tom306

I'll be driving from Tucson to Chicago this summer and was looking for suggestions for a hub and spoke tour within reasonable distance along the way. I'd be looking to spend 4-6 days cycling out of the same locale but mixing up the routes and riding 40-50 miles a day. I have flexibility of schedule to go somewhat out of my way if the right destination beckons. I'm in Tucson and it's great for this kind of thing. Last year, I did LaCrosse, WI and loved it (I have done a few of these in Wisconsin). Any thoughts on destinations for such a trip ? Colorado looks like it might have several possibilities and I think Minneapolis is a possibility as well. Thanks for any thoughts !

tigat

I grew up in La Crosse and go back there to ride often. I agree - the driftless zone is hard to beat.


Been living in Colorado for the last 30 plus years. I have yet to find a spot between here and there that is worth a week of riding, although there are a bunch of spots that merit a day or two.


If you're bound and determined to settle in for five days, I'd say Eagle CO, and then head out north - Dotsero up the CO River Road and back down from State Bridge; west - through Glenwood Canyon and back from Missouri Heights; drive over to Aspen for a day and ride Maroon Bells and Ashcroft; south to Gunnison and back; and east over Vail Pass and then up to Leadville and back down to Minturn.


Alternatively, you might want to spend two or three days in Denver and then head to Decorah for another two or three days.

tom306

Thank you for your ideas. The 4-6 days I mentioned is aspirational; I'd be OK breaking that in two as needed.
The Colorado trip sounds very interesting. I will look into that. Seeing the name Leadville makes me think there's a lot of climbing.

The Denver/Decorah suggestion has my attention not the least for Toppling Goliath brewery. I passed through Decorah last year and it looked like beautiful farm country but didn't realize it might have good cycling. I will look into both areas.

Thanks for the thoughts !

Snotrub

I'd look at stopping in NE New Mexico, Taos specifically. On road bikes, riding the Enchanted Circle is an awesome loop - Taos to Angel Fire to Eagle Nest to Red River to Questa back to Taos. It's about 85 miles, I believe. It's been a few years since I've ridden it. If you have mountain bikes, the South Boundary Trail from Angel Fire to Taos is EPIC. 35 miles one way and some of the sweetest single track in the country. Then, there's Angel Fire ski area which has become one of the best mountain bike parks in North America, of course behind BC. There's enough riding there to keep you busy for many days, if your legs can take it. Mountain bikes are available for rental at Angel Fire bike park/ski area.

Road Fan

Leadville is at 10,000 feet. Even when I lived in Denver (5280 feet) it was challenging to be in Leadville for extended time. I don’t think I rode a bike in Leadville, but I rode a lot in Denver.

terrymorse 

My pick for a base camp location in Colorado would be Frisco.

It's a cozy little town, and it enables day rides in multiple directions.

Here's a RWGPS heat map of the Frisco area. Vail, Loveland Pass, Fairplay, and Leadville are are doable as out-and-back day rides.





My personal favorite in Frisco lodging is the Hotel Frisco. Nice rooms and a great location.

tom306

Thank you all for your suggestions. They all sound great and I will do some research; some are probably a little ambitious for my climbing ability, which I failed to mention.

I did do a few days out of Dillon, CO (near Frisco) several years ago. It was a great location which I may need to revisit sometime.

diphthong

file as somewhat out of the way but scenic and worthy...black hills-south dakota. then it's a relatively straight shot across to chicago.

would recommend jackson/grand teton np/yellowstone np but that's even more out of the way going straight north, then straight east.

have heard nice things/seen nice pics from the cloudcroft, nm area just east of alamogordo, nm but haven't been personally.

the north-central new mexico area mentioned around santa fe/los alamos/taos is gorgeous but high and not the easiest. that cuisine tho...

tigat

Agree totally on the scenic part. How is the traffic? I've never tried to bike there (I have run), because I've always found it surprisingly congested, even on back roads, and not very friendly to things moving slowly on the road side.

diphthong

haven't been in years. do remember plenty of slow-moving rv's but not much regular vehicle traffic during a visit in the area for a few days midweek late in july.
did only hiking (bringing the bike on such a long, driving trip from san diego got voted down...grrr). been trying to get back to the area since. would expect weekends to be very busy.
not sure the largest tires either of your bikes can fit but the area caters to both roadies as well as gravel/mtb so might be handy to bring a set of different tires/wheelset.

normally if i'm planning riding a bunch in an area i'm not really familiar with, i'll try to hit local cycling club websites or strava clubs based in the area to see if they have
weekly/monthly rides and which roads. there's a nice writeup from a few years ago i came across first.:

https://www.cyclingutah.com/sport-bi...-south-dakota/