By: Sakasper

Sakasper — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 20:31:00 +0000

Hi there. I just stumbled across your commentary…I’ll be heading to Tahoe for the first time to do the ride this year on September 11, 2011. I’ve been very excited and after reading your tips here am even more so!!

By: VeloReviews | Blog | Been a busy end to the season

VeloReviews | Blog | Been a busy end to the season — Sun, 29 May 2011 14:51:41 +0000

[…] And finally – I seriously enjoyed riding around Lake Tahoe. […]

By: VeloReviews | Blog | Stage 1 of Tour of Cali still “on hold”

VeloReviews | Blog | Stage 1 of Tour of Cali still “on hold” — Sun, 29 May 2011 14:47:31 +0000

[…] stage 1 map revised puts the route along the west shore of the lake, a route familiar to many that have ridden in this area. […]

By: JustAnotherCyclist

JustAnotherCyclist — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 20:08:00 +0000

I’ll definitely be back next year too. Maybe we can get the JustAnotherCyclist readers together for a photo at Emerald Bay!

By: enf

enf — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 04:46:00 +0000

Hi Ross,
I was one of your fellow cyclists on September 12th. It was a BLAST! There wasn’t a cloud in the sky that day, and with the temperature at noon being around 74, the weather couldn’t have been more ideal.
I strongly encourage anyone who’s thinking about the Tour de Tahoe to go ahead and do it next year. I am fairly new to cycling. On June 2009, I took a trip to Mt. Shasta and was embarrassed that I couldn’t make the summit. (Part of is was we got too late a start, part of it was I didn’t eat anything that morning due to the excitement, but the major reason was the climb just whipped my butt.) As a result, I decided I needed to get into better shape. Not liking running, I thought I’d try cycling and bought a carbon fiber road bike 11/2009. Before long, I was cranking out longer and longer rides. I heard about the Tour de Tahoe, and committed to training for it.
Ross, you are spot on with your first tip. I normally feel warm on a ride – even on cold days in the Bay Area, I will shed my jacket after about two or three miles. The first thing I did when I hit Emerald Bay was peel off the jacket, stick it into a bag, and take off riding with just my short sleeve jersey. That was a big regret. After the Emerald Bay stop, there’s a climb, then a big downhill in the shade past D.L. Bliss Park. Oh, it was cold – very cold. I had to go real slow, as I could not feel my fingers on the brakes. Next year, I will not take anything off until at least Homewood, the second stop.
I have just two pieces of advice for those considering the ride:
1. You don’t need to take any food with you. I had packed a Power Bar, several GU gels, and some powdered energy drink mix. I didn’t need anything at all – the stops are all well supplied with fruit, all kinds of bars, bagels, gels, and energy drinks.

2. Take time to smell the roses! The ride is really invigorating – from the moment you take off from the Horizin Casino, you are energized. It’s from the morning chill, the fresh fresh air, and being with the large group of cyclists. I was really focused, gunning for each rest stop. I surprised myself – I crossed the finish line at 12:15, far sooner than I had expected (started at 6:35). In retrospect, I should have spent a little more time in enjoying the scenery (for example, I didn’t even glance over the wall at the parking lot of the first stop to enjoy the view of Emerald Bay.)

It’s a beautiful ride. It’s well run. I had never done anything remotely like this before. But I will definitely be there next year.

By: Dkdd

Dkdd — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 04:23:00 +0000