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Best winter cycling destination in US

32K views 32 replies 24 participants last post by  Eric_H 
#1 ·
Having just retired and getting weary of the dark, short days and more or less constant drizzle here in the PNW, I'm looking for suggestions for great winter cycling destinations where we could live for 5-6 months in the winter and I could ride most days. Love the PNW in the summer, so for that and family reasons not interested in relocating permanently.

My criteria would be a variety of interesting routes with not too much traffic, a variety of steady, longer climbs, a safe environment, with a pleasant community and of course great weather.

My current favourite is Kona Hawaii, but what say the Best and Brightest ( ie the members of this site ).
 
#2 ·
Just spent a week in Central California riding around Santa Barbara, Solvang, Paso Robles, Big Sur.
Awesome riding on the coast or inland.
I would pick somewhere around there maybe San Luis Obispo.
Better than where I am now in San Diego. The weather here on the coast has been PNW like with temperatures in the low 60's and mostly cloudy.
 
#5 ·
These are good winter riding areas:
Central and Southern California (as mentioned above)
Tucson, Arizona
Texas Hill Country (Fredericksburg area is nice) and the San Antonio to Austin area

I don't know much about Florida riding. I agree with your choice of Kona too. Can't complain about Hawaii!
 
#9 ·
Thanks for all the helpful info--will check out San luis Obispo and Tucson. Parts of Texas sound promising as well.

As for you folks from NY. Could it be that the bitter cold has left you....bitter.?

Just kidding! I grew up in Ottawa Ont and always thought that if for some quirk of history, the Canadian West coast was discovered before the East coast, there would 35 million or so Canadians huddled around Vancouver and the rest of the country would be a barren wasteland considered too harsh for human habitation.
 
#18 ·
I Just spent 8 days on Maui, which is in the U.S. :D The weather was in the 70's and perfect for riding. I rode up the Haleakala Volcano on 27 December; Sea Level (wheel in the ocean) to 10,000ft. The temperature was in the 70's at the bottom and in the 60's all the way up. I rode up with only a base layer, jersey, and bibs (and helmet of course). I put on a windbreaker and long-fingered gloves for the decent (a bit of wind chill at 35-40mph), but I had to remove them when I got below 4,000ft as it got too warm. Nirvana... :D
 
#26 ·
I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the Carolinas. While they do get the occasional blast of winter, it's usually very short lived. The piedmont area between the coast and the Smoky Mtns offers a wide variety of terrain, and much less congested than SoCal. Also much more affordable.
 
#27 ·
I just moved back to the Phoenix area after spending 3 years in Tucson. I find Tucson to be a great cycling town. Agreeing with an earlier post, north of Tucson (Oro Valley) is a great area to ride as is east Tucson (Old Spanish Trail and Mt Lemmon areas). Tucson is covered with huge stretches of bike lanes. Very cyclist friendly city.
 
#30 ·
When I finally retire (I'm retired from the military but working a second career), I'm heading to Tuscon or the Phoenix area. Good cost of living and year-round riding. I want to live in a 55 plus community where someone else does the yard and all maintenance so I have time to ride.
 
#33 ·
I'll throw a plug in for Scottsdale, AZ. I went there in the winter of 2010 for about 8 days when my wife was attending a conference. The riding was surprisingly good even right in the urban Scottsdale/Paradise Valley area. And there are many good routes outside of the city (Bartlett Lake, Fountain Hills-McDowell Mtn-Rio Verde, Cave Creek and more). It was so good we went back in 2011 for a vacation/"I have to get race fit" training trip.

One great thing about Scottsdale is there is a lot of options for both the cyclist and non-cyclist. My wife had no problem finding things to do while I was out riding when we were there. Shopping, restaurants, major sports, university sports, it's all there.
 
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