Dog-free road riding locations?

[Crankin]

Hi Emily,

As far as dog-less riding goes, I live in the far NW suburbs of Boston, a little west of Concord, MA (you know, the Revolutionary War, etc). All of the small towns around here have leash laws and I have had very little trouble with dogs. The only major thing I had was on a ride with my husband and another couple, but it was in far central MA, almost western MA, about 45 miles west of here, out in the real country. Around here I can go out my door and be riding in low traffic areas, with lots of hills. All of the clubs around Boston have their weekend rides out here; there are so many cues on the roads that everyone notices them! Of course, only hardy souls ride in the winter, but there are tons of recreational/sports things to do besides cycling.
I also just started moutain biking and I am surprised that you see it as safer! Yes, there probably won't be dogs on the trails and the fat tires do give confidence, but around here mountain biking means skinny trails, rocks, and roots. There are some fire roads and flat paths, but I find it very challenging compared to road biking.

Good luck!

[emily_in_nc]

I also just started moutain biking and I am surprised that you see it as safer! Yes, there probably won't be dogs on the trails and the fat tires do give confidence, but around here mountain biking means skinny trails, rocks, and roots. There are some fire roads and flat paths, but I find it very challenging compared to road biking.

Oh yes, I do too ~ don't get me wrong! My husband put in a single-track trail around our 11 acres, and riding on it is very, very hard! There are rocks and roots and lots of quick turns. The first time I rode it on my new mountain bike, I was terrified, and I'd guess my average speed was like 6 mph! However, because I do go slow slowly, if I crash, I'm not nearly as likely to break bones. Yes, I could hit my head on a rock, but that's why I wear a helmet. I'm not anywhere near ready for any really challenging mountain biking, but for doing our trails, and the gravel roads back where I live (a rural subdivision), I do okay (or did, before my accident). But I do completely agree with your point. I think the longest mtb ride I ever did was about 45 minutes long, and I was pretty much dying at the end, where I can ride a road bike for hours. So, to me mountain biking is harder, but for me, it's less scary and just feels safer since I don't have to worry about dogs (nor cars/trucks, another plus).

Your area sounds lovely - I think Boston and New England are charming! But I'd never get my husband anywhere with so much winter, at least until I am retired and we can spend winters somewhere warm! Consider yourself very lucky for not having to deal with dogs. From the others who've posted, it seems like the south is really the worst for loose dogs, and that makes sense, since most of the folks who don't take care of their pets are the rural, less educated folks. It's really sad.

Emily

[emily_in_nc]

Thanks everyone for all the supportive, thought-provoking posts on this thread! I really appreciate it, and your kind words have done a great deal to cheer me up. Annie, I especially appreciated your relating your experience gettting back to riding after having a broken pelvis. It's nice to know that my fears are very normal. And that you came back and were able to conquer yours - maybe I can too. And I am with you - I love riding too much (and have such nice bikes!), there's no way I could give it up completely.

I started formulating an action plan last night of how I could still manage to ride on the road (eventually) and feel safer, and that is to only do group rides that I am familiar with (the route, that is) and know to be dog-free. There's a women's ride I've done for two years on Wednesday nights that has never had a single dog problem because of where the route is, for instance, and there are some weekend club rides/routes that are much more dog-free than others. If I could just ride on the road twice a week once I am healed and ready, I think that would be just fine with me. Then the other days, I could do mountain biking and paddling with my husband (we have kayaks). I think just a bit less emphasis on road riding would probably do me a bit of good, since I tend to take anything I really enjoy doing to an extreme, and last summer was riding five days a week. There are other things in life, and I think I'd enjoy my rides even more if I didn't feel compelled to ride allllll the time. We'll see, but it's nice to think about riding again in a way that I might feel safer.

Thanks again!
Emily