Where in southeastern US to go for winter cycling escape?

[Tom Matchak]

Thinking about escaping NH during Jan/Feb and plunking down somewhere in the southeast that offers some nice cycling opportunities at that time of year. Ideal location would be a bike friendly town, with a some "every day" low-traffic routes accessible from the lodging, and an option to sample other popular road routes by driving an hour or two. A local rail trail would be a plus.

While open to doing some of the local epic rides, our emphasis is on being able get in a few hours daily on the bike (even if we're repeating routes), with time left to explore the local culture/food.

Suggestions, anyone? Thanks.

[christian]

I gotta be honest. I don't think there's really any such place in the SE. North Carolina is cool, but it'll be cold there in Jan/Feb, too.

I think you should go to Guadeloupe.

[45K10]

I would suggest Tallahassee. It is a great place to ride, awesome roads and the town is fairly bike friendly. The temps in morning that time of year are normally in the high 30's to low 40's and the highs in the afternoon are normally around 70. Back in the day a lot of pros from NE would come down to Tallahassee in the winter time and unlike the rest of Florida we have some hills.

[rugbysecondrow]

Blue Ridge Parkway...tons of great riding. It should be warm enough, but depending on how far south and what temps you are used to riding in.

[fkelly]

There is tons of great riding on the Blue Ridge. But not in winter. Even at the South end, it is not THAT WARM in January and February. For instance, Asheville which is at about 2000 feet is on the South end of the Blue Ridge. Temps in January average mid 40's for a high. And most of the Blue Ridge is higher in elevation than that. I think they may even close the Blue Ridge at times because of snow.

If you go to sea level and closer to the coast you can get average highs in the 50's and 60's in January but the riding is not that great (I'm thinking Georgia and South Carolina). Tallahassee might be a good bet as mentioned, since much of Florida is the pits for riding. Or bite the bullet and fly out to California where the climate is temperate and they have hills and mountains.

Weather dot com has a totals and averages page for most locations. Go look at average highs and lows for January to get a sense of what a proposed location will be like.

[Fixed]

i want to go ride with spiderman in the winter
i live in florida
cheers

[AngryScientist]

if you're going to get away anyway, make it count. go to socal.

[christian]

if you're going to get away anyway, make it count. go to socal.Even Southern California isn't that warm in January. He'd be wearing a base layer and knickers. Guadeloupe is where it is at. Great cycling culture too!

[Lovetoclimb]

if you're going to get away anyway, make it count. go to socal.

I have to concur here. Spent a long weekend in SD early February of this year. The pits in Ohio, ice storms and single digit temps. 70s and perfect all weekend in SD, I think I even got tan lines from 12 or so hours of riding. You can venture into the mountains and maybe hit some snow at the top of Laguna or Palomar, but the roads are never bad. We did Laguna to the top and there was no snow to be found. Got down to 50 degrees as the sun began to set but still ss and shorts, only a vest added.

Maybe not driveable, Southwest does go there I think . . . heard great things about AZ too.

[Tom Matchak]

if you're going to get away anyway, make it count. go to socal.

I lived in southern CA (San Juan Capistrano) for 30 years, and before that in AZ. We'll be back out there to ride later in the year, after the rainy season, when the hills are green again.

I don't know the southeastern US, so I was thinking of possibly going to someplace new, closer, and rideable in the meantime. I don't mind chilly temperatures, just don't want frozen/salted roads like here in northern NH.

Thanks all for your feedback.

[Kirk Pacenti]

http://www.outsideonline.com/adventure-travel/best-towns/Sweet-HomeChattanooga.html

But we like it.

Cheers,

KP

[nighthawk]

Check out Gainesville, FL. Great winter weather (chilly nights but sunny days). Lots of long flat routes to ride. The bike path thru Paines Praire is incredible ( wild bison, horses, armadillo, alligators, etc)... I haven't been in many years but I have fond memories.

[kramnnim]

I randomly clicked some Bicycling article about the "10 best descents" in the US, and a commenter mentioned upstate SC, where Hincapie lives and rides. Sounded kind of interesting.

[Fixed]

I would suggest Tallahassee. It is a great place to ride, awesome roads and the town is fairly bike friendly. The temps in morning that time of year are normally in the high 30's to low 40's and the highs in the afternoon are normally around 70. Back in the day a lot of pros from NE would come down to Tallahassee in the winter time and unlike the rest of Florida we have some hills.
a beautiful town it is
cheers imho

[goonster]

Asheville.

You'll have about a 50/50 chance of decent riding weather, i.e. 50% chance it is dry in the low 50's, and 50% chance there is a snow/ice storm or aftermath thereof.

But it is worth the trip anyway, because:

- it will be warmer than NH
- Truly great BBQ (12 Bones, sadly closed in Jan.)
- Outstanding beer (Pisgah, Highland, Green Man)

[Jeffie]

Hincapie lives in Greenville, SC which is where I am. For the most part, you can ride all winter long as any ice/snow we may get melts quickly. If you don't mind the cold and haven't been to Greenville, I think you would like it.

If you decide to come, PM me and we can talk details about riding/eating/etc.

Happy riding,
Jeff

[Joachim]

I randomly clicked some Bicycling article about the "10 best descents" in the US, and a commenter mentioned upstate SC, where Hincapie lives and rides. Sounded kind of interesting.

That will be Greenville, SC. Good riding but you can still get snow in December and January.

[Ralph]

I'm retired, and travel all over USA with my bike.....usually looking for local trails to ride. Then usually after a couple days, after I get aclimated from travel, altitude, heat, cold, etc, I usually meet some locals who tell me some local rides to do away from the trails.

I've never found any trails better than the ones we have right here in Central Florida (at least 7-8 monhs of the year)....especially if you have family members with you. And you are almost guaranteed great weather that time of year....low humidity and just right temps. Our trails are built like car lanes.....14' wide, paved, etc. Some are busy, with lots of roads cutting across, some you go for miles without seeing a cross over. This is an example of one of the better rides. This trail connects to other trails not mentioned in this site, and is a trail some professtional visiting training race teams use to get to the hill country.(surprisingly we do have have some steep hills on W side of area)

http://www.dep.state.fl.us/gwt/guide/regions/eastcentral/trails/west_orange.htm

The trail goes right thru the middle of downtown Winter Garden.....main street one way each side of trail.....you can see in pic. ....good economical places to stay, plus the more traditional stuff to do in Central Florida....which I never do.
http://www.cwgdn.com/

More Florida Trails....some just minutes from, or connecting to W Orange Trail....Plus check out Florida Freewheelers, A local bike club, who has rides most days of the week.

http://www.trails.com/findarea.aspx?state=FL

[Louis]

Even Southern California isn't that warm in January. He'd be wearing a base layer and knickers.

The horror! The horror!

[christian]

The horror! The horror!
Not hardly. I lived in SoCal for a long time and love it. But the point I was making ia that it's not a tropical cycling destination in January.

[Louis]

Not hardly. I lived in SoCal for a long time and love it. But the point I was making ia that it's not a tropical cycling destination in January.

I agree - if you're going somewhere, then make it worth it, but if the perfect place is a pita to get to or more expensive, it may be worth it to compromise.

[rnhood]

Agree with Ralph. Central Florida provides some great cycling areas, Clermont and Mt. Dora in particular. Trails, paved trails, low traffic, good hills, and best of all a pleasant climate in the middle of winter.

NC and SC also provide some good cycling areas but there will be a bit of a risk in Jan and Feb. We do have cold spells here - especially in the Western areas which is where the best cycling happens. And much of the Parkway in NC is closed in the winter. You can jump the gate and ride it but at altitude, it will be very cold with a good chance of snow on the tarmac.

For guaranteed weather with good riding, its going to be hard to beat Florida anywhere east of the Mississippi.

[Gummee]

Even Southern California isn't that warm in January. He'd be wearing a base layer and knickers. Guadeloupe is where it is at. Great cycling culture too!
Yeah, its mucho frio in the AMs in Sandy Eggo. I mean really! Base layer, knee warmers, arm warmers, and a vest. ...and you're peeling em all off after 0900 so wear something with pockets!

Me? I'd say check out Greenville, SC. Big George can't be too wrong.

M

[Fixed]

florida just watch out for blue hair
cheers

[peanutgallery]

Athens, GA

the Winter Bike League is the best. It was Epic before Rapha invented the concept of what it is to be epic. No scarves allowed

http://winterbikeleague.com/site/

tons of road and mtb in the area along with a town that was once one of the great peoples republics. Great food, etc

[Elefantino]

Come to Jacksonville! Lots of pickups trying to hit you, particularly if you wear spandex! :hello:

[harryblack]

Athens, GA for all-terrain warmer than Asheville or Greenville. No mountains per se but you can drive an 60-80 minutes north to GA-NC border and thrash yourself as desired.

Pinellas County, Fla is excellent alternative to central Fla if you prefer Tampa-St Pete to Orlando (as I do). Some major roads are bad but using Pinellas Trail as baseline gives you a lot of excellent riding though often windy and you can hit a bad week of highs in the 50s.

Tarpon Springs to Clearwater Beach to Treasure Island and back is fave ride, for example.

Also, there's superb bbq in Tampa-St Pete, especially Eli's in Dunedin-- better than Asheville, equal to albeit different than the best in Tennessee.

[Joel]

What Ralph Said!

Just west of Orlando nice rolling hills and very-very little traffic.

Now to be fair - I'm a little biased having lived here for 16 years!

[JonB]

Sounds like it has everything. Good routes, good cycling culture. College town so there's plenty of things to do, places to eat. There's also the Gainesville-Hawthorne Railtrail.
http://www.floridastateparks.org/gainesville-hawthorne/

You're also within an hour of great mountain biking in Ocala and within two hours of riding the Clermont/Mount Dora areas which are also terrific.

[ckamp]

Tucson Arizona

[Elefantino]

Tucson Arizona
http://www.wearysloth.com/Gallery/ActorsG/6801-14025.gif

When I say, "Understand", the group will say, "Yes, sir!"

Understand?
- Yes, sir!

Understand?
- Yes, sir!

I don't believe what I'm seeing! Where you been? Listening to punk rock music and bad-mouthing your country, I'll bet!

Where you from, boy?
- Tucson, Arizona, sir.

Where?
- Tucson, Arizona, sir!

Two things come out of Arizona ... steers and queers! Which are you? I don't see no horns, so you must be queer.

-No, sir!

[Ken Robb]

There is always some risk but SoCal is usually a good bet. If it's not nice at the coast the desert is only 1.5 hours away. I have gone cross-country skiing on Palomar Mtn. and body surfing at La Jolla Shores on the same day.

[oliver1850]

I love the Athens, GA area. It's great late March, early April, but I've not been there in Feb. I would shoot for spring break, and hope there's a good band booked at the 40 Watt, (if it still exists).

[HenryA]

Mid-Florida is a good pick. Think of a triangle of Tampa, Gainesville and Orlando. Stay away from the coast.

[Ralph]

Like I mentioned in above post.....I'm retired, and like many of you, travel around a bit with my bike inside my Element.

I think there is good riding almost everywhere in US at some time during the year. Problem is.....when I get to an area I'm new to.....I don't know those nice local rides (I do use Maymyride.com sometimes). I'm usually in a motel on a busy street, not a quiet low raffic area. I usually have someone with me who may not be interested in riding....what do they do? I also have to think about what if my bike breaks down and I can't fix it (there is not much I can't fix), or what if I get hit by car or truck....what happens then?

So....Until I get an area kinda figured out....I stick to a good local trail. Usually need a few days to get my cycling legs back anyway after days on the road. At least, if I get hit on a trail.....it's usually by another cyclist, jogger, or Mom pushing a stroller. That's better than being hit by 18 wheeler a long way from home. I sometimes meet local cyclists, who advise me about some non trail safe routes after a few days. That is how I treat new areas. Kinda learned the CO front range this way.

[rab]

I'll join the pro-Georgia contingent on this one.
Generally find fair weather, a good cycling scene and a variety of terrain to choose from.
Athens could definitely be a decent choice, and Dahlonega may be worth checking as it sits at the foot of the mountains--which could be good or bad depending on desired terrain and weather.

Honestly, you could do ok anywhere in the Atlanta area, as there is a big cycling scene and a lot of different ride/route options. Check out mapmyride.com, sadlebred.com, atlbike.org for more info if this sounds appealing.

I suspect that although a bit cooler, Greenville, SC would be a great place to go as well.

good luck!

[Ken Robb]

wasn't there just snow in MS, AL,TN, and GA?

[tiretrax]

If you want to do a car trip, go to SC, GA, northern FL for hills. Flats - central or south FL. If you are flying, Austin, Albuquerque, Tuscon, Phoenix, and SoCal all are great choices - even San Francisco. It will probably be warmer than NH!

[echelon_john]

Went to Blairsville, GA last year for a few weeks. Nice town, great riding, easy access to lots of terrain types. Chilly in January since it's in the mountains, but a heck of a lot warmer than here (VT). If you don't mind wearing tights/a jacket it's fine. Lots of rental properties available, and it's off season for there, so the prices are right.

[jr59]

I will second Atlanta.
It's a cycle friendly city with many routes.
It's a day trip to Rome Ga. and all the routes from there..6-gap, 10-gap, Brasstown blad.
It's a day trip to Tasli with the best single track on the east coast.
Atlanta also has a velodrome if that's your thing.


For the Southeast, thats as good as it gets.


Of course, you could always just bring the city bike here to my home, New Orleans.
We have a bike friendly city, with most everything accessible by bike, and there is a lot of things to see and do here. Although, the biking is not as good as the ATL. We party better!!! :beer:

[BCS]

I live in Central Florida and have ridden over every inch of bike trail, hill and overpass in the region countless times. The Clermont/Mt Dora area is better than the flat areas in the surrounding towns but it is not, IMHO, a cycling destination. It is OK riding with better weather than where you are now. Mt. Dora is a quaint little town with good antiques and some very good restaurants. Clermont has better "hills" but less non cycling charm.

If you are getting on a plane, go to San Diego (I lived there prior to FL) or follow some of the T of C routes. If you are set on the Southeast, the Georgia suggestions are excellent. I would love to make this trip myself this winter.

[Fixed]

san antonio florida
http://www.5skaggs.com/GroupRides_Tampa-StPete.htm
http://sananncycles.com/
cheers

[JonB]

That San Antonio, FL ride is the bees knees.

[Ryun]

Come to Jacksonville! Lots of pickups trying to hit you, particularly if you wear spandex! :hello:
Yes they do. keeps it interesting

[binouye]

Like others have said, Tallahassee and Gainesville could both be good. They're only 2.5 hr drive apart, so you could visit both. Jacksonville and south FL (and in my opinion most of south/central FL too) have horrible drivers and attitudes.
There are actually hills near Tallahassee, if you want some elevation change in your rides....

[HenryA]

That San Antonio, FL ride is the bees knees.

Back in ancient history when I raced avidly, we'd head down there for some winter riding. Its really a great area. I liked to stay at the convent in St. Leo - http://www.floridabenedictines.com/index.html. I don't know if that is still available and it certainly would not suit anyone who's going to "party". :no:

But if you just wanted some serious riding and an inexpensive, peaceful place to lay your head it was great. The group ride was spectacular, with good local riders and some really fast pro guys who wintered in Florida. But that's been a while...

.