hosts more than 700 miles of bike lanes, two factors that put Tucson on top of the Outside list.”
“From an Outside perspective, good cycling means more than bike lanes and flat routes for commuting to work,” the website proclaims. “We want interesting topography, and sometimes that means a lung-burning ascent or two (or three) on scenic roads. We want sweet singletrack and solitude, but we also want great places to gather for a post-ride drink.”
Even among Tucson perhaps one of the areas that best fits this description is the Rancho Vistoso master-planned community. Every day and especially on weekends you’ll see a tremendous amount of cycling activity. Rancho Vistoso is an ideal location with its wide, divided main thoroughfare that also has spacious bike lanes. Add in the proximity of bike paths nearby and a bevy of Starbukcs or other restaurants to meet before & after for refreshments, and it’s easy to see why such activity exists.
Other top bike towns cited by the magazine include Boulder and Durango in Colorado; Madison, Wis.; Missoula, Mont.; Burlington, Vt.; Ashland, Ore.; Flagstaff; Santa Fe, N.M.; and Chico, Calif.
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