Location: Austin, Texas
Description: Start around the Barton Mall and head north on 360 to Bee Caves Rd. At Bee Cave, pick up 620 north through Lakeway, Buffalo Gap, and Marshall Ford to Anderson Mill. The route ends here so pick you own way back home – or you can just turn around.
Comment: I like this area of Austin. I can get 50+ miles out of this one by the time I get home. There’s even a fun climb between Marshall Ford and Four Points.
Details: here
Location: Austin, Texas
Description: This route heads up Duval St. and northwest on Northloop and Shoal Creek. It then jumps over to 360 and down to City Park Road, looping aound then back and south again on 360 to 1, across on Barton Springs and up to the university and back to the start.
Comment: This route combines some popular urban routes with a nice bit of the west part of the city.
Details: here
Location: Austin, Texas
Description: Start at the university, head over to the river and go north. Climb a little bit and then head east on Hancock Drive. Pick up Shoal Creek and go south to 35th. Finally, loop around back to the start. There are lots of places to start or end the ride and plenty of variations on the route.
Comment: This urban route in the west central area makes for a nice ride. There’s a bit of climbing in the northwestern portion.
Details: here
Location: Gulf Breeze, Florida
Description: This ride starts around Woodlawn Beach and meanders around the island down to Oriole Beach.
Comment: Nice easy beach ride. Watch out for tourists and sand on the road. No climbing on this route.
Details: here
Location: Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Description: This route starts at the very north end of Pompano beach and heads south on Ocean Blvd down to Fort Lauderdale.
Comment: A classic beach ride on Florida’s east coast. Keep and eye out for tourists and sand on the roads.
Details: here
Location: Palm Beach, Florida
Description: This route starts at the very north end of West Palm Beach and follows Ocean Blvd down through Palm Beach, Gulf Stream, Highland and Boca to Hillsboro Beach.
Comment: A nice relaxing ride down the beach. Watch out for the tourists and sand on the roads. The only climbing is on the bridges over the waterways.
Details: here
Location: Carmel, California
Description: This section of the California coast takes Highway 1 from Camel south to Ragged Point.
Comment: Stunning vistas, rolling hills and fairly short challenging climbs make this route stand out.
Details: here
Location: Seattle, WA
Description: Get to the island however you want and then start heading around.
Comments: A nice easy ride with some rollers.
Details: here
Location: Lake Tahoe, NV
Description: This rides starts at the California-Nevada line on the south side of the lake. It then heads clockwise around the lake back to the starting point.
Comments: The ride includes breathtaking scenery, challenging climbs and long down hill runs. I suggest that it’s best taken on as part of a group ride such as the Tour de Tahoe put together by Bike The West. There can be a lot of traffic on the narrow road that often lacks any shoulder and has many steep drop offs. Few rides offer this kind of scenary. It can be pretty chilly early in the morning, so you may want to dress warmly and carry something to shed layers as you progress.
Details: here
Location: Salt Lake City, UT
Description: The northern end of Wasatch is at a parking lot on the south side of I-80 at the entrance to Parleys Canyon. The southern end is at 11650 south and 1700 east in Draper.
Comments: One of the best roads to ride down in the valley. Very popular. I often combine sections of Wasatch into other rides.
Details: here