Less Traffic?

[Slever]

Are there any weekly rides that start from somewhere with less traffic than the usual posted rides (McGregor/CSH, etc)?
As a slower biker it seems that I am just getting to the nice part of the ride and it is time to turn around. I really enjoy the weekend rides from Sharon Harris and CBC.

[sportingfool]

The Tuesday 6pm beginner ride from the Spin Cycle is a good 17 mile ride without a lot of traffic. It's also no-drop. We start from TSC on Kildaire Farm Rd, but ride through neighborhood roads without traffic instead of down Kildaire Farm Rd. The only part that seems to be a bit trafficky is a short stretch down Salem Street from Old Raleigh Rd to US 64. It's just a mile or so, and then the traffic eases-up after we cross under 64. We ride down Davis Drive, which is mostly four lanes now and hardly any traffic. In my experience with this ride, most cars tend to ride in the left lane when we're on Davis. By the time we hit High House Road, it's almost 7:00 and rush hour is over.

[RickF]

I will be the leader on The Spin Cycle beginner ride this week. What is a lot of traffic to one person is nothing to another person, though. Since I grew up in a city, I never would have learned to ride a bike if I was concerned about traffic. As Andrea said, though, we did try to route the beginner ride from The Spin Cycle away from as much of the traffic as possible. Unfortunately, no weekday evening ride in the Triangle is going to be completely devoid of traffic.

There is a good beginner ride that leaves from Wilson Park in Carrboro at 6:30 on Tuesdays. I suspect it has less traffic than the rides that originate in Cary, but Carrboro is a long haul for a 16 mile ride if you live in Wake County. There is another good beginner ride on Thursdays at 6:00 from St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church off Leesville Road, but that is going to have a lot of traffic, too. In the three years that I have been doing the Tuesday TSC loop, I have found drivers to be very courteous. I have had more problems with stupid drivers in rural areas than I ever have had riding in traffic in Cary or Apex.

[skiffrun]

I believe that at this time of the year, the Thursday St. Francis of Assissi ride is labeled "intermediate". It starts in spring as a beginner ride. The intention is to get Team Nortel and Team GSK newby-ish riders ready for the MS-150, which is less than three weeks from now.

As for the traffic from that start location: I think you would find that, after the first mile or so, there is not that much traffic. And darn little traffic on several of the key roads used for that ride - probably because they go from nowhere to nowhere.

[JimP]

I like the Apex CSH rides as you usually only have traffic the first 15 minutes going down Olive Chapel Road.

[skiffrun]

I like the Apex CSH rides as you usually only have traffic the first 15 minutes going down Olive Chapel Road.
Yes, but the originator of this thread pointed out that they thought there was too much traffic for their comfort / speed from that location.

[sportingfool]

Yes, but the originator of this thread pointed out that they thought there was too much traffic for their comfort / speed from that location.

The originator mentioned Cycling Spoken Here and MacGregor...not The Spin Cycle.

Edit: Sorry Martin. I tried to redact the post once I saw that you were responding to Jim's post and not mine.

[Bob]

I would suggest to get a small group together who could meet at CBC or Shearon and use the ride maps available for those places to start your ride. If it isn't too far to go, you could get in up to a 30 mile ride fairly easily. Just an idea.

[JimP]

Yes, but the originator of this thread pointed out that they thought there was too much traffic for their comfort / speed from that location.
They said CSH, not which CSH. The Cary CSH rides have to get through Cary to get anywhere and at 6PM that part of Cary has way more traffic than the Apex CSH.
But you are right in that both have traffic for at least part of the ride.