Why? Is it aesthetically not pleasing? You don't notice it when you're riding.

This ^^^, by far the best place to ride that I have been too is the Santa Monica Mountains above Malibu. You could ride up to Mulholland taking a different road up and down every day for a week and never hit the same ascent/descent twice. Plus riding it on a weekday is very low traffic. Looking forward to spending 4 days there riding next week.

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Mike Plumb, TriPower MultiSports
Professional Running, Cycling and Multisport Coaching, F.I.S.T. Certified
http://www.tripower.org

They must do them much smoother there then. I always notice them around my area.

Irony. Aren't you the king of butthurt here?

Lake Las Vegas is a good. Flights to Vegas are cheap and the Valley of fire is good riding in the winter.

I was in Santa Monica last month for a solo-ish camp (swam with tower 26). It was badass and I didn't even get to explore the Santa Monica mountains that much.

I will be in Tucson with desert dude for a camp in a couple of weeks (will you be involved?).

After the Tucson camp I will come back on here and proclaim the winner between those two.

Yes, please refer to me as that henceforth.

Not directly but maybe I will get to be involved a bit. I'm not in shape for a camp.

If I can't manage to get into a jkhayc drone video I will feel very left out

San Diego and Orange County in SoCal are my favorite spots

There a quite a few of them because of the temperature swings from day to night.


Having lived and trained in Tucson for an entire winter, you don't really feel them. They do a pretty good job at making them smooth.

How american-centric of you!

But that's a good call. Vegas/surrounding areas always have seemed like good places to go. Inexpensive, good weather, good terrain, etc. It doesn't have as much "cultural appeal" as Tucson does (i.e. it's so new), but a solid option as well.

I'm spoiled living where nearly all those climbs start in Calabasas. A regular occurrence seeing pro's riding out here.

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Tough Times Don't Last, Tough People Do.

I miss the 5 for a $1 Avocados.

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Well now that I'm equipped for winter training I'd say Phoenix, well I live here. But Arizona is pretty dope. Don't have the beach like San Diego, but the coastal cities in CA are insane to live in these days. Was a bit different when I grew up in LA back in the 90s. Last year after starting up triathlon I wasn't riding in the mornings so I wasn't prepared for winter training...although it's not much different from El Paso, but then again I never biked there. Finally set up to train early in the morning with thermals...and it's finally warming up...whoops.

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Washed up footy player turned Triathlete.

“Holy crazy amount of tar strips on those roads! That would drive me crazy”

Well, riding a road in Tucson that hasn’t been patched is a much faster trip to insanity.

Bubump. Bubump. Bubump. Bubump. Bubump.Bubump. Bubump. Bubump. Bubump. Bubump.Bubump. Bubump. Bubump. Bubump. Bubump.Bubump. Bubump. Bubump. Bubump. Bubump.Bubump. Bubump. Bubump. Bubump. Bubump.Bubump. Bubump. Bubump. Bubump. Bubump.Bubump. Bubump. Bubump. Bubump. Bubump.Bubump. Bubump. Bubump. Bubump. Bubump.Bubump. Bubump. Bubump. Bubump. Bubump.Bubump. Bubump. Bubump. Bubump. Bubump.Bubump. Bubump. Bubump. Bubump. Bubump.Bubump. Bubump. Bubump. Bubump. Bubump.Bubump. Bubump. Bubump. Bubump. Bubump.Bubump. Bubump. Bubump. Bubump. Bubump.Bubump. Bubump. Bubump. Bubump. Bubump.Bubump. Bubump. Bubump. Bubump. Bubump.Bubump. Bubump. Bubump. Bubump. Bubump.Bubump. Bubump. Bubump. Bubump. Bubump.Bubump. Bubump. Bubump. Bubump. Bubump. Bubump. Bubump.Bubump. Bubump. Bubump. Bubump. Bubump.Bubump. Bubump. Bubump. Bubump. Bubump.Bubump. Bubump. Bubump. Bubump. Bubump. Bubump. Bubump. Bubump.Bubump. Bubump. Bubump. Bubump. Bubump.

Looking forward to my next visit. Madera Canyon and Kit Peak are on the to-do list.

On a related note, I’ve ridden outside once* this year here in Seattle. And it was 33F at the (outdoor) pool this morning (which was awesome).

*Been meaning to thank you as I adjusted a few things after studying the bike fit thread and set a nice PR at the local spring TT.

Scott

What are the drivers like in Spain and the Spanish islands? In other words how safe is the cycling?

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They constantly try to escape from the darkness outside and within
Dreaming of systems so perfect that no one will need to be good T.S. Eliot

this was a point made in my op that seems to have been mostly glossed over by respondents. southern california - in my experience - has a ton of drivers. also a ton of crazy-in-a-hurry drivers. not a good combo.

i don't know much about europe.

Come to Antequera, near Malaga, Spain in April..... I'll show you epic rides, rollers, mountains, trails galore to run on flat and hilly, nice swim/gym facilities, Grand tour climbs, amazing hospitality and cheap food. It's a place many athletes who've been to say far surpasses the niche Euro spots like Canary Islands or Mallorca.

;-)

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David T-D
http://www.tilburydavis.com

In the Canaries traffic is never intense and I find drivers to be respectful; I come from Italy where road cycling has become kind of russian roulette

The verdict is in, Santa Monica in a land slide. Tucson is definitely better than Houston and I'm glad I went (it is still a great place to train and I had a great time), but as far as "Best place to train in the winter," it's not at the top of that list.

Beach path > dry riverbed path
Already too hot in Tucson in mid March
Way more climbing options in Santa Monica
The cracks in the roads in Tucson are an issue, some are 2 inches wide!
Santa Monica more scenic

Only things Tucson have over Santa Monica are Mt Lemmon and ability to do low budget.

I did enjoy my time in Tucson though, and it was great to meet you James.

Just came upon this thread, while doing a search, and wanted to comment about Tucson.

jkhayc, with you being from the southern US, you may relate to this.....others may too, but I am only familiar with riding in the southern US and Tucson so I use these as references.

When I am riding in NC, TN, SC, or GA, one of my biggest fears is loose dogs. I had a friend taken out by one who slammed into her front wheel, going downhill at 35mph. She had to have multiple surgeries and, to this day, continues to have trouble. While riding in Tucson, I have NEVER encountered a loose dog chasing me on the bike or run. It sure makes the riding a lot less stressful.

it depends on where you go; if you ride south on mission (shootout route) there are SO MANY dogs as you go through the reservation. they are all concentrated along that road though and, for the most part, don't care too much about you as the roam in little packs.

not the same as in NC (i used to do my long rides up in Davidson/Salisbury area), where dogs could be anywhere along the route. i went to college in virginia and distinctly remember a ride where a dog came screaming out at us (little 20ish lb dog) but then ran straight into us. i crashed but was not badly injured even though it was 25ish mph. that has always made me skeptical of any dog i encounter on the road...b/c who knows what they're gonna do!?

Lanzarote & if you want the full experience Club la santa

everything you need plus a bit more