Tandem Cycling - Looking for a Spring Training long weekend....

It's cold outside and 4-12" of snow are predicted for this weekend....

I love winter and love to ski......but...

I am thinking ahead to spring and more biking. I would like to do a 3-day weekend of tandem riding some place a little warmer in March to get some miles in our legs. I was looking at a map and Winston-Salem NC is just over 6 hours drive. I have no idea what the topography is in that area, but I am looking for rolling with some climbing - off the beaten path.

Do we have any knowledgable people in the house who know the area? Or, could recomend another spot within 8 hours drive of Baltimore?

Thanks!

Both Winston-Salem and Greensboro, NC offer nice rolling terrain just north of both cities. Pilot Mountain outside of Winston is an attractive place to bike.

I live north of Hickory, NC to the west of Winston and we have good riding conditions: rural area with low traffic, smooth roads and rolling foothills with the Blue Ridge Parkway not far away. There are several possibilities for sustained climbs as well as fast tandem routes.

Our temperatures may not be that different though. We had the nice warm spell the first half of January but this week has seen highs in the 30's. No snow here though and not bad to ride in with proper clothes!
March is typically nice with temps in the 50's and an average amount of rain (depends if this is a drought year or not; lately it seems to be one or the other!)

I live outside of Reidsville which is 40 miles N.E. of Winston Salem and 25 miles north of Greensboro. The terrain in this area is rolling and pleasant. There are a number of attractive destinations in the area such as the Richard Childress racing complex and his winery in the Welcome area. Greensboro has an extensive network of bike ways, both marked routes on streets and dedicated bike paths. There are several parks in the vicinity that make attractive out and back rides (Hagan-Stone Park comes readily to mind).

Most roads do not offer a bicycle friendly shoulder. It also seems that many of our local drivers consider it sporting to try and run bicyclists off their road. They think of us as potential road kill.

Spring in the Piedmont can be interesting as we have had 80 degree heat followed by a snowstorm. This does make planning a challenge.

All things considered, though, this is a good area for a springtime weekend trip to get in some training rides.

Doc

From Zonatandem in Tucson (where we don't have to shovel the sunshine):

Sounds like 'cabin fever' in Maryland!
Have a 3-day tandem rally coming up President's Day weekend in Phoenix, AZ . . . a bit far, but just in case 'cabin fever' becomes unmanageable . . .
If you can't make it, we'll put in a few x-tra miles for U-2!