US Midwest - Best Road Cycling
1. Spearfish Canyon Road, South Dakota. A Western ride in the heart of the Prairie: Steep limestone cliffs, waterfalls, and scrubby juniper line the curvy yet generously wide-shouldered road. Climb 1,900 feet in just 12 miles from Spearfish to Savoy, with the option to bomb back down or continue up a spur road that eventually spits you out in Deadwood. Call 605-642-7545 for details.
2. Cedar Lake Loop, Shawnee National Forest, Illinois.
Proof that there's more to Illinois than beer, blues, and Bears. Cycling ground zero is the hilly, 270,000-acre Shawnee, at the heart of which lies this 10-mile, buttery smooth route along the bluff-lined shore of Cedar Lake. Call 618-687-1731 for details.
3. Monroe and Brown Counties, Indiana. Breaking Away country at its best: an intricate network of paved and seldom-traveled farm roads just beyond the Bloomington burbs. Try the 35-mile round-trip out to Lake Lemon or the 110-mile Bumpy Weasel Ride. Call 812-339-3457 for details.
4. The Katy Trail, Missouri. Heartland meets Rhineland along this 200-mile, border-to-border bike path. The 45-mile stretch from St. Charles to Treloar passes quaint wineries, crusty German settlements, limestone bluffs, and dense groves of sumac and sugar maples. Added bonus: Daniel Boone's gravesite can be found a mile east of Marthasville off Boone Monument Road. Call 800-334-6946 for details.
5. Ashtabula County, Ohio. "The Bridges of Ashtabula County" may not have the right ring, but the scenery's just as good and the biking is better. The 54-mile loop from Indian Trails Park passes 10 of the county's 17 remaining covered bridges, as well as three wineries. But don't overindulge: The hilly stretches are tough enough sober. For details, call the Ashtabula County Visitor's and Convention Bureau at 800-337-6746.
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