Friday 5

IOP speed ride

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Last week we showed you a route to bop around Sullivan's Island. This week we start and the same spot and go the opposite direction for a spin around the Isle of Palms. And if you're doing both, it's a great opportunity to compare and contrast.

The route up Ocean Boulevard and Palm Boulevard is open, flat and straight, taking you past enormous post-Hugo beach castles, a uniformly spiffy Front Beach commercial district, and what's left of the heart of the old island, which was an affordable bedroom community up into the 1970s. Once you get past the Big Bend it's another straight shot up Palm to the curve at 41st Avenue and a final ride to the public limit of the island. You have to return along the same road, because the rest of the roads you could loop on are behind the gates of Dunes West.

After a detour to see the island's cool little protected harbor and the Intracoastal Waterway, the route returns you along a creekside road before depositing you back on the main drag for a return to Breach Inlet.
The straight, largely uninterrupted streets and relatively manageable traffic make the IOP a great option for riders who are looking for a place to train-up for a competitive course. Looking to build some speed? Connect the IOP loop to an out-and-back Sullivan's Island course and you've got a flat, free-flowing route that's good for about 17 miles. Add that to a climb over the bridge and a spin around the peninsula and you're looking at several hours of challenging exercise.

This week's ride: Sullivan's Island

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In this, our third bike Lowcountry bike ride, we go out on what amounts to about an eight-mile loop. We emphasized pleasure riding here, not speed, but you can turn this into a training ride if you like.

We also added more photos to this map that the others, and when you see this icon it means we've added a video clip from that spot. Check back later for updates. Want to see the complete photoset? Click.

Cruising the Village

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This week's bike ride is the Old Village Mount Pleasant Scenic Ramble. Unlike last week's more aggressive bike tour, this one is a great ride for a family with children, or people who want a little exercise to go with their enjoyable afternoon, instead of vice versa. The basic loop runs 3.2 miles and takes you from Haddrell's Point to Center Street via the village's tiny commercial district, with lots of opportunities for detours to look at the harbor. The full tour runs 4.6 miles and includes the Pitt Street Bridge.

Until just a few years ago, this abandoned trolley bridge was pretty ratty -- a good place to catch flounder and crabs, but with zero amenities. The town did a great job of fixing it up, however, and if you haven't been since the improvements, you're missing out.

 

Try our "Tour de Peninsula"

What's the widest route you can take around the peninsula? As a weekend bike rider, I've worked out this particular circuit (with some additional detours to Mount Pleasant, Magnolia Cemetery and the Citadel), and it's a really nice 11-mile tour around one of the most famous peninsulas in America. For maximum enjoyment, I recommend it as an early morning excursion.

View Larger Map Total distance: 10.84 miles. Click on the "See Larger Map" link to get the route notes and directions.