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Does anyone know of some roads, besides Natchez Trace, that a flat stretches for at least 10 miles with no stop lights? I know there is highway 96 in Franklin. It goes for 8 miles.

The reason I am a looking for this type road is becuase I have a 40K time trial coming up in September and I don't want the impedements of stop lights to interfere with my training.

If you are looking for "flat" stretches you and I both know that can be hard to find around here. But if you are willing to travel to Murfreesboro, Highway 231 South from Murfreesboro to Shelbyville is about 20 miles (one way) of relatively flat 4 lane highway with almost no stop lights. Go I-24 East to exit 81 and go South off the interstate. Go about half a mile to the intersection of 231 and Barfield Road. Park there and head south on 231. Like I mentioned it is about 20 miles to Shelbyville with a nice shoulder to ride on. Personally I've never done this ride, but when I am working and have to travel to Shelbyville, I sometimes see groups of riders cooking it down that route. I have always thought they were training for a time trial, so you might just come across some other riders on your way.

Hope this helps.

Thanks for that info. To be truthful, I usually ride within Davidson county and sometimes out in Williamson. Most of the time, I ride from Hermitage to Natchez trace and back.

Watch for the Armadillos! Well, ok I don't really know what I am talking about but I am envious that you even have roads like that. Here in NJ there is nothing close to a long road, much less one without and lights. Enjoy the ride.

i usually ride from my house off of west end through belle meade and through percy warner park (the antithesis of flat)

if i want a long flat ride i usually exit the park at vaughn road (the stoplight were the steeplechase is...mile 10 of my ride)...you can park in percy warner or 1/8th mile down at edwin warner park at the nature science center

if you ride down vaughn for a few miles...take a right at the stopsign on sneed .... take the first left after the harpeth river bridge and you are on old natchez....

if you keep on old natchez it is approx. 9 miles until it dead ends into old hillsboro

it is mostly flat with one short steep hill that is downhill going south (not bad climb 80 feet or so)

you can keep going on old hillsboro until it deadends into highway 96

if you go east you are 3-4 miles or so (rough guess) until you hit birdsong hollow and where that 200ft high natchez trace parkway bridge crosses it....that ramp is sort of fun to climb....but not on hot days :)

OR you can take the first left on old hillsboro and keep going on del rio...which is one of my favorite roads in williamson county. beautiful and flat...very fast

A SIDE ROAD is to take a left on moran road off of old natchez. it is 2.5 miles of slight rolling hills to hillsboro road (the busy one). a lot of country music stars live there (alan jackson, vince gill, amy grant (actually her parents live there now)....very cool ride


No stop lights anywhere!!!!!

very little traffic

road surfaces....vaughn just got repaved...it is like glass, sneed ok, old natchez: fine to ride but some areas are rough, moran...soso, old hillsboro: fine but more traffic, delrio...pretty darn good, hwy 96, great road...very busy but 6ft shoulder...pretty clean last week


you should easily get 10 miles out of there

I rode the first time last week with the Harpeth Bike Club on Tuesday night and we did alot of those same roads. A very nice ride. That climb up the ramp to the Trace from Hwy 96 is a doozy. You gotta love Williamson County.