Safe riding areas along the East Coast (southern)
01-31-12, 11:36 AM
#1
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Safe riding areas along the East Coast (southern)
This coming May one of our daughters is getting remarried in Sarasota Beach, Florida. We are going to drive down from central Illinois and after the wedding take a leisurely trip up the east coast. Our plan is to drive for 3 or 4 hours, find a place to stay and take a nice ride on the tandem which we will have with us. We will probably have around 10-12 days to work our way up the coast before we head home.
Where are the absolute MUST places to stop to sightsee and ride? Safety is a major concern, we do not want to ride some place where bicycle riders are not welcome.
Thanks in advance,
Wayne
Where are the absolute MUST places to stop to sightsee and ride? Safety is a major concern, we do not want to ride some place where bicycle riders are not welcome.
Thanks in advance,
Wayne
01-31-12, 04:07 PM
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Depending how far north is still "south" for you, consider visiting the Virginia Piedmont/Blue Ridge Mountains, easily accessible from the DC Metro, which of course has a few interesting things to see as well. Within an hour's drive west of the Beltway, you can be pedaling on low-trafficked roads through beautiful horse and farm country, with lots of quaint/historic towns for rest stops. Terrain ranges from the relatively flat, to rolling, to big climbs up Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park, a favorite of area cyclists (descents are a riot on the tandem). If the dogwoods and azaleas are still in bloom, May can be a fabulous time to ride here. Or it can be hot as Hades already. We're fortunate to have a very large cycling community, so drivers are generally used to seeing bikers in the countryside, and for the most part are pretty tolerant of the spandex-clad. No place is totally free of yahoos, though. Enjoy the trip!
01-31-12, 04:25 PM
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This coming May one of our daughters is getting remarried in Sarasota Beach, Florida. We are going to drive down from central Illinois and after the wedding take a leisurely trip up the east coast. Our plan is to drive for 3 or 4 hours, find a place to stay and take a nice ride on the tandem which we will have with us. We will probably have around 10-12 days to work our way up the coast before we head home.
Where are the absolute MUST places to stop to sightsee and ride? Safety is a major concern, we do not want to ride some place where bicycle riders are not welcome.
Thanks in advance,
Wayne
Where are the absolute MUST places to stop to sightsee and ride? Safety is a major concern, we do not want to ride some place where bicycle riders are not welcome.
Thanks in advance,
Wayne
Let us know how it goes. I may try to get my stoker to try that type of trip.
Wayne
01-31-12, 05:30 PM
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To get some ideas you might look at carolinatailwinds.com which offers several tours along the coast and see what areas they tour. This will at least give you some ideas.
01-31-12, 06:27 PM
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There is a lot of nice riding in the Williamsburg, VA area. We have lived here for 25 years and have a lot of nice routes that we can share. Jamestown, Yorktown, Colonial Williamsburg, Colonial Parkway, Virginia Capital Trail, and a lot of low traffic rural roads nearby. And May is a nice month to be riding in this part of Virginia.
Reed
Reed
01-31-12, 07:37 PM
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St Augustine to Amelia Island along the coast is lovely and all bike lane or bike friendly roads. PN if you want details.
__________________
You could fall off a cliff and die.
You could get lost and die.
You could hit a tree and die.
OR YOU COULD STAY HOME AND FALL OFF THE COUCH AND DIE.
You could fall off a cliff and die.
You could get lost and die.
You could hit a tree and die.
OR YOU COULD STAY HOME AND FALL OFF THE COUCH AND DIE.
02-01-12, 08:40 AM
#7
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The DelMarVa peninsula along the coast has a lot of really pretty riding. It's all flat, most roads are lightly traveled, and there is plenty to see and lots of history. The area around Cambridge, Maryland is particularly nice.
02-01-12, 01:00 PM
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Maybe you could contact Roger & Eve for some of the previous GTR routes. There is also a gaggle of tandems in the Tallahassee area, they have what sound like some nice rides there.
FWIW, these are suggestions, since this team has never rolled those events or areas...but will someday.
PK
FWIW, these are suggestions, since this team has never rolled those events or areas...but will someday.
PK
02-01-12, 02:20 PM
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Depending on the timing of your trip you may even be able to participate in the Georgia Tandem Rally. This year it will be May 17-20. https://www.georgiatandemrally.com/
02-01-12, 02:24 PM
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Depending on the timing of your trip you may even be able to participate in the Georgia Tandem Rally. This year it will be May 17-20. https://www.georgiatandemrally.com/
Thanks for the suggestion.
02-06-12, 08:02 PM
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There are many rides in the Raleigh, NC area. Check out www.ncbikeclub.org and their cue sheet page https://www.ncbikeclub.org/queue_sheets/ncbcqueue.htm. Anything in and around the lakes in the area are beautiful.
