Home Sick former road biker in Mt. Bike Land
 

I searched for a bike forum to see if I'm the only one out here who lives somewhere that feels too dangerous and unconducive to road bike. I was born and raised in upstate rural New York State. While the season was limited to non-winter months, road biking was super! Drivers respected bikes and the roads accomodated us with wide shoulders. The land scape was rural and beautiful and a combination of hilly to mountainous. Most recently I lived in a town north of Albany NY (not my favorite part of the state--but like all upstate, great for road biking) There were also rails-to-trails that were super for getting in shape each season before hitting the hills again. I also enjoyed the short trip to Vermont, which is another fantasitic and bike friendly state--and truly gorgeous too.

Now I live in Asheville, NC. A very desirable and popular place to live. The season for biking is all year (although it's too hot in the summer for my northern blood). But the roads and drivers are not accomodating at all (in my opinion). The roads have little to no shoulders, they are curvy and have many blind turns, people drive incredibly fast on them, and there is a section of the population who really don't have the patience for bikes. A friend of mine some years back even had someone in a pick up truck toss a can at him. I am desperate and miss road biking more every day. Mountain biking is huge here, so I tried to replace my road biking with the mt. biking on easier trails and gated forest service roads. But I just don't enjoy it that much--it makes me miss road biking all the more.

I guess I'm writing for a couple reasons: 1. To see if anyone out there is experiencing something similar and how perhaps they found a solution. 2. To find out what states and towns are considered the most accomodating and most beautiful places to live if you love to road bike. One I have in mind is Burlington VT. ON the west coast I've heard Eugene Or is great. But, I'm not sure I can just pick up and move . . . ?

I guess my desire is to be able to go out my front door and ride every night if I want. Perhaps being able to ride for 30-60 minutes on week days and then do 30+ mile loops on the weekends. All the while having a safe road and caring drivers.

I have a good job, I own a house, and live in what is considered one of the most desirable places in the Eastern United states--but I"m down right miserable=--because I don't feel safe enough to hit the roads here!

Who knows, maybe a fellow Ashevillian is out there and will think I'm crazy--??? I'd love to hear from them too--basically I am screeming for HELP!!!!

Hope to here from fellow ride lovers :)

It sounds like you're describing Atlanta. ;) :(
But I ride the roads anyway and commute year round because I love cycling.

Have you looked at LABs website to see if there are any LCIs near Asheville so you can take an Effective Cycling (Bike Ed) course? It will teach you the skills you need to ride with confidence in traffic.
Here is the only one I could find.



LAB has that information too. Cary, NC received the Bronze award. :beer:

Good luck.

RonH
LCI#1076

When you find that utopia, please let us know. Safe roads and caring drivers are not universal in any location I've ever seen. Make the best of what you have. Do your best to educate the drivers by waving and forcing them to recognize you as a human. Do your best to persuade the authorities to accommodate and encourage cyclists by building wide shoulders and plentiful bike paths.

I agree with this. I don't think you can say there are entire regions where it is marginally safer. You are only as safe as the driver behind you. IOW, if the guy behind you just finished his 300th beer at the local tavern, than you will be in trouble regardless of where you are.

I know that you are convinced that where you presently live is much more dangerous than where you were but your feelings of security in New York may have been misplaced. Again, you are never totally safe, sharing the roads with cars. Most of us don't ride on the shoulders of roads anyway, so a shoulder is somewhat useless, if not only for a bail off point.

I do feel better on wider roads but i don't know that i am really all that much safer. Again, i think that it all boils down to the idiot in the car. Every place has them. Don't kid yourself.

You might have to transport the bike to a starting point, but North Carolina has some fantastic back roads for riding. You've got the Smoky Mountains practically in your backyard.

thanks all for a different perspective. I will get back on trying to find a starting place for me to get my road confidence back---I know there are folks here that do road bike, I just need to work a bit harder to connect with them directly and get their advice on a good starting place for someone like me (a worry wort:eek: )

I just have started out by getting discourged when checking out the loop trips in one guide book--because it all ended up or started on a road I truly don't want to ride on--narrow, blind curves, industrial and loaded with big dump trucks hitting the curves too fast!

I"m sure there must be other folks who ride elsewhere.

Thanks again,
J-sun

First mistake. You scout out the roads you feel comfortable riding on. Don't rely on some stranger telling you where to ride.

Ask around at a local bike shop. I mean these guys sell bikes so they otta be able to tell you where to ride them. Get a base ride together. IOW, find at least one place where you are comfortable. After that, you can expand it and find more.

I think maybe you are not giving yourself a chance. Nobody likes change. I know i don't. However, you have to adapt and in time you may even find that you like it better than where you were before.

Why in gods name would you live here and limit youself to fire roads? I've got one word for ya'.....SINGLETRACK!! Toss that road bike and get the 2.35's rollin'. :D

Don't pay any attention to that man behind the curtain. :)

I don't know Asheville well enough to comment on it specifically, but I doubt it is that much different than here on the other side of the mountains. No, the roads aren't designed for bicycling, and there are a few annoying drivers around. But I suspect if you check out some rides at a local bike club and are willing to drive a few miles out into the country to start, you'll find some enjoyable riding. Look around. There are good routes out there.

:D

When I lived in Las Vegas for 3 years, I had to get off the roads. It was the worst place I've ever lived for road cycling. The ride up to Red Rock was good, but even that one got me honked at a lot.

I'm curious, has anyone out there ridden or lived and road-biked in the New England states or in Oregon or other various places including perhaps some of the places already mentioned (eg. Knoxville, Charlotte, Cary)?? I know I rode in upstate NY (mostly Clifton Park/Saratoga Springs & St. Lawrence County) and several places in VT and never had one bad incident of driver vs. bike--but all the rest of my info is from the internet and someone who lived in Eugene OR (who said folks practically never even use their cars!?). Re: my comparison NY/VT to WNC--I am not sure if I've changed or if there really is a difference, but I never got honked at nor nearly run off the road ever when I rode miles upon miles in those ares. I had a friend who road here once and already got something thrown at them. Perhaps it's related to the number of cars per mile likely to encounter? Or, Perhaps it's just good and bad luck in succession.

Anyway, I'd like to hear other's real-life comparisons from one community to another. Is it really all the same everywhere, or are some places truly "more bike friendly" than others? But, I have had some folks here tell me "this isn't a bike friendly place" . . .

Just the same, I am not giving up--I will take all your advice and keep looking--but I would like to hear some more 'testimonies"

WNC=Rednecks.............any questions?