I've truly been blessed when it comes to discovering new routes because 9 times out of 10, someone I know has already ridden the areas that I'm interested in and knows the best/safest/most fun routes. I never realized how much I relied on the knowledge of others until I relocated for my job. I knew that the majority of the roads around my work have bike lanes, but I wasn't really sure what roads were "cyclist friendly", what would make for a nice lunch loop or just where the heck some of the roads went. So I'll share with you the process I used for finding new routes.
Step 1: Look at a map. Go ahead and laugh...I'll wait. I know, you think this would be a no-brainer, but do you realize how many people just start a ride and aimlessly wander about until they see something they recognize? Let's just say, I'm marrying one of them, so I know they exist! :-) I checked out Google Maps as my first step in figuring out what's around me and where to avoid (Flatirons Mall, heavy traffic roads).
Step 2: Strava stalking. Ok, perhaps my goal for finding a new route was mildly geared at finding new climbs, but regardless, using the Strava Segment Explorer was super helpful in determining where some climbs were, what other cyclists thought of the route (i.e. Narrow Shoulder Sprint) and also getting some route ideas from already established segments.
Step 3: Go for a drive! This is something I used to do back in PA when trying to find new routes. I would map them out, then jump in the car and drive them. Of course, this may not work for everyone, nor may it be the best use of time if you just want to go for a quick ride, but it helps me to have a visual of the roads, intersections where I'll need to turn, and also helps to solidify which roads I definitely want to avoid in high traffic times (those without a shoulder where cars are doing 65mph).
Step 4: Make a cue sheet. Of course, the cue sheet is like a grocery list, it only works if you take it with you....which I forgot yesterday!
Step 5: Put the rubber side down and go riding!
The best part about exploring new routes is just that.....exploring!! I was trying to find a nice little 40min lunch time route and ended up doing some loops that I later decided didn't really fit with my plan, so I keep riding around until I found one that did! While my riding map may look like I was drunk or lost, I was in fact completely sober and knew where I was (...well....most of the time).
