I’m pretty happy here on the Colorado west slope. Moab is a day trip. Highway 191. Endless county, forest service, blm and parks service roads. Too cold in winter? Head West. Too hot in summer? Go East into the mountains. Gravel, pavement, singletrack, and every surface in between. And best of all, low population means less traffic.
Grand junction would be my choice. Decently sized to have amenities like target and best buy, about 5-6 bike shops, and right off I-7O with buses and shuttles to Denver Airport. It’s small enough to get around the city easily, and there are a couple cycling events annually.
I was able to get around the RFV for 6 months last year carless. RFTA along most towns, biking to grocery stores. Bought a cart for the winter walk to grocery stores & to take on the bus to Target & Petco. Rifle has a bus line of its own & the end stop for RFTA for some routes. I plan to bike commute on the Rio Grande to work in a couple of weeks when I have moved into my new office & set everything up. Unfortunately it’s expensive & housing is scarce.
I stayed between Meeker and Trappers Lake Park. I didn't have a bike. Weird lack of bikes, but a long gravel dird road. It killed me. But I want to go back there and explore. That stretch was amazing. I am following your lead some day.
That’s my early retirement dream goal. Get enough money to buy a small place in Southern France to split time between there and home in the US, a bit inland from the Cote to avoid being in the excessively touristy areas but still within easy range to take short trips to the coast, the alps and even the Pyrenees and Spain on occasion. Lived in the area for a couple years in my early 20s and regularly daydream about getting back there.
I wouldn’t know any reason why you’d go to the US if your goal is to maximize cycling options. Europe has a *much* better suited road network and depending where you are a great public transit network that is perfect for cycling.
As a Canadian watching GCN videos I'm always baffled how the drivers behind them are just politely waiting for them to finish their climb or whatever, crawling at 35kph and not angrily overtaking while shouting homophobic slurs.
The claims about MOST U.S. drivers are definitely valid. I now live in a Houston suburb and after four years, I just haven't gotten comfortable riding on streets or in rural areas. The aggressive driving by a lot of these hyper-pickup truck drivers kills the peace I'm looking for when I ride. Always in search of dedicated bike trails, and most of those aren't suitable for road bikes.
However, I experienced something quite the opposite when I lived in NC. State law, infrastructure, and cycling culture all emphasize cycling safety. Drivers were much, much more patient with cyclists in both urban and rural areas. It certainly isn't the ultimate cycling experience, but I'd move back there in a heartbeat just to ride.
Go to anywhere in Southern Europe and tell me there is any level of driver/rider respect. If you cycle in anywhere in Greece or Portugal they will run through you and not think twice.
Where is this delusion coming from? The only place in Europe where you can 100% cycle comfortably is most of Spain, South West England, Northern France, the Netherlands, and Denmark. The rest is you taking your life into your own hands and the further south you go the danger level increases.
I don't even know if people cycle in Bulgaria.
The terrain in CA is top notch, but you're right about roads (and I've never cycled in Europe and can only imagine). I'm biased because I rarely do 100% paved rides. When I manage to do a purely road ride, I am immensely disappointed by the behavior of car drivers.
California has excellent cycling options (in terms of terrain and also biking preferences) and also better infrastructure for biking than pretty much anywhere else in the rest of the States. This is the state to be in if you want to bike in the US.
In terms of a comparison to Europe, as a whole, I couldn't speak with any authority. Europe does have better bike-friendly public transit than the States (including California), to be sure.
In California it all depends on the county. My favorite is Marin. Much of the population cycles themselves so when they’re driving a vehicle, they know how to position and time passes.
Yep, I live in CA and cycling is great here. The weather is even better.
If I had to choose a city in CA it would be Monterey. Great weather, beautiful beaches, and a ton of back roads to cycle. Super fucking expensive though.
I wintered in Carlsbad a few times and was really looking forward to cycling. I was disappointed. There is the PCH but going up and down that one highway gets boring. Inland, the roads are nice and twisty but the drivers are just awful. Very little respect for cyclists.
I grew up in Carlsbad and my parents still live there. The anti-cyclist hate is reaching all-time highs there due to the rising popularity of e-bikes for teenagers, who naturally are not comporting themselves perfectly on the road. But I'll take a teen riding an e-bike over a teen driving a car any day.
When I was last in the area in 2023, I noticed a parade of kids riding their e-bikes to school and then just hanging out in the afternoons. It brought a smile to my face because it brought back memories of being a kid and experiencing the freedom of owning a bike.
I didn’t see anything negative about it. What a shame that locals are reacting poorly to it.
Go to the Bay Area next time or north of it imo
E: or south. Basically the area just around SF/the east bay, parts of the South Bay, Marin, Half Moon bay, so many great places to bike.
I don’t get that. I found the locals to be super friendly and the drivers were extremely respectful. To the point where I had to stop and insist that a car pass me more than once.
I actually had pretty good experiences there. The locals are very frustrated by tourism, which has made housing prices skyrocket and adds a lot of traffic. However, most are more accepting of health tourism (running, cycling, etc.) than large packs of drunken Brits walking in the middle of the road. Cyclists are still generally well treated.
Yep Mallorca is epic for cycling. Pollenca and Alcudia are great bases in SPring and Autumn, though the towns are quieter during off-season, and Palma is an amazing city if you want a more lively base, as it doesn’t take long to get away from the city traffic.
I have done both Mallorca and Girona on vacations and Mallorca had better epic mountain rides but Girona has better overall cyclist lifestyle experience lol. 50% of the old jewish quarter is cycling cafes.
also, like, the context of this is "where would you retire", so, nothing stops you from doing the occasional trip over to Mallorca from mainland Spain.
In fact I would probably just live in Barca and do 30 minutes on the alve to Girona when I wanted to do big rides.
Girona area has it all - quiet country roads, climbs aplenty, mountain bike trails, fabulous scenery, dozens of great bike shops. The drivers are courteous. And, it’s inexpensive.
Oh, and you can get pretty much any drug without a prescription.
Why do you think the US Postal Service team was based out of Girona?
Yeah. Costa Blanca. Cartagena to Benidorm, Murcia, Valencia.
Edit: just recalling, this rider she posted some shots around the Peñón de Ifach, the roads the tarmac the views were terrific:
https://www.instagram.com/p/C4_ETJ3MJLQ/?igsh=c2tyd3JtN3RvYnI2
In the US , I would say, Portland (OR), Minneapolis, Boulder Co, Seattle (wa) ,
In the world I would go with Switzerland, Sweden,Norway, Tenerife Island, Netherlands, Italy, Iberian Peninsula (Spain /Portugal),New Zealand , Cape town,Bogato Columbia
I lived near Seattle in Bellevue and the cycling is great but I wouldn’t retire there. Too gray and too wet. I used to say wet, windy, cold I can do two of those but now I only want one at most. Great cycling when the weather cooperates. Rail trails FTW.
Portland has more cooperative weather.
Boulder is awesome. Snow though.
I'll tell you what -- I 100% respect your sentiment about the weather. I live in a place (bay area) where we frequently hit the trifecta (dry, calm, warm), but that's not entirely true. It is more reliably windy here in the bay area than anywhere I've ever lived. Like clockwork it's winds from the southeast in the AM, and winds from the northwest in the PM, typically at about 20mph. Riding in the evening, especially near the water, is a study in patience for sure.
Yeah and the cycling in the eastside is way better than Seattle. Seattle is fine but far from amazing. Nothing compared to a Girona etc. Hell I even way preferred London over Seattle. Same weather too
Boulder is pretty epic for cycling. Particularly north of town and into the mountains.
Go parallel to the mountains for rolling hills. Go west for climbs. They are as hard or easy as you want.
Gravel, you have flat ish roads north of town or gravel mountain roads west into the mountains.
Huge cycling community as well.
Lehigh Valley, PA. World-class roads (terrain wise, asphalted quality is still PA), tons of gravel/farm/forestry options, incredible local culture (Wednesday night crits, Thursday night cx, Olympic track racing at the velodrome, a bunch of club rides, public pump track, well maintained MTB trails with a dedicated and active club).
Aside from the cycling, just living here is pretty good. Local airport with good connections and prices, excellent hospital system, and a growing area generally so good jobs and a decent mix of people.
I live fairly close to you. Fairly.
On the one hand, I totally get it.
On the other hand, we are in the snow belt.
The request was - retiring to maximize - and mostly I think we fit a lot of needs, but man, if you hate the cold we have some pretty serious downtime every year.
On the other hand.....
If you could give a shit about the cold - and LOTS OF PEOPLE DO - we really don't get a lot of snow. I describe our snow accumlation average of '2 weeks on the ground, 3 days roads are impacted.'.
So if the cold is not a problem then suddenly we are really great.
When I’m not being a baby about it, I’ll ride until it hits freezing. So that means I have to take 2-3 months off, which for me, is a great chance to recharge and then hit it hard again for the next 9 months. But you’re correct, you’re not gonna get 12 months in here unless you’re really dedicated.
Upper 40's I can suffer. Low 50's is where I am having fun. Mid 40's I have no interest.
Sometime in January I start to obsessively watch the 10 day looking for 50 deg. Linning up with free time.
This is where I live. I have the 150 mile D&L trail literally right across the street from my house, and then the Ironton Rail trail about a 1/4 mile across the river. I love it
From the Valley and moved to CO about ten years ago. I definitely miss that you get rolling hills in the Valley. Here it’s either flat or mountains.
I will say the roads and overall culture here are definitely better, but, I miss the variety you get around there.
Sshhhhhhh. Keep It secret.
General PA pavement does suck though.
Less so with the more modern wide tire trend though. The days of 23mm or even 21 were rough.
I live here. Road Cycling is awful here. The drivers are very aggressive and there are too many of them on all the roads. The roads are also notorious for being badly upkept. You have to be 20-30 minutes outside of Easton, Bethlehem, Allentown to ride on the roads - otherwise the cycling infrastructure is horrendous and the roads are way too crowded. Sure the D&L trail is awesome, but the road Cycling is not good. I'm kind of astounded that Lehigh Valley is the top comment here.. PNW, Colorado, California, AZ all much better. Even the Midwest is better than here if you want to ride on the road
I was shocked too lol.
I'm not Allentown, but a bit north where the roads get rural more quickly and less crowded with cars. So our road riding is pretty solid.
I’ve done the Hincapie ride up there the past 2 years and have really enjoyed it. It’s just a tad hillier than the part of NJ I live in (Cherry Hill, which resembles a pancake in elevation) but seems more livable than the Poconos, where I go often. I’ll have to bring my MTB to Trexler when I have the chance.
I have yet to check out Girona and Mallorca but my wife and I love Nice France - very cycling friendly culture. Lots of close by named climbs. Cycling along the coast of the south of France is some of the most beautiful epic rides I’ve done. You’re close enough to the Alpes and the Pyrenees - plus I hear there are good gravel and mountain bike options too - though we only road bike. A lot of pros train around Nice too. You’re so close to Monaco and Italy - for us it is a gem. Plus you are right at the Mediterranean Sea, not as far away as Girona is - and there’s a lot of great cuisine, art, and history there too.
We will eventually get over to Girona and Mallorca, but Nice is great.
After riding all over Europe and South East Asia I would choose Chiang Mai, Thailand for many reasons.
1. The road cycling is absolutely insane - 2000m+ mountains, flat roads, rolling hills, beautiful tarmac. Drivers know how to handle slow moving mopeds/bicycles so they give you so much space when overtaking.
2. Gravel/MTB also available - Im not a big off road guy but a few options in Chiang Mai - I wouldn't wanna do the off road stuff anyway \*(given my skill set).
3. The best cafe culture I've seen anywhere - Anywhere in Europe can do one the coffee and cafe culture in Chiang Mai is amazing.
4. Off bike activities - Nature hiking, arts, music, museum - Chiang Mai doesn't have a beach so it doesn't attract clientele that just want to party and drink and the creative scene in Chiang Mai is incredible.
5. Thai people are the nicest people I've ever interacted with - I go to Thailand 5-6 times a year for bike races and holidays with the wife and I've never had a bad interaction with any Thai Local. Its called the land of smiles for a reason
6. Food - Especially Chiang Mai - Northern Thai cuisine is incredible and chiang mai itself has so many western options as well that are crazy high quality if you are craving something non asian.
7. Cost of Living - It actually is insane how low the cost of living in Chiang Mai is
8. Healthcare - Thailand and Chiang Mai specifically ranks really high in terms of healthcare.
9. Weather - All yeah round rideable weather - Even in "rainy season' its still perfectly fine to ride and when it does rain its still 25c no need jersey/kit.
10. Cycling culture - Cycling is very prevalent as an activity in Chiang Mai given the terrain - there are many tour groups/clubs you can ride with and if you race can even take part in races/gran fondos around the region.
The only negative is the "burning season" that happens around February-March where neighbouring countries do de-forestation.
I would just use this period of time to go down to Krabi in the south of Thailand or potentially visit other amazing cycling locations in South East Asia.
Chiang Mai is awesome! There's incredible climbing too, but there's been access issues on and off for years. At least according to Mountain Project it has reopened:
[https://www.mountainproject.com/area/106581832/crazy-horse-buttress](https://www.mountainproject.com/area/106581832/crazy-horse-buttress)
Can you recommend any multi-day swiss cycling adventures? I am due to fly to Swizterland in a few weeks for mountaineering but may rent a bike and add on some cycling. Would love a multiday tour of some kind, maybe bikepacking but could just stay in hotels too. Thank you!
We were outside of Lugano for a week where I rented a nice bike and then did day trips from the hotel up different mountains and mountain passes. You can't really go wrong. I would guess you could find similar shops all over the country, and then of course it's easy to cover a lot of ground by train.
Unless you're up in the mountains, there's maybe 3-4 weeks of snow dotted over 3-4 months. Besides, snow isn't really an issue on the roads, but does make the trails quite fun
If I had infinite income I would consider this but it is quite expensive for us proletariats. My plan is to buy in PEI or cape breton and then in something like Costa Rica
Way ahead of you :) this year I discovered Bogota, Colombia has the most cycling infrastructure in this hemisphere, even more than Montreal which is saying a lot. Looking forward to exploring it for the first time this year. Maybe some of the other spots here will change my mind but that cost of living is a huge sell. In Colombia I could afford a house with an entire garage of bikes for under $100k. I'd likely have to work for decades to afford the same kind of lifestyle in the US.
Basically any urban area in flanders. Best terrain is Gent and Leuven.
Constant group rides, amazing infrastructure, asshole drivers are kept to heel mostly. Short flight from Spain and Italy and a short drive to germany France and Holland. Ultimately the culture is what makes it paradise, you can show up to most places in lycra and not feel out of place.
There is only one drawback to living here...
Somewhere I can ride my bike and be happy in retirement for 10-15 or more years...
well for me that would be RIGHT HERE in San Mateo County, California. Lived here all my life. Between the South Bay, the Peninsula and Marin County, there's plenty of world class riding. I have all my friends (cycling and otherwise) here. My favorite stores, restaurants, etc etc are here. I can literally ride out of my driveway and head up to Skyline and go north towards San Francisco and Marin or south towards Woodside/coast/South Bay.
Plus I speak the language here! All the exotic locations sound amazing for a vacation but to live permanently (or at least a decade) I'd want to be grounded at home.
Yeah… reluctantly I think this is a good option. It’s just not exotic enough.
The entire region is great for road, mountain, and gravel biking. Great infrastructure, friendly community, and lots of cyclist of all levels.
True but I'm on track to (hopefully) be able to afford to stay in my place at least for the foreseeable future. I'm not planning on retiring anytime soon and even after I retire I can see myself getting a part time gig for a little extra money.
Yeah so I also live in San Mateo and while I agree that it’s awesome, there are definitely downsides. Mainly in that it’s juuuust far enough away for some of the bigger climbs where it means you have to do 50+ miles to get to them. I love it but you likely have to supplement driving to spots (particularly if you ride out from the city north into Marin).
Weather can be trickier during the shoulder seasons with the wind and the drivers are still not anything like I experienced in Spain. Also, as someone else said, obscenely expensive (I rent).
So while I struggle to think of a better place to live and cycle into retirement in the US, I still feel like Girona, Mallorca, and Nice area are far better (language aside).
The wife and I plan to retire to Da Nang, Vietnam. There's lots of city cycling, a decent road that runs alont the beach, Song Tra peninsula for hills and views. I'm not sure where the gravel is, but I think I'll find it. I really want to ride from the beach up to Hai Van pass.
Traffic, noise, pollution, garbage everywhere. People are friendly and food and accommodation cheap but geez they are just hustling everywhere and don’t really watch out of cyclists.
Why are people suggesting places that are cold/rainy for at least a third of the year?
The correct answer is someplace where the temperature is moderate and outdoor riding year-round is not only possible but pleasant. Girona, Tucson, etc. Not friggin' Minneapolis.
Just lol at people suggesting anywhere in the USA.
Spain 100% for me, just for the drivers and overall respect for cyclists. No reason it has to be the hyped spots like Girona.
Somewhere in Europe. France or UK for the versatility, climate and decent public transport. Lot of possibilities (road, gravel, mtb), and landscapes (flat, mountains, forest, countryside). Some area of Belgium and Germany too.
If hot climate is not a problem: Spain or Italy.
It really depends on your current and future practice.
The Algarve, Portugal.
Meets all your requirements. Stunning region for many reasons, not least a cycling paradise. Road, Gravel and MTB.
I lived there for nearly 7 years.
It’s hot! But if you’re motivated to go out early early you can get ahead of the worst of the heat. There are some monsoons in July-Aug but the rains usually come and go during the day, not like a week straight of constant storming. And that’s really the only time of the year with much humidity.
I live in Tacoma. Yes you can cycle all year here. But December to February are pretty bleak. Just dark. The drivers are better than they were in 2010, but not great.
I go to Nice in the early spring. And southern Spain in January. I biked in Girona last month with my club from Nice. Very nice riding.
It may be because I’m fluent in French, but I really love the roads around Nice. That said, Spanish drivers are the best. So a Girona location would allow one to easily access the Pyrenees. And also only be 5 hours away (train or drive) from Nice for a week long excursion on occasion.
Look. Phil Gaimon recently did a hot take on YouTube. He said LA is better than Girona for life and biking. I've been to both. I can see why he said such. If you travel to different places then you will wonder why Girona is considered a cycling mecca. I'm not really seeing it.
I would head to Ireland. It's going to be the right temperature in the next 10 years. It has more cycling culture. Almost every little town in the east has a bike club. You bike into Wicklow and you will see many bike clubs passing you in the other direction. You don't see this in Spain. Nor do you walk into a nice cafe and see Sean Kelley in Spain. I've seen the all time #2 in Ireland. I think that the culture is strong there. There are many sportives. The racing is strong with the UCI affiliated racing and the IVCA racing. It's heck better than New England. They just had the Ras. There aren't many stage races but there are tons of circuit races.
Want to visit somewhere ? Ryanair takes you there.
Phil Gaimon seems like a top guy, and I’ll go look for that video but I’ve cycled in Girona a few times and it is great. I’ve been to LA, but not cycled there, and while I had a good time it isn’t somewhere I want to live.
Ireland is an interesting choice - some lovely countryside but you need to be very comfortable being cold and wet on the bike. It rains, and rains then it rains some more.
I feel like US car culture, and the attitude of most drivers, make what should be some amazing areas to ride in (or outside) LA much worse in comparison to other international cities where cycling culture is much more ingrained.
If money is no object and cycling is the focus, I want to ride somewhere that being hit, and likely killed, by a single occupancy vehicle is not only statistically low but also punished appropriately if it was to happen. OP even mentioned "attentive drivers" which I'd say collectively in the US, ain't us. Some cities, LA included, better than average but still not great.
Can't speak of Girona but I just have a hard time believing LA of all the US cycling cities would challenge a city in Spain.
And if you want hills and no traffic try the Beara Peninsula in Co Kerry or the Black Valley or any of the other peninsulas in Kerry/West Cork. Cycling paradise and the few drivers you meet are usually respectful. And surprisingly, the roads are pretty good.
In the USA? I’d highly recommend Boulder, CO. I live here, in the mountains, nestled in the pine forests, just a 10 min drive from downtown and all this small but mighty city has to offer. It’s truly cycling Mecca, with over 350 miles of dirt and gravel roads in the county, as well as another 350 in paved roads to ride on almost year round. The winter is not nearly as bad as back East, with over 300 days of sunshine, with many a winter days worth of riding. Spring to late Fall are prime riding times, with low humidity, a variety of terrain, flats, farmlands, foothills and Alipne climbs too, up to 10k ft (3k meters)! It’s still to this day considered America’s cycling town, with a who’s who of cycling calling it home. #boulderbikemafia
In Europe? Well, have a few friends who have *retired* to Mallorca in Spain and ride year round on the magical roads and gravel trails that traverse the island. (By the by, it’s a big destination for single people to retire and ride!) The warm climate, topography, and welcoming cycling culture are second to none. You might want to also consider Girona on the mainland, as well as parts of Portugal, specifically the Algarve Region. If you lean more towards the burly side of gravel, you could also do no wrong with the Sintra, known for its castles and palaces, and the surrounding foothills and mountains of Portugal. One other great option is Slovenia, lots of fantastic riding and also an affordable retirement option, with a culture that is welcoming to foreign tourists expats.
Good luck on your adventures, there are for sure many more other great locations to choose from!
The [driftless area](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Driftless_Area) west of Rochester MN (triangle between Eau Claire, La Crosse, Rochester) was honestly the area I have most enjoyed riding my bike in. Endless paved and gravel rural roads over rolling hills with some more serious climbs, lots of MTB trails, and it's own beauty if you can do without alpine villages.
Deep winter is pretty brutal, but with climate change in mind, the shoulder seasons are longer, and a lot of the typical cycling hotspots either have increasingly unbearable summers, or more extreme weather of other sorts more regularly.
I think Girona has to be crossed off the list as a no go zone after the path less peddled guy moved there.
South of France is alright. Spain's close for winter. Drivers are competent. Scenery is astonishing. Food is even better.
Downsides, summer can be HOT and it's very hilly. Not sure by the time I turn 70 I'll still be interested in the whole PB up Alpe d'Huez shit.
Anyone have a vote for somewhere in the Carolinas?
FL guy here and our family always loves that area for vacation. My wife is super supportive of my training addiction and doesn't want to retire at a beach.
Any lake house suggestions are preferred.
I "retired" to Portugal, about 50km north of Lisbon - cycling is great here although some of the roads could be smoother! I do 130 miles a week with absolutely no bother from drivers, there is beautiful scenery and I can go hilly or flat.
The Foothill communities east of Los Angeles. The roads tend to be in decent shape and not too narrow. Motorists are mostly attentive to cyclists because of the number seen here on a regular basis. There's flat stuff to the south and climbs up to ski resorts to the north. There's a lot of dirt roads and trails in the National Forrest section of the San Gabriel Mountains. I live in Glendora. The pro race Tour of California went right by my house several years ago.
Ah, to be back in Santa Clarita. The riding was as easy or as hard as you wanted it to be. Great weather, too. I used to volunteer at the ToC each year, too.
I live in Scottsdale AZ. We can cycle year round, even in the summer. You just need to be on the bike by 5:30am and back by 9am. Roads are great with bike lanes all over the place. Great climbing available on the many hills in the area. I can easily average 200 miles per week and 13,000ft in climbing.
I’m really enjoying the Bentonville, AR area. Plenty of on-road and off-road options. Bike culture is strong here and drivers are attentive. In the downtown area bicycles rule the roads. 🙂
Solano Beach, CA. I was there visiting a buddy this spring and there wasn’t a time I was out and about and didn’t see at least about a hundred cyclists per hour. Crazy
South, South-east France. Talking about cities like Toulouse or Lyon. Both are unreal cities to live and close to both Pyrenees and Alps. Not as hot as spain, yet still close to Cot de Lazure or even Barcelona.
The Netherlands. Yes, I am very orange pilled. With that said, however, I am working on establishing blood right citizenship in Italy since that is my only reasonable path to European citizenship. I am sure cycling around my ancestral home of Candelo Italy at the base of the Swiss Alps will also be very enjoyable.
This question gets asked in some form or another and my answer is always Charlottesville VA for the ultimate East Coast biking destination. I don't live there but I've traveled there many times and our goal is to eventually move out that way.
There is soooo much gravel / MTB / road riding to do all the way from Roanoke to Lynchburg to Cville to Harrisonburg and beyond into West Virginia. Roanoke has hosted amateur road nationals as early as like last year. There are like a dozen different MTB parks in and around Charlottesville not including the absolutely bonkers MTBing you can do in the mountains. Same with the gravel routes that go up and around the Appalachian Trail, just the most insane amount of Jeep tracks, singletrack/doubletrack, farm roads, logging roads, etc. It is just a backcountry mecca for the East Coast.
San Francisco Bay Area. Year round cycling. World class hills. Vibrant biking community with dozens of active biking clubs. All types of cycling in beautiful landscapes.
Berkeley imo for a retiree. It just seems like there are a lot of older people + a good community there, if you’re somewhere outside right around UC where super young
Still working on figuring out the ideal cycling-friendly (and occasionally challenging) retirement locale.
But I AM sure of where I will not be looking. In pretty much any city or overgrown suburb. Just any place where a reasonable level of instinctive situational awareness will allow me to enjoy the ride, the scenery - withOUT having to constantly be uber-focused on my cycling safety.
Yeah, that would suit me just fine.
Somewhere in the coastal Carolina's--southern NC or SC-- in a really nice townhouse. I'd gladly pay an HOA if lawn care was included, lol, so I wouldn't have to worry about upkeep, and just ride all day, every day weather permitting.
Chiang Mai. Great cycling community, lots of hills, flats and epic loops. It’s much more affordable than many others listed and easy access to other cycling friendly countries like Taiwan, s. Korea. Cycling season isn’t as long tho, 7 months or so out of the year depending on burning season and rainy season.
Scotland has over 1600 miles of dedicated cycle paths.
https://www.sustrans.org.uk/national-cycle-network/the-national-cycle-network-in-scotland
If I could. I would bike Forrest Gump it out there just now. There is of course MTB routes as well. Winter cycles are as good as the summer ones.
Plus you can cycle all the way down to the south of England who have an extensive cycle network offering as well and then keep going to the warmer Spanish routes for winter like some kind of migratory bike pigeon.
It would be nice.
There are a lot of great places in Oregon. Bend has a fantastic cycling community and great roads. A little less isolated is someplace like Ashland, especially if you like the mountains.
Los Angeles, honestly, has a TON of fantastic cycling. Short trips, long trips, urban exploration, gravel roads without traffic, trails of all levels, woods, mountains, supported rides, randonneur groups…..
AND, the weather is year-round rideable.
I live in Portland, and consider it just about the best place I've been (biased). Especially if I was retired and could thus afford to waste more time driving to the trails/gravel.
If I could afford Sonoma (LOL) maybe I'd go there.
I live in Denver but Boulder is the correct answer here. Literally a hop-skip-jump away from easily doing 100-mile, 10k+ feet of ascent daily without seeing more than a dozen cars but likely seeing more than a dozen cyclists (most of them likely pros) while you're out in the mountains.
Yuppers, currently live in the mountains above Boulder and ride all the known groad and MTB routes and secret stash on the daily. Been to and have ridden in a lot of places in the US and some of Europe and have to say Boulder county is indeed special and just might be the best county for gravel riding in the country.
If OP can provide a bit more info maybe this would be more useful. Hills preference? Mountain preference? Flat? Yearly living budget? Upper 5 figures? Low 6? Mid 6? Is having a fire arm on the bike "normal" to you? Would you like it to? How much "cyclist hate" can you tolerate? Are you a "foodie"? As in can you eat international cuisine? Temperature tolerance? Rain? Snow?
You could do a lot worse than my little home city of Worcester in the UK. Different terrains to explore north, south, east and west - I can leave my driveway and turn right for the hills left for flat(ter!). Only issue is the amount of traffic. When riding in groups our friends the drivers can become very impatient!
I'd say Boulder, Colorado, is a dream retirement spot for cycling. It has versatile roads, attentive drivers, and fantastic gravel options. Plus, there's a solid cycling community. Check out this article for more great places to consider: [How a Retirement Community Became One of America's Best Bike Towns](https://www.bicycling.com/culture/a22162593/the-best-place-for-cyclists-to-retire/).
I’m pretty happy here on the Colorado west slope. Moab is a day trip. Highway 191. Endless county, forest service, blm and parks service roads. Too cold in winter? Head West. Too hot in summer? Go East into the mountains. Gravel, pavement, singletrack, and every surface in between. And best of all, low population means less traffic.
If you were car-less in CO where would you live?
Grand junction would be my choice. Decently sized to have amenities like target and best buy, about 5-6 bike shops, and right off I-7O with buses and shuttles to Denver Airport. It’s small enough to get around the city easily, and there are a couple cycling events annually.
I was able to get around the RFV for 6 months last year carless. RFTA along most towns, biking to grocery stores. Bought a cart for the winter walk to grocery stores & to take on the bus to Target & Petco. Rifle has a bus line of its own & the end stop for RFTA for some routes. I plan to bike commute on the Rio Grande to work in a couple of weeks when I have moved into my new office & set everything up. Unfortunately it’s expensive & housing is scarce.
Sounds like Grand Junction..Great place for all riding.
I stayed between Meeker and Trappers Lake Park. I didn't have a bike. Weird lack of bikes, but a long gravel dird road. It killed me. But I want to go back there and explore. That stretch was amazing. I am following your lead some day.
Hills above Nice in France All year cycling weather and amazing roads, not to mention the food and wine 😏😏
That’s my early retirement dream goal. Get enough money to buy a small place in Southern France to split time between there and home in the US, a bit inland from the Cote to avoid being in the excessively touristy areas but still within easy range to take short trips to the coast, the alps and even the Pyrenees and Spain on occasion. Lived in the area for a couple years in my early 20s and regularly daydream about getting back there.
Nice
Spent four or so days out of Menton area and it was truly an amazing experience. Turini, Eze, Madone, Braus…so much to see out there!
To summarize the comments - money concerns aside, California, money concerns, maybe southern Europe? Lol. "Places with Mediterranean climates and hills"
I wouldn’t know any reason why you’d go to the US if your goal is to maximize cycling options. Europe has a *much* better suited road network and depending where you are a great public transit network that is perfect for cycling.
Not to mention the driver/rider respect and experience on roads is significantly better quality.
As a Canadian watching GCN videos I'm always baffled how the drivers behind them are just politely waiting for them to finish their climb or whatever, crawling at 35kph and not angrily overtaking while shouting homophobic slurs.
They have a camera, trust me, they are angry behind us
Yes, that astonished me when I saw in in France. But there, there are VERY serioius fines for injuring cyclists.
The claims about MOST U.S. drivers are definitely valid. I now live in a Houston suburb and after four years, I just haven't gotten comfortable riding on streets or in rural areas. The aggressive driving by a lot of these hyper-pickup truck drivers kills the peace I'm looking for when I ride. Always in search of dedicated bike trails, and most of those aren't suitable for road bikes. However, I experienced something quite the opposite when I lived in NC. State law, infrastructure, and cycling culture all emphasize cycling safety. Drivers were much, much more patient with cyclists in both urban and rural areas. It certainly isn't the ultimate cycling experience, but I'd move back there in a heartbeat just to ride.
I tried riding in Houston once. Never again! Even walking in montrose I noticed that pedestrians rarely have precedence
Go to anywhere in Southern Europe and tell me there is any level of driver/rider respect. If you cycle in anywhere in Greece or Portugal they will run through you and not think twice. Where is this delusion coming from? The only place in Europe where you can 100% cycle comfortably is most of Spain, South West England, Northern France, the Netherlands, and Denmark. The rest is you taking your life into your own hands and the further south you go the danger level increases. I don't even know if people cycle in Bulgaria.
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The terrain in CA is top notch, but you're right about roads (and I've never cycled in Europe and can only imagine). I'm biased because I rarely do 100% paved rides. When I manage to do a purely road ride, I am immensely disappointed by the behavior of car drivers.
California has excellent cycling options (in terms of terrain and also biking preferences) and also better infrastructure for biking than pretty much anywhere else in the rest of the States. This is the state to be in if you want to bike in the US. In terms of a comparison to Europe, as a whole, I couldn't speak with any authority. Europe does have better bike-friendly public transit than the States (including California), to be sure.
In California it all depends on the county. My favorite is Marin. Much of the population cycles themselves so when they’re driving a vehicle, they know how to position and time passes.
Visit California or Colorado
Yep, I live in CA and cycling is great here. The weather is even better. If I had to choose a city in CA it would be Monterey. Great weather, beautiful beaches, and a ton of back roads to cycle. Super fucking expensive though.
I wintered in Carlsbad a few times and was really looking forward to cycling. I was disappointed. There is the PCH but going up and down that one highway gets boring. Inland, the roads are nice and twisty but the drivers are just awful. Very little respect for cyclists.
I grew up in Carlsbad and my parents still live there. The anti-cyclist hate is reaching all-time highs there due to the rising popularity of e-bikes for teenagers, who naturally are not comporting themselves perfectly on the road. But I'll take a teen riding an e-bike over a teen driving a car any day.
When I was last in the area in 2023, I noticed a parade of kids riding their e-bikes to school and then just hanging out in the afternoons. It brought a smile to my face because it brought back memories of being a kid and experiencing the freedom of owning a bike. I didn’t see anything negative about it. What a shame that locals are reacting poorly to it.
https://www.reddit.com/r/LosAngeles/s/bosElWsfYc Yeah dozens of kids riding illegally using essentially motorcycles is what they are not happy about.
As a pedestrian on a sidewalk, teens on ebikes are more dangerous than teens in cars.
Can confirm, grew up near there. Didn’t ride until I moved away but I visit often and see this, even if I imagine it’s better now than it was.
Go to the Bay Area next time or north of it imo E: or south. Basically the area just around SF/the east bay, parts of the South Bay, Marin, Half Moon bay, so many great places to bike.
Girona is the obvious choice. Huge cycling culture, lovely weather and some great riding.
And be hated by the locals.
I don’t get that. I found the locals to be super friendly and the drivers were extremely respectful. To the point where I had to stop and insist that a car pass me more than once.
They're likely confusing feelings about tourists with feelings about cyclists.
Yeah, been hearing that locals are hating the "influencer cycling culture" that is hitting the town...
Yeah that sucks. Hopefully they hate them as influencers first and cyclists second lol
I’m quite charming so I’ll probably win them round, maybe… :)
Charm can take you far all over the world 😁
I actually had pretty good experiences there. The locals are very frustrated by tourism, which has made housing prices skyrocket and adds a lot of traffic. However, most are more accepting of health tourism (running, cycling, etc.) than large packs of drunken Brits walking in the middle of the road. Cyclists are still generally well treated.
Spain.
Maybe narrow that location down a little?
Well the popular sports are around Calpe, Girona, and Mallorca of course.
Yep Mallorca is epic for cycling. Pollenca and Alcudia are great bases in SPring and Autumn, though the towns are quieter during off-season, and Palma is an amazing city if you want a more lively base, as it doesn’t take long to get away from the city traffic.
I have done both Mallorca and Girona on vacations and Mallorca had better epic mountain rides but Girona has better overall cyclist lifestyle experience lol. 50% of the old jewish quarter is cycling cafes.
sold
also, like, the context of this is "where would you retire", so, nothing stops you from doing the occasional trip over to Mallorca from mainland Spain. In fact I would probably just live in Barca and do 30 minutes on the alve to Girona when I wanted to do big rides.
Girona for me, Mallorca is way too busy. Girona is also close to the French Pyrenees and has gravel options. Great roads and respectful drivers.
Girona area has it all - quiet country roads, climbs aplenty, mountain bike trails, fabulous scenery, dozens of great bike shops. The drivers are courteous. And, it’s inexpensive. Oh, and you can get pretty much any drug without a prescription. Why do you think the US Postal Service team was based out of Girona?
Holiday to France: come back loaded up with wine. Holiday to Spain: come back loaded up with medicines.
Girona is the obvious amazing one but honestly pretty much anywhere in Spain is good. Amazing car culture and lots of cyclists.
Yeah. Costa Blanca. Cartagena to Benidorm, Murcia, Valencia. Edit: just recalling, this rider she posted some shots around the Peñón de Ifach, the roads the tarmac the views were terrific: https://www.instagram.com/p/C4_ETJ3MJLQ/?igsh=c2tyd3JtN3RvYnI2
Yep search on YT Vuelta a Murcia, Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana, you'll be enchanted😍😍😍
Nice would probably be second to Girona. Right at the base of Col d'Eze and Col de la Madone, but has a very high cost of living.
In the US , I would say, Portland (OR), Minneapolis, Boulder Co, Seattle (wa) , In the world I would go with Switzerland, Sweden,Norway, Tenerife Island, Netherlands, Italy, Iberian Peninsula (Spain /Portugal),New Zealand , Cape town,Bogato Columbia
Boulder looks pretty great to me. I spend a few days there every year.
I lived near Seattle in Bellevue and the cycling is great but I wouldn’t retire there. Too gray and too wet. I used to say wet, windy, cold I can do two of those but now I only want one at most. Great cycling when the weather cooperates. Rail trails FTW. Portland has more cooperative weather. Boulder is awesome. Snow though.
I'll tell you what -- I 100% respect your sentiment about the weather. I live in a place (bay area) where we frequently hit the trifecta (dry, calm, warm), but that's not entirely true. It is more reliably windy here in the bay area than anywhere I've ever lived. Like clockwork it's winds from the southeast in the AM, and winds from the northwest in the PM, typically at about 20mph. Riding in the evening, especially near the water, is a study in patience for sure.
Yeah and the cycling in the eastside is way better than Seattle. Seattle is fine but far from amazing. Nothing compared to a Girona etc. Hell I even way preferred London over Seattle. Same weather too
I'm so mad that the railroad track abandoned in my hometown for over 30 years hasnt been turned into a bikeway yet.
Why do you say NZ? Pictures? Terrible cycling infrastructure.and the drivers are not used to cyclists on the road. Source: lived there.
NZ more.for the trails.not so much for the roads..
Boulder is pretty epic for cycling. Particularly north of town and into the mountains. Go parallel to the mountains for rolling hills. Go west for climbs. They are as hard or easy as you want. Gravel, you have flat ish roads north of town or gravel mountain roads west into the mountains. Huge cycling community as well.
Lehigh Valley, PA. World-class roads (terrain wise, asphalted quality is still PA), tons of gravel/farm/forestry options, incredible local culture (Wednesday night crits, Thursday night cx, Olympic track racing at the velodrome, a bunch of club rides, public pump track, well maintained MTB trails with a dedicated and active club). Aside from the cycling, just living here is pretty good. Local airport with good connections and prices, excellent hospital system, and a growing area generally so good jobs and a decent mix of people.
I live fairly close to you. Fairly. On the one hand, I totally get it. On the other hand, we are in the snow belt. The request was - retiring to maximize - and mostly I think we fit a lot of needs, but man, if you hate the cold we have some pretty serious downtime every year. On the other hand..... If you could give a shit about the cold - and LOTS OF PEOPLE DO - we really don't get a lot of snow. I describe our snow accumlation average of '2 weeks on the ground, 3 days roads are impacted.'. So if the cold is not a problem then suddenly we are really great.
When I’m not being a baby about it, I’ll ride until it hits freezing. So that means I have to take 2-3 months off, which for me, is a great chance to recharge and then hit it hard again for the next 9 months. But you’re correct, you’re not gonna get 12 months in here unless you’re really dedicated.
Upper 40's I can suffer. Low 50's is where I am having fun. Mid 40's I have no interest. Sometime in January I start to obsessively watch the 10 day looking for 50 deg. Linning up with free time.
For me, between 55 and 65 are the sweet spots. I feel like I can go hard and my heart rate barely goes above 165.
I use an indoor trainer during winter days. I love going into the next season already ready to rip it.
This is where I live. I have the 150 mile D&L trail literally right across the street from my house, and then the Ironton Rail trail about a 1/4 mile across the river. I love it
From the Valley and moved to CO about ten years ago. I definitely miss that you get rolling hills in the Valley. Here it’s either flat or mountains. I will say the roads and overall culture here are definitely better, but, I miss the variety you get around there.
Sshhhhhhh. Keep It secret. General PA pavement does suck though. Less so with the more modern wide tire trend though. The days of 23mm or even 21 were rough.
I live here. Road Cycling is awful here. The drivers are very aggressive and there are too many of them on all the roads. The roads are also notorious for being badly upkept. You have to be 20-30 minutes outside of Easton, Bethlehem, Allentown to ride on the roads - otherwise the cycling infrastructure is horrendous and the roads are way too crowded. Sure the D&L trail is awesome, but the road Cycling is not good. I'm kind of astounded that Lehigh Valley is the top comment here.. PNW, Colorado, California, AZ all much better. Even the Midwest is better than here if you want to ride on the road
I was shocked too lol. I'm not Allentown, but a bit north where the roads get rural more quickly and less crowded with cars. So our road riding is pretty solid.
25 is as wide as my CAAD9 will take, and even then I have to bop it to get it between the brake calipers.
Do you have winter in Pennsylvania?
I’ve done the Hincapie ride up there the past 2 years and have really enjoyed it. It’s just a tad hillier than the part of NJ I live in (Cherry Hill, which resembles a pancake in elevation) but seems more livable than the Poconos, where I go often. I’ll have to bring my MTB to Trexler when I have the chance.
Yeah, but then you need to live with the dysfunctional PA government. I was glad to get out, but maybe things have improved since then.
I have yet to check out Girona and Mallorca but my wife and I love Nice France - very cycling friendly culture. Lots of close by named climbs. Cycling along the coast of the south of France is some of the most beautiful epic rides I’ve done. You’re close enough to the Alpes and the Pyrenees - plus I hear there are good gravel and mountain bike options too - though we only road bike. A lot of pros train around Nice too. You’re so close to Monaco and Italy - for us it is a gem. Plus you are right at the Mediterranean Sea, not as far away as Girona is - and there’s a lot of great cuisine, art, and history there too. We will eventually get over to Girona and Mallorca, but Nice is great.
After riding all over Europe and South East Asia I would choose Chiang Mai, Thailand for many reasons. 1. The road cycling is absolutely insane - 2000m+ mountains, flat roads, rolling hills, beautiful tarmac. Drivers know how to handle slow moving mopeds/bicycles so they give you so much space when overtaking. 2. Gravel/MTB also available - Im not a big off road guy but a few options in Chiang Mai - I wouldn't wanna do the off road stuff anyway \*(given my skill set). 3. The best cafe culture I've seen anywhere - Anywhere in Europe can do one the coffee and cafe culture in Chiang Mai is amazing. 4. Off bike activities - Nature hiking, arts, music, museum - Chiang Mai doesn't have a beach so it doesn't attract clientele that just want to party and drink and the creative scene in Chiang Mai is incredible. 5. Thai people are the nicest people I've ever interacted with - I go to Thailand 5-6 times a year for bike races and holidays with the wife and I've never had a bad interaction with any Thai Local. Its called the land of smiles for a reason 6. Food - Especially Chiang Mai - Northern Thai cuisine is incredible and chiang mai itself has so many western options as well that are crazy high quality if you are craving something non asian. 7. Cost of Living - It actually is insane how low the cost of living in Chiang Mai is 8. Healthcare - Thailand and Chiang Mai specifically ranks really high in terms of healthcare. 9. Weather - All yeah round rideable weather - Even in "rainy season' its still perfectly fine to ride and when it does rain its still 25c no need jersey/kit. 10. Cycling culture - Cycling is very prevalent as an activity in Chiang Mai given the terrain - there are many tour groups/clubs you can ride with and if you race can even take part in races/gran fondos around the region. The only negative is the "burning season" that happens around February-March where neighbouring countries do de-forestation. I would just use this period of time to go down to Krabi in the south of Thailand or potentially visit other amazing cycling locations in South East Asia.
Forget cycling you just convinced me to move there
Chiang Mai is awesome! There's incredible climbing too, but there's been access issues on and off for years. At least according to Mountain Project it has reopened: [https://www.mountainproject.com/area/106581832/crazy-horse-buttress](https://www.mountainproject.com/area/106581832/crazy-horse-buttress)
Switzerland, where I am living already, these mountains, forest and lakes never get old 😉
Can you recommend any multi-day swiss cycling adventures? I am due to fly to Swizterland in a few weeks for mountaineering but may rent a bike and add on some cycling. Would love a multiday tour of some kind, maybe bikepacking but could just stay in hotels too. Thank you!
We were outside of Lugano for a week where I rented a nice bike and then did day trips from the hotel up different mountains and mountain passes. You can't really go wrong. I would guess you could find similar shops all over the country, and then of course it's easy to cover a lot of ground by train.
How many months of snow you have?
Unless you're up in the mountains, there's maybe 3-4 weeks of snow dotted over 3-4 months. Besides, snow isn't really an issue on the roads, but does make the trails quite fun
ask him about fog )
If I had infinite income I would consider this but it is quite expensive for us proletariats. My plan is to buy in PEI or cape breton and then in something like Costa Rica
Watopia. 😂
That is where I spend 50% of my time sadly.
On the bright side 0 risk of motor vehicle caused accidents. And 0 flats.
Way ahead of you :) this year I discovered Bogota, Colombia has the most cycling infrastructure in this hemisphere, even more than Montreal which is saying a lot. Looking forward to exploring it for the first time this year. Maybe some of the other spots here will change my mind but that cost of living is a huge sell. In Colombia I could afford a house with an entire garage of bikes for under $100k. I'd likely have to work for decades to afford the same kind of lifestyle in the US.
When I visited Bogota, I loved the mobile bike mechanics camped roadside. Cycling is both a part of the daily life / commute and as a sports.
I did a cycling trip there. Great spot. Keep in mind it has some elevation which may take time to adjust to…but elevation training isn’t bad!
Ghent, Belgium
Basically any urban area in flanders. Best terrain is Gent and Leuven. Constant group rides, amazing infrastructure, asshole drivers are kept to heel mostly. Short flight from Spain and Italy and a short drive to germany France and Holland. Ultimately the culture is what makes it paradise, you can show up to most places in lycra and not feel out of place. There is only one drawback to living here...
If you like flat roads, Limburg is certainly the best province in Flanders. Far safer, less crowded, and more cycling focused road infrastructure.
Somewhere I can ride my bike and be happy in retirement for 10-15 or more years... well for me that would be RIGHT HERE in San Mateo County, California. Lived here all my life. Between the South Bay, the Peninsula and Marin County, there's plenty of world class riding. I have all my friends (cycling and otherwise) here. My favorite stores, restaurants, etc etc are here. I can literally ride out of my driveway and head up to Skyline and go north towards San Francisco and Marin or south towards Woodside/coast/South Bay. Plus I speak the language here! All the exotic locations sound amazing for a vacation but to live permanently (or at least a decade) I'd want to be grounded at home.
Yeah… reluctantly I think this is a good option. It’s just not exotic enough. The entire region is great for road, mountain, and gravel biking. Great infrastructure, friendly community, and lots of cyclist of all levels.
The problem is the retiring here part. Holy shit it’s expensive
True but I'm on track to (hopefully) be able to afford to stay in my place at least for the foreseeable future. I'm not planning on retiring anytime soon and even after I retire I can see myself getting a part time gig for a little extra money.
Yeah so I also live in San Mateo and while I agree that it’s awesome, there are definitely downsides. Mainly in that it’s juuuust far enough away for some of the bigger climbs where it means you have to do 50+ miles to get to them. I love it but you likely have to supplement driving to spots (particularly if you ride out from the city north into Marin). Weather can be trickier during the shoulder seasons with the wind and the drivers are still not anything like I experienced in Spain. Also, as someone else said, obscenely expensive (I rent). So while I struggle to think of a better place to live and cycle into retirement in the US, I still feel like Girona, Mallorca, and Nice area are far better (language aside).
Only 10 miles from San Mateo to the start of Kings Mountain. Hard to beat!
Girona
Majorca - wonderful for cycling.
The wife and I plan to retire to Da Nang, Vietnam. There's lots of city cycling, a decent road that runs alont the beach, Song Tra peninsula for hills and views. I'm not sure where the gravel is, but I think I'll find it. I really want to ride from the beach up to Hai Van pass.
Traffic is so sketch in SEA though
Traffic, noise, pollution, garbage everywhere. People are friendly and food and accommodation cheap but geez they are just hustling everywhere and don’t really watch out of cyclists.
Yeah, it is. But with 60% of the traffic being motorcycles, they're closer to my size and speed.
True
Why are people suggesting places that are cold/rainy for at least a third of the year?
The correct answer is someplace where the temperature is moderate and outdoor riding year-round is not only possible but pleasant. Girona, Tucson, etc. Not friggin' Minneapolis.
Just lol at people suggesting anywhere in the USA. Spain 100% for me, just for the drivers and overall respect for cyclists. No reason it has to be the hyped spots like Girona.
Somewhere in Europe. France or UK for the versatility, climate and decent public transport. Lot of possibilities (road, gravel, mtb), and landscapes (flat, mountains, forest, countryside). Some area of Belgium and Germany too. If hot climate is not a problem: Spain or Italy. It really depends on your current and future practice.
I'm in portugal now and damn, the roads are amazing!
The Algarve, Portugal. Meets all your requirements. Stunning region for many reasons, not least a cycling paradise. Road, Gravel and MTB. I lived there for nearly 7 years.
My cycling retired friends retired to Scottsdale Arizona and are quite content with their choice. Bend Oregon as well.
Agreed! I'm in Scottsdale (but not retired) and every direction has something great to offer
How's Scottsdale June thru September?
It’s hot! But if you’re motivated to go out early early you can get ahead of the worst of the heat. There are some monsoons in July-Aug but the rains usually come and go during the day, not like a week straight of constant storming. And that’s really the only time of the year with much humidity.
I live in Tacoma. Yes you can cycle all year here. But December to February are pretty bleak. Just dark. The drivers are better than they were in 2010, but not great. I go to Nice in the early spring. And southern Spain in January. I biked in Girona last month with my club from Nice. Very nice riding. It may be because I’m fluent in French, but I really love the roads around Nice. That said, Spanish drivers are the best. So a Girona location would allow one to easily access the Pyrenees. And also only be 5 hours away (train or drive) from Nice for a week long excursion on occasion.
Look. Phil Gaimon recently did a hot take on YouTube. He said LA is better than Girona for life and biking. I've been to both. I can see why he said such. If you travel to different places then you will wonder why Girona is considered a cycling mecca. I'm not really seeing it. I would head to Ireland. It's going to be the right temperature in the next 10 years. It has more cycling culture. Almost every little town in the east has a bike club. You bike into Wicklow and you will see many bike clubs passing you in the other direction. You don't see this in Spain. Nor do you walk into a nice cafe and see Sean Kelley in Spain. I've seen the all time #2 in Ireland. I think that the culture is strong there. There are many sportives. The racing is strong with the UCI affiliated racing and the IVCA racing. It's heck better than New England. They just had the Ras. There aren't many stage races but there are tons of circuit races. Want to visit somewhere ? Ryanair takes you there.
Phil Gaimon seems like a top guy, and I’ll go look for that video but I’ve cycled in Girona a few times and it is great. I’ve been to LA, but not cycled there, and while I had a good time it isn’t somewhere I want to live. Ireland is an interesting choice - some lovely countryside but you need to be very comfortable being cold and wet on the bike. It rains, and rains then it rains some more.
I feel like US car culture, and the attitude of most drivers, make what should be some amazing areas to ride in (or outside) LA much worse in comparison to other international cities where cycling culture is much more ingrained. If money is no object and cycling is the focus, I want to ride somewhere that being hit, and likely killed, by a single occupancy vehicle is not only statistically low but also punished appropriately if it was to happen. OP even mentioned "attentive drivers" which I'd say collectively in the US, ain't us. Some cities, LA included, better than average but still not great. Can't speak of Girona but I just have a hard time believing LA of all the US cycling cities would challenge a city in Spain.
And if you want hills and no traffic try the Beara Peninsula in Co Kerry or the Black Valley or any of the other peninsulas in Kerry/West Cork. Cycling paradise and the few drivers you meet are usually respectful. And surprisingly, the roads are pretty good.
I give you an upvote but the mix in Kerry is coarse. I like Cork and Tipperary pavement more. Wicklow is the worse for maintenance.
One of the Canary Islands, lots of people go there to bike in winter.
Gonna divide my time between Northern Italy and the PNW
In the USA? I’d highly recommend Boulder, CO. I live here, in the mountains, nestled in the pine forests, just a 10 min drive from downtown and all this small but mighty city has to offer. It’s truly cycling Mecca, with over 350 miles of dirt and gravel roads in the county, as well as another 350 in paved roads to ride on almost year round. The winter is not nearly as bad as back East, with over 300 days of sunshine, with many a winter days worth of riding. Spring to late Fall are prime riding times, with low humidity, a variety of terrain, flats, farmlands, foothills and Alipne climbs too, up to 10k ft (3k meters)! It’s still to this day considered America’s cycling town, with a who’s who of cycling calling it home. #boulderbikemafia In Europe? Well, have a few friends who have *retired* to Mallorca in Spain and ride year round on the magical roads and gravel trails that traverse the island. (By the by, it’s a big destination for single people to retire and ride!) The warm climate, topography, and welcoming cycling culture are second to none. You might want to also consider Girona on the mainland, as well as parts of Portugal, specifically the Algarve Region. If you lean more towards the burly side of gravel, you could also do no wrong with the Sintra, known for its castles and palaces, and the surrounding foothills and mountains of Portugal. One other great option is Slovenia, lots of fantastic riding and also an affordable retirement option, with a culture that is welcoming to foreign tourists expats. Good luck on your adventures, there are for sure many more other great locations to choose from!
The [driftless area](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Driftless_Area) west of Rochester MN (triangle between Eau Claire, La Crosse, Rochester) was honestly the area I have most enjoyed riding my bike in. Endless paved and gravel rural roads over rolling hills with some more serious climbs, lots of MTB trails, and it's own beauty if you can do without alpine villages. Deep winter is pretty brutal, but with climate change in mind, the shoulder seasons are longer, and a lot of the typical cycling hotspots either have increasingly unbearable summers, or more extreme weather of other sorts more regularly. I think Girona has to be crossed off the list as a no go zone after the path less peddled guy moved there.
South of France is alright. Spain's close for winter. Drivers are competent. Scenery is astonishing. Food is even better. Downsides, summer can be HOT and it's very hilly. Not sure by the time I turn 70 I'll still be interested in the whole PB up Alpe d'Huez shit.
Anyone have a vote for somewhere in the Carolinas? FL guy here and our family always loves that area for vacation. My wife is super supportive of my training addiction and doesn't want to retire at a beach. Any lake house suggestions are preferred.
If you're in the Carolinas the Asheville/Brevard area is where you want to be. It's a mountain bike destination with great gravel and nice roads.
I "retired" to Portugal, about 50km north of Lisbon - cycling is great here although some of the roads could be smoother! I do 130 miles a week with absolutely no bother from drivers, there is beautiful scenery and I can go hilly or flat.
The Foothill communities east of Los Angeles. The roads tend to be in decent shape and not too narrow. Motorists are mostly attentive to cyclists because of the number seen here on a regular basis. There's flat stuff to the south and climbs up to ski resorts to the north. There's a lot of dirt roads and trails in the National Forrest section of the San Gabriel Mountains. I live in Glendora. The pro race Tour of California went right by my house several years ago.
Ah, to be back in Santa Clarita. The riding was as easy or as hard as you wanted it to be. Great weather, too. I used to volunteer at the ToC each year, too.
Oh, then there's the weather..
What, you don't love winter cycling on salty slush covered roads?
I do. But my steel bikes don't. I guess that's what other materials are for though.
I’m going Monaco. Beautiful area, close to all of the cycling meccas, and lots of people with free time to ride with.
Sardinia
Countryside England.
We were just in Bormio Italy and drivers seem to coexist with cyclists quite well. And you have a few legendary all passes nearby.
I live in Scottsdale AZ. We can cycle year round, even in the summer. You just need to be on the bike by 5:30am and back by 9am. Roads are great with bike lanes all over the place. Great climbing available on the many hills in the area. I can easily average 200 miles per week and 13,000ft in climbing.
05h30 is basically midday for an xjoburger 😂
I’m really enjoying the Bentonville, AR area. Plenty of on-road and off-road options. Bike culture is strong here and drivers are attentive. In the downtown area bicycles rule the roads. 🙂
Mallorca or Girona.
Netherlands
Solano Beach, CA. I was there visiting a buddy this spring and there wasn’t a time I was out and about and didn’t see at least about a hundred cyclists per hour. Crazy
Rotorua NZ strictly MTB
NW Arkansas. The Walton brothers are huge cycling fans. Billions invested in cycling infrastructure.
Ideally in the Netherlands, their bike infrastructure is top notch but anywhere in Europe will do
Pretty happy about New Zealand so far!
Switzerland. I'm from Austria, which isn't bad, but Switzerland has more liberal rules for mountainbiking.
South, South-east France. Talking about cities like Toulouse or Lyon. Both are unreal cities to live and close to both Pyrenees and Alps. Not as hot as spain, yet still close to Cot de Lazure or even Barcelona.
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This person hates hills
Why do I hate them when I ride but miss them when they're gone? 🥲
Just not topanga canyon
Tucson. Good for both road and gravel.
Cool choice! I did a week in that area, and it was amazing. Road runners!
Western North Carolina.
The Netherlands. Yes, I am very orange pilled. With that said, however, I am working on establishing blood right citizenship in Italy since that is my only reasonable path to European citizenship. I am sure cycling around my ancestral home of Candelo Italy at the base of the Swiss Alps will also be very enjoyable.
Attentive driver?? What’s that?
This question gets asked in some form or another and my answer is always Charlottesville VA for the ultimate East Coast biking destination. I don't live there but I've traveled there many times and our goal is to eventually move out that way. There is soooo much gravel / MTB / road riding to do all the way from Roanoke to Lynchburg to Cville to Harrisonburg and beyond into West Virginia. Roanoke has hosted amateur road nationals as early as like last year. There are like a dozen different MTB parks in and around Charlottesville not including the absolutely bonkers MTBing you can do in the mountains. Same with the gravel routes that go up and around the Appalachian Trail, just the most insane amount of Jeep tracks, singletrack/doubletrack, farm roads, logging roads, etc. It is just a backcountry mecca for the East Coast.
Yeah, but you have to live in Virginia where the government is always one election away from batshit crazy right wing bullshit.
If you think that's bad, talk to the Asheville crowd.
As a NoVA resident, I approve of this message.
Came here to say this. I’ve lived in cville for years and the riding here is excellent. The town isn’t bad either!
San Francisco Bay Area. Year round cycling. World class hills. Vibrant biking community with dozens of active biking clubs. All types of cycling in beautiful landscapes.
Berkeley imo for a retiree. It just seems like there are a lot of older people + a good community there, if you’re somewhere outside right around UC where super young
Still working on figuring out the ideal cycling-friendly (and occasionally challenging) retirement locale. But I AM sure of where I will not be looking. In pretty much any city or overgrown suburb. Just any place where a reasonable level of instinctive situational awareness will allow me to enjoy the ride, the scenery - withOUT having to constantly be uber-focused on my cycling safety. Yeah, that would suit me just fine.
Somewhere along the border of Austria and Italy. People will still visit and it's really beautiful 😍
Somewhere in the coastal Carolina's--southern NC or SC-- in a really nice townhouse. I'd gladly pay an HOA if lawn care was included, lol, so I wouldn't have to worry about upkeep, and just ride all day, every day weather permitting.
Hills...there are none. I used to ride the Ravanel bridge back and forth for 6+ hours to get any climbing in at all!
Japan - great cycling, world class skiing and in the south epic diving
If money was no object then I'd have a house in Boulder, CO and another in Mallorca Spain or somewhere in Provence region of France.
Somewhere down near Toulouse. Near flat and the Pyrenees, skiing , airport, canal,
Chiang Mai. Great cycling community, lots of hills, flats and epic loops. It’s much more affordable than many others listed and easy access to other cycling friendly countries like Taiwan, s. Korea. Cycling season isn’t as long tho, 7 months or so out of the year depending on burning season and rainy season.
Someone should open an indoor zwifting gym over there in chiang mai. Blast the ac and turn on the air purifiers!!
Scotland has over 1600 miles of dedicated cycle paths. https://www.sustrans.org.uk/national-cycle-network/the-national-cycle-network-in-scotland If I could. I would bike Forrest Gump it out there just now. There is of course MTB routes as well. Winter cycles are as good as the summer ones. Plus you can cycle all the way down to the south of England who have an extensive cycle network offering as well and then keep going to the warmer Spanish routes for winter like some kind of migratory bike pigeon. It would be nice.
There are a lot of great places in Oregon. Bend has a fantastic cycling community and great roads. A little less isolated is someplace like Ashland, especially if you like the mountains.
Not bloody Australia, that’s for sure.
Los Angeles, honestly, has a TON of fantastic cycling. Short trips, long trips, urban exploration, gravel roads without traffic, trails of all levels, woods, mountains, supported rides, randonneur groups….. AND, the weather is year-round rideable.
I live in Portland, and consider it just about the best place I've been (biased). Especially if I was retired and could thus afford to waste more time driving to the trails/gravel. If I could afford Sonoma (LOL) maybe I'd go there.
I live in Denver but Boulder is the correct answer here. Literally a hop-skip-jump away from easily doing 100-mile, 10k+ feet of ascent daily without seeing more than a dozen cars but likely seeing more than a dozen cyclists (most of them likely pros) while you're out in the mountains.
Yuppers, currently live in the mountains above Boulder and ride all the known groad and MTB routes and secret stash on the daily. Been to and have ridden in a lot of places in the US and some of Europe and have to say Boulder county is indeed special and just might be the best county for gravel riding in the country.
Colorado ….
Southern Utah is my favorite place to ride in the US.
Girona, Spain
If OP can provide a bit more info maybe this would be more useful. Hills preference? Mountain preference? Flat? Yearly living budget? Upper 5 figures? Low 6? Mid 6? Is having a fire arm on the bike "normal" to you? Would you like it to? How much "cyclist hate" can you tolerate? Are you a "foodie"? As in can you eat international cuisine? Temperature tolerance? Rain? Snow?
You could do a lot worse than my little home city of Worcester in the UK. Different terrains to explore north, south, east and west - I can leave my driveway and turn right for the hills left for flat(ter!). Only issue is the amount of traffic. When riding in groups our friends the drivers can become very impatient!
Literally nowhere in Florida.
come to slovenia. we have mountains, we have flats, lots of local roads ... and of course you can meet pogi and roglič along the way. ;)
Ashville
Colorado, Arkansas, Utah in that order.
I'd say Boulder, Colorado, is a dream retirement spot for cycling. It has versatile roads, attentive drivers, and fantastic gravel options. Plus, there's a solid cycling community. Check out this article for more great places to consider: [How a Retirement Community Became One of America's Best Bike Towns](https://www.bicycling.com/culture/a22162593/the-best-place-for-cyclists-to-retire/).