The Bicycle Adventure Club - Come Ride With Us!

Sierra Tahoe 2021

May 15th to May 29th

Ride Director: Warner Griswold
Ride Co-Director: Joel Spencer
Ride Driver: Jim Van De Vreugde
Report by: Susan Lowery

Twenty three vaccinated BACers were excited to resume seminormal travel circumnavigating Lake Tahoe.  We were initiated into Warner’s leading style by each member being given a key to the Penske truck with the instructions - Help yourself to the food and drink anytime on the van but if you don’t return the key you won’t get your refund!  Everyday a small crew prepared Happy Hour and set out the lunch tables for the group, which encouraged the group to bond quickly.  We were told “No one ever goes hungry on my tours.”

Going on a trip led by someone on their home turf has the advantage of local knowledge.  Warner is well versed on all the routes and the history of the area.  Although there were not a lot of turns on most of the rides, accurate GPS tracks were appreciated. 

One experiences beautiful views of the mountains and lakes in this area but be forewarned you are sometimes riding on divided highways, albeit with good shoulders and lots of truck and vehicular traffic.  We were routed on quieter roads whenever possible.   There are many memorable climbs as well - Kingsbury Grade, Luther Pass, Spooner Pass, Geiger Pass and Mt. Rose Highway. There is a lot of traffic around Lake Tahoe but there are bicycle paths in some areas. Favorite roads for me included the Gold Lakes Loop out of Graeagles, the bike path along the Truckee River,  Six Mile Canyon leading into Virginia City and the famous

Flume Trail - a mountain bike ride or hike on a narrow trail with fabulous views of Lake Tahoe and no cars.  There were hiking options on the rest days which many people enjoyed even in the snow.

Lots of mining and pioneer history can be explored on the trail.  Although Donner Pass was closed due to road construction and the museum was not open, a ranger gave us a fascinating one hour talk on the Donner Party and its tragic history.  The Nevada Museum in Carson City and the town of Virginia City offered interesting cultural activities as well.   Two miles north of Wally’s Hot Springs the town of Genoa had a small museum chronicling the settling of Nevada and of course we had to have a drink in the state’s oldest bar. 

We did have some weather challenges as it was colder than normal.  The day we were to ride from Truckee to South Lake Tahoe  the temperature was in the 30s and snow was predicted.  Luckily we shuttled to South Lake Tahoe, stopping at Emerald Bay to enjoy the view.  The next two days the snow continued so we shuttled to Minden where it was warmer and could go for an afternoon spin to Woodford on some lovely quiet roads.  At times we also encountered some strong head and cross winds which proved for challenging riding. 

In summary it was great spending time with a wonderful group of people who worked together, shared stories, laughed and made the last year’s challenges seem to melt away.