The Tour de Tahoe

Shortly after this picture was taken, "Fat-boy" had to get
ff of the tandem and catch his breath!  This was one of
the steepest climbs on the ride, complete with switchbacks.

There is an event that I feel compelled to share with anyone who enjoys the great outdoors while riding a bike.  Its name is The Tour de Tahoe, and as you might guess it’s a one-day ride that circumnavigates Lake Tahoe. 

Lake Tahoe has a reported surface elevation of 6224 feet… but it ain’t a level ride!  You will gain – and lose – 4371 feet as you pedal around the lake, and a couple of the climbs aren’t very kind!  There’s a nasty little grunter somewhere between the 10 and 15 mile mark that forced us off of the bike to walk a short distance, due a combination of altitude, early morning chill and the incline of the road.  We got to the point where we could barely breathe.  Fortunately, we weren’t the only ones whipped by this particular grade!

But the weather will improve as the morning wears on, and soon you’ll be peeling off the layers you started out with and will either find a way to carry your cold weather gear with you, or hand it off at the first rest/snack stop to have it trucked backed to the event’s start and finish line.  (We got rid of some of the gear, but kept a jacket “just in case”.)

I believe there were slightly more than 1700 riders in 2014 when we did the ride.  I am proud to say that we were not the only tandem out there, but it sure would have been nice to see a lot more tandem teams than we did.  There were all sorts of riders and styles of bicycle out there, from the elite carbon road frames to commuter bikes, “go fast” riders to the recreational cyclist who would take all day but make it to the finish line with a smile on their face.  We were probably somewhere right in the middle of the parade.

So why am I sharing this particular ride with you?  Because, if you ever have the opportunity to do The Tour de Tahoe, you really should.  At least once.  The ride is nothing short of being nature’s eye-candy.  It’s gorgeous, something that really should be seen and experienced from the saddle of a bike at least once in your life.  Plus if you had any doubts about your abilities and whether you could actually complete the ride, you’ll feel a LOT better about yourself at the end of the day!

 Bike the West is the organizer of this ride, and a couple others as well.  In addition to the 72 mile ride, there is a 35 mile version that entails a cruise aboard the Tahoe Queen to the north shore of Lake Tahoe where the rides then return to the start/finish line.  For the uber-cyclists, there is a century ride available as well.  And have I mentioned that the support stations are well stocked with goodies to eat and drink?

I could go on and ramble about this ride.  Suffice it to say that I bought an event t-shirt and jersey, and I love wearing either because completing this ride really meant something to me!  (I was skeptical about my ability to make it; my stoker had more faith in the two of us!)  But whenever I put on this jersey and go out for a ride, I feel like I’m entitled to wear it.  I’ve never put that much meaning into, or felt that much pride from an event jersey!

Think about doing this ride sometime.  Put it on your “biking bucket list”.  You may cuss me as you climb up some of those hills, but you’ll thank me for this recommendation at the end of the day!

Follow these links to investigate further!

Bike the West

https://www.bikethewest.com