Warm weather cycling vacation in winter?

[fallstoclimb]

Hi everyone! I'm pretty new to the site and to cycling, although I'm quickly getting addicted. I'm just on a Trek hybrid now but am up to reasonably hilly 30-mile rides and am giving serious thought to getting a road bike sometime next year.

I want to go on vacation with my husband over our winter break this year (he's a teacher, I'm a student for the last time, so it's our last real winter break together). He's very much into cycling, and since I'm getting into it I thought it'd be fun to somehow work cycling into our plans -- I don't think I'm ready for a full-on tour, especially with the risk of bad weather ruining our plans, but instead I'm thinking of a few days where we can either just take a few day trips from a hotel, or maybe cycle from inn to inn but on a casual schedule.

Does anyone have location and/or ride suggestions? Where would you go if you could go anywhere in the U.S. to ride? I know the Eastern Shore in MD has some inn to inn rides but it'll be freezing in winter. My only stipulation is that I want to be somewhere warmer than Maryland is in December/January, I suffer from a touch of SAD so I'm not going to vacation during the winter and stay somewhere cold. We would probably also want to rent bikes at our location, rather than ship our own, since this wouldn't be a real tour. Which does bring up another question, can you put bike racks on rental cars?

[Chicken Little]

I throw the bike in the car and head to Phoenix for a quick pick-up, if I just can't bring myself to stick heat pack in the shoes.

[azfiddle]

Or Tucson.

[Veronica]

Hawaii - circumnavigate the Big Island.

Veronica

[tulip]

Last winter, when my South American trip was canceled because of the Chilean earthquake, we packed up the car and headed to Austin. We rented an apartment and got cue sheets from a couple of bike shops. It was great, and alot warmer than Virginia was.

Florida would be good except that it is the worst place to bicycle.

[fallstoclimb]

Hawaii is too $$, but we've been discussing Austin and Phoenix, hadn't thought of Tucson yet. I figured biking in Florida would be pretty lame. Which of these cities would be best for scenic rides through the countryside? Since I'm still pretty new to this, I'll want to be in low traffic areas when we ride.

[azfiddle]

I can't speak for Phoenix, but Tucson is rated one of the best cycling cities in the country- many people come to train here in the winter. Although there aren't many places to ride without many cars, there are very good bike lanes.

If you decide you are interested in Tucson, send me a PM and I can suggest some of the routes I like.

[tulip]

I like Tuscon for riding, but I was there in late winter a few years ago and it was not very warm. But it was beautiful and the riding was great.

Austin has great riding, both in town, in the Hill Country, and in the farmland to the east. It's not going to be 80F, but it won't be freezing rain, either.

Too bad Florida is such a bad riding state. It is warm in the winter.

[Chicken Little]

Forget the $$$, blow your IRA and go to Bali. I changed my mind. Life is short.

[crazycanuck]

Forget Bali..It's just an overpriced tourist trap that Australians seem to love and model thier gardens around...

If you're going to spend the $$ to come down this way, why not venture to Western Australia? If you're a mountain biker, we have some awesome trails with the added extra..pea gravel. If not, there are still places to base yourself and enjoy the views.

You could always drive from Perth to Sydney with cool bike stops along the way.

[fallstoclimb]

Haha, I think Bali and Australia might be a bit far for us right now, but I'm definitely adding Tucson to the list of cities to check out. I'm surprised it isn't warmed in Tucson and Austin, I just always assume those southern cities are warm! Are there any places closer to the east coast (and south) that have nice riding also? I don't need crazy hills, just nice scenery, and maybe inn to inn (or hotel to hotel) rides!

[tulip]

As you probably know, winter in the southeast US is iffy. You could have glorious 70-degree days here and there, but mostly you're going to get 40s and rainy. Even in South Carolina and Georgia, the winters are not warm and balmy. I've spent winter holidays in southern Louisiana, and it's warmer, but still rainy.

South Florida has the best winter weather, but too bad it's the worst cycling state in the entire country. They should really do something about that! Just think of all the cyclists from the east coast who would descend on Florida in the winter (and spend money). Something to consider, Florida!

[sfa]

What about the Gulf Coast? It's not as warm as south Florida, but there's beautiful scenery, nice history, and some good inns (this is all hearsay--I've never actually been there but my parents like the area for the history and food). I've read a couple of Crazy Guy journals from people who have toured down there in the winter--services are quite scarce, so day trips are probably best (people had difficulties finding food on self supported tours) but the roads seem nice and pretty safe. Average temperatures along the Gulf Coast in the winter are pretty much what we're getting here now--40's at night and mid-60's during the day. I consider that perfect cycling weather!

Sarah

[fallstoclimb]

The gulf coast could definitely work too....which area specifically did your parents like, do you know? What are these crazy guy journals?

[Crankin]

Phoenix and Tucson will be warmer, but not tropical warm. It might be in the thirties at night, but it will warm up to between 50 and 75 for a few hours during the day. It rains a bit (a very little bit) in the winter, too.
People expect the desert to be warm, like Florida, but it's not. To me, it really is the perfect cycling temperature. If you are coming from the east, it will feel warm, but you might need long sleeves or arm warmers and a jacket depending on the time of day.
Unfortunately, Phoenix sucks for riding (sorry Valley people). Stop lights every mile and horrible suburban sprawl, unless you go a long way out of town. But, I guess if you are on vacation, you could just drive out to a ride start. I have not spent that much time in Tucson, but the area northeast of the city is nice for riding. The rest seems just like Phoenix, only smaller.
As others have said, Florida (really only southern Florida) is the only really warm place in the US in the winter. I've lived in both AZ and FL and would recommend a vacation in AZ any day over Miami.
Have you considered San Diego? Again, it's not super warm, but perfect riding weather, 50's-60's. And sunny almost all of the time.