Best Road Cycling Events in the Southwest 2023
Updated Nov 6, 2022
Strambecco rates the Top Gravel events in the Southwest for 2023 based on factors including reputation, route quality, location, rider feedback, and the overall uniqueness of the event or race. Spanning California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico, the Southwest terrain features of Strambecco’s best list includes mountains, canyons, mesas, buttes, high broad basins, plateaus, desert lands, and some plains characteristic of the Basin and Range Province. The entire southwestern region features semi-arid to arid terrain. The list includes events in Northern California marked by old-growth forests, spectacular coastal routes, and generally cooler temperatures.
If we had to pick the best of the best, or those you’d classify as bucket list events, we’d recommend two Northern California events, Levi’s Gran Fondo in the Spring and Tour of CA Alps (aka The Death Ride) in July. We’d also recommend the Utah-Cache Gran Fondo in the Fall. We find a strong correlation between the best events and professional event producers. The Southwest premiere event producers include Outside Events, Life Time Events, and the Gran Fondo National Series.
Strambecco does not list every event. We strive to identify and review events that are special and noteworthy. If you have suggestions on other events we should consider or review, please get in touch with us here or send us a note at editors@strambecco.com. You can also see some of our other best guides here:
The Sea Otter Classic, produced by Life Time Events, is a classic and the largest festival and gathering of cycling enthusiasts in North America. Professional and amateur athletes make the annual pilgrimage…
Holualoa Companies hosts the 30th El Tour de Mesa ride of 100 kilometers, known as the most scenic Metric Century in the world! The start and finish lines are Red Mountain Park…
Levi’s (King Ridge) Gran Fondo is one of the best Gran Fondo’s world over, let alone in America or California. The event’s namesake is former world tour pro rider Levi Leipheimer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Levi_Leipheimer. …
The Utah-Cache Gran Fondo is an annual Italian-style ride in Cache Valley in Northern Utah that has consistently been ranked as one of the best Gran Fondo’s in North America and is…
The Death Ride started in 1978 when five guys decided to cycle the California Alps in one day, with just the support of friends and family following along in a vehicle. The…
Southern California’s annual Tour de Big Bear ride starts and finishes at Bear Mountain Resort, including the Big Bear Cycling Expo. Rated by Strambecco as one of the best road cycling events in…
The Enchanted Circle Bicycle Tour, produced by Outside Events, offers riders some of the most picturesque riding in the southwest and a unique opportunity to experience the raw natural beauty of Northern…
The LoToJa was started in 1983 by two Logan cyclists, David Bern, a student at Utah State University, and Jeff Keller, the owner of Sunrise Cyclery. The two men wanted a race…
Mammoth Mountain Community Foundation presents Mammoth Gran Fondo, a fun and challenging event that offers three courses for various levels of road cyclists that starts at 8,074 ft elevation, covers 102 miles,…
Former UCI Pro Yens Voigt is teaming with the Gran Fondo National Series to produce the annual Jensie Gran Fondo. The event returns to Novato, CA, for a start/finish at Stafford Lake…
Valley Spokesmen Bicycling Club is celebrating the 40th annual Mt Diablo Challenge, an 11.2-mile ride that climbs to the summit of Mount Diablo, one of the highest peaks in the Bay Area.…
2023 will mark the 40th annual edition of the Tour of Tucson, one of Arizona’s largest and longest-running participative events. Held the Saturday before Thanksgiving every year, El Tour is a fundraising…