Cycling Articles

 

The Carson Tahoe Area is filled with lots of beautiful roads to climb and explore. I have made little slide show presentations of my favorite roads. Each presentation is in Adobe PDF format. A free viewer is available from Adobe's website at www.adobe.com. Click on the thumbnail to access each presentation. Feel free to drop me an e-mail if you have any comments on the files or if you just want to say hello. I hope you enjoy riding these roads as much as I do!

Difficulty: The climbs around here are usually not very steep but they can be somewhat long. None of these climbs are very twisty or technical. However, the elevation can get to most people. Most climbs start at around 4500 feet and can get as high as 8900 feet. For someone who may be used to 1000 feet elevation or even sea level, breathing may be a little more difficult. As a side note, there are some hiking and mountain biking trails in the area that can reach 10000+ feet. The wind, dry environment, and strong winds can make a simple 4% gradient feel like 8% or more. Please note that I give the average grade for the entire road. There are usually some incredibly steep sections in the climbs so be prepared.

General Road Info: The roads in and around the area are usually in good condition. There aren't too many pot holes, cracks, or bumps. You won't find too many thorns flying around either. However, there is usually quite a bit of sand, gravel, and rock on the shoulders. It gets kicked off by the cars. The rocks are pretty sharp and can easily puncture the side of a tire. Always carry a spare tube and a patch kit. It can get pretty remote pretty fast and you don't want to wind up stuck in the middle of nowhere.  Cell phones work well but there may be some "dead" spots further away from the centers of the nearby towns. Toilets are scarce so find a spot and go quick. Be sure to carry enough food and water for the entire ride. Many of the convenience stores in the areas won't have PowerBars, GU gels, etc but they will have bottled water.

General Weather Info: If there is one thing that anyone can count on, it's wind. A strong eastward bound wind is common around the area as it comes in from the tops of the mountains. Start your ride early in the morning and you'll most likely miss the strongest gusts. Temperatures can be cool and chilly in the morning but soar to 100+ degrees F in the afternoon. Add a humidity level of only 5% to 10% and it's easy to become dehydrated very quickly. Again, start early and you won't vaporize as much during the day.

General Traffic Info: The area is not densely populated but there are very few main roads. You'll find yourself on Hwys 395 and 50 for at least some portion of your ride (or drive to the start). These are highways so the speed limit can get as high as 55 MPH or even 70 MPH! That gives the impression that the traffic is pretty bad. However, it all disappears (literally) once you take that left or right hand turn to get to the climb. Just don't compete against the traffic. Stay in the shoulder. You won't win against a 5000 pound truck speeding down the highway. Start early in the morning to minimize the chances of a contest.

I grew up in San Jose, California and had the joy of beginning my passion for cycling in the Bay Area. My father and I rode on many roads and climbed many a steep slope in the 80s and 90s. After getting married, my wife and I moved away from the area. The traffic was too hectic and the cost of living was too high. Today's Bay Area is much different than what it was 20-some-odd years ago. I still have the good memories of my rides with my father and every time I go back to visit my family I take my bicycle with me. Now I can take my Garmin and capture some road profiles. Here are some presentations of my favorite climbs.

Difficulty: The Bay Area sits at a very low elevation. I used to live in a neighborhood that sat at 270 feet above sea level. If you're coming from a high elevation area such as the Carson/Tahoe Valley then you will feel like Superman. Oxygen is plentiful. You won't tire as easily. The summits do not sit at the same elevation as they would in the Carson/Tahoe area. Despite this, the roads can be very difficult to climb. Gradients can easily kick up to 8% or even 10% and stay there. Don't assume low elevation automatically equates to easy climbing. However, the flip side is true in some cases. Some of the roads are very old and were designed for horse drawn carriages and old cars. The climb to Mount Hamilton is a classic example where the road is long but very gentle. There is an observatory at the peak and the materials used to build the observatory were taken up horses.

General Road Info: Be prepared for a shock here. Many of the roads are rough and beat up. It was once paved very well but, unfortunately, after 20+ years of high traffic and almost no maintainence the surface is no longer even or smooth. California is a bankrupt state running on fumes. The cities don't fare much better. There just isn't enough money to maintain the roads today. You might want to have a set of good touring tires and lower the pressure slightly to absord the shocks.

General Weather Info: In general, the weather is very mild and very consistent. You won't see sudden shifts (up ot down) in temperature. It won't snow during the winter although it can get a little cold. Likewise, it will get hot during the summer but you won't have very many days of extreme heat if it all. This mild weather is the number one reason why so many people move to the area in addition to the almost infinite job opportunities. Spring and autumn are absolutely the best times to ride. It can get a little humid and almost muggy sometimes but a Pacific breeze can clear that up pretty quick. Watch out for smog alerts - especially during the summer. The air quality has been known to drop when the temperatures rise.

General Traffic Info: Don't try fooling yourself. The Bay Area is a large congested area. No matter where you go there will be traffic. The only question is how much. San Jose alone has over one million people living in it and the surrounding cities are not wasting any time in trying to catch up. In some parts the roads are just too dangerous to ride. For as lame as it sounds, you may want to use the sidewalk in some places. Everyone wants to commute on their big SUV or lifted truck. The lifestyle is a bit more hectic than in a small town and the driving habits will reflect it. People are nt afraid to speed and accelerate wildly. I would suggest starting early and sticking to weekends only. Sunday is probably the best time to ride. There are some pockets of low population density and low traffic but they are getting harder and harder to find.

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