Not exactly sure what road racing means, if that is two skinny wheels riding on pavement 100+ miles then you should look at Tucson, AZ and Silver City, NM.
Tucson is large enough to have affordable housing, Silver City is small and bum fuck enough to have affordable housing.
Both have cycling communities.
Silver City just had the Tour de Gila, a fairly well known road event. Tucson has hundreds of miles of road and 330+ days of sunshine each year and at least one race whose name escapes me.
Tucson will have much more options for nightlife and women, University of Arizona is local, and a large outdoor scene (biking, hiking, running). Tucson is surrounded by "sky islands" which are mountain ranges that rise out of the desert. Silver City is a small community at the edge of the Gila Wilderness and is a mix of cowboys, miners, hippies, artists, and outdoorsy types.
Colorado would probably be ideal, but cost prohibitive. Durango may fit your price range.
Flagstaff AZ would be my first choice given your criteria, but not sure if it fits the budget.
tldr:
check out:
-Flagstaff, AZ
-Tucson, AZ
-Silver City, NM
-Durango, CO
The first 3 all have colleges and likely affordable housing. They all have top notch natural beauty nearby. The top 3 are guaranteed to have road racing and all 4 will have MTB.
Tucson is large enough to have affordable housing, Silver City is small and bum fuck enough to have affordable housing.
Both have cycling communities.
Silver City just had the Tour de Gila, a fairly well known road event. Tucson has hundreds of miles of road and 330+ days of sunshine each year and at least one race whose name escapes me.
Tucson will have much more options for nightlife and women, University of Arizona is local, and a large outdoor scene (biking, hiking, running). Tucson is surrounded by "sky islands" which are mountain ranges that rise out of the desert. Silver City is a small community at the edge of the Gila Wilderness and is a mix of cowboys, miners, hippies, artists, and outdoorsy types.
Colorado would probably be ideal, but cost prohibitive. Durango may fit your price range.
Flagstaff AZ would be my first choice given your criteria, but not sure if it fits the budget.
tldr:
check out:
-Flagstaff, AZ
-Tucson, AZ
-Silver City, NM
-Durango, CO
The first 3 all have colleges and likely affordable housing. They all have top notch natural beauty nearby. The top 3 are guaranteed to have road racing and all 4 will have MTB.