# Riding and racing in Omaha



## cowheelz (Jul 11, 2011)

So I may be moving to Omaha from CO soon due to work. I love the riding and racing here and the competition and level of riding is high, but I would like to know what it is like around the Omaha area. How often are road, crit, TT races held, what's the level of riding like, are there any pro or semi pro teams, what are the race route profiles like (ie. mountains, flat, rolling hills, etc). Also are there any training groups in and around downtown Omaha? 

Thanks


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## Marc (Jan 23, 2005)

In most of Nebraska, the most you'll find is rollers and very sitff headwinds. I cannot vouch for Omaha training rides, Bike Rack does organized rides on decent weather days,

In summer. These's several light-touring rides often with racers along on them, among the bigger ones:

BRAN
Tour de Nebraska

A few of the smaller communities out state have their own clubs that sometimes put together rides.


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## Jen_I_Am (Mar 30, 2010)

*Elkhorn*

fixin to upload a pic


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## Jen_I_Am (Mar 30, 2010)

*Elkhorn Area*

I am from the Omaha area and will vouch for the wind. When I go back I like to ride well west of Omaha-perhaps park at St. Patrick's at 204th and Maple (Hwy 31) in Elkhorn (my hometown) you can ride due west, the roads and shoulders are very smooth and clean and you are visible to cars, the views are pretty amazing and it is a combination of flat stretches and moderate grades. You can ride it all the way to Fremont (25 mi), but I would stay out of Fremont altogether. The towns of Valley and Waterloo are along this stretch and there are some nice little eateries and the locals are very friendly.To get to Elkhorn if you are on I-80 headed west, exit I-680 North (Maple Street) and go west. There is a giant water tower in Elkhorn (with a convenient picture of an Elk on it lol). You could also choose to take Hwy 31 South into Elkhorn and there is a nice climb over the viaduct. You can ride that to Gretna (also 25 miles), but be careful on that road as it is 2 lanes in some areas and you need to have a Plan B if some idiot crosses the center line (Which has happened to me). I took this pic off my parents' back porch. the water tower and church are adjacent. You may even want to consider moving to Elkhorn. Omaha has gotten kind of rough. The schools are better in Elkhorn, too. Good mountain biking at Mahoney State Park. I like the Bike Rack and The Bike Way (on Industrial Rd). When these two have a sale, it is a masterpiece.

Look- a little tornado is dropping in on Valley for a visit. See it?


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## cowheelz (Jul 11, 2011)

Thanks Jen_I_am. I have no idea yet where I will be staying. I'm still searching on the web and craigslist for a place. But when I'm there I'll definitely do that ride. Could you tell me how big the cycling community is there and what and how often racing is like? Thanks


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## Jen_I_Am (Mar 30, 2010)

*Tacos and beer*

it is huge. I will try to get a phone # for you and PM you with it. I know right across the river in Council Bluffs, Iowa (known locally as "Council-Tucky") there are a number of events. I personally attended a Taco Ride last fall. It is appropriately named, as it it is at night, involves tacos, beer, and margaritas. It is a 10 mile mountain bike race and is a bunch of fun, provided _you_are not the taco. My father-in-law got face-planted by a noob with no lights. But, hey, isn't that what we love so much about alcohol and mountain bikes? I live in Wisconsin now, and it is a great scene, but have yet to find a Taco Run.

J/K But it did happen.

You need road info, right? Will ask the other half when he gets home, as he shoots crits all over the Midwest. I ride for grins, giggles, and Guinness.


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## Jen_I_Am (Mar 30, 2010)

go here Rides and Events - Bike Rack Omaha Lincoln, NE


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## cowheelz (Jul 11, 2011)

Thanks a lot. Appreciate it. Just phoned the Trek store and they were super helpfull too. 
Im going to miss Colorado, but if there is good riding in Omaha, ill be happy there


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## Jen_I_Am (Mar 30, 2010)

*proper attire*



cowheelz said:


> Thanks a lot. Appreciate it. Just phoned the Trek store and they were super helpfull too.
> Im going to miss Colorado, but if there is good riding in Omaha, ill be happy there


Be sure to buy you some Husker attire. We take our football VERY seriously. Look in my photo album and see our "Sea of Red" (and my other half a bit drunk-we also like beer). That was last season at home vs Missouri. 

Now I'm in Wisconsin and in the same conference. :mad2:


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## cowheelz (Jul 11, 2011)

Jen_I_Am said:


> Be sure to buy you some Husker attire. We take our football VERY seriously. Look in my photo album and see our "Sea of Red" (and my other half a bit drunk-we also like beer). That was last season at home vs Missouri.
> 
> Now I'm in Wisconsin and in the same conference. :mad2:


LOL. My other half is also from Omaha so iv been told to support the Husker's.


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## Dancer (Dec 8, 2004)

I was in Omaha for a meeting a couple of weeks ago and brought my bike with me. I found it easy to ride around the downtown area. In fact, some of my friends from East coast urban areas were amazed by the lack of traffic downtown. One afternoon, when it was over 100 F with a dew point in the upper 70's, I was out for a ride. I stopped for a late lunch at a brewpub in the Old Market called "Upstream", and realized I hod forgotten to bring a lock. I asked whether it would be OK to keep my Bianchi with me while I ate. They told me it was fine and the waitress allowed as how she had a Madone herself and understood completely. Good beer, too.

Dancer


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## Jen_I_Am (Mar 30, 2010)

*Lol!*



cowheelz said:


> LOL. My other half is also from Omaha so iv been told to support the Husker's.


Excellent advice. Just be careful downtown. There are many one way streets and go too far north, south or east in some places and you will be in trouble. I'm sure your other half told you that lol:cornut: And that Elkhorn is nice, but pricey in areas, but it so safe and beautiful.
Was annexed a couple yrs ago by Omaha, but is still the preferred place to live.

Dunno where you will be working, but Millard, Bellevue, and some of the other burbs are nice.

I am coming back to attend my 25th reunion next month....ugh. Has it really been that long?


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## Jen_I_Am (Mar 30, 2010)

*good place*



Dancer said:


> I was in Omaha for a meeting a couple of weeks ago and brought my bike with me. I found it easy to ride around the downtown area. In fact, some of my friends from East coast urban areas were amazed by the lack of traffic downtown. One afternoon, when it was over 100 F with a dew point in the upper 70's, I was out for a ride. I stopped for a late lunch at a brewpub in the Old Market called "Upstream", and realized I hod forgotten to bring a lock. I asked whether it would be OK to keep my Bianchi with me while I ate. They told me it was fine and the waitress allowed as how she had a Madone herself and understood completely. Good beer, too.
> 
> Dancer


Great to hear that. I love the Old Market.


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## Henry Porter (Jul 25, 2006)

Jen_I_Am said:


> Be sure to buy you some Husker attire. We take our football VERY seriously. Look in my photo album and see our "Sea of Red" (and my other half a bit drunk-we also like beer). That was last season at home vs Missouri.
> 
> Now I'm in Wisconsin and in the same conference. :mad2:


This is a good point. Omaha/Nebraska has a serious, serious issue with their priorities. Football rules all. There was one day that a six year old girl was seriously wounded in a drive-by shooting (they happen all the time when it gets warm) but it was not reported well because all the media was fawning over Osborne returning to the Huskers. I've had patients put off coming into the hospital with heart attacks to finish watching the game. It's a completely toxic environment. Hell, we've built two baseball stadiums in the past couple of years for one baseball team. That should tell you something. 

That also brings up a good point about violence in Omaha. 

"Fueled by gun violence in northeast Omaha, Nebraska has the third-highest black homicide rate in the nation, according to the latest compilation of detailed national homicide statistics.
The figures are based on homicide data from 2007, but they aren't a one-year fluke. Nebraska's black homicide rate for 2008 was even worse, and should again rank with the nation's highest when national figures become available." Race also seems to be a big issue in Omaha with the different neighborhoods segregated. 
Epidemic of poverty, violence - Omaha.com

The education of the Omaha citizens also seems to be lacking in general. The people here are simply not intelligent on the whole. You will obviously find really intelligent people in Omaha but they tend to be exceptions.

Finally, to get to the crux of the OP, the riding here is vastly inferior to where you are coming from. It is improving but is mostly flat with wind. You will find no mountains and no pro teams that I know of. 

The positives of Omaha are a decent/good arts scene, great employment statistics and business opportunities, good restaurants for a city of it's size and lots of city parks. For me, it doesn't overcome it's numerous negatives but YMMV. The following poem is over 100 years old but still holds true for me. 

Hast ever been in Omaha,
Where rolls the dark Missouri down,
And four strong horses scarce can draw
An empty wagon through the town?
Where sand is blown from every mound
To fill the eyes and ears and throat-
Where all the steamers are aground
And all the shanties are afloat?
Where whisky shops the livelong night
Are vending their poison juice:
Where men are often very tight,
And women deemed a trifle loose?
Where taverns have an anxious guest
For every corner, shelf and crack;
With half the people going west,
And all the others going back?
Where theaters are all the run
And bloody scalpers come to trade;
Where everything is overdone
And everybody underpaid?
If not, take heed to what I say:
You'll find it just as I have found it;
And if it lies upon your way,
For God's sake, reader, go around it!

1869 issue of Harper's Magazine

EDIT: To delete shop that I had a bad experience with


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## spade2you (May 12, 2009)

cowheelz said:


> So I may be moving to Omaha from CO soon due to work. I love the riding and racing here and the competition and level of riding is high, but I would like to know what it is like around the Omaha area. How often are road, crit, TT races held, what's the level of riding like, are there any pro or semi pro teams, what are the race route profiles like (ie. mountains, flat, rolling hills, etc). Also are there any training groups in and around downtown Omaha?
> 
> Thanks


Nebraska Cycling News Nebraska Cycling Association

Most of the group rides ride anywhere but downtown. 
Monday: Bike Way. 
Tuesday: Trek Store West. Good hammer fest.
Wednesday: Trek Store midtown, another good hammer fest. Bike Masters, another good hammer fest. 
Thursday: Bike Rack, usually not as competitive, but usually a few racers will mix things up.
Friday: no group rides that I know of. 
Saturday: Bike Masters has their long ride. I think Trek Midtown has one, too.


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## Jen_I_Am (Mar 30, 2010)

*Disparity and Safety*

The post above about the crime in Omaha is why I suggest cycling *way* west of town, avoiding anything downtown, and EVERYTHING North of Dodge Street. Omaha is worse than New Orleans and Milwaukee (though I live in the Milwaukee 'burbs now, Milwaukee is pretty bad). Will be happy to move back to New Orleans when my contract here is up.

Seeing as Omaha was only annexed (by a nearly recalled mayor in a case that went to the State Supreme Court) to get at its high tax base (Elkhorn has the highest per capita income in the state), Elkhorn is STILL a great place to live, a little expensive, but you do get what you pay for. 

Oh and it is conveniently just west of the Bike Rack. Your other half can guide you; though things seem to change really fast nowadays, and who really knows where Omaha is safe. It's sad, since as kids we didn't have to deal with drive-by shootings and robberies, and pizza drivers getting killed in the high rent district.

It is also very segregated, as is most of the North. I spent 21 years in the Deep South without that being an issue-ever. Just sayin'

Not trying to scare you, but it is a reality.


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## Jen_I_Am (Mar 30, 2010)

*Perspective*



Henry Porter said:


> This is a good point. Omaha/Nebraska has a serious, serious issue with their priorities. Football rules all. There was one day that a six year old girl was seriously wounded in a drive-by shooting (they happen all the time when it gets warm) but it was not reported well because all the media was fawning over Osborne returning to the Huskers. I've had patients put off coming into the hospital with heart attacks to finish watching the game. It's a completely toxic environment. Hell, we've built two baseball stadiums in the past couple of years for one baseball team. That should tell you something.
> 
> That also brings up a good point about violence in Omaha.
> 
> ...


Interesting. True. My aunt is a nurse @ Lutheran and my uncle was a physician-instructor at the Med Center. He taught at UNL before that. You must be in medicine, as well, since you sound like one of the intelligent ones.

All the people I know, am related to and associate with have at LEAST a Bachelor's Degree (mine is from UNL, but I got my Master's in Biomed-obtained at the University of Southern Mississippi and South Alabama. My husband at the time was a law student at Creighton). That does not equate to common sense, though.

You are correct about the football thing; my uncle was one of those who had a heart attack during a Sooners game. You think he would have known...At least he died happy.

Isn't Rosenblatt no longer the venue for the CWS? The location of the new field south of Millard seems to be a good location. I remember when 13th Street by the stadium and the Henry Doorly Zoo were safe places, and we even had friends who lived in one of the taller buildings on 13th. We could actually go up on his roof and watch the CWS for free and not have to deal with the parking, could see the games and grill out, and hear some good concerts.

My family is related to the Simons and Blumkins. We used to own the Union Outfitters Building downtown, but it is condos and stuff now. I played with the Omaha Symphony before moving South. There are LOTS of positives, still, as evidenced by my (hopefully brief) return to the Midwest. The Gulf area is a 3rd World Country since Katrina and BP. I feel so bad about all the flooding you have had along the Missouri.

Omaha is feast or famine. Be sure to be on the "feast" side.

North "O" and South "O" are horrific.


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## sw150 (Jul 29, 2009)

I think Bike Masters is a Co sponsor of a team that are out of Lincoln and Omaha.


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## spade2you (May 12, 2009)

Jen_I_Am said:


> The post above about the crime in Omaha is why I suggest cycling *way* west of town, avoiding anything downtown, and EVERYTHING North of Dodge Street. Omaha is worse than New Orleans and Milwaukee (though I live in the Milwaukee 'burbs now, Milwaukee is pretty bad). Will be happy to move back to New Orleans when my contract here is up.


Stay South of Dodge and West of 30th and you're fine. 

Been here my whole life and haven't had many problems. Every once in a while you'll have some wannabe thugs out West, but they're generally middle class kids trying to be bad. There's just a little bit of scatterside housing between 132nd and L and Center, but not a huge deal.

Most rides do their best to get out of town because motorists don't know how to deal with cyclists, other than honking and throwing a fit because we're delaying their fat-asses a few seconds. I do almost all of my riding in Elk Horn or Yutan for this reason. Good roads and minimal traffic. That's about all I need.


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## cowheelz (Jul 11, 2011)

Thanks everyone.
Regarding the crime and getting hooted at by motorists is honestly not my biggest concern. I grew up in Southern Africa where our house had a surrounding 10foot wall, a 5foot electric fence, 24hour security guards and 4pitbulls - and we lived in a "up-market" area!!!
You say the people there are not the brightest....I was told Nebraska have some of the best schools in the country. Is that not true??
I will be working in Downtown Omaha. Was looking at places in Dundee, Aksarben, and Elkhorn to live.

So it seems ill be traveling most weekends to do some racing, which i dont mind doing. maybe ill travel once a mounth out of State for some bigger races.


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## Henry Porter (Jul 25, 2006)

Jen_I_Am said:


> Interesting. True. My aunt is a nurse @ Lutheran and my uncle was a physician-instructor at the Med Center. He taught at UNL before that. You must be in medicine, as well, since you sound like one of the intelligent ones.
> 
> All the people I know, am related to and associate with have at LEAST a Bachelor's Degree (mine is from UNL, but I got my Master's in Biomed-obtained at the University of Southern Mississippi and South Alabama. My husband at the time was a law student at Creighton). That does not equate to common sense, though.
> 
> ...


I wouldn't use Dodge as a boundary, many really nice neighborhoods are north of Dodge, south of Maple. Further, the west side is so very, very bland. No personality at all.

TD Ameritrade is the new CWS stadium. It's much nicer than Rosenblatt which is being torn down and being replaced with more land for the zoo which is building a big new exhibit there. North of downtown has been renovated and is the new scene with the Qwest and the TD along with several other cool places to hang out.


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## Henry Porter (Jul 25, 2006)

cowheelz said:


> Thanks everyone.
> Regarding the crime and getting hooted at by motorists is honestly not my biggest concern. I grew up in Southern Africa where our house had a surrounding 10foot wall, a 5foot electric fence, 24hour security guards and 4pitbulls - and we lived in a "up-market" area!!!
> You say the people there are not the brightest....I was told Nebraska have some of the best schools in the country. Is that not true??
> I will be working in Downtown Omaha. Was looking at places in Dundee, Aksarben, and Elkhorn to live.
> ...


If you have kids, you have to go private. The public ones are the schools that churn out the idiots. The private schools are so good because they are taking the cream of the crop. I don't have kids so don't have experience but that is the word from several parents.

If you are working downtown, I would highly suggest Dundee and Aksarben. If you wait till next May, I'd sell you my place. These neighborhoods are safe, have a great atmosphere and good people. If I could move these neighborhoods out of Omaha into a better city I would be happy to stay where I am. Elkhorn is okay but way too far to commute with the traffic. Every morning it's the people from the burbs driving downtown and the reverse at night. I will be going the opposite way next month for a rotation and it's fun to watch everyone stuck in traffic.

Let me know if you have any more questions, I'd be happy to help you out. Omaha is a great fit for some people, just not for me. Most articles that rank cities in the past couple of years put Omaha towards the top. I hope it works out for you.


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## cowheelz (Jul 11, 2011)

Thanks Henry Porter.
Where are you moving to? Iv only been to Omaha once for a weekend so didnt get to see or do much. The only reason for moving there is so that my wife will be close to her family - they all live in Omaha.
Where is you place? I think ill be renting for a few months till i find something nice to buy. Ill be looking for a 3 bedroom place with maybe a basement (for my gym).


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## spade2you (May 12, 2009)

Henry Porter said:


> If you have kids, you have to go private.


Not absolutely true. If in North or South O, sure. Out West, not such a big deal. In midtown, the Westside District is top notch. Of all the physicians I know, with whom I went to undergrad, lots from Westside and Millard Public.


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## Dancer (Dec 8, 2004)

It is interesting to me how people have such different perceptions of a place, I suspect there's truth in all of them. I live in Lincoln, about 60 miles away, so my experience in Omaha is limited. But I have helped several topnotch kids from Omaha get spots in prestigious universities (these were kids from Omaha Westside; the guy that ran their physics department is a longtime friend of mine and my wife has a mentoring connection with one of the families there).

As far as the neighborhoods go, when I visited there a couple of weeks ago for a meeting, I rode and walked all over the downtown area and enjoyed it (I stayed at the Doubletree and went to dinner almost every day in the Old Market Area by foot). One of my afternoon rides took me well north of Dodge street and I had no issues other than dealing with the heat of the day. Our meeting (the American Association of Physics Teachers) was on the Creighton campus which is downtown just North of Dodge and is a lovely campus.

Dancer



spade2you said:


> Not absolutely true. If in North or South O, sure. Out West, not such a big deal. In midtown, the Westside District is top notch. Of all the physicians I know, with whom I went to undergrad, lots from Westside and Millard Public.


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## spade2you (May 12, 2009)

North of Dodge doesn't really apply when you're well outside city limits. 

Creighton's campus looks nice, but can be very treacherous. Some of the stores on campus get held up 3-4x a year. Having went there, I'm glad I don't have to be in that part of town. Same applies to their hospital.


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## Henry Porter (Jul 25, 2006)

spade2you said:


> North of Dodge doesn't really apply when you're well outside city limits.
> 
> Creighton's campus looks nice, but can be very treacherous. Some of the stores on campus get held up 3-4x a year. Having went there, I'm glad I don't have to be in that part of town. Same applies to their hospital.


Do you have a link to this? I heard there was two shootings at the hospital but nothing on these stores on campus.

And you can't think the areas north of Dodge by TD and west of Saddle Creek are dangerous, do you?


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## spade2you (May 12, 2009)

Henry Porter said:


> Do you have a link to this? I heard there was two shootings at the hospital but nothing on these stores on campus.
> 
> And you can't think the areas north of Dodge by TD and west of Saddle Creek are dangerous, do you?


I really don't pay attention to the news, mostly because it's always a rerun, but the Creighton robbings have been going on like this for decades. Heck, the occasional CUMC employee getting mugged on the way to their car isn't that rare. None of these are really even newsworthy. 

Dangerous in terms of cycling or overall crime? There are always exceptions and safe little pockets, but I've been here long enough to know where stuff happens.


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## Henry Porter (Jul 25, 2006)

spade2you said:


> I really don't pay attention to the news, mostly because it's always a rerun, but the Creighton robbings have been going on like this for decades. Heck, the occasional CUMC employee getting mugged on the way to their car isn't that rare. None of these are really even newsworthy.
> 
> Dangerous in terms of cycling or overall crime? There are always exceptions and safe little pockets, but I've been here long enough to know where stuff happens.


Well, I sent a text to a friend who works at CUMC and she couldn't recall a mugging during her medical school career. 

Here is a crime map of the last month, I think it demonstrates that Dodge isn't the best dividing line. CrimeMapping.com - National Map You might need to scroll down to see the crime below Dodge.


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## spade2you (May 12, 2009)

Henry Porter said:


> Well, I sent a text to a friend who works at CUMC and she couldn't recall a mugging during her medical school career.
> 
> Here is a crime map of the last month, I think it demonstrates that Dodge isn't the best dividing line. CrimeMapping.com - National Map You might need to scroll down to see the crime below Dodge.


When I applied for a job at CUMC about a year and a half ago, there was a mugging the day after, followed by the shootings. I wasn't too upset about not getting the job after those incidents. 

Going to CU, besides the Central High kids ripping off the car stereos the first week every year, there were a few carjackings, a rape and beating, the stores being ripped off a few times a year, and lots of people getting jumped. 

As for the crime map, the generalities are ok as guidelines. Watch the news a few times and you figure it out pretty quick. Still don't know why the city doesn't change "Ames" street to "Gunpoint".


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## Henry Porter (Jul 25, 2006)

spade2you said:


> When I applied for a job at CUMC about a year and a half ago, there was a mugging the day after, followed by the shootings. I wasn't too upset about not getting the job after those incidents.
> 
> Going to CU, besides the Central High kids ripping off the car stereos the first week every year, there were a few carjackings, a rape and beating, the stores being ripped off a few times a year, and lots of people getting jumped.
> 
> As for the crime map, the generalities are ok as guidelines. Watch the news a few times and you figure it out pretty quick. *Still don't know why the city doesn't change "Ames" street to "Gunpoint"*.


I would sign a petition for that.


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## spade2you (May 12, 2009)

Henry Porter said:


> I would sign a petition for that.


LOL, when someone new to Omaha ends up on 40th and Gunpoint then 32nd and Rape, they'd know they're in the WRONG part of town. :crazy:


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## Henry Porter (Jul 25, 2006)

cowheelz said:


> Thanks Henry Porter.
> Where are you moving to? Iv only been to Omaha once for a weekend so didnt get to see or do much. The only reason for moving there is so that my wife will be close to her family - they all live in Omaha.
> Where is you place? I think ill be renting for a few months till i find something nice to buy. Ill be looking for a 3 bedroom place with maybe a basement (for my gym).


I don't know. Applying for residency so it probably will be in the midwest or rocky mountains. I live close to where you are thinking, I'm not going to be any more specific on the web. The housing market in Omaha has been really stable thankfully.


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## MusicBike (Sep 14, 2011)

A lot of Bike stores have teams and stuff. There are tons in Lincoln, so Im sure there are more in OMaha


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## Dank (Nov 26, 2006)

So, what about the racing? We heard about group rides and all, what about road racing or crits?


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## Henry Porter (Jul 25, 2006)

Dank said:


> So, what about the racing? We heard about group rides and all, what about road racing or crits?


Nebraska Cycling News


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## spade2you (May 12, 2009)

Nebraskacycling.org is also a place to get info. The road season is over, but there's still some Cross going on.


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## cowheelz (Jul 11, 2011)

moving out there in 2weeks. i hope its the right move, but least we'll be by family, 
Im still looking for a job and will also be needing a car so if any body hears any thing please let me know.
Hope to get to meet you all there. Thanks again for all the info.


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## spade2you (May 12, 2009)

Congrats, I think? 

If you're on the group rides, maybe I'll see ya or if you're riding in the Elk Horn area.


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## Henry Porter (Jul 25, 2006)

cowheelz said:


> moving out there in 2weeks. i hope its the right move, but least we'll be by family,
> Im still looking for a job and will also be needing a car so if any body hears any thing please let me know.
> Hope to get to meet you all there. Thanks again for all the info.


Careerlink.com | Job Seeker is the website most of Omaha uses for job if you are looking online.
We had a great experience at Superior Honda of Omaha 402-408-1000 Honda Dealer Omaha Bellevue Lincoln Nebraska NE

Hope that helps.


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## adhumston (Sep 23, 2009)

cowheelz said:


> moving out there in 2weeks. i hope its the right move, but least we'll be by family,
> Im still looking for a job and will also be needing a car so if any body hears any thing please let me know.
> Hope to get to meet you all there. Thanks again for all the info.


First of all, good luck on your move. Second, I can help you out with the car situation... my Dad and Brother are have a used car lot and I can get you whatever you want at a very fair price, as long as you're semi patient while I look for you (I have access to all the wholesale auctions and have a dealers license myself). I'm not in Omaha, but about an 1:45 - 2 hours west (Aurora, NE). Feel free to shoot me a pm with what you're looking for and I'll see what I can do for you.


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## cowheelz (Jul 11, 2011)

Hey all im now in Omaha. Looking for people to ride with and also to show me around for some good riding routes. I'm in North Omaha, very close to North Omaha airport and Northern Hills estate. So let me know if anyone wants to ride sometime.


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## Jen_I_Am (Mar 30, 2010)

*North O*

Nice places in the Mormon Bridge area- north of State St. 

My boyfriend lives over there, and our long-distance relationship is centered around rides lol. Should be back late November.

I got a notice from RBR, saying I have been MIA. For the record (and no sympathy please), I have been undergoing chemo. Feeling much better and still have my hair .

(also put my order in for an Orbea Occam! I know it's a MTB, but I am thrilled!)


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## monsterman (Oct 8, 2011)

Tornados are not fun here either be aware of the weather here.


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## CAAD2 (Aug 3, 2011)

cowheelz said:


> Hey all im now in Omaha. Looking for people to ride with and also to show me around for some good riding routes. I'm in North Omaha, very close to North Omaha airport and Northern Hills estate. So let me know if anyone wants to ride sometime.


First off I cant believe all the talk about violence around Omaha, I lived downtown for 4 years and now in Midtown (Dundee/Country Club) for 4 years and its not as bad as some have said. Get in the wrong place at the wrong time of night and it can be a little scary but I can say the same thing about any number of cities Ive lived in or visited. It would be like me saying all of West Omaha sucks because its all boring beige homes with no character and middle aged ladies driving SUVs, just not true. Guess its just a matter of perception and preference.

Anyway - I usually ride 2-3 times a week from my house over to the Keystone Trail to Bellevue and back its about 25-30mi round trip. If you want to join for a ride or go find a new route to try send a private message and we can talk. Just a warning, Im not a experienced rider, this is my first year and Im just getting started.


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## Henry Porter (Jul 25, 2006)

CAAD2 said:


> First off I cant believe all the talk about violence around Omaha, I lived downtown for 4 years and now in Midtown (Dundee/Country Club) for 4 years and its not as bad as some have said. Get in the wrong place at the wrong time of night and it can be a little scary but I can say the same thing about any number of cities Ive lived in or visited. It would be like me saying all of West Omaha sucks because its all boring beige homes with no character and middle aged ladies driving SUVs, just not true. Guess its just a matter of perception and preference.
> 
> Anyway - I usually ride 2-3 times a week from my house over to the Keystone Trail to Bellevue and back its about 25-30mi round trip. If you want to join for a ride or go find a new route to try send a private message and we can talk. Just a warning, Im not a experienced rider, this is my first year and Im just getting started.


 Nebraska has the third-highest black homicide rate in the nation, according to the latest compilation of detailed national homicide statistics.
The figures are based on homicide data from 2007, but they aren't a one-year fluke. Nebraska's black homicide rate for 2008 was even worse, and should again rank with the nation's highest when national figures become available.
Epidemic of poverty, violence - Omaha.com


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## CAAD2 (Aug 3, 2011)

Henry Porter said:


> Nebraska has the third-highest black homicide rate in the nation, according to the latest compilation of detailed national homicide statistics.
> The figures are based on homicide data from 2007, but they aren't a one-year fluke. Nebraska's black homicide rate for 2008 was even worse, and should again rank with the nation's highest when national figures become available.]


Often times you can grab any one statistic to support your argument, politicians do it all the time, that doesnt provide the whole picture or make it right.

If you look at the most recent statistics from the FBI Unified Crime Report (www dot fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2010/preliminary-annual-ucr-jan-dec-2010/data-tables/table-4/table-4/view) Omaha is the 139th out of 268 cities in the US with a population more then 100,000. 

Anyways, cowheelz, hope you and your wife are enjoying Omaha. If you want to go for ride some time let me know.


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## Henry Porter (Jul 25, 2006)

CAAD2 said:


> Often times you can grab any one statistic to support your argument, politicians do it all the time, that doesnt provide the whole picture or make it right.
> 
> If you look at the most recent statistics from the FBI Unified Crime Report (www dot fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2010/preliminary-annual-ucr-jan-dec-2010/data-tables/table-4/table-4/view) Omaha is the 139th out of 268 cities in the US with a population more then 100,000.
> 
> Anyways, cowheelz, hope you and your wife are enjoying Omaha. If you want to go for ride some time let me know.


Your data isn't per capita.


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## CAAD2 (Aug 3, 2011)

Henry Porter said:


> Your data isn't per capita.


Actually it is. 

Omaha population : 464,428
total # of crimes reported: 39,335
crime rate: 8.47%

Attached is an excerpt of the reported data.

Id be happy to provide the entire spreadsheet but .xls isnt supported andts too large as a pdf.


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## spade2you (May 12, 2009)

monsterman said:


> Tornados are not fun here either be aware of the weather here.


They're not that frequent. As long as you pay attention to the weather conditions, it's no biggie. 



Henry Porter said:


> Nebraska has the third-highest black homicide rate in the nation, according to the latest compilation of detailed national homicide statistics.
> The figures are based on homicide data from 2007, but they aren't a one-year fluke. Nebraska's black homicide rate for 2008 was even worse, and should again rank with the nation's highest when national figures become available.
> Epidemic of poverty, violence - Omaha.com


Per capita makes it interesting, but the real interesting thing is how much of the violent crime occurs in a relatively small area. Really, if you stay out of the bad and somewhat sketchy places, it's not a big deal.


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## SlowMike (Aug 21, 2011)

spade2you said:


> They're not that frequent. As long as you pay attention to the weather conditions, it's no biggie.
> 
> 
> 
> Per capita makes it interesting, but the real interesting thing is how much of the violent crime occurs in a relatively small area. Really, if you stay out of the bad and somewhat sketchy places, it's not a big deal.


Yep. When we moved here friends told us to avoid North Omaha, and we'd be fine. After living in the DC-Baltimore corridor for the past 8 years, the Omaha area feels very safe to me and my family. There's just no need to go up to North O.

Now if I could just find some decent roads (roads with shoulders) to ride in the Papillion-Bellevue area...


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## spade2you (May 12, 2009)

Can't say I know of too many areas with a good shoulder for an extended distance, although most existing shoulders are often filled with tire popping debris. 

LOL, absolutely NO reason to visit/frequent North O.


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