Italian ciclyst tries Birmingham: where to go?

Where are you renting the bike from ? Might help guide us ?

You'll probably have to drive out to get a nice 60 mile ride in, north you've got Cannock Chase, South west are the Malvern Hills and West are the Shropshire Hills.

Also Google 'Cotswold Clockwise Outing Audax GPS' for nice but not too challenging 100k route starting a few miles south of that shop.

If you are collecting the bike from King's Heath the quickest way to get into good cycling country is to head south into Warwickshire. I grew up in this area so know it very well and it's great for cycling. Main roads are busy so it's best to use the network of tiny often wooded lanes which link beautiful villages in what used to be the Forest of Arden between Stratford-upon-Avon in the south, Alcester to the west and Hampton-in-Arden (which was my home village) to the east. I cycled all over these lanes as a child.

From King's Heath you can get out of the city fairly quickly using back streets to Earlswood Lakes. You could head south through Tanworth-in Arden, Henley-in-Arden, Wootton Wawen and Aston Cantlow to Stratford-upon-Avon. For the return you could ride east from Stratford past Charlecote Park (National Trust stately home and parkland), Hampton Lucy, Snitterfield, Claverdon, Lowsonford, past Packwood House (National Trust stately home and garden) and back to Earlswood Lakes and King's Heath.

It's rolling roads with no big hills but very enjoyable if you like looking at beautiful villages and big houses of rich people. You would have to ride south of Stratford and the big climb up the Cotswolds for any serious hills.

Rather than following someone else's pre-determined route on a GPS device, I would recommend buying a couple of Ordnance Survey Landranger maps 1:50,000 scale. I think it's number 139 for Birmingham and 151 for Stratford-upon-Avon. That way you can really explore Warwickshire and avoid what are pretty busy main roads, especially the nearer you get to Birmingham.