Top five warm weather cycling cities for this winter
1.Durban - South Africa
If you're wanting to escape the northern hemisphere winters for a city to ride, then Durban, the southern African beach city with the sun bleached sands and a unique blend of Indian and Colonial influences, has to be high on the list. You can either use your own or hire a bike to ride the Golden Mile - Durban's beach front along the Indian Ocean. Best at sunrise and sunset when the temperatures are a little lower, the views are spectacular; try the route from South Beach to Blue Lagoon. It's also relatively flat!
For the more adventurous, the Stainbank Nature Reserve (around 14k from Durban City Centre) offers off-road cycling trails through forests and scrublands.
2.Los Angeles - United States
Home to one of the earliest segregated cycle routes in 1897, Los Angeles now boasts more than 350 miles of bike lane and paths. One of these is the Marvin Braude Trail; 22 miles along the coast from Will Rogers State beach in the north to Torrance County Beach in the south. The route is a flat ride through some of the most famous Los Angeles beaches; Santa Monica, Venice, Marina del Rey, Hermosa and Redondo for example.
3.Malaga - Spain
For a city with over 320 days of sunshine a year, Malaga has been a little late to the cycling party. However, with new cycle routes, City bike hires, guided tours and the Mediterranean Sea for company, the pretty streets of the city are filling up. For a warm winter trip to one of the oldest cities in the world, Malaga offers both ideal weather and a cultural feast. Only a short trip for northern Europeans with their miserable winters, Malaga should definitely be on the list!
4.Melbourne - Australia
A city that has embraced all cycling cultures and also offers warm winter riding is Melbourne with City trails circling the centre of town and the Yarra Trail which meanders along the picturesque river - it runs from Westerfolds Park in the east of the city and out to Fairfield. The whole distance is around 22k but, of course, you don't have to follow it to the end. Easy terrain (it follows the River Yarra) means that the easy to ride dirt path should be fine for riders of all abilities.
5.Singapore
A more friendly cycling city you won't find! Singapore offers not just stunning views and a variety of city and Park rides; at the Kallang River Basin you'll pass some amazing sights including the Marina Bay Sands, the Singapore Flyer, Esplanade Drive and Merlion Park. If you want something a little more challenging, the Southern Bumps route is peppered with some steep hills - including a 17% incline called Vigilante Drive! There is also a Round Island Route being built which will eventually comprise of a 150 km continuous trail around the island - yes, a bit ambitious for most, but it can be completed a little bit at a time.