Tahoe Bike Challenge returns for 11th year
ajensen@tahoedailytribune.com
Bike Challenge South Shore Events
3-6 p.m. Wednesday, June 1
Pedal/Paddle Kick-off, Lakeview Commons
10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, June 4
Day of the Young Child Bike Zone, Lake Tahoe Community College
9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. Saturday, June 11
Trail Cleanup, League to Save Lake Tahoe
10-11 a.m. Sunday, June 12
Beach yoga, Camp Richardson
1-5 p.m. Sunday, June 12
Slow Roller Poker Run, Mo’s Place
12-4 p.m. Sunday, June 18
Cycle Celebration, Bijou Community Park
Extra cyclists on the road over the next couple weeks won’t just be due to an outbreak of summer weather.
The 11th annual Tahoe Bike Challenge begins Wednesday, June 1, and runs through June 14. The challenge encourages people around the lake to log their bike rides, whether they be for work, school or recreation. Three hundred-fourteen riders comprising 43 teams took part in 2015’s challenge, which included 2,705 trips taken and 17,294 miles ridden.
All ages are invited to take part in the free event and everyone from solo riders to large groups can participate.
Karen Houser, a Lake Tahoe Bicycle Coalition Board Member, will rally a group of Soroptimists for the challenge.
“It’s for everyone,” Houser said. “It’s real simple. The whole point is to get people out of their cars and riding their bikes for two weeks and the rest of summer.”
Biking is coming to the forefront for Lake Tahoe as a destination, and its personal benefits are also quick to make an appearance, Houser said.
“All of sudden you’re a little more fit, and you can go a little bit further and faster,” according to the nonprofit consultant.
The challenge will begin with a Pedal-Paddle Kick-off Party from 3-6 p.m. Wednesday at Lakeview Commons, at the corner of Lakeview Avenue and U.S. Highway 50 in South Lake Tahoe.
The event will include special two-hour paddleboard rentals and mini lessons for $20, proclamations from the City of South Lake Tahoe and a historical bike ride through the Al Tahoe neighborhood.
Several other community events are also part of the challenge. Events include a bike area at Lake Tahoe Community College as part of Day of the Young Child activities, a trail cleanup, yoga and a poker run with the Slow Rollers Bicycle Club. The events conclude with a Cycle Celebration at Bijou Community Park June 18.
The bike challenge is also holding an art contest for K-12 students and is looking for volunteers June 1-3, when South Lake Tahoe elementary school and South Tahoe Middle School students will help kick off the Tahoe Bike Challenge by riding their bikes and walking to school. Prospective volunteers can contact Gianna Leavers at gleavers13@gmail.com or 530-748-8629 to learn more.
Prizes in a variety of categories will be awarded for riders at both the North Shore and South Shore following the conclusion of the challenge.
More information is available at http://www.tahoebike.org/tahoe-bike-challenge.
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