Best Cycling Events Worldwide

Cycling events has gotten complicated with all the new races, series expansions, and corporate sponsorship deals flying around. As someone who has chased start lines across three continents, I learned everything there is to know about which events are actually worth your time and money. Today, I will share it all with you.

I remember my first “big” event — a local century ride in New Jersey that I thought was the pinnacle of cycling. Then a buddy dragged me to a European sportive and my entire perspective shifted. The world of cycling events is huge, varied, and honestly kind of overwhelming if you don’t know where to start. So let me walk you through the ones that actually matter.

Tour de France

I mean, you knew this was going to be first. The Tour de France is the Super Bowl, World Cup, and Wimbledon of cycling all rolled into one. Three weeks in July, roughly 3,500 kilometers, and terrain that goes from billiard-table flat to “why is the road going straight up” in the Alps and Pyrenees. The yellow jersey is the most iconic piece of clothing in sports, fight me on that.

I’ve watched stages from the roadside twice, and the energy is indescribable. Fans camp out for hours, cowbells clanging, people in ridiculous costumes running alongside the riders. Nothing else in cycling comes close to the spectacle.

Giro d’Italia

Probably should have led with this section, honestly. A lot of cycling fans I know actually prefer the Giro to the Tour. It runs every May across Italy, covers about 3,500 kilometers over three weeks, and the racing tends to be more aggressive and unpredictable. The pink jersey (maglia rosa) is gorgeous, and the Italian fans are absolutely unhinged in the best possible way.

The mountain stages through the Dolomites are some of the most beautiful racing you’ll ever see. Hairpin turns, snow-capped peaks, narrow roads carved into cliffsides. If the Tour is a blockbuster movie, the Giro is the critically acclaimed indie film that the diehards love more.

Vuelta a Espana

The Vuelta rounds out the Grand Tour trio. It runs August through September, covers around 3,000 kilometers, and honestly doesn’t get the respect it deserves. The Spanish climbs are absolutely brutal — steep, punchy, and relentless. The red jersey goes to the overall leader.

What I love about the Vuelta is the late-summer timing. The heat in Spain adds a whole extra dimension. Riders are already fatigued from a long season, which leads to some wild racing. Some of the most memorable finishes in recent years have come from the Vuelta.

Paris-Roubaix

The Hell of the North. About 260 kilometers of suffering every April, with huge chunks of it on cobblestones that will rattle your fillings loose. This is the race that separates the tough from the merely fit. Riders finish covered in mud, dust, and sometimes blood.

A Paris-Roubaix win means something different than any other victory. It says you can suffer more than anyone else and still pedal. The cobbled sectors have names and reputations — the Arenberg trench is basically a war zone on wheels. Absolutely love watching this one every year.

La Marmotte

This is where it gets personal for amateur riders like most of us. La Marmotte is a sportive in the French Alps every July — 174 kilometers through the Col du Glandon, Col du Galibier, and finishing on Alpe d’Huez. Yes, those Alpe d’Huez switchbacks. The same ones the Tour de France pros climb.

I’ve talked to people who’ve done it and every single one says it’s the hardest thing they’ve ever done on a bike. But also the most rewarding. It’s on my bucket list and I’m hoping to cross it off soon.

Amgen Tour of California

The biggest pro cycling event in the US. Eight days, about 1,000 kilometers through California’s ridiculously diverse landscape. Coastal highways, wine country, mountain passes, desert roads — all in one race. The event has attracted some of the biggest names in the sport and put American stage racing on the map.

RideLondon

A newer event that’s quickly become massive. Started in 2013 and held every August, RideLondon features a 100-mile sportive on closed roads through London and out into the Surrey Hills. Closed roads in central London! Think about that for a second. Where else do you get to ride through a major capital city without worrying about buses?

It’s accessible to all levels too, which I appreciate. Not everything needs to be a sufferfest. Sometimes you just want a great ride through beautiful countryside with thousands of other cyclists.

Tour Down Under

Every January while the Northern Hemisphere is buried in snow, the Tour Down Under kicks off the UCI World Tour in Adelaide, Australia. Multiple stages, summer heat that can push past 40 degrees Celsius, and a crowd that brings the party. The Australians know how to put on a cycling event. Festive atmosphere, vineyards nearby, and some genuinely challenging racing in the Adelaide Hills.

Cape Epic

If mountain biking is your thing, the Cape Epic in South Africa is the one. Eight days, about 700 kilometers of rugged terrain and technical singletrack. You ride in teams of two, which adds a whole strategic and interpersonal element. You have to work together, communicate, manage energy as a unit. It’s brutal and beautiful in equal measure.

Transcontinental Race

This one is for the truly obsessed. A self-supported race across Europe covering roughly 4,000 kilometers. No support cars, no team buses, no route — just checkpoints. You pick your own path, carry your own gear, fix your own mechanicals, and sleep (or don’t sleep) whenever you want. It’s the purest expression of endurance cycling I can think of. Not for the faint of heart, obviously.

L’Etape du Tour

Want to ride a stage of the Tour de France? Actual same roads, same climbs, same everything — just without the pro peloton trying to drop you? L’Etape du Tour lets amateurs do exactly that every July. Thousands of cyclists tackle the same legendary terrain as their heroes. It’s the closest most of us will ever get to riding the Tour, and people come from all over the world for it.

Dirty Kanza (Unbound Gravel)

The gravel scene has absolutely exploded and Dirty Kanza — now called Unbound Gravel — is ground zero. Two hundred miles through the Flint Hills of Kansas every June. Rough gravel roads, unpredictable weather, and the kind of mental challenge that makes road centuries feel like warmups. Finishing this race earns you serious credibility in the cycling world. The growth of this event has been insane to watch.

Haute Route

That’s what makes the Haute Route series endearing to us cycling obsessives — it gives amateurs the genuine multi-day stage race experience in the world’s greatest mountain ranges. Alps, Pyrenees, Dolomites — they’ve got events in all of them. Timed stages, full support, and routes that would challenge even strong riders. If you’ve ever wondered what it feels like to race a mini Grand Tour, this is your answer.

Maratona dles Dolomites

A one-day granfondo through the Italian Dolomites every July. The longest route is 138 kilometers with over 4,000 meters of climbing. The scenery is unreal — jagged peaks, green valleys, winding roads that seem to float through the mountains. The atmosphere is festive and international. Getting an entry is actually the hardest part — they run a lottery because demand is so insanely high.

Flanders Classics

The spring Classics in Belgium are cycling culture at its purest. The Tour of Flanders is the crown jewel — cobbles, short steep climbs (the “hellingen”), beer-fueled crowds, and a history that goes back over a century. Riding these roads feels like stepping into cycling’s past. The cobbled bergs like the Koppenberg and the Oude Kwaremont are legendary for good reason.

Three Peaks Cyclo-Cross

Yorkshire, England. Thirty-eight miles. Three peaks. Parts where you literally carry your bike up a mountain. This is cyclo-cross taken to the extreme. The course covers rideable sections and sections where you’re scrambling over rocks with a bike on your shoulder. It’s absurd and magnificent. A true test of everything — fitness, bike handling, stubbornness.

Race Across America (RAAM)

About 3,000 miles from the Pacific to the Atlantic. Twelve days maximum. Solo or team. This is the Mount Everest of endurance cycling events. Riders push through sleep deprivation, desert heat, Appalachian mountains, and the vast American interior. The mental demands are arguably even greater than the physical ones. Absolutely next-level stuff.

Big Sur Bike Ride

Not everything has to be about suffering. The Big Sur bike ride along the Pacific Coast Highway in California is proof of that. Non-competitive, gorgeous ocean views, rugged coastline, one of the most iconic roads in the world. You ride it to soak in the beauty, not to destroy yourself. Sometimes that’s exactly what you need as a cyclist.

Tour of Oman

Part of the UCI Asia Tour and held every February, the Tour of Oman offers something completely different from European racing. Desert landscapes, coastal roads, and dramatic mountainous terrain — all against a backdrop of ancient forts and Middle Eastern culture. It’s a six-day race that’s growing in international recognition, and the stunning scenery makes it unlike anything else on the calendar.

Ironman World Championship — Kailua-Kona

I know, I know — technically a triathlon. But the 180.2-kilometer bike leg at Kona is one of the most legendary cycling challenges on the planet. October in Hawaii, searing heat, volcanic winds on the Queen K highway, and a field of the fittest athletes in the world. If you can ride well at Kona, you can ride well anywhere. The cycling community and the triathlon community overlap heavily here, and rightfully so.

• There’s genuinely something for every type of cyclist on this list — road purist, gravel junkie, mountain biker, or someone who just wants a beautiful ride.
• Traveling for cycling events opens doors to new cultures, landscapes, and friendships you’d never find otherwise.
• The sense of accomplishment from finishing any of these — whether it’s a local sportive or a multi-day epic — sticks with you for life.