bobbycorno

+1 One of the main reasons I live where I do is the access to winter recreation. Some of the best nordic skiing is 30 miles from home. The US and Canadian Nordic teams come here to train. You can't throw a rock without hitting some kind of elite athlete (summer or winter endurance sports). And with the mileage I put in every year (8-10k mi) on the bike, it's nice to do something else for a few months. I think I'll try snowshoeing this winter.

SP
Bend, OR

bobbycorno

That's reason enough NOT to ride it, IMO. A large part of the reason I ride is to get away from crowds, and have some time to myself. 'Sides which, I've had too many bad experiences with folks on these "herd scene" rides severely lacking in the skills and fitness necessary to ride safely, and completely clueless about it. No thanks.

SP
Bend, OR

lhbernhardt

I've been to Vegas a couple of times, but have never ridden in the Canyon. I've ridden up to it, but it takes so darned long to get there from the Strip! The stoplights in Vegas are inordinately long, I am tempted to start running red lights when it's clear (the lights don't seem to be activated by anything, they just go red when you approach). Anyway, I'm headed there again after Christmas to spend some time with my daughter and give her a break from auditioning for TV commercials in Toronto. I'll definitely do the ride to the Canyon, and maybe another ride to Lake Mead.

L.

lhbernhardt

"Nobody goes there anymore, it's too crowded!" - Yogi Berra

L.

Pat

Florida is good. In Central FL, I think Dave's Cycle World will rent road bikes. Central FL can get a little chilly in the morning but usually warms up by afternoon (usually). There is good cycling around Clermont, Mount Dora, Deland, and other areas (Casadaga has to be seen to be believed and even after seeing it, I don't know if I believe it, as a hint the community resists having churches because they disrupt the community values and this is in conservative, FL of all places). For central FL, check the maps at the Florida Freewheelers web site. The Keys would be cool to do. Naples is a decent area. North of Tampa there is some rolling terrain and good cycling. There are some good bicycle paths. Amazingly enough there are some good ones in the Orlando area. You could do the Withalacoochie (sic) Bike Trail which can be done as a century. In Central, FL weather can get down into the high teens on extraordinary cold snaps. Usually anything under 40 degrees is quite cold though. And that is for the lows of the day. Usually temps will climb into the 60s or 70s in the afternoon.

Garilia

What is this "winter" you speak of? I live in South Florida, and we finally get a chance to leave our air conditioned lives and be comfortable!

I agree with the whole central/north central/panhandle of Florida thing. You will get some terrain and topography that is not flat, but certainly not mountainous, and if you want a leg workout, cycle near the beach into a prevailing wind.

reverborama

I hear you. I am not a big fan of driving the bikes to the start of a ride but I live just a block from a huge trail system. For something like the Red Rock Canyon I will make an exception. The ride from downtown is all up and peppered with traffic lights. It's the opposite of fun and since you are only there for a few days, why waste a minute doing that when you could do extra laps of the canyon? Seriously, I don't gamble and I don't drink, but I'll go to Vegas any time and ride that canyon.\

I'm going to check out the Lake Mead thing... that sounds like a good idea!

Shifty

I think we should mention the area around Santa Barbara California. In the winter it is a delight, with so many nice roads, sunny skies and lots of other things to do off the bike (wine, great food, beach).

RonH

Colder weather and snow are coming for you folks up north. Here's a few places we've visited to stay warm.

Here is a shot of Panama City Beach. No, that isn't snow. That's the beautiful white sand.



Here's a shot of New Smyrna Beach from the condo we stayed at.

Artkansas 

Palm Springs, CA. No guarantees but I've seen it go 15 months without raining.

Not only can you rent a bike, but Big Wheel Tours rents bikes and leads supported rides. Or you can rent the bike and ride around on your own or join with the Desert Bike Club.

Palm Desert Bike Rentals and Tri A Bike also rent a variety of bikes but they are farther from the airport.

crtreedude 

Costa Rica is wonderful to ride in, hope you got good legs though if you stay in the middle. The tallest mountain is 13,000 feet. Being a land of the eternal spring, the roads don't factor in ice, in other words, straight up.

Saturday and Sundays are incredible for riding, out where we live, there is no one on the roads.

mikeinsa

Want flat land? We got it south of town! What hills? We got it north of town! Want fun experiences? We got them everywhere! Want great weather all winter? Come on down to San Antonio! Buz me! Message me and I'll set you up with some great rides! Fabulous scenery! Great places to see and visit! Fredricksburg, Johnson City, Austin and Luckenbach are just around the corner and there is great biking there! . . . and Quiet roads with little traffic! We gotcha covered!