Wow - Some of the most beautiful areas only have a short riding season - Take it down a notch and central texas could be a good spot for you - Year around riding if you can tolerate the heat...

Better enjoy riding in the rain.

True, but lots are year round too. I'm heading out to Kona in a couple of days for the second time this year - it's one of my favourite places to run and bike.

I used to believe that too ... that was before I actually started cycling.
It does rain quite a lot here ... which is great for nature ... but when you actually count the time it actually rains ... it's not really that much.
We've got one of those "rain radar" systems available online and by simply looking at that tool I have been able to avoid the rains for the last year.
Sure ... sometimes it rains and you can't go out and ride unless you wanna get wet ... but you need a few rest days once in a while anyway, right? ;)

Eh.. I agree!

Living in Holland, this really is cycling paradise (expect for not having mountains), but here it rains often but quite soft, I lived in Louisiana for 7 years and when it rained there it was cats and dogs coming from the sky.. here its misty quite often but nothing that stops you from riding comfortably..

Oh, and holland is so bike friendly, that if a bike and a car get in an accident, its never the bikes fault (even if it actually was!) because they say that a car is much bigger and the possible damage that it can cause is greater..

I currently commute 3 times a week 52kms roundtrip, and every meter that I ride is on bike paths, you can literally go anywhere in this country on bike paths.

I just realized you're actually from Belgium, that's cool... I moved to Liège about two months ago. So far it has been grey/rainy way more than I'm used to. Now that my bike has arrived in Liège (I had to leave it in Grenoble when I moved, just went back to get it last weekend) I'm looking forward do getting in some nice ride around here. I've already scoped out some decent hills for hill repeats close to my place. What site do you use for the weather radar?

Irvine, California (or anywhere in Orange County actually)

- Great schools
- Tons of businesses
- Voted the safest city in the USA for several years
- Dedicated bike paths and tons of bike lanes
- Mountain biking trails
- Quiet neighborhood
- Can't beat the SoCal weather!

I lived in Irvine for over 20 years and can't imagine being anywhere else.

If the object is to find the best place to ride, why are there so many recommendations for locations that are burried under snow for half the year? Wouldn't you want to be in a place where you can ride all year?

That's one of the reasons I like the Vancouver area so much. Hardly ever any snow, once you get a decent rain jacket and a bike with fenders you can ride every day all year.

WOW, i NEVER think of Caledon when i think of great riding places BUT now that you mentioned it, I agree. When I am up there, my rides are incredibly painful but they've been scenic and great. It's endless rolling hills. Going through the Forks of the Credit, Cheltenham, and Terra Cotta is great too.

another great cycling place but the routes are limited is Banff, Alberta.

problem with both of these places though is the snow.

This is so true.
I envy you for living in Holland ... where indeed everything is very bike-friendly ... but then again I don't envy you ... for the winds and the flatness ;)

The area around Liège is about as hilly as Belgium gets ... and also very remote and a lot of nature ... consider yourself lucky in the regard.
The site is: http://www.buienradar.be/

I'm pretty sure I remember that somewhere in "the cyclists training bible" it said about this subject that, according to the author, people in always sunny climates who can ride through winter are in fact at a disadvantage exactly *because* they can and will cycle through winter.
Not cycling for a few months is good for you.
It gives your body and mind the chance to relax and makes you eager for your bike the next spring.

The winds are def a *****, I guess they are a the dutch version of mountains, when I am going over the rhine or the waal, I have headwind on one of the ways, and it sure feels like a mountain..

So true ... and as we say: "ya gotta row with the peddles that you have" :)

very true about renewing the enthusiasm, since getting back into snow skiing, I usually only ride 2 or 3 days a week between Christmas and Mid-April, mostly on the 39 with a few days of more effort.
But it's really nice to be able to start out with just arm & leg warmers and A wind vest in the early monring and pull them off, halfway thru the ride...
It's gotten to the point where I'll purposefully ride on our rainy days, cause it is different and reminiscent of riding back East (US), during winter. Except of course, no threat of Frostbite... :)
The other advantage of the more southerm climes, in winter, are the slightly longer days. There is a noticeable difference between riding in Spain, Italy or Greece as compared to No. Europe. Also true comparing the So. US to the North & Canada.

UNfortunately, in running at least, the state of CA is overall more competitive than any of the snow states precisely because of the lack of snow allowing year-round training. It's well known enough that some budding pro runners move to CA for high school so they can stay competitive through the offseason.

i would have to go for china. probably the best bike lanes around that would put most western countries to shame. crazy urban development means that there are plenty of brand new super smooth roads. massive countryside where you can discover mountain bike trails and have them all to yourself. only down side is that the mountains, at least where i live, are generaly not set up for biking as they are often short steap and have steps going all the way up them.

I think that is pretty much specifically for serious racers. There is a little bit of OCD regarding training among endurance athletes, and most will never take any time off for crosstraining or rest without being forced to.

Girona, Spain. Beautiful town, great climate, wide variety of terrain, cycling-friendly drivers. There's a reason a lot of pros make it their winter base. Pretty much anywhere in Tuscany would be on my list, too.

I don't know about "short riding season" here in Southern Oregon. We ride pretty much year round because it rarely snows on the valley floors. If you don't want to throw on a thermal jacket you can ride from March to November.

NorCal, East Bay Area has most of the above covered, with the exception of traffic although there are many roads less traveled here as well. We have a rainy season December, January and March, but even in that season there are enough dry days to get in great rides. And with an average high of 58* for the worst of months, the winter provides nice autumn-like conditions for those who enjoy escaping the heat. Summers are warm and predictable. Ride all year, golf all year.

Many may not agree, but I've really gotten to appreciate living in the IE (Inland Empire) Souther California.
For me proffessionally, I am in Distribution, so it makes sense as it is one of the biggest hubs in the nation. Housing is alot cheaper than OC and the Bay area. I'll be the first to admit that aesthetically it is not the prettiest.
So here goes the good stuff. Where I live, I have Lytle Creek climb, right in my backyard. I can ride to the base of Mt. Baldy Climb, GMR/GRR, HWY 39 Azusa Canyon. As long as I stay close to the foothills, the riding conditions are not bad at all. I can ride to the Santa Ana River Trail and be in Newport Beach in a few hours.

Riding up here is a grind for sure - the rolling hills just keep coming. I used to live down by the lake in TO and must admit, I miss riding some nice flat terrain.

Yeah, but Operation Peurto, and the change in Spanish law pretty much screwed that up.