Mark Meszoros shares 4 favorite rides

1 The Winking Lizard run

Take the Towpath trail from Bacci Park in Cuyahoga Heights about 15 miles south to the Winking Lizard Tavern, just off the trail in Peninsula, where you can refuel your body. In total, the ride is a little more than 30 miles. Be warned, through — the overpass bridges you encounter at the beginning of the ride are so much more punishing when you revisit them just before getting back to your car.

2 Trail and train

Here is another Towpath ride, but this is a one-way bike trip with an easy ride back. Park in Independence, on Rockside Road just west of Canal. Ride the about 27 miles south and you’ll come to Akron, but here’s another warning: The last part of the journey is a little challenging, especially with detours around construction areas the last couple of years. Grab some grub in Akron — I highly recommend Crave, 57 E. Market St. — and then hustle to the Akron station of the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad, where you and your bike can ride back to Independence for only five bucks. Make sure you know the train schedule, though, or you’ll be stuck with a long trek home (bit. ly/2rDUSGj).

3 Rocky River Of Dreams

This is my favorite ride … that involves no food. I like to park at Scenic Park and ride about nine miles stopping at Rocky River Nature Center, where you can relax — and answer the call of nature, if you will. There are a couple of mildly challenging spots — the mid-ride hill could be tough for beginners — but for the most part this is a nice, easy trek.

4 Loopy in North Chagrin

The trail nearest to where I live is North Chagrin Reservation’s All Purpose Trail, so it tends to be my weekday spot. It’s not my favorite trail — I beg you, Cleveland Metroparks, to put up trail etiquette/safety signs, because so many walkers do not understand they should stick to the right side of the trail so others can pass on the left — but it gets the job done. I like to park at one end of the trail in Willoughby Hills, just off Route 6 on Buttermilk Falls Parkway, and ride until hitting a loop a bit more than two miles down. It can become monotonous, but the loop allows you to get in as many miles as you want. Also, there’s a nice spot on the loop to stop and catch a view of North Chagrin Nature Center.