jkala

I'm a nanny and I'm looking for my next live-in gig. Where do you think the best place to live for long distance riding is? Colorado? Utah? New York? I'd like to base this around my job search.

Thanks!

Barrettscv 

Standard answers include Northern California and Colorado.

mattm

Depends on the terrain you're after, but for year-round riding I'd shoot for somewhere like SoCal. Good weather and a huge scene.

As for LD rides, are you looking for supported type stuff or brevets, or both?

jkala

I live in Chicago now and love being able to just leave my house and ride, and not have to pack up my car and then go to a trail and ride. I will check out Colorado and Northern California. I don't like S. California would be my kinda place, I'm just not that fabulous.

travelmama

I don't know what you mean about being fabulous in Southern California but as a former nanny (domestically and internationally) I think finding a good paying job would determine where you land. If you have well paying job choices in Northern California then that would be a good start. The public transportation is superb up that way.

StephenH

In Colorado, there are people that bike year round, but a lot of them just put the bikes up for winter and skiing or whatever. I've been seeing some pictures of beautiful routes and bike trails, though.

CbadRider

I am in San Diego County. Biking weather is good all year round. We get the occasional rain storms during the winter but that's about it. We also have pretty decent public transportation, depending on the area you live in.

reversegear

I am not sure if I understand that, but it should be pointed out that Southern California is a big place with a very wide range of environments and cultural districts.

That is a pretty large generalization, kinda like saying all (fill in the blank) are (fill in the blank).

Southern California cycling is good year round. The best surfing is in the winter, but south facing beaches (Malibu) are fantastic in the late summer/fall. Winter snow in the mountains is nothing like Colorado or Utah, but not bad for a day trip and the Snowboard scene attracts people from a wide area.

Cycling in the urban areas, essentially from the City of Los Angeles south to the Mexican boarder takes some local knowledge to avoid a lot of traffic, but Ventura and Santa Barbara offer some of the best cycling roads on this planet. Several pro teams, including that old guy that came in third on the Tour this year train in Southern California in the winter.

Check out Pacific Coast Highway Randonneurs or San Diego Randonneurs for brevets. Most of PCH Randos rides run north of LA going into what many refer to as the Central Coast.

Then again, the PCH Randos fall 400 which runs from Simi Valley to Solana Beach along the beach and the 600 that runs from Salinas/Monterey down through Big Sur and the Santa Barbara wine country and the south coast of Santa Barbara is pretty fabulous.

valygrl

Boulder - lots of rich people who need nannies, cycling most of the year, skiing when you can't ride. Big Brevet scene - www.rmccrides.com.

SharpT

Not sure about your definition of long distance riding, but Northern California has four randonneuring clubs; Davis, San Francisco, Santa Cruz, and Santa Rosa offering a plethora of rides and cycling enthusiasts... this year three local 600ks and one 1200k.

cupsal

New Mexico is not bad. I live in Santa Fe and we have almost year round riding (depending on the winter). Check out the New Mexico Brevet Series.

papawizo

In the Northwest, (washington and oregon) it rains all the time and no one rides and its really hard to get around. Everyone stays indoors. Not... Seattle has the largest Randonneur club in the US. And, it stays green year round here. Some people like that. Seattle was voted a great place to bike. Portland is, also,a great center for biking. We just wear rain jackets, some times. Personally I love Eugene and Olympia.

CliftonGK1

You had me going there for a minute...

Seattle Randonneurs and Oregon Randonneurs put on some of the best rides in the PNW, (and I'm sure the Vancouver Randos up in BC probably get top marks, too. I haven't ridden anything up there yet, though.) I find the rando rides up here better organized and more fun than even any of the charity or other organized/club rides I've done.

Coming from Chicago, the temperatures would be milder but the rain is more plentiful. The winter days are short and grey, but the summers more than make up for it. The terrain is a spot more hilly than you'll find around Chicago but you quickly get used to it.

Homeyba

I'd tell you the best place to live if you like to do long distance riding in a wide variety of terrain with spectacular scenery and very little traffic but then you might move here...no offense but...

yeah, I can get on my bike, ride 200+ miles and see three stop signs, a half dozen cars and all the scenery and wildlife you can handle...

jdon

I am kind of partial to the Phoenix area seconded by So Cal. Anywhere from Santa Barbara to San Diego.

positron

oh GOD no! not for all the tea in china mate...

RFC

Why not? I can ride 360 days a year. In the summer, you just ride early in the morning.

kyle16

Of course I am biased, but I have to say that Nor Cal is a really great place to ride your bike. I have commuted year round on a bike in the Bay Area. You have all the varying types of terrain you can handle. There are cycling clubs up the wazoo around here, not to mention all the long distance rides.

Besides just cycling, this is where all the .com people live. I can only presume that there is a large market for live in nannies in these parts.

By the way, if you like hills as well as LD rides, check out this link. This will give you a good idea of what some of the climbing has to offer. Plus, Almaden Cycle Touring Club is one of the largest clubs in the Bay Area.

knoregs

Shangri-La

Shimagnolo

Colorado is full;
But you can sign up for the waiting list.
Oh wait, did you say "nanny"?
So you are a chick?
Ignore what I said.

benajah

The SF Bay Area does rock for year round cycling. The only drawback is if you hate climbing. It's hard to find a decently distanced route that won't involve somewhere in the ballpark of a few thousand feet minimum.
Lots of jobs here though.

reversegear

That would the Ojai Valley or at least that was the location of Shangri La in the 1939 movie Lost Horizon.

positron

Because I grew up in Tucson

bobbycorno

...and once you get east of the Cascades, it REALLY sucks. 300+ days of sun, easy access to skiing come winter, etc, etc. You don't even want to THINK about living here. Trust me.

SP
almost embarrased to admit I live in Bend, OR

lshaped

Detroit