Cycling towns in Europe

Grenoble is great. Its a little bigger than maybe you are looking for but if you stay on the
outskirts of town you'll have all the long climbs you want. If you do stay in town (it is a fun
city) they are pretty bike friendly there. Lots of bike lanes to get you out of town. You'll never
have a shortage of folks to ride with. Beware that Alpe d'Huez is usually mobbed but the other
climbs are usually pretty isolated.

See: grenoblecycling.free.frthe Alps.htmOpen ↗, find Atlas Des Cols also. With the Michelin map of
the area and the Atlas you'll have no problem finding your way around.

"Steven" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I know that this is a bit off topic but I tried it on rec.bicycles.misc and got response about
bike lanes and the ability to commute to work. Not exactly what I was looking for. What I am
looking for is good cycling cities/towns in Europe. I.E. with a good local community of riders,
some good long mountain climbs, some reasonable close-in rides (I hate fighting traffic for 45
minutes just to get out of the city). I have lived in Eugene, OR; Boulder, CO and San Diego,
CA. I am kind of looking for European cities on par with these. My focus would be primarily France
and Spain, or maybe Italy.

thanks,

SPA

You may want to check out the June 2nd issue of Velo News (or look on the website). They did a
story on Gerona Spain - the home base for Tyler and Lance during the racing season. I don't know
if that translates into a great place for cyclists to live, but allegedly the pros choose it
because it has plenty of areas to train, and well-paved, little traveled roads and the Pyrenees
are not too far away.

Ben

"Steven" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I know that this is a bit off topic but I tried it on rec.bicycles.misc and got response about
bike lanes and the ability to commute to work. Not exactly what I was looking for. What I am
looking for is good cycling cities/towns in Europe. I.E. with a good local community of riders,
some good long mountain climbs, some reasonable close-in rides (I hate fighting traffic for 45
minutes just to get out of the city). I have lived in Eugene, OR; Boulder, CO and San Diego,
CA. I am kind of looking for European cities on par with these. My focus would be primarily France
and Spain, or maybe Italy.

thanks,

SPA

(Steven) said:

I know that this is a bit off topic but I tried it on rec.bicycles.misc and got response about
bike lanes and the ability to commute to work. Not exactly what I was looking for. What I am
looking for is good cycling cities/towns in Europe. I.E. with a good local community of riders,
some good long mountain climbs, some reasonable close-in rides (I hate fighting traffic for 45
minutes just to get out of the city). I have lived in Eugene, OR; Boulder, CO and San Diego,
CA. I am kind of looking for European cities on par with these. My focus would be primarily France
and Spain, or maybe Italy.

Eugene, a good cycling town?! Where are the 'long mountain climbs'? It rains most of the year too. I
guess it's better than a lot of places because it has riding in most directions from town...

As far as Italy, there are a lot of good places. Bassano del Grappa immediately springs to mind.
Vicenza wouldn't be bad either... you have the Berici to the South, and longer climbs to the north.

I guess it depends on what *else* you are looking for.

--
David N. Welton Consulting: dedasys.comdedasys.comOpen ↗ Personal: dedasys.comdavidwOpen ↗ Free
Software: dedasys.comfreesoftwareOpen ↗ Apache Tcl: tcl.apache.orgtcl.apache.orgOpen ↗

Try Bern, Switzerland; or anywhere in Switzerland. Anywhere in Holland is top-drawer as well,
however no climbs of course. Bern has lots of great roads, great terrain, and close to all the TdS
passes and reasonably close to French and Italian passes. The size of the city is great and you're
out on the open road in minutes. Road condition is second to none that I've seen.

James P. Spooner "Steven" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I know that this is a bit off topic but I tried it on rec.bicycles.misc and got response about
bike lanes and the ability to commute to work. Not exactly what I was looking for. What I am
looking for is good cycling cities/towns in Europe. I.E. with a good local community of riders,
some good long mountain climbs, some reasonable close-in rides (I hate fighting traffic for 45
minutes just to get out of the city). I have lived in Eugene, OR; Boulder, CO and San Diego,
CA. I am kind of looking for European cities on par with these. My focus would be primarily France
and Spain, or maybe Italy.

thanks,

SPA

[email hidden] (Steven) wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

I know that this is a bit off topic but I tried it on rec.bicycles.misc and got response about
bike lanes and the ability to commute to work. Not exactly what I was looking for. What I am
looking for is good cycling cities/towns in Europe. I.E. with a good local community of riders,
some good long mountain climbs, some reasonable close-in rides (I hate fighting traffic for 45
minutes just to get out of the city). I have lived in Eugene, OR; Boulder, CO and San Diego,
CA. I am kind of looking for European cities on par with these. My focus would be primarily France
and Spain, or maybe Italy.

In France, Nice is probably the best place for cycling. It is protected by a mountain chain, so has
warmer temperatures and less wind than Marseille, for example. There are some good climbs accessible
right from downtown. For a while, most American pros lived there. The town has kind of right wing
reputation, so don't expect a Boulder type lifestyle, maybe Grenoble is better for actual living.

By the way, the worst place for cycling in France is Paris. Apart from not too many places to ride,
and 30 km to get to any real countryside, good cyclists make it a point not to live in Paris, so you
pretty much end up with the bottom of the barrel. Everywhere else, the level is significantly
better, including the suburban area of Paris.

-ilan

In France, at least, you don't have to look hard to find good road riding. After that it comes down
to geography, climate, accessibility to terrain, etc. If you're looking towards the big mountains,
I'd take Chambery or Albertville near the Alps over Grenoble. Not as large but just as well
situated. In the South, can't beat Toulouse for location. Pyrenees very near by as well as fast and
flatter if that's what you prefer. Many other medium sized towns would probably fit your bill. A
town like Clermont-Ferrand in the center of France has got great riding near by. If I was looking
for a comparison to the states, I'd call it a kind of Bend, Ore. only bigger.

"Ilan Vardi" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

[email hidden] (Steven) wrote in message

news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I know that this is a bit off topic but I tried it on rec.bicycles.misc and got response about
bike lanes and the ability to commute to work. Not exactly what I was looking for. What I am
looking for is good cycling cities/towns in Europe. I.E. with a good local community of riders,
some good long mountain climbs, some reasonable close-in rides (I hate fighting traffic for 45
minutes just to get out of the city). I have lived in Eugene, OR; Boulder, CO and San Diego,
CA. I am kind of looking for European cities on par with these. My focus would be primarily
France and Spain, or maybe Italy.

In France, Nice is probably the best place for cycling. It is protected by a mountain chain, so
has warmer temperatures and less wind than Marseille, for example. There are some good climbs
accessible right from downtown. For a while, most American pros lived there. The town has kind of
right wing reputation, so don't expect a Boulder type lifestyle, maybe Grenoble is better for
actual living.

By the way, the worst place for cycling in France is Paris. Apart from not too many places to
ride, and 30 km to get to any real countryside, good cyclists make it a point not to live in
Paris, so you pretty much end up with the bottom of the barrel. Everywhere else, the level is
significantly better, including the suburban area of Paris.

-ilan