Best Rides in the West

[Grog]

Ok ladies, I need your contributions!

After planning a trip to Southern France to cycle the best climbs as our second, "true" honeymoon, my husband and I are increasingly thinking of staying on this continent and driving instead of flying. Less stress, and $3000 cheaper, which is important for us right now!!

So, the big question is: What are the best bike rides in the West?

They should be:
Road rides
75 to 160 km (50 to 100 miles)
Hilly (although special flat rides may apply)
Anywhere between Northern California and British Columbia. Nevada and Idaho are a possibility, but Utah would be a bit of a stretch...

Period: somewhere between 20th of May and 20th of June.

We will have about 18 days for the trip, and take the bikes in the car, leaving from Vancouver. We'd like to ride about 10 days out of those 18, taking the other days to just hang out in nice places.

[evangundy]

Just a quick reply before I head out for a ride :-) More later.
Check out this site, http://www.cyclingsite.com/ then on the left side, click on "calendar". There is a list of organized bike rides, most of which are Oregon & Washington. That's a start.

We'll see what we can find for you :-)
Edna

[Starfish]

Grog, I had a whole post, with links, all ready, and then I lost it.

So, here is the stream-of-consciousness version.

Cannot recommend enough the area around Shasta for cycling. The Summit Century is in August, but you could easily get the route sheets and do the rides on your own. Check with locals to make sure about the snows being gone for the time of your visit. ShastaSummitCentury.com (or .net?) You could easily make Shasta City your base, and do the out-and-back climbs yourselves. BEAUTIFUL. Good roads. Low traffic. If you search on it here on TE you can see some pictures I took last year.

In June, you could do Tour de Blast at Mt. St. Helens. There is a website that Googles pretty easily, and Veronica has done that ride. People say it is a great ride. I'm thinking of it myself this year.

Also in June is RATPOD in western Montana. It also Googles easily, and the person I know who has done it said it was wonderful. I have driven that area, and it is fantastically beautiful.

If you come to the Olympic Peninsula of WA, you could do the Olympic Cycling Classic in late May. The weather at that time is a coin toss...with a lot of gray in recent years for this ride, unfortunately. I would also be happy to share with you some of my local rides around here without the organized ride. Again, there are some pics somewhere on TE I've posted from some of my local rides. PM me if you plan to come this way.

All of these rides include great scenery and good climbing.

[maillotpois]

Marin and Sonoma counties have wonderful hilly terrain for riding. Also, at that time of year, the Sierras are great. Still sone snow at the sides of the road at higher elevations, but generally great weather.

If you do think you'll hit California, and are interested, I'd be happy to give you some specific suggested routes and maps. We have a lot of ride maps we create for our team that I'd be happy to share. They're beautiful and challenging routes.