Posted by admin | Posted in Austin | Posted on 13-04-2010
Tags: Austin, bicycle, bike, cycling, maps
Is the Austin, TX area a good place to ride a road bike (bicycle)?
I live in Lancaster, PA which has great cycling. Mostly gentle rolling hills and flat farmlands. It is really a tremendous place to ride. I may be moving to Austin though and I am curious what the cycling is like there. I have heard it is great, and obviously Lance loves it. However, it seems to me like it is an urban area with a lot of sprawl. All the pictures I have seen of bike routes out there make it seem like people ride on highways. I am used to country roads. And the areas that aren’t urban seem to be very hilly. I have also read there are a lot of encounters with some Texans that don’t like road bikers. Can someone please give me the scoop? Is Austin a great biking area or am I going to be disappointed biking wise moving there from Lancaster, PA?
I’m guessing you may be disappointed, but maybe not. You seem to have a pretty accurate idea about biking in the area.
I’ve done some touring in the Hill Country west of Austin, most on major highways with good shoulders. The hills are generally 6% or less in grade and pretty long. With proper gearing, they are not hard to climb. If you ride on rural roads, the hills will be steeper, but still doable with granny gearing.
I had no problem at all with motorist. But I stay out of their way and obey traffic laws.
That area of Texas is considered very scenic, especially in Spring. It is comfortably bikable year round, unlike in PA. That is a huge advantage for cycling nuts. I toured there last January in perfect biking weather.
I think you’ll find the area east of Austin not so hilly and with more wooded areas. Probably not so much traffic as the Hill Country.
TDOT loves to surface their roads with chip seal, a mutifaceted rock that is rough to ride on. That is the worst part of cycling in Texas. If traffic is light, you can ride in the traffic lane where the surface is smoother.
Video Time Lapse – 2008 Texas 4000 Bike Ride from Austin, Texas to Anchorage, Alaska (70 days)