Madison
and Bikes
Madison is one of the best places to be if you’re a cyclist. You’ll
find yourself in good riding in about fifteen minutes from anywhere. Because
Madison is positioned on the edge of the glacial path, a cyclist can find
an unusual diversity of terrain: flat to rolling roads to the east, steep
and meandering climbs to the west. The countryside sees plenty of cyclists
as soon as the ice has melted, and since good riding is so accessible it’s
not uncommon to see everyone from racers to recreational enjoying the riding.
Madison’s metropolitan district, positioned within the neck of
land between two lakes called the Isthmus, is also an extremely bike friendly
environment. Because of the large and sprawling campus of over 40,000,
bike commuting is a necessity, and everyone from undergrads to emeriti
ride to class throughout the year. Bike lanes abound, good bike shops
are never more than a mile away, and many businesses will allow you to
take your bike in with you if you can’t (or don’t wanna) lock
it up outside.
The Madison area has hosted a number of major athletic events in recent
years, and the public support for these events has been awesome. Over
the past two years, the Ironman has held a qualifying race in Madison,
beginning and ending at the Monona Terrace Convention Center, a lakefront
center designed by Frank Lloyd Wright (and, might I add, our Banquet space!)
Madison is a college city of bike enthusiasts, and the community will
be thrilled to have collegiate Nat.s here!
Weather
The average high in May is 70°, average low is 46°. However, just
about anything can happen near those figures, so you should come prepared
for anything from dry and pleasant to windy, cold precipitation. In the
event of a storm, as always, the safety of racing will be determined at
the discretion of our officials and USA Cycling.
Travel
See “Transportation”
Food
Although we have taken the work out of breakfast for you, you will need
to take care of lunch (keep in mind that you’ll be out of Madison
on Saturday and Sunday during the lunch hour) and dinner (except Saturday).
- You’ll be
staying one block off of State Street, the cultural avenue connecting
the capitol building (which, yes, is a replica of the nation’s
capitol) and the University campus. Along (and just off) this street
you’ll find an awesome array of ethnic restaurants, burger joints,
health-food cafés and coffee shops. If you’re looking for
upscale, Nadia’s, L’Etoille and Harvest are all excellent.
- For groceries,
you have several options. The Farmer’s Market is on the capitol
square (a block from the host hotel) every Saturday from 8 a.m. to 2
p.m. and features fresh produce, eggs and meat from independent vendors,
a few of whom you might ride past in your races. In keeping with the
local and/or organic theme, the Willy St. Co-op is just over a mile
away, and is very affordable. If you want to stay downtown, Capitol
Center Foods is a five minute walk from the host hotel. Their produce
selection is somewhat slim, but they’re great for the basics.
There are also plenty of large grocery stores to the west (along University
Ave.) and east (out East Washington) that are reachable by bus, bike
or car. (I wouldn’t recommend biking these routes after dark,
however, since the wheel eating potholes and fast traffic make it somewhat
hostile for bikes).
Diversions
Madison’s Isthmus is a very safe city after dark, and there’s
usually something free and all-ages going on near or on campus. Take a
stroll down to Crave Lounge, a very classy (but accordingly priced) non-smoking
bar. For a cheaper place of celebration after your last race, venture
all the way down State St. to the UW Memorial Union Rathskellar, also
non-smoking and more relaxed.
Other Resources
Here’s a list of websites to visit for more information about Madison
and its surrounding areas.
City of Madison
http://www.ci.madison.wi.us
Mayor Dave bikes to work!
Monona Terrace
http://www.mononaterrace.com/
A five-minute walk from the host hotel, this is our Banquet space.
Greater Madison Convention
& Visitor’s Bureau
http://www.visitmadison.com/
Madison Metro Transit
http://www.ci.madison.wi.us/metro/
All busses in Madison have bike racks on their fronts.
Bicycle Federation
of Wisconsin
http://www.bfw.org/new_bfw/
Bicycling advocacy in Wisconsin.
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