TravelTravel Advice
Q:

Where Is the Best Road Biking in the U.S.?

I live in the Midwest and want to get to another part of America for some epic road biking. I’ve ridden in the Colorado Rockies a bit. Where else would you recommend?

Oregon asphalt. (Photo: Mike Kelley)
Ashland asphalt
Greg Melville
Oct 2, 2012

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A:

You’re in a pretty amazing region for road biking already, Tina. But I understand that riding on flat pavement all the time can get a little old. If you’re looking to venture outside of the Midwest, I’d point you to these three places.

Hill Country, Texas
Rogue Valley, Oregon
Champlain Valley, Vermont

The Best Road Biking in the U.S.: Hill Country, Texas

poppies
Fredericksburg field. (Photo: Mary E. McCabe/Fredericksburg to Kerrville Loop. Founded by German settlers, the bustling tourist town of Fredericksburg is the Hill Country's cycling capital. This leg-burning ride takes you up the elevator-steep Guadernales Ledge on the return half.

BIKE SHOP: Hill Country Bicycle Works.

The Best Road Biking in the U.S.: Rogue Valley, Oregon

Autumn in Ashland Oregon
Autumn in Ashland, Oregon. (Photo: basykes)

When you cycle out of the narrow Rogue Valley, you’ve got nowhere to go but up. The Siskiyou and Cascade mountain ranges separate this deep thumbprint of timberland from the rest of the state; the long rides are as spectacular as they are punishing. Make your home base the upscale town of Ashland, on the southern end.

GREAT RIDE: Butte Falls/Prospect loop, a favorite of the local Siskiyou Velo cycling club, climbs about 1,600 feet in elevation into the Cascades, snaking along the Rogue River on the way back.

BIKE SHOP: Siskiyou Cyclery.

The Best Road Biking in the U.S.: Champlain Valley, Vermont

Burlington's Winooski River bik
Burlington's Winooski River bike bridge. (Photo: NNECAPA)

The best way to see Vermont’s Green Mountains is over your bike’s handlebars. Your thighs will be begging for mercy on the high mountain gaps, but you’ll be rewarded with views of maple-covered peaks, Lake Champlain, and open cow pastures interrupted by century-old barns and farmhouses. Start and end your rides in the bar-filled college town of Burlington.

GREAT RIDE: The Double Gap is by far the favorite distance ride for Burlington locals. It starts in Burlington at 200 feet above sea level, climbs to nearly 2,400 feet at Appalachian Gap, and plummets into the town of Waitsfield before climbing over towering Lincoln Gap on the return half.

BIKE SHOP: Earl’s Cyclery.

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Filed To: Adventure Adviser
Lead Photo: Mike Kelley
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