I’ve got a two week block between end of exams and when i start my summer job. I have a plane ticket voucher that was given to me and is expiring soon. It will get me anywhere in America. Trip will be the 3rd of May and coming back the 14th (if you want in, lets go!!!).
I want to do an insane biking camp somewhere with many interesting and beautiful loops. Mountain and nice lake/ocean side rides would be perfect. By chance, a sweet road race would be great too. Availability of lower cost accommodation would be nice as well. Boulder? Lake Tahoe? San Diego? Tuson?
I’m also open to renting a car and doing the Tour of California stages. That sounds wonderful, but i’ll be 100% solo so logistically, it would be a challenge, especially considering i’m not equipped or interested in cyclo-touring. Finally, are there any USAC training centers that normal people can just roll up to? This is likely a once in a life time thing for me so i’m really looking for a place that could be considered a mecca for riding.
I would say somewhere at altitude, with big bike culture, like colorado. Lake tahoe might be good too but my impression is that it is super developed, maybe not a good thing. Talk to Stephan Koebel about this, he might have some suggestions.
Seattle. I went there for a 3 week trip over summer. Epic riding. You can rent a car and hit up Vancouver as well and check out Seymour Mountain. Night life in Seattle is so-so
Another great city is Austin, TX. Amazing riding and also an all around wicked town and night life, especially on 6th Street. They close the street down Friday/Saturdays so its only accessible by foot. Texas also has an intense racing scene and Austin is centrally located so you could easily hit up a few of the races in San Antonio/Austin/Houston/Dallas. I dunno man, there are a ton of options really. Where do you plan on staying? Hotels are expensive.
unfortunately Hawaii is out of the question. At this point, i’m thinking somewhere in Central Cali. Solvang maybe? Perhaps Bend Oregon as well but i’m not sure if the high peaks are still snowy in early may.
I rode from San Francisco to Santa Barbara with my dad a few years ago. PCH is an AWESOME ride. Very hilly (pack light) but the whole thing is candy for the eyes. We went through Solvang on our last day and it’s a cute place (I find it’s pretty touristy unless you really like good pie) but the real trip is north of there. In all it was about a 700km trip so if you have more than a week you might consider taking little detours (more inland maybe) or even try reaching Los Angeles. If you are insane/crazy start in the south and go north, you’ll be against the wind the whole time haha
I’m in San Francisco right now and it’s amazing. Hills here are like the wall but steeper and longer. The city isnt’ great to bike in due to traffic and public transportation, but it’s so cool, and you can get out of town quickly for great rides with hills. It’s not cheap though. More soon.
I just got back from Maui yesterday and it was unbelievable. 650 km in 4 days, all winding oceanside roads with great pavement, including climbing a 10,023 ft volcano. Local bike shop organizes a pretty nice group ride which is nice if you’re travelling alone. You can hotwire really cheap hotels and the food is good and cheap. I can get you details on where to stay/where to ride/where to surf etc. if you want.
Otherwise, San Francisco is awesome. John, make sure you head north over Golden Gate and ride through Muir Woods to Stinson Beach.
I’d definitely suggest some place at altitude and not too populated. i think the key is accessibility to ride and it prob wouldnt be a bad thing to be near a massage therapist if you plan on doing a lot of riding
bend OR is really nice and bike friendly, but like ppl said its prob snowed in right now and a bit of a pain in the ass to get to. Arizona like near mt lemmon is really nice and bike friendly. there are a lot of good climbs and its not too populated. greenville, sc has a lot of good riding and there’s the airport right there, but its not at altitude. personally i’d suggest going to boulder. it has the altitude and def a great place to ride. plus, there are a lot of pros there, so it’s pretty easy to find some fast paced group rides. if you want some place warm w/ little rain, SoCal is also really nice. A bit populated but it’s not too hard to find places to ride and explore. Plus, if you’re by LA, it’s cool to hit up the ADT event center velodrome.
whatever you decide keep us updated! My parents live in Bend and I remember my dad saying Mt. Bachelor was still very skiable so no climbing of the cascades for you there. In May if you want big climbs it sounds like SC or AZ are good bets. Virginia was actually really nice! Lots of nice rolling hills in that part of the country (VA, SC, NC etc…)
