Is there anywhere on this planet, better than New England...

[Kingson]

for riding a bike?

can anybody tell me where else on this Orion Spur, that we are on, can you plot a 165 mile route, and encounter... MAYBE... 4 stop lights, and 8 optional stop signs...

... than New England?

AND... !!!

be riding back-, farm-, and country-roads all day long... no matter where you point your bike? through forest and farmland.

and you carry 1... ONE small water bottle with you, and stop at every New England town, every 10-15 miles, to fill up.

OR...

you carry 2 small water bottles, and skip every other town.

am i making up fantasies? anybody who lives in New England knows that you ride thorugh country roads all day long... up and down.

over covered bridges... ALL DAY LONG !!!!
over countryside and woodland and...

YOU SEE BUMBLEBEE'S PICTURES!!! its like that everywhere in New England, and upstate NY. all day long, no matter where you point your bicycle.

my favorite Farmer's Daughter video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kH3hNemmfiM

my favorite D2R2 video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCbvYGqMICA&t=14s

i have my own videos from some Vermont events i did. i just haven't put them together in any kind of cinematographic way.

but am i lying? its like this no matter where you point your bike.

i don't know why i'm ranting/raving.

i moved from Great Barrington to Boulder 9/2019, and then the world shut down.
it was just supposed to be a 7 month hiatus from the north east, for a few seasons.
and i found my dream-job
and friends
but the riding in colorado... SUCKS DONKEY BALLS !!!!
the riding around boulder colorado is so dog-piss pathetic, and i miss the north east.

[verticaldoug]

I guess you don't like MTB trails.

[saab2000]

Does “on the planet” include places outside the United States? If so, I’d opine Switzerland and southern France to be the best places I’ve ridden.

And the driftless area of Wisconsin is probably the best riding I’ve seen in the US.

[tomato coupe]

It’s okay to brag about your local area, but your ignorance is really evident when you declare that cycling in Colorado sucks.

[oldpotatoe]

i moved from Great Barrington to Boulder 9/2019, and then the world shut down.
it was just supposed to be a 7 month hiatus from the north east, for a few seasons.
and i found my dream-job
and friends
but the riding in colorado... SUCKS DONKEY BALLS !!!!
the riding around boulder colorado is so dog-piss pathetic, and i miss the north east.

Originally Posted by tomato coupe

It’s okay to brag about your local area, but your ignorance is really evident when you declare that cycling in Colorado sucks.

Yup, that was really pleasant....Guess the gent didn't do any research. Gotta be a reason why so many pros and others come here to train..like the likes of Indurain BITD..he didn't go to new England to train.

Ya like New England riding..groovy but don't think a donkey or his balls really care about bikes.

Jeez, I dunno. The first time I was in Boulder was late 1980s. I borrowed my friend's Raleigh Pro and did a loop up Boulder Canyon to Nederland, across the Peak to Peak Highway to Ward, and back down Left Hand Canyon. In December, and in shirt sleeves. I thought it was pretty darn nice, coming from west central NH! Dunno what it's like today.

Hasn't changed...

[hoj]

From the dictionary:

hot take
noun [ C ] informal usually disapproving
US /ˈhɑːt ˌteɪk/ UK /ˈhɒt ˌteɪk/

“A piece of writing or speech, especially on the internet, giving someone's personal opinions about a topic, usually strong opinions that have not been carefully thought about and that many people are likely to disagree with.”

[paredown]

And you forgot to mention pollen season (i'm still stuffed up from yesterday morning's ride), humidity, gnats and black flies if you stop, and summer heat.

Not to complain too much though--yesterday was gorgeous despite the pollen--the wild roses are in bloom, and early in the morning the scent seems omnipresent...

[biker72]

Originally Posted by tomato coupe

It’s okay to brag about your local area, but your ignorance is really evident when you declare that cycling in Colorado sucks.

I don't live in Colorado but I try to make at least one trip a year to cycle.

[benb]

One thing we have in NE that a lot of other areas in the US often lack is we have European style country roads since many of our roads predate the car.

I find it makes road riding a lot more enjoyable.. we have more twists in the road, fewer long straight stretches, and there is more variance in camber, corner radius, fewer engineered grades/corners, etc..

It makes riding motorcycle & sports cars more entertaining too.

Other areas definitely do better on LONG stretches gravel and deserted stretches of open land to ride a MTB on. We're a little too developed for some of that since density is higher and development has been happening for a few hundred years more than other areas of the country.

We can complain but drivers are pretty cool in New England too relative to some areas.

[Kyle h]

I would argue that the fact the riding season in NE is like 5mo long is a pretty big blemish on it being cycling Mecca.

[tellyho]

Nah, just have to HTFU. I ride yearlong in the Boston area.

[lorenbike]

I live in upstate NY and agree the road riding is the best of anywhere I've lived (including a bunch of places out west) for about 5-6months of the year, maybe more with climate change.

I can't do the winter riding though (and I grew up here so know the cold), and don't like indoor trainers. Plus narrow roads, snowplows, and road salt are not my idea of death by impact or corrosion.

MTB is not even close to the access and fun for where I've lived out west and to be honest I think the 'gravel' here is overrated too. And bike infrastructure for commuting and shenanigans around towns are laughably lacking in the northeast as well. For these reasons, I wouldn't say it's a bike paradise.

But yes, once you get off the main roadways, country road miles for days, rolling hills, and minimal traffic.

[NHAero]

Jeez, I dunno. The first time I was in Boulder was late 1980s. I borrowed my friend's Raleigh Pro and did a loop up Boulder Canyon to Nederland, across the Peak to Peak Highway to Ward, and back down Left Hand Canyon. In December, and in shirt sleeves. I thought it was pretty darn nice, coming from west central NH! Dunno what it's like today.

I ride happily year round on Martha's Vineyard, but it doesn't have the bulk of the characteristics you describe. Many rural places on the mainland do, but are tough to ride all year long.

[charliedid]

You're drunk

[saab2000]

Originally Posted by charliedid

You're drunk

Probably not anymore. Just hungover now.