# Is there a city in America that attracts pro and or aspiring Cyclists?



## sexybeast (Dec 8, 2009)

Is there a city in America that attracts pro and or aspiring Cyclists?

if there is i want to move there and get my training on with the best!


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## Wookiebiker (Sep 5, 2005)

Boulder, CO
Durango, CO
Bend, OR
San Diego, CA
Los Angles, CA
Austin, TX

To name a few...Not sure about the east coast.

Basically any place that has year round or near year round riding, lots of climbing and some elevation if possible.


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## Kevin_in_SB (Mar 7, 2009)

Santa Barbara, Santa Yenz too


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## pretender (Sep 18, 2007)

Asheville NC


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## jpdigital (Dec 1, 2006)

Boulder CO, and Colorado Springs CO


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## BeeCharmer (Apr 30, 2003)

Lots of pros and aspiring pros in Colorado Springs. Check out the 10am rides from downtown (Tejon and Bijou) on Sat and Sun. Probably the toughest thing has been adjusting to the 6000+ ft elevation since moving here in July.


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## thechriswebb (Nov 21, 2008)

Asheville NC


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## 180 (Jan 10, 2009)

Levi lives here in Santa Rosa  

http://www.levisgranfondo.com/


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## stevesbike (Jun 3, 2002)

this in January:

http://www.socalcycling.com/Group Rides/seasonal/simi_ride.htm


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## kbiker3111 (Nov 7, 2006)

Tuscon/Scottsdale, AZ and (surprisingly) Iowa City


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## MaestroXC (Sep 15, 2005)

Trexlertown, PA (and environs).


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## wadegreene (Oct 9, 2007)

Greenville SC


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## Racer C (Jul 18, 2002)

In the winter months, there's more pros per capita in Tucson, AZ


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## Seven Wonder (Oct 13, 2009)

Tucson AZ. Check out Fairwheel Bike's Shootout. Arguably the toughest winter group ride in the country. Tuesdays morning ride is no joke either.


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## team_sheepshead (Jan 17, 2003)

Boulder in the warmer months, somewhere like the French Riviera or the Costa Blanca in southeast Spain in the winter. Also keep in mind Girona, Spain. I mean, if you are going to train with the pros, might as well go whole hog and move to Europe.


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## jpdigital (Dec 1, 2006)

Seven Wonder said:


> Tucson AZ. Check out Fairwheel Bike's Shootout. Arguably the toughest winter group ride in the country. Tuesdays morning ride is no joke either.


Tuscon has an _awesome_ cycling scene. :thumbsup:


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## Sonomasnap (Feb 10, 2010)

East Coast don't forget about NYC. Hincapie came from the local scene here and tons a super strong riders.


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## rydbyk (Feb 17, 2010)

San Diego...went for ride on coast yesterday...literally 100s of cyclists, teams etc... Anywhere you have year round outdoor cycling weather will produce top cyclists I believe. If Lance was from Minnesota, we may not know his name


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## frpax (Feb 13, 2010)

Boulder & Colorado Springs for sure.

Salt Lake City has been attracting a lot of cyclists lately as well.


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## DM.Aelis (Jun 19, 2007)

rydbyk said:


> San Diego...went for ride on coast yesterday...literally 100s of cyclists, teams etc... Anywhere you have year round outdoor cycling weather will produce top cyclists I believe. If Lance was from Minnesota, we may not know his name



Yeah, the whole North Dakota thing really kept Andy Hampsten down.
 
:thumbsup:


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## California L33 (Jan 20, 2006)

180 said:


> Levi lives here in Santa Rosa
> 
> http://www.levisgranfondo.com/


Does he train there in the winter? I'd think too much rain- especially this year.


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## rydbyk (Feb 17, 2010)

DM.Aelis said:


> Yeah, the whole North Dakota thing really kept Andy Hampsten down.
> 
> :thumbsup:



 Rolling eyes huh? Pretty rude..

Simple fact smart guy... Where there is more sun, there is typically more physical activity. Simple math...simple odds. People do win the lottery too. Andy is a stud and didn't let crappy weather keep him from his dreams, like many do I am sure. YOUR STATE of N. Dakota ranks at number 46 out of 50 for cycling friendly states. Ouch. You are new to cycling, so I should cut you some slack I guess...

In reference to the OP, which I think threads are supposed to be about, N. Dakota would be a horrible recommendation for many reasons. Poor weather, drivers not used to seeing cyclists, lack of clubs/teams, exposure, events, races etc etc You would not actually recommend an aspiring cyclist to move to N. Dakota now would you??

How many potentially great cyclists are out there that never got into the sport simply because the weather/environment was not conducive to fun outdoor training rides year round? I am sure there ARE SOME....Lance COULD HAVE BEEN one of them.:thumbsup: Lance got his start in triathlons....were you aware of this? At the time, I don't believe N. Dakota was a mecca for triathletes either now was it?? 

You should bring up the whole Jamaican bobsled team too while you are stating the obvious... The reason they were such a big deal is because the broke free from the norm....they certainly were not your TYPICAL bobsled team....much like Andy is not your TYPICAL American pro cyclist.

Now go google some more pro names that came from states with less desireable weather for us all....thanks.


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## monkeyboie (Aug 19, 2007)

*Tucson*

I moved to Tucson, AZ from Baton Rouge, LA in the spring of 2005 just for the cycling. It was great and the "shootout" was killer. Ralph, owner of Freewheel cycles, is a great guy. The 26 mile climb to the top of Mt. Lemmon was a gas, but the trip back down was even gasssssier. I would still be living there if the economy would not have busted. I couldn't get a job anywhere so I had to move back to Loserana. The only motivating factor here is the fear of being eaten alive by the misquitos. I would move back to Tucson tomorrow if I could.


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## madfastride (Jun 4, 2008)

I just left Tucson and still work for Ralph and Fairwheel bikes. Tucson is a great place to go and train if you already have connections and the contract you want for the year. It's a bad place to make connections and progress your career though. Very little industry and actual teams around there. 

Your best bets are SoCal if you want to live there year round. Nor Cal if you don't mind going to SoCal to train. East Coast (Boston or NY, Empire cycling is a good amaeture feeder team as is bikereg.com) if you don't mind going to Tucson or SoCal to train. Colorado is good to but you need to leave for the winter.


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## Eric_H (Feb 5, 2004)

I think subsequent postings have shown the OP is a bit of dreamer, but regarding "where to live" to be an aspiring domestic pro cyclist, here's my thoughts.

In the racing season the most important place to live is the cheapest place. If that means at home with the parents, or sponging off the GF so be it. For a national-level cat 1 there will be enough travel and racing that the location is not super critical but of course being near a big hub for ease of flying is important. Also the home base region needs to have enough racing to sustain the season when one is not racing big races. But one could easily live in Ohio or Illinois and be fine. Or the mid-Atlantic region.

For the winter months, the best plan is to get to a warm weather destination. Arizona, So Cal, Georgia, Southern Carolina, Texas (works for this dude in Austin), or New Mexico. But again, the best option is a warm place where one can live cheaply. The time and commitment needed to get to where a pro team might have a look at a rider almost guarantees very little time to work and have a secondary life, so being able to live on the cheap is very important.


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## DM.Aelis (Jun 19, 2007)

rydbyk said:


> Rolling eyes huh? Pretty rude..
> 
> Simple fact smart guy... Where there is more sun, there is typically more physical activity. Simple math...simple odds. People do win the lottery too. Andy is a stud and didn't let crappy weather keep him from his dreams, like many do I am sure. YOUR STATE of N. Dakota ranks at number 46 out of 50 for cycling friendly states. Ouch. You are new to cycling, so I should cut you some slack I guess...
> 
> ...


Whoa. My friend it was just a joke, no offense intended, sorry for the confusion.

I thought the :thumbsup: communicated the smiley happy part of my comment.


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## rydbyk (Feb 17, 2010)

@DM

Entertaining response.... I hate to get off topic, but when/if one is to get called out, typically they will feel compelled to respond. I am wondering what would happen if people rolled their eyes and gave a thumbs up to their bosses during their first day at work...hmm? According to you, it would a be all good as long as the thumbs up was there to cancel out the clear disrespect of eyes rolling. Out here, we tend to get rid of employees rapidly that act in this manner... I would hope that you are just playing dumb and you are not really this clueless....

Now....back to addressing the OP and your post about N. Dakota...again, I don't believe N. Dakota is an incredible location to reside in given that the OP is wanting to be around lots of cycling talent....Does this imply that there is not a single talented rider in N. Dakota..clearly not.

I agree with nearly every location mentioned in this forum....just not yours about N. Dakota...sorry.


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## DM.Aelis (Jun 19, 2007)

rydbyk said:


> @DM
> 
> Entertaining response.... I hate to get off topic, but when/if one is to get called out, typically they will feel compelled to respond. I am wondering what would happen if people rolled their eyes and gave a thumbs up to their bosses during their first day at work...hmm? According to you, it would a be all good as long as the thumbs up was there to cancel out the clear disrespect of eyes rolling. Out here, we tend to get rid of employees rapidly that act in this manner... I would hope that you are just playing dumb and you are not really this clueless....
> 
> ...


@RYD

All apologies, was trying to make a joke about Andy Hampsten's unlikely birthplace, not practicing employer conversation etiquette or suggesting that frozen tundra is the hottest place to be a pro cyclist. Just a harmless joke, not trying to call you out, but I understand how teh internetz work. I'll try to choose a less offensive emoticon next time.  

@OP

Finally, I'll contribute something valuable to this thread besides a few laughs.

As a non-pro racer, I would suggest one of two avenues, depending on your current level of progress in the sport.

1) Are you simply training, finding your legs, getting the miles in and seeing how your fitness progresses? Are you at "ground zero" of the pro cycling progression? I'd go anywhere with mountains, relatively good weather, but MOST importantly cheap living. Watts are watts and you just need to throw them down safely and cheaply. Maybe a place like Sandpoint, Idaho, or Austin, TX, or an affordable pocket of the Northeast or Cali (if they even exist, I have no idea). 

2) If you're at the point where you need to make connections, brush shoulders on and off the bike with pros, and have a racing and training scene that showcases your already developed pro ability, I think you've got plenty of great suggestions already in this thread.


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## BooBah (Aug 16, 2009)

If your're talking about domestic (US) pros, they're pretty much everywhere. While you'll see spots like San Diego, Tuscon etc. mentioned, teams usually gather there for training camps. It's not as if all these guys live there year round. Boulder though does have a very high concentration of pros though. 

As an amateur, don't worry about migrating to one of these meccas. There's plenty to learn in your local racing community (unless you don't really have one). Remember, all these pros start somewhere. PA, New England, the Mid Atlantic, the Mid West all are pretty well represented in the pro ranks.


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## BooBah (Aug 16, 2009)

rydbyk said:


> @DM
> 
> Entertaining response.... I hate to get off topic, but when/if one is to get called out, typically they will feel compelled to respond. I am wondering what would happen if people rolled their eyes and gave a thumbs up to their bosses during their first day at work...hmm? According to you, it would a be all good as long as the thumbs up was there to cancel out the clear disrespect of eyes rolling. Out here, we tend to get rid of employees rapidly that act in this manner... I would hope that you are just playing dumb and you are not really this clueless....
> 
> ...


Wow! Really? Calm down Francis. You seriously could not tell he was being facetious? Really? Your first response was over the top but your second, after he cleared the air for you was beyond ridiculous. Not sure how you construed his post as calling you out. Are you that socially inept or full of yourself? WTF does your employee reference have to do with anything? How do you get by on a day to day basis as regards social interaction? Nuts.


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## rydbyk (Feb 17, 2010)

BooBah said:


> Wow! Really? Calm down Francis. You seriously could not tell he was being facetious? Really? Your first response was over the top but your second, after he cleared the air for you was beyond ridiculous. Not sure how you construed his post as calling you out. Are you that socially inept or full of yourself? WTF does your employee reference have to do with anything? How do you get by on a day to day basis as regards social interaction? Nuts.



Me =  

You = :blush2:

Quickest way to essentially call someone a jackass here =  

To DM....thanks for the clarification...got it...no worries.... Because you are actually from N. Dakota, I assumed you had taken offense to my comments. So yeh, I did think you were serious. I see now that you were kidding.....

To OP....hope you have found some of the responses to be a bit useful...apologies for getting off topic.


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## sexybeast (Dec 8, 2009)

There are some good responses here. Thanks

I live in Tennessee with my parents = cheap + 1700' hills + a pretty strong cycling scene.

In comparison to what the best places offer I dont think my town is far off


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## MCAddictR3 (Feb 24, 2010)

*Tucson Mt. Lemmon climb is a MUST for any avid cyclist!!*



monkeyboie said:


> I moved to Tucson, AZ from Baton Rouge, LA in the spring of 2005 just for the cycling. It was great and the "shootout" was killer. Ralph, owner of Freewheel cycles, is a great guy. The 26 mile climb to the top of Mt. Lemmon was a gas, but the trip back down was even gasssssier. I would still be living there if the economy would not have busted. I couldn't get a job anywhere so I had to move back to Loserana. The only motivating factor here is the fear of being eaten alive by the misquitos. I would move back to Tucson tomorrow if I could.



I completely agree about everyone's post about Tucson being a great place to bike! My wife is originally from there so fortunately I will be visiting often. If you are looking for a place to become a world class cyclist this is certainly the place. I recently went out there to ride in the Tour of Tucson and was blown away by all the great scenery, avid cycling clubs, and incredible scenery. Team Radio Shack was out there with Lance at the same time for a couple of weeks. 

I did the Mt.Lemmon Climb all the way to the Observatory and it was by far the toughest but most rewarding ride of my life. The elevation is almost 10K up there and tough to breathe if not used to it. However the view up there will make you feel like you just biked into Heaven. Going back downhill I could not stop smiling from how much fun it is to go downward for an hour! I strongly believe that this is a top 10 lifetime experience any avid cyclist should have. I was so inspired after this ride that I went out and spent a small fortune on a new bike to see if i can improve my result next time. Cant wait to go back again for the 2010 Tour and ride again with my new friends!


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## uberalles (Aug 13, 2009)

Central Florida, especially hilly Clermont, FL during the winter
but the big focus is triathlons......tons of pros 
plus a very big year round cycling scene


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