View Poll Results: How do you like the riding where you live?
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How do you like the riding in your area?
#1
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How do you like the riding in your area?
Although real mountains nearby would be nice, I feel very lucky with the variety of roads available where I live. However, reading various threads I wonder how happy others are with what's available to them; whether it's flat, hilly, or varied; and whether they have strong feelings about it. Hence, a little poll.
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I've got it all where I live. Fairly quiet country roads, views, mountains, a lake to ride around, etc....
This view has the road that is part of my basic daily route. So I get to see this everyday.
And then this shot is of the climb up the mountain in the background of the first picture. This is a category 2 climb. There is another category 2 out of this valley, a Cat 1, and then the crazy HC climb up the 4th climb out of our valley.
More views on my base route.
Yeah, so I am definitely delighted.
This view has the road that is part of my basic daily route. So I get to see this everyday.
And then this shot is of the climb up the mountain in the background of the first picture. This is a category 2 climb. There is another category 2 out of this valley, a Cat 1, and then the crazy HC climb up the 4th climb out of our valley.
More views on my base route.
Yeah, so I am definitely delighted.
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#5
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I only really do longer rides in the summer around here. Most of my riding is to work, which is 40 km RT. It's flat, mostly. I don't really care much for hills one way or another. I don't avoid them, but don't go out of the way just to ride them.
#6
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I've got Category 3 climbs all over the place, a nice Cat 2 about 15 miles away, Cat 1 and beyond would require a short drive. And of course plenty of flats if that's what I fancy. Couldn't be better. Maybe one day I'll be man enough to try the Hors catιgorie climb up Palomar Mountain's south grade
#7
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I have some roads that could be great for cycling very close by Hollister, CA where I live. Some flat and some hilly. The problem is some have no shoulder area and too many cars, others have little traffic but extremely beat up surfaces. This could be a bicycling mecca with some better roads; especially this time of year when the hills are green.
#8
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#9
Erik the Inveigler
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I like it a lot.
Of course, today, things in the environs look more like the next pic:
Of course, today, things in the environs look more like the next pic:
Last edited by Scarbo; 03-05-17 at 10:42 AM.
#10
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You should have had an option for "In misery. Too much traffic on treacherous roads"
#11
In the wind
I'm pretty happy with the riding around here. It's possible to ride into the mountains and the roads are mostly good quality. My only complaint is there aren't enough roads.
#13
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Good. It's dead flat here. Here is a typical ride: 38 miles, less than 300 feet of elevation change. That's just up and down levees. https://www.strava.com/activities/887801661
It's an hour ride or 20 min drive to hills. Hour and a half drive to proper mountain roads.
It's an hour ride or 20 min drive to hills. Hour and a half drive to proper mountain roads.
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I really like my area - There really isn't THAT much flat area, but I'm counting small hills in the "flat" category.
Hills are plentiful - small and large, steep and shallow. I haven't yet done the climb up Hawk Mountain, but I figure I'll give it a go in the next couple of years. I've seen it listed as a Cat 3 - I know from driving up it in my car that it would be quite the test on a bike (for me) - about 2 miles at about 9% avg.
Hills are plentiful - small and large, steep and shallow. I haven't yet done the climb up Hawk Mountain, but I figure I'll give it a go in the next couple of years. I've seen it listed as a Cat 3 - I know from driving up it in my car that it would be quite the test on a bike (for me) - about 2 miles at about 9% avg.
#15
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Northern NV is hard to beat. I grew up in the Midwest, but I live here for a reason. I used to live in Reno less than 5 miles from two really good climbs- 16 miles at 5% and 7 miles at 5%. The first one led to Tahoe, then the other one led to some other climbs, some with some very steep sections. There are also plenty of flat routes to be had. The weather is just about perfect in the summer and fall.
I recently moved to a smaller town where I'm 9 miles away from 9.5 miles at 6.5%, and from there I can descend down into what is pretty much climbing paradise in the summer time. I'm also close to some very good mountain biking less than 5 miles from my door.
Here's my problem lately- this winter has been absolutely terrible. I'm tempted to move to Tucson or somewhere like that.
I recently moved to a smaller town where I'm 9 miles away from 9.5 miles at 6.5%, and from there I can descend down into what is pretty much climbing paradise in the summer time. I'm also close to some very good mountain biking less than 5 miles from my door.
Here's my problem lately- this winter has been absolutely terrible. I'm tempted to move to Tucson or somewhere like that.
#16
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I love riding here, (Narragansett Bay and Buzzards Bay). There are not many hills and what hills there are, are no longer than a mile of so. Just enough to wake up the legs. No mountains but many views of the littoral. There are also many country roads with light traffic, farms, wild flowers by the roadside and friendly, curteous drivers.
#17
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No flats or mountains around me. Just rolling hills, and more hills, just constant hill after hill, but it's not difficult, no mountains.
#18
Erik the Inveigler
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Northern NV is hard to beat. I grew up in the Midwest, but I live here for a reason. I used to live in Reno less than 5 miles from two really good climbs- 16 miles at 5% and 7 miles at 5%. The first one led to Tahoe, then the other one led to some other climbs, some with some very steep sections. There are also plenty of flat routes to be had. The weather is just about perfect in the summer and fall.
I recently moved to a smaller town where I'm 9 miles away from 9.5 miles at 6.5%, and from there I can descend down into what is pretty much climbing paradise in the summer time. I'm also close to some very good mountain biking less than 5 miles from my door.
Here's my problem lately- this winter has been absolutely terrible. I'm tempted to move to Tucson or somewhere like that.
I recently moved to a smaller town where I'm 9 miles away from 9.5 miles at 6.5%, and from there I can descend down into what is pretty much climbing paradise in the summer time. I'm also close to some very good mountain biking less than 5 miles from my door.
Here's my problem lately- this winter has been absolutely terrible. I'm tempted to move to Tucson or somewhere like that.
This year has been awful as far as weather goes. But California desperately needed all of this rain and snow. Small price to pay.
#19
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I'm in San Diego so I voted "Delighted - plenty of both hills and flat - whatever I want!".
The only real downside around here is traffic.
The only real downside around here is traffic.
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#20
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I love riding in my area, The Golden Horseshoe of Ontario between Toronto and Niagara Falls. There are plenty of hills to go around (I hate hills) and there are a lot of sparsely used country roads with some beautiful scenery. Riding up into the hills you can look back down onto Lake Ontario or ride along the lakeshore for days. I rememebr thinking, before I moved up here from New Jersey, that this would be a great place to ride. I was not wrong about that. Twice I have done a big charity ride from Toronto to Niagara Falls on some of those roads and was awestruck by some of the scenery I missed from the car.
I am sure there are other places that are better than here but this is the best riding area I have ever lived in.
Cheers,
Brian J.
I am sure there are other places that are better than here but this is the best riding area I have ever lived in.
Cheers,
Brian J.
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#22
Non omnino gravis
I've got mountains (Onyx Summit is a 20 mile ride from my door,) hills (I can climb 800ft in 3.5 miles just by heading North,) flats (sort of, my "flat" days are usually ~35 miles with 800ft of elevation,) and a variety of scenery. We have a good deal of variety. The downside being that many of the roadways are literally crumbling, and with a flat broke county and state, they aren't getting fixed any time soon.
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#24
Erik the Inveigler
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I've got it all where I live. Fairly quiet country roads, views, mountains, a lake to ride around, etc....
This view has the road that is part of my basic daily route. So I get to see this everyday.
And then this shot is of the climb up the mountain in the background of the first picture. This is a category 2 climb. There is another category 2 out of this valley, a Cat 1, and then the crazy HC climb up the 4th climb out of our valley.
More views on my base route.
Yeah, so I am definitely delighted.
This view has the road that is part of my basic daily route. So I get to see this everyday.
And then this shot is of the climb up the mountain in the background of the first picture. This is a category 2 climb. There is another category 2 out of this valley, a Cat 1, and then the crazy HC climb up the 4th climb out of our valley.
More views on my base route.
Yeah, so I am definitely delighted.
#25
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I think that moving to Tucson would introduce other challenges to your riding enjoyment. The summer heat is much more bearable where you're at--Reno, Carson City, Carson Valley area.
This year has been awful as far as weather goes. But California desperately needed all of this rain and snow. Small price to pay.
This year has been awful as far as weather goes. But California desperately needed all of this rain and snow. Small price to pay.