Lake Tahoe Road Biking: Ring Around The Lake, May 16-18 (Fri.-S un.)

[Guest guest]

Hi all, this ride is an official Stanford Outing Club

trip that I'm leading, but it'd be great to see more

active vegetarians on the trip. So, I'm a bit late in

posting this, but there are still a couple spots left.

 

Erhhung

 

May 16-18 Lake Tahoe " Ring Around The Lake "

===========================================

Trip is limited to 6 people

Sign-up required: see below

 

* Leave: May 16th, Friday afternoon

* Return: May 18th, Sunday evening

* Driving Time: ~4 hours each way

* Length of ride: Approx. 72 miles around the lake with elevation

varying between 6200 ft to 7500 ft; we will ride

about 35 miles on Saturday and the rest on Sunday

* Difficulty: Intermediate to advanced (see below)

* Lodging: We will camp at Fallen Leaf Campground near South Lake

Tahoe (I have reserved a campsite for up to six people)

on Friday and Saturday nights

* Cost: Depends on the number of participants: $45 for campsite

+ $5 for each extra vehicle (one allowed per campsite)

+ transportation + meals (we will dine near South Lake

Tahoe on Saturday and Sunday evenings)

 

This is the second attempt at the Second Annual bike ride

around Lake Tahoe--the first ride two year ago was in June

and happened to coincide with a charity ride and so we had

the pleasure of riding with hundreds of century diehards,

with tons more onlookers cheering the crowd on. Last fall

the weather wasn't so kind, so hopefully the sky will have

all cried out by next weekend.

 

We will ride the classic 72-mile route, but take two days

to do it because we are riding at a more leisurely pace--

not that the ride is easy by any means--and that would also

give us more time to check out many scenic spots along the

way. The daytime temperature around this time of year can

still be a bit chilly (mid-50s to mid-60s), especially when

catching the breeze, so a windbreaker is a must. Nighttime

temperature goes down to 30 degrees, so make sure to bring

a warm sleeping bag!

 

The general plan is to camp at the Fallen Leaf Campground

on Friday night, then, on Saturday morning, drive all cars

except one, which we leave at the campsite to keep valuable

items that you don't want to take along on the ride. We go

up Highway 50 on the east side of the Lake and park our cars

somewhere on Lakeshore Dr in Incline Village, where we start

the ride. We ride clockwise around the lake on SR-28 so that

we are right next to the lake if we want to stop to check out

the views. There are lots of gradual climbs on this side of

the lake, but none are very difficult. The primary challenge,

I'd say, is the unpredictable gusts of wind and the turbulence

left by RVs that frequently zoom past you You need to know

how to control your speed and stability, especially when you

are picking up speed down a hill or there is little shoulder

room on the road.

 

We will take a lunch break in Zephyr Cove (there is a general

store where you can get sandwiches and drinks) or before that

if there is a suitable spot and we bring our own lunch--unlike

the west (CA) side, there are few shops on the northeast (NV)

side, not until you approach Stateline down south. We end our

day back at our campsite, where we lock up our bikes (remember

to bring a lock!) and head to South Lake Tahoe for a hot meal.

 

On Sunday, we continue riding on the west side of the Lake,

but, first, we need to shove all our camping gear into our

sole vehicle and park it somewhere outside the campground.

After a few warm-up miles, the ride gets really tough as we

start the climb around Emerald Bay. I think this is by far

the toughest section of the ride, but, once you summit, you

will be rewarded with a long downhill and even a dedicated

bike path right next to the water from Tahoma all the way

to Tahoe Vista. We will take a lunch break in Tahoe City

and should return to our cars in Incline Village by mid-

afternoon.

 

After that, we still have to go pick up our remaining car

(with all our camping gear), so we head back down to South

Lake Tahoe. We will grab dinner there before we head home

via Highway 50. Since this trip is contingent upon having

at least 3 vehicles (one to leave at the campsite and the

rest to haul everyone's bikes) and two bike racks (we can

fit two bikes on each rack, and some cars, like my Civic,

can fit another in the backseat), I will give priority to

people that can drive and haul bikes.

 

Some more information about the Tahoe loop:

http://www.tahoesbest.com/Biking/bikeroad.htm

Detailed route map that I created for this ride:

http://cjserver.stanford.edu/misadventure/Erhhung_Yuan/Tahoe_Bike_Trip_2003.

gif

Description of the first ride from two years ago:

http://www.stanford.eduouting/spring01.html#JUN02

 

GEAR

----

* road bike or mountain bike (MTBs require more effort, but

they do have " granny-gear " for hill-climbing). Also, unless

you are a diehard cyclist that dig rock-hard seats, you may

want to consider investing in a gel-padded seat because it

can really prevent sore butts when riding long distances.

* bike helmet (required!!!)

* two water bottles or a Camelback

* bike pump and tools; spare tube!

* two-way radio (if you have one)

* daypack to carry lunch, snacks and energy bars

* non-cotton cycling jersey with fleece pullover and padded

spandex tights (if you don't have specialized cycling wear,

just make sure you can keep yourself warm when riding with

a cool breeze)

* windbreaker

* sunglasses and sunblock

* energy bars/carbohydrate gels

* sports drink (optional)

* tent (group share item)

* sleeping bag and pad

* pocket camera (optional)

* money and ID with insurance (in case something happens!)

* bike lock (you are responsible for guarding your own bike!)

* I'll give everyone a copy of the route map before the ride

 

SIGNUP

------

Please send me the following information by Wednesday noon

if you are interested in participating. Remember, priority

goes to those that can drive and haul the most bikes.

 

* Full name

* Contact info (e-mail and phone #s)

* Location (where do you prefer to leave from?)

* Vehicle? (how many passengers; can you fold

the backseat down to carry a bike?)

* Bike rack? (what kind--trunk or roof-mount--

and how many bikes?)

* Type of bike you own and how much cycling

experience you have (I'm just curious)

 

Your trip leader: Erhhung Yuan

erhhung

Work: 408-490-6209

Cell: 408-480-2582