Eighty miles west  of Austin,  the Texas Hill Country is a scenic, uncrowded region of wooded hills and clear, spring-fed streams that offers some of the best road biking in America’s  Sunbelt,  especially  fall  through spring when most northern states are buried in snow. The two top cycling areas are, first:  the network of  low-traffic backroads that web the hills around Fredericksburg, a town  founded by German pioneers where biergartens  and German  culture  still  flourish;  and  second:  the  spectacular  100-Mile Mountain Loop in the western Hills where it’s more like Switzerland than Texas.

In  a  single week,  this  author’s  favorite bike  tour  takes  you  exploring  the  most exciting and rewarding roads in both areas (see  Resources).  While  pedaling  the  full length of the 100-Mile Mountain Loop you will  ride  for miles  through  the canyons of rivers  like  the Frio and Nueces, and wind along  high  ridges  like Horse  Collar  Bend, the highest road in the Hill Country.

Then  I  recommend  you  spend  three full  days  cycling  the  rolling  hills  near Fredericksburg, where one  loop ride takes you to Enchanted Rock, a huge pink dome of bare slickrock. On another, you cycle to the Willow City Loop,  famed  for  its  stunning  panoramas  and  blazing  displays  of bluebonnets  each  spring.  Both  rides  take you  through  the  heart  of  the  Hills,  past stone and  log  farmhouses built more  than a  century  ago  by  German  pioneers,  and through miles of open range where herds of
sheep and goats often wander on the roads.Motels  abound  in  Fredericksburg, which  is  an  excellent  place  to  overnight, as are Kerrville, Laekey, Rock Springs, and Junction.  State  parks  with  campgrounds also  exist  near most  overnight  stops. My recommended  route  will  have  you  pedal
nearly 400 miles, with an average day’s ride of  55  miles,  all  on  paved  roads.  Though it’s possible  to  ride  the Hill Country year-round,  the  best  times  are  spring  and  fall — mid-March through mid-May, and mid-September through mid-November. Resources:  The  website  www.tourvelo.org/txhills.html covers  every  aspect  of  Hill Country bike touring, including maps, when to go, state park campgrounds, overnight accommodations,  caveats,  and  a  complete  day-by-day tour itinerary with a route description.
–Norman Ford

link to the top ten tours