Best place in US to train and race?

[Multebear]

Haven't decided all those things yet. I'm still working on the location issue (US or EU). In EU there would be different options for work. In US I don't know. But I might be able to do some long distance work for the company that I work for at the moment.

[RyanH]

So Cal road racing scene is a bit anemic the last couple of years. If you're into crits or just a solid place to train, it's unparalleled. However, Norcal beats it hands down for the road racing scene. There's a stretch in summer where they basically have a road race every weekend. I think we are down to less than 5 for the entire season here now.

Bay area/LA there's a lot talent so the quality of your training rides will be a lot higher than many places in the US. I mean, how many can say they regularly have continental pro teams partake in their training rides?

[KWalker]

I've had World Tour pros take part in training rides in VA, MD, DC, WV, and AZ. Not all that uncommon. But does their presence actually matter? Maybe if name-dropping is a form of training

[RyanH]

Regularly was the operative word there...

There's not too many rides in the country like Simi for example where you get to test your mettle against current pros.

That wasn't the point though, nice way to latch onto a particular sentence and take issue with it, as usual...

[KWalker]

Then what was the point? If this dude is moving to another country and choosing his entire life on training for racing then I'd hope they are of the level where pros featuring on group rides isn't paramount to their success and a measurement of their locale. Or maybe I've missed all the tales of the fierce Girona group rides that are what make or break riders on the World Tour level.

[mergeforthekill]

Tuscon is a good shout if you dont mind oppressive summer heat.

[dudemanppl]

Go away Karsten, go return another custom bike or something.

[KWalker]

Only if you will sell my other gear online for me to fund it.

[jmechy]

So Cal road racing scene is a bit anemic the last couple of years. If you're into crits or just a solid place to train, it's unparalleled. However, Norcal beats it hands down for the road racing scene. There's a stretch in summer where they basically have a road race every weekend. I think we are down to less than 5 for the entire season here now.

This is so true. The road racing scene is SoCal is crap now. Some of the best recurring races were cancelled this year. If you want to race a crit, sure, there is one just about every weekend. If you want to get a real road race in, you either need to drive to NorCal (thank god for VeloPromo) or shoot for one of the few that survive on the calendar.

[KWalker]

Even then it's crap in Nor Cal. So many races with less than 40 finishes, many with less than 20 even. It can't be profitable for promoters anymore and it seems like riders who aren't just trying to scrape points lose focus and motivation quickly.

[fromtrektocolnago]

New York is good for basically nine months of the year. Greenville South Carolina is a popular cycling camp destination as is Boulder Colorado. Southern California is also a good choice.

[fromtrektocolnago]

Then what was the point? If this dude is moving to another country and choosing his entire life on training for racing then I'd hope they are of the level where pros featuring on group rides isn't paramount to their success and a measurement of their locale. Or maybe I've missed all the tales of the fierce Girona group rides that are what make or break riders on the World Tour level.

Having been to Girona twice. That's where I'd go.

[Bigger Gear]

Haven't lived in the US but I've raced in quite a few places over my time. IMO, the best places to be a road racer/stage racer are Nor Cal or Oregon. They both have a lot of one day road races and stage races. I think the riding is fantastic around Santa Rosa, head west to the ocean, with Kings Ridge as an option, go north for a flatter ride to Healdsburg and beyond, or head east over one of the climbs into Napa. I love riding there. Winter will be a bit more wet than So Cal but that's what fenders are for. Oregon is also pretty awesome, Eugene, Portland both have great scenes, but more wet. I love the Bend area, one of the few places I would move to in the US (along with Santa Rosa). But Bend does have a high desert winter. Another under-rated spot for living and training is Santa Cruz, CA area, but the racing will involve a bit more driving from there.

Don't know the east coast as well but South Carolina appears to have a good scene. Boulder, CO is nice but expensive and the Colorado calendar is not as good as Nor Cal or Oregon. Tucson is a great spot for training but if you are looking for a race season I think Arizona in general is lacking. Ideal set up IMO is to live in Nor Cal and schedule a 2-3 week stint in Tucson early in the season for training.

[hustlehard285]

If you're moving somewhere to race, you really can't beat Boulder/Denver. We have races every Saturday and Sunday from mid March till end of August. Take a look at the calendar if you want proof: https://www.coloradocycling.org/calenda ... dext=false

High altitude training is also a plus and I've seen plenty of races where locals like Danny Pate, Alex Howes and other pros show up to join.

Just my 2 cents.

[KWalker]

Let's face it if you're moving somewhere to race you either have a weird obsession with amateur racing or your pro team is doing a real shit job at helping you find housing.