Meander along the Old Santa Fe Trail - One of the most popular short rides in the city begins at the historic Plaza and ends at the village of Canada de los Alamos. The car traffic can be a little tricky in the beginning, but an experienced rider will have few problems and the stops along the way (plan close to a full day for this round trip, and bring a picnic lunch) are a must intro to the City Different. Starting out in the Plaza area, you can stop at the San Miguel Mission, Loretto Chapel, and Saint Francis Cathedral. The next benchmark is the intersection of Old Santa Fe Trail and Old Pecos Trail. To stay on OSFT, take a sharp left, heading east, where you’ll shortly find a city park on the corner of Camino Corrales. The park is a certified site of the Santa Fe National Historic Trail, and faint wagon ruts are still visible here. Next you reach Museum Hill (a misnomer—the grade is slight), home of the Museum of International Folk Art, the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture, and the Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian. Soon after, the pavement stops and OSFT embarks on a windy dirt road into the conifer-scented foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. As you continue, the trail provides some up-and-down spurts but nothing overly taxing. Once you reach the charming village of Canada de los Alamos, have lunch and retrun to the Plaza.
The Assault on Ski Basin Road - Up for a challenge? Starting from Artist Road off Bishop’s Lodge Road, the journey up to the ski basin parking lot is an elevation gain of about 3,400 feet, ending up at an altitude of 10,500 feet. This is not for the faint hearted and can take half a day with rest stops. Serious cyclists (who turn up in droves for the August “Santa Fe Hill Climb”) manage the trip in an hour to ninety minutes. Eventually, Artist Road turns into Hyde Park Road, which turns into Ski Basin Road before you reach the immense parking lot. Breathtaking views, crisp mountain air, picnic sites, and some of the largest stands of aspen in the country will take your attention away from the aerobic pain. I recommend this ride in the fall, as the Aspen leaves turn to russet and gold, and the quad chairlift runs daily from late September through mid October to an even higher elevation for a picnic with vistas. The 350-acre Hyde Memorial State Park marks the halfway point in the ride, and log shelters (that are available to any visitor) make another perfect spot for a picnic or camping.
Cruise to Tesuque – If you’re up for a challenge without a steep climb in elevation, a ride through the village of Tesuque may be the ticket. Most cyclists start from the Fort Marcy Park and continue north up Bishop’s Lodge Road. As you get closer to the village of Tesuque, the road becomes narrow and lined with trees. Be careful of traffic. As you near Tesuque Elementary School, on the other side of the road you’ll find a bronze art foundry called Shidoni, which is well worth a stop. With views of the red mesas of the Rio Grande valley and the sweeping vistas of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, this ride provides many stunning sights. As you arrive into the old Spanish agricultarual area-turned-artist-community of Tesuque village, you will notice how peaceful and bucolic it is. A contrast to the busy city life of Santa Fe. If you arrive on an empty stomach, grab a fresh snadwich, a northern New Mexican dish, or some pizza at the Tesuque Village Market (featured on the Food Network). The food is consistently good and in the warmer months the front patio is ideal for people watching. If your legs feel fresh after lunch, continue past Tesuque and climb into the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo and the small villages of Chupadero and En Medio. This rural stretch of the road is a great way to end the ride, as it offers views in almost all directions.
Eldorado Fandango – The flat terrain of Eldorado (a subdivision south of Santa Fe) makes it perfect for riders of all levels, and the traffic in the area is very light. The loop begins and ends at Eldorado’s Agora shopping center. With resturants, a supermarket, and a coffee house, the shopping center is a great place to rejuvenate after your ride. Leaving Agora, a short stretch on U.S. Highway 285 (where the shoulder is 6 feet wide) will bring you to a road called Avenida Eldorado. Here you re-enter Eldorado through what residents call its “third entrance”. The views in this area include the hills of the Ortiz Mountains and the big dome of the Sandia Mountains. Shortly after the halfway point, you will ride toward the southern tip of the Sangre de Cristos and then along the edge of the foothills, before exiting Eldorado through its “first entrace” (Avenida de Amistad) and turning back to the Agora. The roads that make up the loop are mostly paved and smooth. Ride the 14 mile loop enough times and you might build your stamina for an attack on the summit of the ski basin.
The Half Century Ride – This loop begins and ends at the State Capitol building (also refered to as the Roundhouse). The round trip is about 50 miles and incorporates Las Campanas (a subdivision northwest of Santa Fe), the historic village of La Cienega, and Bonanza Creek (one of the best cycling roads in the area) in Lone Butte. Because of the mileage, many clyclists make this an overnight trip and stay at the Sunrise Springs Inn, which is at the halfway mark. Most of the loop is spent in the rural countryside, where you will find a wide variety of roads and some interesting attractions. In La Cienega (which means “the marsh” in Spanish) you can visit El Rancho de las Golondrinas, a living history museum that depicts the hacienda life of Spanish Colonial New Mexico. Peddle along Bonanza Creek Road, and you will soon come across Eaves Movie Ranch. On the ranch you will find an Old West movie set that was built in 1969 and still used by film companies today. Just past Eaves Ranch (along the Turquoise Trail, Route 14) you’ll arrrive in the heart of Lone Bute. It’s a good place to stop if you’re hungry and probably the last place you’d think of for East Indian food, which the Lone Bute General Store serves buffet style. There’s also the San Marcos Café, the only resturant I know that serves green chile lasagna. From there you stay on Route 14 and peddle back towards town.
The Full Century Ride – For a modest entry fee, every spring cyclists from around the country (some 2,000 entered last year) gather at Capshaw Middle School (off St. Francis Drive) for a hundred mile road-and-dirt odyssey. For some it’s a race; others, go-at-your-own-pace fun. Most complete the course in about five to six hours on a variety of bicyles (recumbents included). You can choose a 25 or 50 miles leg too, but most riders try to complete the century. The trail consists of rural countrysides, farmlands, old minning towns, and small villages. Most cyclists choose the old minning town of Cerrillos as their first stop, followed by the funky, artistic, Madrid (which was also a minning town). Both villages give you a great taste of the Old West. In Madrid, you’ll peddle along the main drag where there’re places to stop for water, Kool-Aid and a snack, which is provided by the race organizers. From Madrid, you’ll assend into the Ortiz Mountains. The town of Golden (site of the first gold rush this side of the Mississippi) awaits you at the bottom. Some cyclists divide this century in half by spending the night in Edgewood (10 miles off the trail). When you escape the Ortiz foothills, and reach the ranching areas of Cedar Grove and Stanley, the riding gets easier. Between Stanley and Galisteo is what many clyclists consider the best leg of the ride, with spectaular views of the Sangre de Cristos and a trail that’s pure downhill fun. As you get closer to Santa Fe, you’ll come across the Lamy turnoff. The village of Lamy dates back to 1870 and its county park makes a great place for a picnic. Passing Eldorado, a short leg along the I-25 will take you back to Santa Fe. Here it’s gradually uphill, you often hit a headwind, and your calves are beginning to burn.
For more details on any of these trails and others, I refer you to Nicole Blouvin’s Road Biking New Mexico (Falcon Guides, 2002), upon which this article is based. A copy of Blouvin’s book can be obtained at Collected Works Bookstore on San Francisco Strreet, or ordered on Amazon.
