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It's been a while since I've regularly ridden my bike, and I'm very interested in getting back into the habit and back into shape. It's a LOT less fun alone, though - and harder to figure out what to do and where to go.
What are some good Seattle-local routes? And what group ride options are available for new-ish riders?
http://www.cascade.org/EandR/Activit...?eventID=14136
Cindy Riskin does a series of "easy" rides through cascade club. I haven't done any of them, but they usually sound like interesting routes, regardless of fitness level.
When I first started riding I got a book called Biking Puget Sound that has a lot of routes in it, and rates them by length and difficulty.
One of my favorite rides was a loop from Green Lake over to Golden Gardens, over to Gasworks via the Burke-Gilman, and back up the hill on Wallingford Ave. It was about 15 miles, and the hills were doable when I wasn't in the best of shape. Lots of great places to stop for coffee along the way. Plus, I could start from my place in Wallingford and GG was a perfect place to stop for a snack/water.
Here's the route (since it's a loop you can really start anywhere you like -- also, the book is more detailed, but this should give you a good idea:
Start at NE side of Green Lake, go west on Green Lake Dr N. Cross Aurora onto NW 83rd St.
At Greenwood Ave or 8th Ave NW, L then R to go west on NW 80th street.
NW 80th puts you on Golden Gardens Dr down to Golden Gardens Park.
Look for signs for B-G Trail coming out of the parking lot. Follow the trail S and E through Ballard and Fremont.
At Stone Way you can go right to go to Gasworks Parks or continue east on N. 34th Street and make a left to go up Wallingford Ave.
R then L at any time to get on Meridian, continuing north. Follow arterial back to east side of Green Lake to complete the loop.
I find some of my rides on MapMyRide.com. You can specify length.
The Centennial trail from Snohomish to Arlington is fairly easy and very little bike traffic throughout the week. But even on the weekend when it's heavier the path is wide enough to accommodate everyone easily.