Road Biking in New Mexico
Offbeat New Mexico
Where do I begin describing to you what I discovered by bicycle when I moved to New Mexico—the Land of Enchantment? To me, living here is as close as you can get to a foreign country without leaving the United States. After 10 years I still don't consider myself a local. It feels more like I'm on an extended vacation in an exciting foreign land.
I love the flavor, the culture, the feeling of enchantment—whatever you want to call it—that you don't often find in other places. And you can experience it all from the bike—in the architecture, the food, the language, the people, and the festivals.
I put together a cycling guidebook—Road Biking New Mexico—of the highways and back roads of the Land of Enchantment, some of the best cycling in the Southwest. The 40 rides include main streets through old mining towns, ancient trade routes of the Anasazi, paths taken by Spanish conquistadors, and Western trails established by American pioneers.
Choose from popular scenic drives like the High Road to Taos, the Enchanted Circle, or the Gila Inner Loop. Or follow historic paths like the Old Santa Fe Trail. And there is no shortage of Indian ruins in New Mexico. You can visit these well-preserved sites at several national monuments along good cycling routes such as Bandelier, Aztec, El Morro, and Gila Cliff Dwellings.
If you are ready for a challenge, you can climb any number of roads that lead to ski areas—in Taos, Santa Fe, Albuquerque, and Ruidoso. You'll cycle to elevations between 9,000 and 10,600 feet. Some of the best views from a bike are earned on these ski hill climbs.
There are several perimeter rides in the book for cyclists who'd rather go around instead of straight up. You can loop around Taos, Santa Fe, Alamogordo, Las Cruces, and Albuquerque—the latter route was accepted by the Perimeter Bicycle Association of America. If you are in it for the long haul—centuries (100 miles)—the state has a few annual events, including the Santa Fe Century in May and the Enchanted Circle Century in September.
And the book offers some unusual trips as well—things you might not have done before on a bike. You can ride between Chama, New Mexico, and Antonito, Colorado, returning by scenic narrow-gauge train. Or you can cycle under a full moon in the largest gypsum dune field in the world at White Sands National Monument.
The state's scenery is enchanting and diverse...including high desert grasslands, mesas, canyons, dramatic mountain ranges, red sandstone cliffs, and deep canyons. You are not often bored of the views from the bike.
My favorite scenes from the saddle include: herds of antelope, centuries-old adobe buildings, colorful hot air balloons, snow-capped peaks in early summer, cholla and yucca in bloom, and strings of red chiles hanging out to dry. I love that you can watch practicing artisans in their studios or eat Indian fry bread from a roadside stand. For me, this is all part of the foreign feel.
