I live in Rapid City. If you want a racing scene, Rapid City would not be a good choice. The climate here is probably the best and if you like Mountain Biking, Rapid City would certainly be the best choice. Ther are a couple colleges in town also. There is a cycling team based in a town about 40 minute drive north on the interstate, Spearfish, SD. I've ridden with them a couple of times, and they are all a bunch of nice guys. They even waited for me on a couple of the longer climbs.
