The annual Gardnerville 100 went off well on Sunday with some great support from club members Di and Michael who met riders at the bottom east side of Monitor, top of Monitor Pass and the top of Luther Pass.
Personally, I think 100 miles is a really long way to ride, yet I finished it in much pain. Wisdom would say one should have only done the 70-mile loop, but wisdom is many times pushed aside while riding.
The weather was absolutely beautiful as it always seems to be for the May event.
In the lower parts of the valleys, it was warm, but not uncomfortable.
Amazingly, riding up Woodfords Canyon didn't have the stiff headwind normally expected during summer days.
The temperature while climbing and thereby descending was cooler and refreshing.
I am usually in good enough shape to give people pushes up some of the passes, but this year a former junior coach, Micah, gave me a push up the west side of Kingsbury. This was an ironic turning of the tables.
Another nice touch to the Memorial Day weekend was the junior team coaches, Timari and I, gave a warm-up clinic for the Kid Carson ride which is June 13.
The clinic was organized for the Hung-a-Lel-Ti Washoe kids and other kids in the surrounding communities were invited.
The clinic was organized to focus on bike safety, bike mechanics (how do gears work, front vs. rear brakes etc.) and go for a short 10-mile ride to get used to riding for the Kid Carson: the children's version of the Alta Alpina Challenge.
Ages ranged from 8 to16 years old and the parents joined us for another beautiful day in the Carson/Diamond Valley. There are two rides left before the Kid Carson.
For more information contact inquiries@altaalpinachallenge.com.
This is a great event for those who may want to do some outdoor/athletic activities before going to Carson Valley Days celebrations.
So far the summer is starting off with somewhat warm and consistent weather. There are a lot of events: America's Most Beautiful Bike Ride on June 7, the Alpina Challenge the following weekend, the weekly informal road bike races and mountain bike races put on by Alta Alpina Cycling Club as well as typical club weekend rides.
