Lake Tahoe
MVP:
microshift Advent X—I’m still enamored with my new drivetrain, and I just loved the 1x10 drivetrain on my bike. I had all the right gears that I needed, and I just felt smooth on the bike.
Route Review:
I started my ride at Taylor Creek Sno-Park and rode in a clockwise fashion around Lake Tahoe. I started at Taylor Creek Sno-Park as I knew I could park there early in the morning and I felt it to be a safe location for all-day-parking, especially with my sno-park permit displayed on my window.
I biked on the shoulder of Highway 89 up to Emerald Bay and experienced a blessed ride, feeling like the sun rays from the sun rise were there just for me. I watched the beautiful and impossibly large lake be illuminated by the sun and saw how calm the water was. Although the shoulder was non-existent in parts, I didn’t get too anxious of cars because of the lack of them. I then finished the climb and rode down the rode with out pressing my brakes. I think I went up to 35 mph! The speed was fun, but by this time, my hands were freezing, even with my fleece lined gloves. I rode the bike single handed and kept my alternate hand in my pocket to help them warm up.
I think it was north of Meeks Bay where I saw a bike trail. This was a welcome change from riding on the highway. Although the trail meandered and was slower than the road, I was happy with the extra safety. The trail itself was paved and bi-directional, which is just perfect, IMHO. The only things that slowed me down was the melting snow, which created puddles in various places.
The bike trail ran out around Dollar Point, and I rejoined the highway, which at this point was Highway 28. I remember the downhill parts around Kings Beach to be especially scary due to the zero shoulder on the road. I was glad that the drivers that passed me gave me tons of room, but still, I hugged that railing to be the best rider I could be. At Kings Beach, I took a little break and enjoyed my second banana of the day.
I then road to Incline Village and missed the Lakeshore Blvd exit, which would have allowed me to get a shorter and more scenic ride for a few miles. I then found the Tahoe East Shore Trail, which was beautiful. The trail hugs Highway 28, but allows hikers and bikers to really enjoy the beauty of the lake. I then visited San Harbor and even got to feel the water, which I would have loved to swim in. I found that the south exit of the park was closed, so I kinda had to back track a bit.
From here started the second big climb of this bike ride and it wasn’t easy. It was probably because I was already feeling tired from the 40+ miles I had already biked, but the incline just seemed to go on and on. This part of Highway 28 had a huge shoulder, so at least cars weren’t a concern.
Once the road meets Highway 50, that’s when the pain ends, and for me, when the wind began. 10-15mph winds hit me on the way down, and I really wanted to go faster, since the shoulder on the highway was again non-existent and even if the road was two lanes, I wanted to go downhill as fast as possible. After the downhill, there is this fun little tunnel through a rock, and after that, it’s pretty much just flat cycling. This would have been my easy victory ride, except for the damned wind that started with Highway 50 and would stick in my face until I got back to my car.
Once I got to South Lake Tahoe, I found much of the joy I had sapped out of me, since it was urban riding with just lots of concrete, people, and cars. I did feel lucky that just a few miles into South Lake Tahoe, there was a bike trail that I could ride all the way back to Taylor Creek Sno-Park. The trail was similar to the one that was on the north-west side of Lake Tahoe, and I used it to get off the car roads. The last few miles back to Taylor Creek seemed to take forever, but actually made it back to my car in one piece.
What I Learned:
I should have woken up even earlier than sunrise to avoid the winds and increased traffic that make the ride no fun later in the day.
Even though the forecast had stated that it would be 50 degrees starting around lunch, it was already 50 degrees in Kings Beach by 10am. Because of that I did feel over dressed... though because the temperature was 35 degrees at the beginning, I’m not sure I would have changed my clothes.
I finally used the battery pack holder to keep my phone charged during the ride. It worked beautifully.
I used 3 extra LED lights to make myself more visible. I felt safer, and I didn’t get hit by a car, so it worked!
I carried two bananas and it was a mistake. Because they partially froze during the night and squeezed into the bike bag, they started leaking. It made my clothes and extra water bottles a bit sticky. I also should have carried a few more snack items.
I carried 2.5 total liters of water, and it was enough for the ride. I probably should have drunken more water, but since the ride was in and around urban areas, I could have picked up more water if I needed it. I basically ran out right before South Lake Tahoe, but by that time, I knew I could make the last hour without water.
It was my first time on the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe, and oh-my-gosh is Sand Harbor beautiful. I am going to go back there for sure.
I used my fleece lined gardening gloves and they worked really well. Better than my glove liners which aren’t windproof, and not as bulky as my snow gloves.
Although I sat on the saddle for more than 8 hrs, my butt didn’t hurt after the ride. I was surprised!
At first, I thought that the 36 teeth front crank I got may have been too little, since if I went with a 42 teeth, I could have had taller gears for downhill, but on the second incline, I was really glad I had the extra low gear for the really difficult uphill portion. Now I do not regret anything about my drivetrain.
The new phone holder I got works really well in that the phone is stable and never even vibrates going over rough surfaces. However, it does take more effort to put the phone in and out of the holder, which leads to less pictures and videos using the phone.
I deliberately did not use the brakes on the downhill portions of the ride and I found it exhilarating. According to my watch, my top speed was 36.5 mph, which is about 6 mph higher than my previous fastest time. I remember a few months ago when I used to get scared as soon as I started riding above 25 mph.
I need to wear my lip balm when doing a ride like this. After 4 days, my lips are still peeling :(
Fears Faced
70+ miles is too far for me to bike—It turned out... not at all! Even with a headwind, I finished strong and if I packed myself lunch, I know I could have done 100+ miles.
Media Consumed:
The Gates of Europe: A History of Ukraine—finished!
God: A Human History—finished!
Friends Made:
There was this red-shirted biker who gave me a high five for snacking on a bag of Rips candy. That was pretty cool.
What Happened?
74 miles, 8 hr 24 min, 4662 ft of ascent
The reason I started biking again in October of 2021 was that I had read that it was possible to bike all the way around Lake Tahoe. Now, that statement totally makes sense to me now, but back six months ago, the idea that anyone could cycle around that enormous lake seemed bonkers. But, as bonkers as that idea sounded, I loved the idea of cycling around something so beautiful that I just had to try.
Over the past few months, I’ve cycled longer and harder routes in succession to feel confident about my abilities on my bike. I didn’t hit all the milestones I wanted to hit before the end of April, but once I biked from Half Moon Bay to San Jose, I knew that I could physically do this ride.
Another boost of confidence was when I upgraded the drivetrain from a 10+ year old drive train to a modern 1x10 system.
So, with the end of winter and snow on the shoulders of the route, I felt that I had to go for it. If I waited too long, summer would be here, and the road would be more dangerous to ride (due to increased traffic).
One last thing I figured out was that I should start in South Lake Tahoe and ride in a clockwise direction. When searching for a good place to park, I settled on Taylor Creek Sno-Park because the sno-park parking permits were still in-effect, and I had a season pass.
I started the ride at 6am, and got to witness the sunrise. I had this great feeling of confidence through out the ride, even on the uphill climb on the east side of the lake. I know I’m not a fast rider by any means, but to me, speed doesn’t matter as much as my physical ability to just complete this ride. One thing I did figure out was that if I did get injured or for some reason had to give up on the ride, there were bus stops all around the lake, so that became my emergency exit.
One thing that really stood out to me was how beautiful the Sand Harbor area of Lake Tahoe was. I had never been on the Nevada side of the lake, and so when I saw the color of the water, I was blown away by the beauty of Lake Tahoe.
Once I made it back to the car, I kept to my reserved self, but I was elated. I just felt so content with myself, and that’s something that I don’t feel very often. I wasn’t feeling hungry, but I knew I should eat before driving back home, so I looked up a pho restaurant I saw on the ride, but saw some negative reviews that made me reconsider. I drove to a Thai place, but they were closed. I then tried a curry restaurant, Curry & Grill, and found their food to be oh-so-delicious.
On my drive back home, I was a little worried as my heart rate stayed above 100 for two and a half hours after my ride had finished. My smart watch kept alerting me that my heart rate was above my resting state. Thankfully, it fell below 100 half way back home, and I could just focus on driving.
With this giant goal completed, I now have new goals. What this ride taught me was that if I could do 74 miles + 4000+ft elevation gain, I could do a century (100+ miles) with less elevation with no issues. So, that’s my next big goal. A century ride. 12 years after my coworker, Ann Togasaki, explained to me what a century was, I’m now poised to do one. Life is amazing, and I know nothing.