i will be spending a week in ashville with just my bike and am planning on riding a lot. i know the blue ridge pkwy has some nice riding but can anyone else recommend any notable routes, roads, or climbs that i should hit while i am there? also, can anyone recommend any specific areas in ashville that would serve as good starting points for rides? any fast group rides?

thanks! i've already started looking at strava but was hoping folks might have some additional insight.

You could try cycling around the Biltmore Estate. That might cost a bit but it's a beautiful attraction.

You definitely want to climb Elk Mountain... close to the city center, little traffic (alot of bike traffic though!), incredible views, challenging, a great way to get up to the parkway (loop back to craven gap, come down town mountain road if you need to get back into town... go north to craggy if you want to do some serious climbing and see one of the best views around!)
The parkway is excellent - either south toward pisgah or north up to craggy gardens.
Along the french broad river to Marshall is a really nice ride, about as flat as it gets around here but quite beautiful.
Asheville Cycling Road

I rode that area with my brother (who lives in the area) a while back and was surprised that it was by and large more flat than the Florida roads I usually ride. But he did take me up and down one hill that far surpassed my usual experiences.

+1...Both of those rides are must do! Try looping from Elk Mtn to Ox Creek, down to the river. Uphill both ways...perfect

The climb back up ox creek, then back down elk mountain really is a great ride . Thats part of what makes elk such a great climb - once at the top you have a few routing options, all of them beautiful.

Do you know of a peaceful route through Waynesville back to the french broad river? The climb back up ox creek is great, but I wonder if its possible to push on to Waynesville and get back over to the river without too much trouble?

Do you mean Weaverville, rather than Waynesville? If its Weaverville I usually turn off Ox Creek on Hamburg Mtn Rd, through Weaverville on Weber Blvd for a short spell (it sucks) and then take Monticello down to the River. Other than the short stint on Weaver to Monticello, its a peaceful ride. Havent tried to ride over to Waynesville from the river but Fletcher Martin Rd will get you headed in that direction.

Weaverville, right.
Have to study up on my geography! Still "new" to the area... been here bike only for 1.5 years - farthest adventure was up to Hot Springs, the ride down to Hendersonville was pretty nice as well. Been over to mitchell, haven't gone too far west but I have been up to pisgah a few times. I love the terrain here, though I have found many routes to be extremely unfriendly to the cyclist.
Monticello sounds great, I'll give it a shot sometime after the snow melts!

https://majortaylorsummit.wordpress.com/the-rides/ there are some here. I like the climb up 151