There is no where to ride without driving to get there. What do I do?

[Owlie]

Hi, Tara! I'm a Cincinnatian too--welcome! I agree, depending on where you are, it may not be safe to ride on the roads, especially in some of the older areas of town. Doubly so if you don't have a riding partner. I just drive. I'm in the northeast suburbs, and it's perpetual construction season out here--and people seem to think that 40mph is a lower limit. I'm not far from the Little Miami trail, so I just drive there. Technically I'm within biking distance, but since I live at the top of a long hill, that's not a fun place to be following a ride!

Where are you? (Feel free to PM me if you're not comfortable with putting that out there on the interwebs.) If you can drive a little distance to bike trails or more rural roads to get your skills up, great. If not, can you go out early in the morning on weekends and try some road riding? I lived in an older suburb (so, pretty urban) of Cleveland for a year with no car, and the only way I got any riding in was to leave my apartment super early in the morning. Get some bright lights (front and rear), a helmet if you don't already have one, and some high-vis yellow and reflective gear. It takes some getting used to, but the best way to get over the fear is just to do it.