Encircling Big Blue
Relaxing felt good, but after resting out muscles for about an hour, we continued our journey, passing through Tahoe Vista and Kings Beach and reached the California/Nevada border on a climb at Crystal Bay. We were welcomed not only by great views of the bay itself, but by casino establishments right, left and center. Reaching the other side of the bay, we noticed really for the first time the cleanliness of the water in the lake, luring us into jumping in. But no no, we had something to finish first.
Hurtin’ in Nevada
Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park, which we passed through shortly after while still on Hwy 28, presented us with lake views of unbelievable beauty, hidden, tucked away beaches with water so clear that you would think you are on some island in the Caribbean. Stopped briefly at an overlook with restrooms and a chance to fill up on water, we mentally prepared ourselves for the second big climb yet to come, up towards the junction with Hwy 50. Not really knowing what to expect, the climb proved to be steady and not too steep, but stretched over 8 km (5 miles), an elevation gain of roughly 200 meters (656 feet), with a dip in between. After 87 km (54 miles) on the bike, ascending that much in the mid-day sun, totally exposed turned out to be more difficult than I had anticipated. My body, starting from my lower back downwards, was hurting and my hamstrings were cursing at me for not having warmed them up properly in the cool morning.
Just about halfway up the climb I got sunscreen in my left eye, which was burning like hell, so I stopped and got passed by Ethan with a “See ya at the top!”. After some stretching, water and some energy drink, I was back on the bike and soon caught up with Ethan again to head up to Spooner Lake/Summit, where the climb finally ended. Thank god.
We didn’t know it then, but the best part was yet to come. Reaching the highest point of our tour at 2153 meters (7063 feet) meant there was nowhere to go but down. And down we went. And epic descent down Hwy 50, reaching top speeds of about 55 km/h (40 mph), even blasting through the short Cave Rock Tunnel, we were on the final stretches of our ride. However, some rolling hills were still in the way between us and the finish line, and every climb at this point was like poison for our legs. But we had to keep going, no matter what.
Climbing up one of the last ascents at Zephyr Cove meant literally turning around the corner for the home stretch towards the state border and the checkered flag. Once I saw the casinos, which I remembered from when we started, I knew that we were only minutes away. And there it was, the state line, and soon thereafter, after being out there for 6 hours and 22 minutes, we pulled in the driveway of our motel. Tired, exhausted, but happy. If only our motel room hadn’t been on the third floor with no elevator…
Trip planning
Just a few organizational aspects that are worth sharing for folks who want to do this great ride as well.
Ride logistics
We both carried two 20 oz. bike bottles with us, I had, in addition to that, my 80 oz. camelbak with me, almost filled to the top. If you are just concerned about staying hydrated, than bringing the camelbak is not really necessary, because there are plenty of options to refill the bottles along the way. I mainly wanted the some convenient way to carry clothing layers, as well as Clif bars, snacks and bike repair/maintenance stuff with me.
As can be easily figured out from the report, we did the loop clockwise, mainly because I figured that being on the side closer to the lake would account for better views and thus being able to easily stop and take pictures.
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