Bicycling Magazine Ranks Portland, OR As The Best U.S. City for Cycling

According to Bicycling Magazine, Portland, OR, San Diego, CA, Madison, WI and Boulder, CO are the best cities in the USA for cycling, by size.

For more about America's best cities for cycling, check out the latest press release clip below:

"San Diego, Madison (WI) and Boulder (CO) Are Best among Cities of Their Size, While Atlanta, Boston and Houston Are Worst.

Portland, Oregon is still America's best cycling city, Bicycling magazine has determined.

Portland, which was previously named America's top cycling city by Bicycling in its most recent rankings in 2001, remained the top overall choice again in 2006, as well as the magazine's choice for top cycling city among those with a population of fewer than 1 million people. Bicycling's complete list of America's top cycling cities is featured in the March 2006 issue of the magazine, on newsstands February 1.

San Diego, CA was selected as the top cycling city in the country for cities with a population greater than 1 million, while Madison, WI (population 200,000 to 500,000), Boulder, CO (population 75,000 to 200,000) and Davis, CA (Best Small Town) were also named the nation's top cycling markets among their respective population sizes.

The worst cities for cycling, according to Bicycling's findings, are Atlanta, GA; Houston, TX and Boston, MA--which, ironically, is the city in which Bicycling VP/Editor-In-Chief Steve Madden grew up and learned how to ride.

Bicycling, the world's leading bike magazine, ranked the top five cities in each of four population groupings--cities with more than 1 million residents; cities with 500,000 to 1 million residents; cities of 200,000 to 500,000 residents; and cities with 75,000 to 200,000 residents--along with the best cycling "small town" (fewer than 75,000 residents) in the country. The winners are:

-- Best U.S. Cycling City (overall):
Portland, OR

-- Best Cycling City (population 1 million or more):
1. San Diego, CA;
2. Chicago, IL
3. New York, NY
Honorable mention: Philadelphia, PA; Phoenix, AZ

-- Best Cycling City (population 500,000 to 1 million):
1. Portland, OR
2. Denver, CO
3. Seattle, WA
Honorable mention: San Francisco, CA; Austin, TX

-- Best Cycling City (population 200,000 to 500,000):
1. Madison, WI
2. Tucson, AZ
3. Albuquerque, NM
Honorable mention: Minneapolis, MN; Anchorage, AK

-- Best Cycling City (population 75,000 to 200,000)
1. Boulder, CO
2. Eugene, OR
3. Ann Arbor, MI
Honorable mention: Chattanooga, TN; Cambridge, MA

-- Best Small Town for Cycling: Davis, CA (population 60,308)

To determine its list of the top 21 U.S. cycling cities, Bicycling
started with a list of more than 250 cities and determined the
winners and finalists using criteria that weighed factors such as:

• "Cycling-friendly" statistics (numbers of bike lanes and routes, number of bike racks, city bike projects completed and planned)
  
  
• Bike culture (number of bike commuters, popular clubs, cool cycling events, renowned bike shops)
  
  
• Climate/geography (the quality of roads and trails for riding, and how frequently mother nature lets riders enjoy them.
  

Bicycling also surveyed experts at national bicycle groups such as the League of American Bicyclists, the Thunderhead Alliance and the International Mountain Biking Association (IMBA), while also polling more than 600 Bicycling readers.

"Rankings such as ours often provoke a lot of debate, which is understandable and, actually, welcome," said Madden. "Because the riding conditions and levels of cycling enthusiasm in these cities are so outstanding, they all deserve to gain some recognition as America's biking treasures.

"But the selection of Portland as the country's best city for cycling turned out to be maybe the easiest part of this process for us. It's been the top U.S. city in each of our previous three rankings (2001, 1999 and 1995), and cycling has only continued to improve there. The number of cyclists has tripled over the past ten years, city traffic congestion is down because of it, and it's the only urban area that's been able to reduce greenhouse gas emissions over the past four years (which they've done significantly) while national levels have risen 17%."

Portland and nearby Eugene give Oregon two entries on the Best Cycling Cities list, a number matched by Arizona (Phoenix and Tucson) and Colorado (Boulder and Denver). California had three cities (San Diego, Davis and San Francisco) represented on the list, the most of any state.

About Bicycling:

As the world's biggest bike magazine, Rodale, Inc.'s Bicycling is the voice of cycling, providing the stories on the personalities, trends, and techniques behind the sport. Appealing to readers of every ability and interest level, the magazine features expert reviews of the latest equipment as well as training and fitness tips. Published 11 times a year, Bicycling is the magazine for the athlete for whom the bicycle is the centerpiece of an active lifestyle."

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