I often like to find a group to ride with when I'm traveling, just to learn where the good routes are. Groups tend to ride where there's less traffic, nicer roads, better scenery. If they actually give you a route sheet, bonus! I did some rides with a Tuesday and Thursday morning racer group when I was in LA earlier this year to see some operas. They took me over some really nice roads in the hills above Pasadena and Glendale, then dropped me on the descents (I was on the fixie), but they waited at the bottom, since there were no cue sheets. I had a map with me anyway. Towards the end of a ride, if I know where I am and the pace starts to pick up, I'll just tell somebody that I'm back on familiar roads, don't wait up.

There's a lot to be said, too, for just getting lost in new places. I think it's about the best way to learn a new area. Find your way back to the hotel any way you can, then try to retrace where you were on a map. Very, very instructive.

Luis