Road Cycling - Best Location To Ride In The World???

Hey so we ride bikes!

But not all routes are the same. Some are boring some are bland. What I wanna know is, has there been some certain place that has "took ur breath away" not by the gradient of the hill but by the landscape around?

Just where is the best flora and fauna found?

Pics or web site links would be most appreciated!

This place you seek could only be France!

Agree. Definitely France. Riding in the sunflower country with sunflowers over covering the roads. This is not a myth..Also, riding in Provence with its lavender fields..Incredible.
Also, never have I had teen age girls at the top of a hill applauding me as I approached the top..This is not joke. Just humble old me. One person in a Loire valley town complemented ME by accusing me of being a part of the Tour De France.. I was thinner that year. I was wearing Jeux gear. If gonna be a poser, might as well really fool em.

I'm sure France is a pretty incredible place to ride, but I must put forth the San Francisco Bay Area as one of the best places to ride. I can ride from my house in the middle of the city to meet a few friends in Golden Gate Park and cruise over to the Golden Gate Bridge. How many other places in the world will you ride though a national park (the Presidio is now part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area) and ride on a bridge that is a national landmark with a fantastic views? Okay, it can be pretty wild when it’s windy and foggy. Then riding up Mt. Tamapilias (birthplace of the mountain bike), down to Stinson Beach and back on the coast is an incredible ride. There are a half dozen great rides in Marin, but there are also some great rides in the peninsula...Woodside to the coast, the Santa Cruz mountains, and lets not forget Mt. Diablo and Hamlton. And lets not forget the mild weather, most rainy days only rain part of the day which leaves plenty of hours for a quick ride.

According to Bicycling magazine, it's Italy.

Where I live--by Monterey Bay, California. Here in Watsonville I can warm up cycling through apple orchards, before I climb a long steep hill into a majestic redwood forest and descend at 40 mph (roads pretty much empty). Then I can take several routes through flower and vegetable farms before coming to the Pacific Coast Bike Trail which goes by all the beaches with exquisite views of the bay. Then on through the redwood forests of Aptos with some great descents. All in 45 miles. That's a great ride I never tire of. It's also possible to ride from my house to Monterey in a 65 mile roundtrip which includes the bike path by Hwy 1 with the great views of the bay over the dunes and the Santa Lucia Mountains. If you want to make it an even century, you can also take in the exquisite 17 Mile Drive from Pacific Grove to Pebble Beach and on to Carmel.

The there's the other direction to the Santa Cruz Mountains. I don't go that way often because I don't like the traffic in Santa Cruz. But, hey, I have enough going on right here.

Rich

P.S. This is a bike-friendly area, too.

oh i wish i lived in USA

The best place to ride is wherever I happen to be, whether in the mountains, the dessert the country or the city. It's all good.

Here's another vote for the SF Bay Area.

1) Great weather (we can ride almost year round - except for the 1 or 2 weeks of winter storms, usually)
2) Plenty of trails, lots of good, steep climbs - it's actually pretty easy to get "remote" within 30-45 minutes of even the most urban areas, because we have so many steep ridges and parks up and down the bay
3) Killer views of the water and the city skyline from many different vantage points
4) Largely an enironmentally-friendly area, so a lot less "flak" for bikers from car people than many other parts of the country
5) Ferries operate regularly that can transport bikers easily from one side of the bay to the other, for completely different vantage points, and even a different micro-climate the majority of the year.

Problems with riding in cities are plentiful. I live in leeds, a northern English metropolitan city. Its located slap bang in the middle of England. Though surrounded by some awesome national parks the city remains in stark contrast.

Cycling here just isnt appretiated. The passion one feels from watchin the Tours and the Giros just doesnt materialise here. The car drivers are pathetic and the padestrians worse still. If ur not hit by a lethargic driver ur likely to get mugged by a fiend! Urban decay is in a class of its own here, hence my thred!

Lucky for me and those that ride with me, 15 mins and we can breathe. 15 mins and we are rid of this vile pollution craddled monster. For 15 mins allows us to leave the heights and lights behind into picturesque bliss of the countryside. Cycling isnt all about sheer grit, determination and speed...etc. Its about exploring, its about seeing, witnessing. Taking in the atmosphere, the surroundings. Ultimately most will agree, its escapism. Escaping from the rigours of daily life.

The Scottish Highlands

Definitely Italy...

And one more for Italy...

Oh, can't resist- more Italy...

Final Italy shot- riding into Assisi:

The best place to ride is wherever I happen to be, whether in the mountains, the dessert the country or the city. It's all good.

Without a doubt! but it sure helps to start a ride at the Golden Gate Bridge. Today, I rode to work...I live at the base of Twin Peaks in San Francisco, so in any direction, it's down hill...but riding to work takes me by the Cow Palace...traffic is light, but pretty much the armpit of the city...but the weather was warm and this sun was shining... all in all the best way to get to work.

;)

I like Belize, C.A. especially the area around San Ignacio, Dandriega, and Stann Creek. Beautiful people, rain forest, flora, and fauna and then a boat ride out to the cayes.

more?

For touring - Belgium (if only for post-ride chocolate and beer in Brugges)
For MTB - Ecuador
For commutocross - Philly, although I send hugs and kisses to all you SF riders (Allen H forgot to mention Critical Mass).

I dig this post!
BK

From personal experience:
Italia, as others have said: Toscana and Umbria are full of beautiful scenery, historical sites and fairly quiet roads. I think Koffee's pictures speak for themselves (and she could have probably posted more).
France: Le Mont Ventoux. No introduction necessary.
Belgium: Ardennes. Home of the Flêche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège classics.
Netherlands: dunes and 'polders'. Dedicated cycling paths.

Hearsay:
The German monthly Tour magazine reports about places worth travelling to. The pictures and descriptions of, inter alia, Morocco, Corsica, and Sardinia made me drool.

North Wales, where I live, is reputed to be one of the best location worldwide for Mountain biking. Coed y Brenin and the rest. However it is pretty damn good for road biking into the middle of nowhere as well !!

For touring - Belgium (if only for post-ride chocolate and beer in Brugges)
BK

Definately. Make mine a Leffe blond!

But the lack of signposts on cyclepaths leads to a bit of confusion when touring, don't you think?

I am not worldly enough to claim the best and am sure we all agree this is subjective. I tend to prefer less traffic...varied terrain...great views...good roads and good climate. I would highly recommend the Central coast and inland of California. San Luis Obispo,Cambria, Paso Robles. Give it a try....you won't regret it.

post some pics of some links?

There are many fantastic cycling Countries in Europe!
Yes Italy is awesome, except some of the driving habits scared the sh&t out of me.
Spain and France are also excellent. Love the local cheese and wine al-frescoe stops in France,mmmmm.
But for pure cycling enjoyment my favorite is Norway (if you disregard the rainy periods) long streches of Fiord side riding in beautifull surroundings followed by a mountain pass of 4/5000 th ft...To test your climbing ability all on the Quietest roads imaginable...

what about cycling in Qatar? something totally different!

Icefield Parkway between Lake Louise and Jasper.

Some pictures (http://images.google.ca/images?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=Icefield+Parkway&sa=N&tab=wi&meta=)

Has anyone ridden Switzerland and Austria? I prefer to visit these over France and Italy, but have never ridden, any thoughts???

Riding in South Korea was truly an interesting event for me. Food was doubly interesting. :D

There are plenty of good places to ride.

New Mexico has some superb cycling. You can ride north from Santa Fe to Chamyo and from there to Taos. You ride past communties with local adobe churches that are 200-300 years old. And if you like "mexican" cuisine, you can sample New Mexico's rather volcanic version of it.

Utah has some great cycling. You can ride the enchanted staircase region between Escalante and Torrey. Amazing scenery and usually all to yourself.

The Canadian Rockies has great cycling. Just ride north from Banff up the ice fields parkway. The scenery is superb. And if you like wildlife, it is there - big horn sheep, mountain goats, elk, bears, ravens and so on.

Also if you like wildlife, you can ride in Yellowstone. It is OK if you get out in the morning. It will be cold but you can see buffalo, elk, moose, pronghorns, wolves, bears, peregrines, coyotes. You did say you wanted wildlife? Plus you get to see steaming rivers, geysers, hotsprings, waterfalls. It is a pretty amazing place.

But there are many places to ride that can be almost magical. I was in Montana riding south along the Madison River (holy ground for those who fly fish) and the road was above the river. Looking down, I saw a bald eagle make a bid at catching a large trout holding to a feeding station behind a boulder.

Another great ride is to go west from Estes Park, Colorado and ride Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park. You do about 15 miles above the tree line and you will peak out at over 12,000'. It is the highest paved highway in the USA.

Or if you mountain bike, you can go from Ouray Colorado and climb for 8 miles to Imogene Pass at over 13,000' and then down to Telluride where Butch Cassidy and his friends held up the bank in the 1890s and made good their escape over Last Dollar Pass into the lands of the "outlaw trail". The view from the pass is amazing by the way. Just as amazing is there is a road up to it. Of course, looking at the road it is amazing that anyone uses the crazy thing.

Of course if you want to see Wildlife you could just go to Daytona Beach FL during any "bike" week. That is pretty wild.

-Italy
-Boulder, CO
-Boone, NC

Definately. Make mine a Leffe blond!

But the lack of signposts on cyclepaths leads to a bit of confusion when touring, don't you think?

What up Chewa,

Sorry for the lag time!

Make mine a Maredsous and a Rochefort 10, and then tuck me in for the night. The lack of signposts was indeed a mindbender. Funny thing is that when I was there with one other rider, we would shrug our shoulders, whip out a compass, and then just guess - we rarely got lost. When I went back with THREE other riders, the lack of signage had us second guessing and riding in circles. Too many cooks screw the pooch, or something to that effect.

Peace,
BK

Has anyone ridden Switzerland and Austria? I prefer to visit these over France and Italy, but have never ridden, any thoughts???

i ride in Austria all the time - the border is about 160km away! :)

both Austria and Switzerland are awesome for cycling with BEAUTIFUL scenery - the Alps... but of course it's very mountainous which a lot of people don't like... (i LOVE to climb!)

especially for mountain biking, both are great places... i am a MTB Guide and most of my tours are in Austria and Italy.

there is also great road cycling. in both Switzerland and Austria general cycling (like riding to work or the family biking to the park) is just a part of the culture (probably moreso than France or Italy), BUT the racing "tradition" and popularity of cycling as a spectator sport is not as high as France or Italy...

Austria in particular has really embrace mountain biking in the last few years and has a highly developed system of marked trails/routes plus hotels/pensions that cater to bikers. Switzerland also has extensive marked routes and lots of options.

i have been planning to ride the Grossglockner Hochstrasse for a while now -- it's a paved road that climbs from like 700m to something like 2800m... and i've climbed Stifsersjoch (paved climb with switchbacks from 1100m to 2800m)... i'm planning to climb it TWICE in the TransAlp tour i am planning for next summer!! (we climb up the paved road and descend on dirt trails - awesome!)

Three places come to mind


South Africa: - Cape Town and the surounding vineyard areas offers all the scenery, mountains you could possibly wish for. Food and accomodation is relatively cheap.

Denmark: - West Jutland offers spectacular ocean views on the Wadden Sea (Noth Sea) The dedicated proper cycle paths on flat fields makes for effortless riding. Motorists actually gives way to bikes on normal roads as well. Free camping for cyclist in certain areas.

United Arab Emirates: - Complete mindf.....!! - Riding on 6 lane highways at 4 in the morning to avoid the heat. Fantastic sights in the Hatta area, not to mention the hotel that serves some of the best tasting cold Danish beer

Poululla,

I completely concur on South Africa, albeit with a caveat
that it is not the most safe place in the world.
(I also think outside of Durban would be good riding, particularly on the garden route along the coast).
So, hows that youngun doing?

Marty

Hi lotek

Thanks for asking, he is doing fine - weighs 5.25kg now, which is great considering that he started off at 1,7kg !! Looks like he is going to be a cyclist if it is up to me... gholfer is it is up to my wife ...

my vote has to be China. Home of critical mass!! A billion bikers can't be wrong.

Definately Italy. They may think they are Andretti behind the wheel, but they move or slow for bikes. The scenery, weather and the coffee. Italy rocks.

A close second is anywhere I am with a bike to ride. ;-)

oh i wish i lived in USA
Mallorca is almost as good, I reckon. I've been along highway 1 and the 17 mile drive, albeit only in a car. We get some Americans at

http://www.esuncamp.com

who like the people, so there must be something to it. To see a few more opportunities try

http://www.lvrc.org/lnfr01.htm

and take the Touring/Training link.

You have come up with a good one there Roy!

Although I have never cycled in "Majorca" that north corniche coastal road must be awesome to cycle, my memory returns to visions of it just driving a hired car that way. Its also a very popular winter/spring holiday camp for a lot of the club and trainee cyclists,so it must have plenty going for it...

...that north corniche coastal road must be awesome to cycle...it must have plenty going for it...
It's plenty tough (I've never gone the full length) and going down Lluc would test anyone's nerve. From Pollenca you can ride mountains, undulating or flat, to choice so yes, plenty going. I love it.

Hey so we ride bikes!

But not all routes are the same. Some are boring some are bland. What I wanna know is, has there been some certain place that has "took ur breath away" not by the gradient of the hill but by the landscape around?

Just where is the best flora and fauna found?

Pics or web site links would be most appreciated!

I too, vote for France. There are all sorts of small roads leading all over the place. The Provence area is just terrific and you'd definitly want to zip up to the top of Mont Ventoux.

Keep tuned to my contributions. Early next year I'll send dates, contact addresses and comments about the "century's" in Europe.

I actually enjoy riding in a number of different terrains and conditions. Since Atlanta isn't really mountainous (it's in the foothills) and has no great bodies of water, my favorite scenery while cycling falls into three categories. For urban scenery I like cycling in my own area of southeast Atlanta, particularly the west side of Grant Park, Midtown, Inman Park, Druid Hills, and Decatur. For what's left of rural in the metro area, I head eastward into south Dekalb, Rockdale, and Henry counties (believe it or not there are still some beautiful things there, including the old prison farm in south Dekalb, and the Trappist monastery in Conyers. The third category is rivers and their tributaries. Georgia rivers tend to be very small, but the creeks and rivers around here still have some remarkable (if small scale) scenery. I've been exploring the South River and its tributaries lately.

Has anyone ridden Switzerland and Austria? I prefer to visit these over France and Italy, but have never ridden, any thoughts???
Switzerland is a terrific place to ride. Just about anywhere in Switzerland is scenic. Watch for my posts early next year. I'll be making a list of all of the "century's" in Switzerland and many of the other one dayers in Europe.

You can contact me for further information about Swizerland at:
Jerry Montgomery
Little Red Huus
CH-3784 Feutersoey
Switzerland
Tel.+41 33 1452
E-Mail: < c.j.monty@bluewin.ch>

Mallorca is almost as good, I reckon. I've been along highway 1 and the 17 mile drive, albeit only in a car. We get some Americans at

http://www.esuncamp.com

who like the people, so there must be something to it. To see a few more opportunities try

http://www.lvrc.org/lnfr01.htm

and take the Touring/Training link.
Our family went 6 years to Majorca during the Spring vacation. At that time of year you can't ride on any of the roads without meeting dozens of bicyclists. It has a bit of everything there and the whole island is accessable with bike in one day. From one end to the other and back again is about 200km. A ride around the island is something like 300km. I guess the worst part about Majorca is the west wind.

Best place to ride?
how about in the driveway with your daughter on a trike?
I would love to ride on Cape Bretton Isle, Nova Scotia Canada, they are micro mountains, horriffically steep, but the view from the top is stellar!!
Moab would be the shear contrast of that, but that is next years project, right after the Red Mud Maountain Mahem in Prince Edward Island.

Koffee.. I have been to Italy three times.. The motorists scare the hell out of me..The cities are worse than New York, Los Angeles, or Pasadena. From the bike guides maybe Tuscanny is more civilized? I went riding through a corner of Italy.. Did not oval sports car racing start there.?

I got a map and stayed mostly on the slow highways and such and NEVER had a problem. It was pretty good stuff. The thing that freaked me out most was that I was treated like regular traffic- cars would stop and wait for me to cross an intersection, or if I was in the right lane, they wouldn't try to overtake me then turn right, cutting me off, etc. It was good stuff.

I really enjoyed riding in Italy. I rode in Sardina, down the west coast into Naples, and all through the north part from Milan to Verona. Never a problem.

Koffee

The trouble with Switzerland! (when I toured their)

It NEVER stopped raining 1 week solid of non stop rain

I meant to tour for two weeks, but packed my bags and moved on...

It is probably lovely when the Sun shines, but I guess I was unlucky.....

The trouble with Switzerland! (when I toured their)

It NEVER stopped raining 1 week solid of non stop rain

I meant to tour for two weeks, but packed my bags and moved on...

It is probably lovely when the Sun shines, but I guess I was unlucky.....
That can happen here in Switzerland. There have been a few really bad summers here, though this past one was really fantastic. I don't know how many weeks of sun we had (six, or so), though it was just too darn hot, with temps in the 90s almost every day. I felt guilty every day that I wasn't on the bike.

Pay me a visit and I'll show you some great rides in my neighborhood.

Jerry
E-Mail: c.j.monty@bluewin.ch