Thread: Metro Boston: Good ride today?
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Old 12-06-19, 10:36 AM
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Jim from Boston
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FYA, Earlier today I posted to this thread on the Road Cycling forum, “Best cycling city in USA?”
Originally Posted by Jim from Boston
Originally Posted by RupertCornelius
It's a common theme in many sports - skiing, running, rock climbing, etc that people seek out the best cities to live in to have the best places nearby, but I haven't seen the similar sorts of threads for cycling.

Where in the US has the best road cycling? .

So all things considered - year-round weather, terrain, roads, traffic, group rides, etc, where has the best cycling?
Originally Posted by nycphotography
Do you have to live in said city?

Do you also have to make a living in said city?
I have posted about Boston:
Originally Posted by Jim from Boston
Personally. I'm very happy cycling in Metro Boston, and have posted an informal Cycling Guide to Metro Boston (link) that would make a nice hub and spoke tour of nine days …

It may seem parochial, but I think the cycling around here is great. One can be in scenic countryside within about one hour from downtown, while passing through an interesting, compact urban and suburban scene. Furthermore you can extend your range with a convenient Commuter Rail that allows fully-assembled bikes during off-peak hours. In Spring through Fall it’s a temperate climate

Besides the cycling, Boston is such a popular tourist [and residential] destination that there will always be something interesting to do off the bike…culture, nightlife, sports and so forth.
Originally Posted by Jim from Boston
…And [on my commute] I cycle a nice distance of at least 14 miles through one of America’s most charming, interesting, and historic metropolises on residential and light commercial roads (and partially on a bikepath in a park) in the reverse commuter direction early in the morning, during all four (pleasant to tolerable) seasons.

For training purposes, I can expand my routes to encompass popular high-level cycling outer suburbs (e.g. Dover, for the cognoscenti)
Originally Posted by Jim from Boston
...I have ridden out West in the Desert, Rockies, and vast Plains, and while interesting and scenic, the views are unchanging for miles, and I really enjoy the intimate quirkiness of Metro Boston:
Originally Posted by Jim from Boston
"Does a near-perfect weather place exist?"

Personally the only weather I don’t like to ride in is rain, and no rain would be a desert. That said, I really like riding in all seasons, even winter. So my near perfect weather would present the best of all seasons, without the extremes, and I already live here.

Nice, albeit short Spring with beautiful blossoms and that first few weeks of relief from Winter; glorious summer; cool crispy Autumn with colorful foliage; and even a bracing, and challenging Winter, but not one impossible to ride in.
Finally, while Massachusetts does have a few named mountains, those of Vermont and New Hamphire are within a few hours drive, and for many in Boston they are routine one day or weekend trips.
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