Many cycling friends/acquaintances tell me they don’t like to bike through my belovedly adopted “home town,” ABQ’s South Valley. In particular, Isleta Blvd. and its old-school, not nearly “Complete Streets” 3-foot bike lanes get major disapproval. And deservedly so. Might we change that in the not-so-distant future, County Commissioner Quezada and all other representatives of the SV? Thanks in advance.

In the meantime, I’ll tell you, dear BB reader, what I tell my friends/acquaintances. Screw riding down Isleta, at least from Bridge Blvd. to nearly Rio Bravo Blvd. Instead, take newly ordained “bike route” *La Vega SW instead, especially now that it’s been gloriously repaved from just south of Bridge to Armijo. La Vega runs parallel east of Isleta (home of Kathy’s Carry Out, etc.) just west of the River.

This once very bumpy stretch is now butter-smooth, and allows cyclists the chance to leisurely observe the wonderful quirkiness that is my adopted home town without 15,000 Isleta Blvd. drivers a day zooming only inches away.

South from the new paving ending at Armijo, stay on La Vega south and you can make it to Saunders SW before turning west a bit to Isleta. Or, if you prefer continued tranquility, just turn around and right more of that “butter” north.

Yes, it’s true there’s the occasional ambling dog on this near traffic-less road, but in my (looks at Strava/Veloviewer stats) over 200 trips up/down La Vega, I’ve yet to have any negative dog encounter.

So check out this newly repaved part of the South Valley, perhaps combined with our aforementioned Foothill SW paving that can get you back to town as part of an extended SV loop. You’ll be smoothly impressed.

*Thanks go out to Rep. Miguel Garcia, who has been making Capital Outlay request for this repaving going back to at least 2012.