I ride from the south side of Richmond, VA into Downtown. The toughest spots are in Chesterfield County part of the ride, where the county in their lack of wisdom years ago made 10 foot lanes and no shoulders. Almost immediately when I pass into the city limits, I hit bike lanes or at least wide shoulders. The only place where I get off the road is to cross from my neigborhood into an adjacenet neighborhood to avoid a very tough, narrow lane hill and then again when I cross the James River (I use the sidewalk for that) because I am just too nervous about the traffic on the bridge with no space for me. For those of you familiar, I ride over the Nichol Bridge by Byrd Park.