Established in 2007, the "Tour of Arad" is Israel's premiere road cycling stage race. Since 2015 the event also incorporates the "Gran Fondo Arad Dead Sea", a mass participation event for road cyclists of all levels. The event is Israel's largest road cycling festival, with over 700 participants from Israel and abroad. It takes place in the mild early-spring weather on the Negev desert’s beautiful roads passing through natural and historical monuments such as the Dead Sea, Massada National Park, the Big Crater and the famous climb up Scorpions' Pass. The event is co-organized by the Israel Cycling Federation and Gran Fondo Israel. In 2019 the event will move to a new location in the Arava region of southern Israel, and will incorporate the UCI-sanctioned women elite Scorpions’ Pass TT and Tour of Arava RR.