Long Distance Competition/Ultracycling, Randonneuring and Endurance Cycling - Where do you put your car?

If you're gone for all day or a few days, Where The Heck do you Put Your Car??? I'm not particularly paranoid, but I WOULD like to have a car to load my stuff in and be able to drive home after the ride. In this part of Texas, any nice state highway/farm-market road is at least an hour drive away. So what do you do?

If you're gone for all day or a few days, Where The Heck do you Put Your Car??? I'm not particularly paranoid, but I WOULD like to have a car to load my stuff in and be able to drive home after the ride. In this part of Texas, any nice state highway/farm-market road is at least an hour drive away. So what do you do?

IF I use my car to get to a different area of the province to cycle, I park it in parking lots, or parking areas on the street, or in day-use areas of campgrounds, or in rest stops, or pull-outs on the side of the road ... wherever there's a spot that my car will fit and won't get in people's way.

It's no different than parking your car somewhere while you go to work all day, right?

Where The Heck do you Put Your Car???

On Craigslist.

Why would you ask a question like that? Are you a troll? You just park the damm thing in a parking lot. What dude, the only car you have is a 67 Shelby Cobra and your afraid someone might jack it? If your only car is a Cobra (or something similar) then you can afford to buy a regular car to use.

If you're gone for all day or a few days, Where The Heck do you Put Your Car??? I'm not particularly paranoid, but I WOULD like to have a car to load my stuff in and be able to drive home after the ride. In this part of Texas, any nice state highway/farm-market road is at least an hour drive away. So what do you do?

Join the Lone Star Randonneurs. We do plenty of all-day and multi-day rides from 100K to 1000K. We have lots of great routes. We even tell you where to park. Visit www.lonestarrandon.org for details. New members always welcome.

Valid question, from the perspective of an urban cyclist! Y'all notice the author of the first post is from Dallas, a big city. Know what happens when you park a car in a private parking lot in a big city, and then leave the premises? The car gets towed away! Know what happens when a vehicle is parked on the street in the big city? In 24 hours, it can get a ticket, and in another 24 hours, it gets towed and impounded. So, don't jump on a guy for asking a very valid question.

Seems a valid question to me. A popular tactic at most boat ramps around here is to take anything valuable out and leave the doors unlocked, at least that way you don't have to replace a window; of course then you run the risk of the thief being pi***ed that there wasn't anything for them to steal in which case they may just trash the car anyways. I just drive an unassuming car that most people consider hideous (Honda Element) and hope for the best, so far I've had no issues (knock on wood).

In rural towns in Texas, you can generally park in grocery store, strip center, or along the street where legal without any problem. If you're going to be riding for several days, it's best to go ask the manager of the store for permission, of course. Be considerate in any event. Pick a parking lot that's large enough so you won't be taking a spot needed by customers and park away from the store entrance. If you can't find a suitable parking lot, you should be able to park on the street, where legal, without a problem.

Unless you leave valuables out in the open, it would be rare to have someone break into your car. Of course, if you're leaving your brand new Ferrari...

If your just going out to the edge of town to ride, some big cities allow bikes on the buses. If this is so leave your car at home and take the bus. Also some big cities with a train or subway allow bikes. You can get out of town that way also in some cities.