Historic and charming, St Albans is the perfect size for two-wheeled exploration.
As a designated Cycling City, St Albans – rich with Roman-era history and mosaics and known for its beautiful cathedral – is anchored by the 9-kilometre Green Ring, which connects more than a dozen greenspaces, railway stations and heritage sites. National Cycle Routes 6 and 61 meet in the centre of town and 57 runs through nearby Harpenden – don’t miss the 6.5-mile section of Route 61 called the Alban Way, which follows a former railway line to Hatfield and crosses a cool train bridge.
Want climbs? Head toward the Chiltern Hills, keeping in mind that they’re an escarpment. (Translation: the scarp side, on the northwest, is steep.) Ride north from St Albans to the Woburn Bike Trails for loads of dirt jumps, lightning-quick and technical singletrack and family-friendly bridleways. (The stiff climbs, rooty sections and berms of the Longsdale Trail are a highlight.) A bit further on, Rushmere and Chicksands have both downhill-style and XC trails.
For gravel, head for the beech woods and open meadows of the chalky Chiltern Hills, where the Chilterns Gravel X and the Chilterns Wildwood Gravelcross rides take place every year. Thousands of cyclists participate in the St Albans Charity Cycle Ride every year, which has routes from 10 to 40 miles – a perfect event for the whole family.