For me, the best riding, on and off-road are the areas in and around Big Bend National Park Texas, USA. Moab Utah is a close second.
For urban riding you can't beat Phoenix Arizona. Many streets have bike lanes. There are several places to mountain bike in town, the best are Dreamy Draw and South Mountain.
The Best organized rides are the Easter Hill Country Rides in and around Kerrville, Texas. If we have a wet Winter, the wildflowers will be outstanding. If you have a sense of adventure, join 10,000 other riders for the Hotter than Hell 100. The name says it all.
Where have you ridden?
T.
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If you were accused of being a Christian, would your enemies have enough evidence to convict you? -Ralph Waldo Emerson
If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him keep pace with the music he hears, however measured or far away. -Henry David Thoreau
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A nice tour is along the eastern bank of The Upper Mississippi River (Wisconsin side) from Minneapolis south as far as you want. The western bank is the infamous Hiway 61 and the northbound lane has very tiny shoulders and your chances of getting to feel like what a moth does when it hits the radiator of a semi are very real indeed....southbound shoulders are quite wide and safe, though.
Also consider the Sparta-Elroy Trail.....a recycled railroad line turned bike trail...very nice in spring and fall....summers are hot and humid.
California's Hiway 1 along the coast has some nice stuff going on between San Francisco and points far south: goes through Big Sur so be prepared for some climbing.
Here's a pic of my old (then brand-new) Motobecane Grand Touring road bike on the west bank of the Mississippi at Lake Pepin, MN looking eastward towards Maiden Rock in WI., circa 1977, I think....part of a 350 mile run from Mpls. over to WI and down the WI side to LaCrosse and back up the MN side and back to Mpls....a great run with a few days camping along the way......travel light, travel fast!
Aside: I had a girlfriend who rode her road bike from LaCrosse, WI on the Mississippi River all the way to Phoenix, AZ some 2000 miles. Watta trouper! I talked to her once after she got to Phoenix but lost her number in a move...wonder what ever happened to Kathy Stiegen, the infamous "Danger Rangerette" from Perrot State Park, Trempealeau, WI? I have met few women tougher than her....great gal even if she danced like a lumberjack! She had a racoon I couldn't pet and a beaver I could.......(rimshot).
RON
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Group: Celtic Nation
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One of my most rewarding rides was the first Seattle to Portland ride, held as a USCF-sanctioned time trial. I was one of the 70 riders (of 187) to finish, albeit well toward the last of the finishers. It has since grown into a recreational ride with up to 8000 riders a year. The organizers selected a day in June when good weather was expected. As it turned out, we faced rain, headwinds, and cool temperatures most of the way. I chose to ride more as a randonneur than time trialist and carried extra clothing and food, which may be why I was able to go the distance (a bit under a double century), while some of the pure time trialists dropped out along the way. At one point, I caught up with one of my time trialing buddies who was shaking so bad from hypothermia I was afraid he was going to fall off his bike. We stopped at a friendly establishment for some warming beverage. As I recall (CSR may have the best of me here), Jerry Baker, the NW's pre-eminent long-distance time trialer, finished in between 8 and 9 hours, while the rest of us took 10-14 hours (I was under 13 hours). A bit of a challenge, but all the more rewarding.
I grew up in Galveston, TX and rode there often especially between Houston/Galveston up I-45 but the weather is just too hot for me there so I moved to Waynesville NC near Asheville at age 17 the rides here are much more pleasant. The slope of the road gives you the excersize with out fighting the oppressive heat or humidity; in the fall the views are breath-taking, however the roads were not designed for bicyclist and the drivers just for sport seem to try and see how close they can get without actually hitting you.
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"when a person is prepared to die for a cause, and indeed to glory in such a death, it impossible to supress him or the cause it represents." Jawaharlal Nehru
"Only the suppressed word is dangerous." Ludwig Borne
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One of the highest ranked bike routes in the USA is highway 101 in Oregon. The Oregon coast is absolutely beautiful -- ocean, mountains, trees... ahhh. I wish I could live there. Well, anyway, if you bike North to South you will probably have the wind to your back because of the constant jet stream. It's beautiful! The people are great and NO Sales tax. woo hoo!
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Seize the time,. . .live now, make now always the most precious time. Now will never come again- Star Trek TNG
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If you ever have a world, plan ahead, don't eat it! - Star Trek TNG
Another fun little course was the bike paths that surround the city of Minneapolis..don't remember how long it was but it'd take a couple of hours...we used to ride those every nigh at full tilt during the summer...head down and pumping! It was great....scattering pedestrians and slow traffic.....highly recommended!
My favorite place to ride a bike is down around Monterye and Pacific Grove, Calif. Not only do you have terrific weather to ride in but the scenery is absolutely the best. The land has a few hills but nothing that's a killer. And when You need to take a break you can stop down at the warf and catch a drink with friends.
I wanted to add: For those who have who have never been to Monterey or Pacific Grove, you have been there you just didn't know it..
The movie with Tom Hanks in "Turner and Hooch" where he's a policeman and gets this ugly dog. I know you'll remember it. Well the town in the movie is Pacific Grove there in Monterey, Ca
One place that I like is the blue ridge mtns in Va. The climbs will just about break you but MAN down hill highest gear and peddling what a rush. The over looks no words can describe peace (once the cars go by) some over look towns and you mind runs wild of what it must have been like to live in a place before cars.
montery is next to my old home town of Salinas. Great mountian biking on the old Fort Ord Army base. I had to leave though, just too expensive to live there.
Flagstaff AZ is a great place to mountian bike. The Mt. Elden trail system has many trails. My fav is the Mt. Elden fire road to the top, sunset trail to Hobbit Forest, then Little Bear to Schultz Creek. That final 4 miles of downhill through the creek and wild flowers is great!
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If you don't come back muddy and bloody, you didn't have a good time.
Group: Celtic Nation
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I don't ride, but my brother does. He is preparing for the DelMac next month. A ride from Lansing Michigan To Mackinaw City Michigan....230 Miles. He'll have just enough time to get back to Lansing, switch his gear and meet me and my brothers for an 800 mile drive to Ely Minnesota for a 5 day wilderness canoe trip.
One of the most awesome places to ride a bike is Monterey, Big Sur, Carmel, Pacific Grove area. All of them are close to each other so you ride from one area to another. There are a few hills but for the most part it is very enjoyable to ride around there. Stop by Fisherman's warf and have a beer and then go on.... Annabelle
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