Where to go for a week's cycling in January?
#26
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Southern California near the coast is rideable pretty much every day, except the occasional rain/wind day.
As others mentioned about, the desert area around Palm Springs is good. It will be cooler there than the coast in the morning and evening, but often warmer during the day. Although a Canadian won’t have any issues with the temperatures.
Arizona would also be a good choice.
As others mentioned about, the desert area around Palm Springs is good. It will be cooler there than the coast in the morning and evening, but often warmer during the day. Although a Canadian won’t have any issues with the temperatures.
Arizona would also be a good choice.
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No he wasn't just speaking for himself. He said " cyclists in Canada "...The word cyclists is a plural meaning more than one person. It sounds like he is assuming that all cyclists in Canada are miserable during winter because they can't ride. I live close to Toronto where OP lives and I can tell you that there are plenty of great riding opportunities during winter time, all it takes is proper clothing and a bike set up for winter riding. He is whining and complaining about nothing.
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Even down here in the southern U.S., there's no guarantee that parts of January won't be freezing if a cold front blows through. Might be better off in So Cal; I think it's more predictable.
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these are shots from my solo visit in mid-March 2022. (Main island, Sao Migquel - good variety of routes)
https://photos.app.goo.gl/yqPv8euYDAKUnkK88
temps were 15-18C / 55-65F
and that is about what it is all year long. down a few degrees in the winter, up a few degrees in the summer.
ideal for cycling. Lots of hills, uber scenic, very quiet roads.
There were moments of rain even in March. but it's warm enough that it's not uncomfortable.
there are also apparently direct flights from Boston.
Everyone speaks English.
And there is one bike shop in Ponta Delgada that rents decent looking road bikes. (though I always take my own)
I was back again in October (Pico which is small and fairly limited routes, and Terciera - better routes) and we did seem to hit more rain and damp periods. though again, it was like what they say about the weather in Boston "if you don't like it, wiat 15 minutes and it'll change"
I am looking at it again now as a January option. still warm - 55-65 and the charts show that it should be less rainy than Nov/Dec (which are the wettest months).
I have never faced tough wind during either of my two Azores visits. but then ForceD spent much more time there and so has seen more.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/yqPv8euYDAKUnkK88
temps were 15-18C / 55-65F
and that is about what it is all year long. down a few degrees in the winter, up a few degrees in the summer.
ideal for cycling. Lots of hills, uber scenic, very quiet roads.
There were moments of rain even in March. but it's warm enough that it's not uncomfortable.
there are also apparently direct flights from Boston.
Everyone speaks English.
And there is one bike shop in Ponta Delgada that rents decent looking road bikes. (though I always take my own)
I was back again in October (Pico which is small and fairly limited routes, and Terciera - better routes) and we did seem to hit more rain and damp periods. though again, it was like what they say about the weather in Boston "if you don't like it, wiat 15 minutes and it'll change"
I am looking at it again now as a January option. still warm - 55-65 and the charts show that it should be less rainy than Nov/Dec (which are the wettest months).
I have never faced tough wind during either of my two Azores visits. but then ForceD spent much more time there and so has seen more.
As for language barriers, I find there are really only a few words you need to know in the local language - "Hello", "please", "thank you" and "do you speak English?". Especially when they hear me butcher their language, they are more than happy to speak to me in English, LOL!
#30
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though it is appealing because I have friends there.
But, isn't it kind of flat? I like a little bit of roll.
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re: language
I spent a LOT of time during the pandemic working on learning Spanish, online (because I love a lot of spanish speaking places and figure Spanish will take me further than many other languages)
So, when this past March I decided that I just had to just book something, go somewhere, to ride a bike in decent conditions, the problem with most Spanish speaking cycling destinations (Mallorca, Canary islands, Girona) was that the flight connections were abominable. 25hour return flight with an overnight in Frankfurt for example.
finally, following a lead I looked at the Azores. and it looked good. But I thought Darn it. all this time spent learning some Spanish and I am going to a place where I don;t speak a wor of Portuguese.
But I was amazed (though also distressed as it reminded me that English really is dominating the world) everywhere I went they spoke pitch perfect English. A tiny conenience store in the countryside? someone spoke prefect english. All cafe staff. Perfect.
distressing but incredibly handy.
I spent a LOT of time during the pandemic working on learning Spanish, online (because I love a lot of spanish speaking places and figure Spanish will take me further than many other languages)
So, when this past March I decided that I just had to just book something, go somewhere, to ride a bike in decent conditions, the problem with most Spanish speaking cycling destinations (Mallorca, Canary islands, Girona) was that the flight connections were abominable. 25hour return flight with an overnight in Frankfurt for example.
finally, following a lead I looked at the Azores. and it looked good. But I thought Darn it. all this time spent learning some Spanish and I am going to a place where I don;t speak a wor of Portuguese.
But I was amazed (though also distressed as it reminded me that English really is dominating the world) everywhere I went they spoke pitch perfect English. A tiny conenience store in the countryside? someone spoke prefect english. All cafe staff. Perfect.
distressing but incredibly handy.
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No he wasn't just speaking for himself. He said " cyclists in Canada "...The word cyclists is a plural meaning more than one person. It sounds like he is assuming that all cyclists in Canada are miserable during winter because they can't ride. I live close to Toronto where OP lives and I can tell you that there are plenty of great riding opportunities during winter time, all it takes is proper clothing and a bike set up for winter riding. He is whining and complaining about nothing.

Last edited by Atlas Shrugged; 12-14-22 at 07:40 PM.
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MIAMI FLORIDA and south Florida on the Atlantic Ocean side: WEST PALM BEACH, & PALM BEACH, then to MIAMI, then farther south over to the Florida Keys.
Just like BUGS BUNNY in those old 65+ year old cartoons was always famously trying to get down to MIAMI BEACH for vacationing....
Yes, Florida is as flat as a billiard table, but where else can you go that offers so damn much to do in JANUARY?
The La Jolla - San Diego Calif area is the best 2nd Choice
Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and Brazil are superb choices as it is Summer below the equator.
You do owe it yourself to have your passport stampted from vacations to these four countries.
Portuguese is not too hard to learn just enough of, if you wanna visit Brazil, just don't be flashy and be certain and dress down in Rio as you don't want to be wearing a Rolex or anything that can tag you as a wealthy tourist. In Sao Paulo that isn't really a problem, but Rio has rogue young kids, 12 to 13 years old, not sure you'd call them gangs, but streetwise innercity kids that will rob you at knife point or gun point if you & your wife are wearing nice designer clothes, shoes,jewelry, & sunglasses. You want to purposely dress down like you would if you and your wife bought all your clothing from Walmart, Kmart, Family Dollar. You don't even want to be wearing LEVIS jeans in Rio, you'd want to be wearing no-name jeans and no-name brands to avoid being targeted by these rogue young criminals in Rio de Janeiro. If you do that, you will be fine and you will enjoy Rio.
MIAMI -- South Florida (#1 BEST PLACE IN THE USA for JANUARY )
https://www.floridarambler.com/flori...ach-laketrail/
https://www.miamidade.gov/chambergaz...-friendly.page
https://www.themiamibikescene.com/p/trails.html
https://www.floridastateparks.org/le...heritage-trail
https://www.floridarambler.com/flori...eritage-trail/
You never know what famous English rock n roll front man that you might see riding his SCOTT bicycle down in south FLA....
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbi...s-Florida.html
https://expressdigest.com/rod-stewar...in-in-florida/
Hey, if you think the warm January weather in or near MIAMI is what you need, but you aren't so thrilled with it being mostly level and flat, may I suggest that you consider riding a 40 pound Orange colored 1972 SCHWINN VARSITY 10 speed or either a 1940's, 1950's 1960's vintage English 3 speed.
The San Diego/La Jolla area, or the Phoenix/Scottsdale area, as well as all of Hawaii, probably do not compare to MIAMI,-south Florida in the month of JANUARY which is the dead of winter here in North America. Sometimes you just gotta getaway from the the ice & snow, frozen tundra rustbelt where the Spring thaw doesn't occur until almost May 10th to other parts for a reprieve from that horrible winter weather. If you're retired and your stock portfolio has at least kept pace with inflation, you are missing out by not taking occasional trips so that you and your spouse can enjoy yourselves for at least a few days. Hell, your neighbors or other family members can attend to your pets and home for a few days. You wanna ride, then just do it and go where it its warm enough for a getaway of at least a few days. Assuming that you're in great physical shape & fully boosted with the latest, then there are no out of the ordinary risks in taking a January vacation or mini-vacation to Miami at this point in time.
Just like BUGS BUNNY in those old 65+ year old cartoons was always famously trying to get down to MIAMI BEACH for vacationing....
Yes, Florida is as flat as a billiard table, but where else can you go that offers so damn much to do in JANUARY?
The La Jolla - San Diego Calif area is the best 2nd Choice
Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and Brazil are superb choices as it is Summer below the equator.
You do owe it yourself to have your passport stampted from vacations to these four countries.
Portuguese is not too hard to learn just enough of, if you wanna visit Brazil, just don't be flashy and be certain and dress down in Rio as you don't want to be wearing a Rolex or anything that can tag you as a wealthy tourist. In Sao Paulo that isn't really a problem, but Rio has rogue young kids, 12 to 13 years old, not sure you'd call them gangs, but streetwise innercity kids that will rob you at knife point or gun point if you & your wife are wearing nice designer clothes, shoes,jewelry, & sunglasses. You want to purposely dress down like you would if you and your wife bought all your clothing from Walmart, Kmart, Family Dollar. You don't even want to be wearing LEVIS jeans in Rio, you'd want to be wearing no-name jeans and no-name brands to avoid being targeted by these rogue young criminals in Rio de Janeiro. If you do that, you will be fine and you will enjoy Rio.
MIAMI -- South Florida (#1 BEST PLACE IN THE USA for JANUARY )
https://www.floridarambler.com/flori...ach-laketrail/
https://www.miamidade.gov/chambergaz...-friendly.page
https://www.themiamibikescene.com/p/trails.html
https://www.floridastateparks.org/le...heritage-trail
https://www.floridarambler.com/flori...eritage-trail/
You never know what famous English rock n roll front man that you might see riding his SCOTT bicycle down in south FLA....
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbi...s-Florida.html
https://expressdigest.com/rod-stewar...in-in-florida/
Hey, if you think the warm January weather in or near MIAMI is what you need, but you aren't so thrilled with it being mostly level and flat, may I suggest that you consider riding a 40 pound Orange colored 1972 SCHWINN VARSITY 10 speed or either a 1940's, 1950's 1960's vintage English 3 speed.
The San Diego/La Jolla area, or the Phoenix/Scottsdale area, as well as all of Hawaii, probably do not compare to MIAMI,-south Florida in the month of JANUARY which is the dead of winter here in North America. Sometimes you just gotta getaway from the the ice & snow, frozen tundra rustbelt where the Spring thaw doesn't occur until almost May 10th to other parts for a reprieve from that horrible winter weather. If you're retired and your stock portfolio has at least kept pace with inflation, you are missing out by not taking occasional trips so that you and your spouse can enjoy yourselves for at least a few days. Hell, your neighbors or other family members can attend to your pets and home for a few days. You wanna ride, then just do it and go where it its warm enough for a getaway of at least a few days. Assuming that you're in great physical shape & fully boosted with the latest, then there are no out of the ordinary risks in taking a January vacation or mini-vacation to Miami at this point in time.
#35
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but Rio has rogue young kids, 12 to 13 years old, not sure you'd call them gangs, but streetwise innercity kids that will rob you at knife point or gun point if you & your wife are wearing nice designer clothes, shoes,jewelry, & sunglasses. You want to purposely dress down like you would if you and your wife bought all your clothing from Walmart, Kmart, Family Dollar. You don't even want to be wearing LEVIS jeans in Rio, you'd want to be wearing no-name jeans and no-name brands to avoid being targeted by these rogue young criminals in Rio de Janeiro. If you do that, you will be fine and you will enjoy Rio.
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#36
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We winter just outside Tucson and have friends who come down every winter for a week or more, same can be said for Phoenix and it's suburbs. Unless there is a cold front coming through like this week you will see 60s and Tucson has a lot of variety from the 130 mile cycling path loop around the city to cycling up the Mt Lemmon Hwy, an incredible ride and will rival some of the best climbs anywhere in the country. Starts off at about 2,557 ft surrounded by saguaros and mesquites and climbs as high as 8,198 ft to pines and snow.
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How about cycling the big Island of Hawaii? Don’t recall how long it takes to ride around the whole island, but there are led tours but you could do it solo.
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Yes, I have a place in Oro Valley, 5 and 8 foot bike lanes everywhere in town that are actually see a street sweeper,with connections to the loop that goes all over, with the Tour De Tucson running right through the town, never seen better.
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I'm currently in Bangkok. This morning when I left the house at 6:45am it was 19C and sunny. When I got back at 9:00am it was 22C so not too bad. Very humid though. Bangkok and the surrounding area is kind of flat. Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai in the north have more hills and mountains. The temps are definitely cooler with mid teens in the morning and around 26C to 29C in the afternoons. If you want a tough hill to climb there is always Doi Suthep right outside of Chiang Mai. Doi Suthep (pjammcycling.com) It's a bit tougher than it looks on here.
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#40
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#41
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Tucson, and especially the Oro Valley, get my vote. I spent a week down there in late April 2021 and it was great for cycling. I rode Mt. Lemmon as well until the thunder and lightning as well as the snowstorm got to be too much. Pulled the plug at 8,000ft and our friend picked us up and we drove down. Lots of bike trails in the area though so it should be pretty nice.
though weirdly Tucson is 2 hours further (7) and one stop more (1 vs direct) than Las Vegas from YYZ.(And any extra stop is a lost bike risk)But on the short list. I've heard good things about Tucson cycling from a friend.
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When I was cycling in Tucson in the '70s, I met several members of the Canadian national cycling team who had come down for training. That may have been in February...
If you go, don't miss the loop drive at Saguaro National Park.

November at Saguaro NP
If you go, don't miss the loop drive at Saguaro National Park.

November at Saguaro NP
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Is it safe to ride in and around Miami? After all, Florida is the state with the highest cyclist deaths per capita.
From bikeleague.org:
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#44
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Here’s a link to (I think) the shop/service I used in Las Vegas a few years ago. But there are others.
https://www.getyourguide.com/bike-bl...m&gclsrc=3p.ds
Dan
https://www.getyourguide.com/bike-bl...m&gclsrc=3p.ds
Dan
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Fredo76 I digresss but that (green) frame you are riding in the Saguaro NP looks Huge!. what size do you ride?
#47
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Are you sure you want to be travelling at this time of year? Air travel is always hell especially if you have check-in luggage. And if you're considering driving, consider you'll be driving in the snow on the highway. Even as far south as North Carolina, I've seen lots of sports cars spin out because they just don't know how to drive in challenging weather (and I'm not saying anything better about Canadian drivers in the first snowfall either).
Maybe the train.
And all that hassle for only one week? You'll be returning when the weather is even worse. So there may be flight delays with airports closing while the plows clear the runways. So don't forget to pack the cold weather clothing that will be dead weight while you're cycling in the sun.
The best bet for us Canadians who can adapt is to stay where you are and suit up your bike for winter weather. No less fun than summer riding.
Maybe the train.
And all that hassle for only one week? You'll be returning when the weather is even worse. So there may be flight delays with airports closing while the plows clear the runways. So don't forget to pack the cold weather clothing that will be dead weight while you're cycling in the sun.
The best bet for us Canadians who can adapt is to stay where you are and suit up your bike for winter weather. No less fun than summer riding.
Last edited by Daniel4; 12-20-22 at 12:39 PM.
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Fredo at Saguaro NP
Last edited by Fredo76; 12-20-22 at 04:04 PM.
#49
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Canary islands is where everybody from Europe goes for January-February. Great infrastructure and reasonably priced.
Forget Florida. It's very crowded with a lot of drivers who shouldn't be driving.
I also agree with Las Vegas and Tucson suggestions.
Forget Florida. It's very crowded with a lot of drivers who shouldn't be driving.
I also agree with Las Vegas and Tucson suggestions.
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Just in case this idea gets some attention: https://www.amtrak.com/content/dam/p...m-Map-1018.pdf
and keep in mind depending on how far you go, it's 2-4 days one way, so you may end up on the train your entire week....
and keep in mind depending on how far you go, it's 2-4 days one way, so you may end up on the train your entire week....
Last edited by superdex; 12-21-22 at 11:36 AM.