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What 6,000 Cyclists Taught Me Between Seattle & Portland
From Lake Washington to the Rose City, the annual 207-mile STP event is a bucket list adventure ride
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Cycling destinations, experiences, news, and insights throughout the West Coast and beyond.
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Bike Shorts
Ideas for Great Escapes
The summer doldrums are here — so is the heat. There's only one thing to do: Escape to the mountains. Pick your trail through scented forests or ride a country road beneath quaking aspens. The mountains are calling and we have ideas.
Hilly & Mountainous — Plumas County
Beginning in tiny Graeagle, the Gold Lake Highway Road Loop is a challenge that rolls up and over three summits past alpine lakes. For an easier, more family-friendly approach, the trails in the Lakes Basin Recreation Area offer short easy adventures, such as the Lake Davis Loop.
High-altitude Loops — Inyo County
Drop anchor in the Eastern Sierra town of Bishop and get out for long road rides. The Pleasant Valley Loop is a low-traffic road ride around Pleasant Valley Reservoir. For off-road riders, the area around the Owens River has miles of undulating trails with not much elevation gain, great for families or groups of riders with varying trail riding ability. A more technical experience is the Volcanic Tablelands Loop.
Coastal Mountains — Humboldt County
Humboldt is where the Coast and Klamath mountains meet the Pacific Ocean. From the Eureka waterfront, the Humboldt Bay Trail is a paved flat path that makes its sinuous way around the bay, great for families with little ones. A roll along the Avenue of the Giants treats experienced riders to the dark world beneath a thick redwood canopy, best done by bike during the week. For mountain bikers, Arcata, located a few miles north of Eureka, has a community forest that boasts a network of steep trails offering fire roads and singletrack.
Upcoming Road, Centuries & Fun Rides
August
8/2 Civilized Century: Redwood Shores. Epic, fun, flat, scenic tour of SF Peninsula and South Bay areas. Great first Century or rehabbing or eschewing climbing. Course suitable for mountain, road, tandem, hybrid, recumbent, fixie, single speed, and ElliptiGo bikes. Fully-supported with BBQ meal. Routes – 35, 60, 75, 100-miles. CivilizedCentury.com
Find the complete Road Ride Calendar here!
Upcoming Gravel Rides
August
8/15 MCBC Dirt Fondo: Join 299 other lucky riders will embark on a 43-mi. journey from the Golden Gate to Mt. Tam and back. marinbike.org/dirt-fondo/
