June 10th. Elko to Wendover, NV.

Elevation 4,570 ft. and a total of 107.6 miles.

The route followed the Emigrant Trail to Well,NV (the origin of Humboldt River).

We had two Summits to climb today (Pequog summit-6,97 ft. and Silvefr Zone Pass-5,940 ft.).

Hetty from Holland had an accident due to strong cross wind which blew her off her bike. She is a very tough lady, received some stitches on chin, but rode the following day.

Today was the beginning of a double century.


The morning sky as we departed.


Looming clouds as we ride.

Skip and Don with some snow cap mountains behind.

Downhill we go.

A video from our group on the side of the road.

June 9th. Battle Mountain to Elko. NV.

Elevation 5,0060 ft. 72.1 miles.

We started the day with a huge climb ( 12 miles) of 6% grade to Emigrant Pass. What a way to start off the day! We got off I-80 and took the Exit 280 SR766 to the town of Carlin,NV. Took photos of Emigrant Pass (6114 ft.) and of Carlin Canyon which culminates with three tunnels.


It was a climb to Emigrant Pass



A nice little view.. Notice the snow on the mountains in the background.

June 8th. Winnemucca to Battle Mountain,NV.

Elevation 4,507 ft. 55.6 miles.

Today I rode with Skip,King and Don Chism (from Las Vegas). The terrain is like huge bowl with mountains on both sides--there is still snow on the high peaks. Sunny and a bit windy.

At Battle Mountain, I ate a huge lunch at the Aguila Real Restaurant. Battle Mountain was named by a miner, who supposedly fought some Indians in 1857. Battle Mountain is known for mining,railroad and agriculture.

Before getting to the hotel we had a 6 mile climb (Golconda Summit).



Here's a picture from our morning SAG stop on the side of the road.


Just a small little climb... :-)

Here's a picture from our afternoon SAG stop.

A few of us taking a little rest.

June 7th. Lovelock to Winnemucca

Total Elevation 4324 ft. We rode 73.5 miles today and rode along the Humboldt River for almost 60 miles against a very strong headwind that was relentless. To combat the wind we decided to form a double pace line of 17 members and constantly rotated the lead rider every 3 tenths of a mile.

Winnemucca was having a Basque Festival and we observed several dances, a tug of war and ate a chorizo (suasage) hot dog- the best ever!

Drying out our shorts


Some women engaging in traditional Basque dances

Basque Festival!!!

Here's a video of the group on the road today.

June 6th. Sparks to Lovelock, NV

Elevation 3900 ft. 91.5 miles. Today flew by as we finished the ride in 6 hrs. 15 minutes. The first 30 miles were very scenic and we followed the Truckee River Valley.

Most of the ride was on I-80 East and I rode with Skip and Don today.

After 70 miles on the I- 80 we transitioned to route 401 where the landscape was very arid. There was an endless salt bed on the right side.

Here are some photos from the day.


Skip and Don on the road in front of me...

We're almost there.

Don't let love pass you by.

June 5th: Down the Hill to Sparks, NV!

Today we had a beautiful ride in the Tahoe area. We rode a total 69.9 miles and had to climb Mt Rose. Truckee was 25 degrees in the morning!!

We proceeded to Lake Tahoe and took photos from different sites along the shoreline. Here are a few pictures from Tahoe.

Here's a picture that I tool of a scenic pier stretching out into the Lake.

At the Squaw Valley Entrance, Skip,Don, Fred(Atlanta,Georgia)and myself took group pictures.


Welcome to Nevada... I've crossed the state of California!!

Just when I thought it was all down hill I had to climb Mt. Rose. The ride to the Summit of Mt. Rose is 8.2 miles long with a 6 or 7% grade. The descent is 16 miles long and gained speed of 43 miles/hr. Mt. Rose Summit is 8,991 ft. We couldn't have had a more beautiful day.

Some Video Scenery of Beautiful Lake Tahoe.

What an amazing day.

June 4th: Truckee, Here we Come!!

Wow.. Today we gained 5,820 ft. in elevation and rode 79.7 miles.

Brian Cox (Alhambra, CA.)and I got lost at the 21.8 mile. Took a wrong turn and descended 3 miles; it put us 40 minutes behind. I-80 East has to much traffic plus it has a lot of debris. We stopped at the 58.1 mile at a Burger King for a cup of hot chocolate, due to fact that it was too cold. As we climbed Emigrant Pass and Yuba Pass, we saw our first site of snow, high in the mountains. The climb to Donner Pass was a challenge; the descent and the view were magnificent! Amy and John ( couple from Buffalo,NY.)and I took pictures of the Donner's Party Monument.

Here are some pictures and video from the days journey.

Donner Pass was beautiful and such a reward after the long climb.

My Son & Daughter come up here to go Snowboarding but never on a bike!!

Yes... We're riding next to 18 wheelers on I-80 East.

June 3rd. Sacramento to Auburn

Today was road from Sacramento to Auburn We gained a total Elevation of 1,255 ft. while riding 5l.1miles. Shortly getting on the road we road an a beautiful bike trail call the Jebediah Smith Bicycle Trail. This trail was along the American River and it was beautiful scenery. Here is a picture of the river from the bike trail.

Along this path we were able to see the Folsom Reservoir and the Folsom Prison from a distance.

As we rode through the foot hills approaching the Sierra Nevada Mountain range the scenery began to change. Here is a picture from the road with the SAG vehicle stopping in front of an arch.

Today was an easy day :-)

Tomorrow we go to Truckee.

I'm Back on my Blog

To all who are following along... my apologies for the week of silence. It's been a bit hectic trying to get all the images and videos uploaded from the road but I'm back with several exciting experiences and photos.

51 Miles to Sacramento

With the first day behind me, I awoke rested and less nervous to continue my journey. It was much warmer than yesterday which suits me well as I enjoy taking long rides in the summer heat. The course was well mapped this time and I had a strong ride keeping up with all the riders at the front of the pack.

The landscape was filled with wheat fields and other agricultural establishments. On the way we stopped in Davis, CA and went through the campus of University of California, Davis.

Compared to yesterday it was a much shorter ride measuring 52 miles. I completed around 1:45 pm and decided to walk around the area near our motel before dinner. Although the ride was easy I know that the next two days will be much more challenging as we begin our ascent up the Sierra Madre mountains.


View Larger Map

Tomorrow we ride to Auburn, Ca

and We're Off!

The first day of the American by Bike Cross Country Challenge was very exciting and challenging at the same time. We got on the road early and almost immediately we were presented with a challenging clime over the hills of Milbrae, Ca to reach the Pacific Ocean. Once we reached the Pacific I took the opportunity to dip my read wheel into the water as I started my journey to the Atlantic.



All of the riders also posed for a group picture.



As we rode up along the coast and through San Francisco California, it was very cold and several people had trouble staying on the course. The directions provided for our route that day were difficult to follow and I ended up getting lost in San Francisco. While I was attempting to find my way back to the course and the rest of the group I ran into a woman with a straw hat who was also riding a bicycle. She told me she knew the area very well and helped me back to the route I was supposed to follow. What amazed me most was that this woman who was very nimble on her bike was 75 years old. It was great inspiration for the rest of us youngsters. :-)

I was by myself for most of the route as I made my way to Golden Gate Park. From there we crossed the Golden Gate Bridge (Video Below) and headed North to Sausalito, Ca.



It was a clear beautiful day and I was so excited to be on my way for such a great cause. The route continued North East through San Rafael, Ca along HWY 37 to Fairfield, Ca which a the North most point of the San Francisco Bay.


View Larger Map

I arrived around 6:00pm and learned that several other riders had also lost their way. My daughter Margarita and son Tomas drove out to meet me around 8:00pm and I was so happy to see them and share the stories of my first day.

It's going to be a long journey but this was a great first day.