A lightly traveled two-lane road across an arid plateau in New Mexico. A dirt track in a remote valley in British Columbia. A level crushed-limestone path through a tunnel in Wisconsin.
These are among the multi-day bike tours chosen by Adventure Cyclist magazine in its list of Top Ten Bicycling Tours in North America.
It's the second year in a row that the publication for the Adventure Cycling Association has chosen 10 destinations for cyclists.
Not for roadies only
The 10 bike touring choices in the January issue are in no way meant solely for the road-hardened cyclo-tourist who revels in lugging his equipment-laden bicycle over mountain passes. There are rides for mountain bikers, recreational cyclists who prefer traffic-free bike paths and bike riders who enjoy frequent pedaling interruptions for bird-watching.
Deputy editor Aaron Teasdale, who selected and compiled the tours, said:
“We're shining a spotlight on the best, safest, and most scenic places for cyclists looking for multi-day adventures. …Any of these destinations would make a great bicycle trip — it's too bad most of us don't have time to ride them all.”
The Ten Top Tours article is posted online in a .pdf file for download. Here are the 10:
Mountain biking
Flathead Valley, British Columbia
Colorado's High Country
Stewart-Cassier Highway, British Columbia
Road biking
Northern New Mexico
Lake Champlain, New York and Vermont
Texas Hill Country
Wildlife viewing
British Columbia's Gulf Islands
Delmarva Peninsula, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia
Bike trails
Wisconsin's Historic Trails
Katy Trail, Missouri
In addition to general route descriptions, the magazine lists resources suggesting where to find more information about the rides.
My opportunity
This is a great list, for me. It reminds me that I've had opportunities to ride my bicycle through some amazing places.
My friend and I bicycled across some Colorado mountain passes and immersed ourselves in the Hispanic culture of northern New Mexico on a cross-country bicycle trip 25 years ago. I remember keeping Lake Champlain to my starboard on a rollicking bike tour from Burlington, Vermont, to Montreal before that.
I was amazed by the thousands of Canada geese that I saw from my bike as I pedaled past farms fields on Maryland's Eastern Shore on brisk winter days. And I remember sweating it out on the farm-to-market roads in the Texas Hill Country when I lived in Austin.
Find the route
The thing is, I didn't have to travel too far for most of those rides. No matter where I've lived, there always seemed to be some awe-inspiring bicycling routes nearby.
Some I discovered by talking to other bicyclists, but most I found in reliable bicycle tour guidebooks written locally.
It's even easier to find those bicycle routes today on the Internet.
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