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A wild ride at South Lake

February 17, 2007

High in the Sierra, the summer sun was torturous. Hundreds of feet below and miles behind us, it had felt like enjoyable weather to go mountain biking. The crisp, mountain air of Lake Tahoe had been a player in the ruse to sucker me into this game of chance. Groaning and wheezing my way up a seven-mile, 3,200-foot vertical climb, chances were I wasn’t going to make it.

Photo Gallery: Tahoe mountain biking

I was up at the lake for work and had brought my bike just in case. I thought I had gotten lucky when I caught a friend of mine already on her way up the mountain from Reno and still in cell phone range. Alex was on her way to meet some buddies to do a loop on a trail called Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride. Sounded perfect. Now, with holes burning through my quads and my heart about to overheat, I realized Lady Luck wasn’t on my side after all.It seemed as though we had been climbing for days and we weren’t even to the single-track dirt trail yet. Flashes of what Alex had said as we peddled down Highway 50, the car already a mile behind us, kept popping into my head, “20-mile loop…really burly…collegiate bikers.” With no water, no food and no idea what I had gotten myself into, all I could manage was an exhausted, half-hearted grin. I’ve sandbagged plenty of friends before, kayaking or skiing, and just knew that I was getting what I had coming to me. Life always manages to bring me a twist of fate and return me to a sense of humility. This was, after all, only the second time I had been mountain biking.The first time I went biking was with my roommate on the Tahoe Rim Trail from Brockway Summit to Tahoe City. We shuttled the uphill section and rode a great 8 to 10-mile downhill single-track through a forest of dense fir trees. The deep blue waters of Tahoe shimmered below us in the California sun. Passing in and out of the shade, we stayed cool. The day was perfect for a newbie to the area and to mountain biking.Since moving to Reno in July, I’ve realized that there’s nothing you can’t find for great mountain biking in Northern Nevada. Whether it’s a 13-mile traverse 2,000 feet above Lake Tahoe on the Flume Trail, or an up and down, twisting and turning ride through the trees along Galena Creek, the Reno/Tahoe area is a premier place to be introduced to mountain biking. Just be careful to ask what the trail is like before you get there.With my first ride in mind, I was all smiles and excitement as the five of us gathered at the trail head near Meyers for the ride up Toads. Geared up and ready to go, we started down the narrow forest road back towards Highway 50.”Why are we heading back out to the road?” I asked.”Because we loop around and end up back at the car,” Alex told me. “We go down the highway for a little bit then cut off down a neighborhood road and end up climbing on a forest road.”"Oh, alright. I just figured we’d be on the trail the whole time,” I said.”Well, it’s still mostly single-track trail,” Alex said nonchalantly. “These guys are just looking to get in a longer ride. They’re all collegiate bikers that I know from racing.”"Collegiate bikers?” I stammered. I imagine my face looked something like that of a confused dog. “You race?”"Yeah, I’m on UNR’s cycling team,” Alex said.I had only known her as a University of Nevada, Reno graduate student and fellow Alaskan. It dawned on me that I may have gotten in over my head.”It’s a long, tough climb and pretty technical on the downhill but it’s supposed to be one of the best rides in this whole area,” she said. “I’ve never done it because all the friends I ride with have always told me I couldn’t handle it. You’ve been on a long ride before though I’m sure,” she said confidently.Laughing, I killed her confidence.”Oh yeah, you know…that Brockway ride we did last week.”"Well, that wasn’t really a cross-country ride, that was just downhill,” she said. “What’s the longest ride you’ve done besides that?”"Oh. Well, let’s see. There was that Brockway ride we did last week and, um, well that’s pretty much it,” I said in good-humored embarrassment.”That’s the only time you’ve been riding?” she asked, jaw dropping.”Don’t worry, I’ll be fine,” I said, echoing the advice I pass on to all my friends before I take them kayaking.An hour later, with stinging sweat blurring my vision, I wasn’t too sure. My only saving grace was that Alex would stop periodically to wait for me, give me a sip of water and a worried look.”Well, we made it to the single track,” Alex said pointing across Highway 89 to the start of the Tahoe Rim Trail. “Now the real climbing begins. I’m not sure how long it is to the top but it’s supposed to be pretty brutal.” She laughed.If brutal is climbing straight up hill on a skinny, loose-dirt track over granite boulders and the roots of trees in order to hike your bike up an even steeper section of rock laced terrain, then I’d say the next hour and a half of my life fit the description.By the time we got to the top my inner being was dancing a jig and wailing in jubilation. Externally, all I could manage was a mumbled, “Thank God,” and collapse on a massive fallen pine tree.Alex’s friends weren’t too sympathetic to my suffering and quickly gathered up and took off blazing down the trail.”Well, it’s all down hill from here. Not that it gets any easier,” said Alex, as if trying to soothe me with her taunting laughter. “But, you’ll probably be out in front of me. I go pretty slow on the downhill.” The next 12 miles brought redemption and punishment both. The trail is fast and smooth for sections–just long enough to make a fatigued rider enjoy the speed and get cocky. Then a sharp corner dropped into a 100-foot long stair case section. My cockiness demonstrated to Alex, behind me, how to do a perfect aerial dismount into a head-first landing. Rock gardens and more tree stumps kept me on my toes but my ability to focus was fading fast. With each crash though, I started to feel that perhaps Lady Luck was on my side after all. I was bruised and battered, but not actually hurt.Rock gardens became less and less frequent and sharp corners gave way to perfectly banked turns I settled into something like cruise control. The trees went by in a blur and the path in front of me was all there was. I no longer saw the rocks that scattered the trail–instead I saw the gaps between them and weaved through like a skier in the trees. The roots no longer served as obstacles but became ramps for mini jumps. The wind on my sweat and dirt stained face was like a splash from a mountain stream. We crested a hill and a combination of joy, sadness and disbelief took hold of me as I spotted the car. Not only had I survived, I was hooked.

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Written by Allan Warren · Filed Under Recreation 

Comments

2 Responses to “A wild ride at South Lake”

  1. jim5771 on November 10th, 2007 7:32 pm

    gotta luv it agreed Toad's is an amazing ride! a little of a drive from Reno, but definetly worth it.  It is much better as A SHUTTLE NOT A LOOP!!!!  Keep on with the trail reviews I would love to learn of some new rides in this area!!!

  2. Allan Warren on November 13th, 2007 6:11 pm

    Thanks Jim I agree, Toad's is better as a shuttle, it's a great climb either way and there is no need to ride mountain bikes on the road. Recently I tried to do Toad's from the  other direction, starting at Kingsbury grade, which is way more picturesque than riding from 89. It's a super long day though, 25-miles, and after some mechanical problems we ended up riding down Oniedas in the dark.

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