Quote Originally Posted by Trekhawk
SadieKate - I have thought about the buttes ride as next to Tahoe its probably the closest to us here but I was a bit worried about the time limit.
But you can do a test ride in February. The Rice Valley Tandem Rally has lots of single riders and takes day-of registration. There is a 40 mile and a 65 mile loop that is much the same as the Bike Around the Buttes. Perfect schedule to test your fitness and ability make the cut offs for a century later in the spring. We rode in 2004 and saw an entire field of Sandhill cranes having a dance party. Pretty spectacular.

http://www.chicovelo.org/ricevalley.html