Hydration Tips

The Spring here in California is starting out very warm indeed! Here is Cycle California! Magazine’s PSA: When you go out for a ride, any ride, haul enough water to stay hydrated. But how much is enough?

Think about where you're riding.

Are you doing urban riding or participating in an organized ride like those below? There are places where you can fill your water bottles when you run out of water.

Road bikes traditionally have the space for two waterbottle cages--use them. Bike jerseys traditionally have pockets in the back just the right size for a couple of water bottles. Use those, too!

Are you more of a get-out-of-town type of road rider or a mountain biker? There aren’t as many opportunities for refilling your water bottles. Let me introduce you to the hydration system -- backpacks of various sizes that contain a water reservoir that you fill up. Depending on how long your ride is, they will have to be refilled like a waterbottle, but they do give you more running time before you have to refill.

Several online forums suggest you should start hydrating before your ride, particularly on hot days--one to two hours before you go out. Women'sCycling.ca suggests to sip water after your ride as well.

Go out, be sensible and bring water to help you ride your best.

Enjoy some of the bike events below.

Racing an e-assist cargo bike on the ebike race at the Sea Otter Classic

May 2017 Bicycle Events

We had so much fun at last month's Sea Otter Classic with all the dual slalom and cross country mountain bike racing that we thought we'd find a few bicycle events with an off-road vibe.

Just Ride, Grasshopper

Serious adventure junkies are expected at the King Ridge Dirt Supreme on May 6, 2017. Are you one? This event in the Grasshopper Adventure Series throws down 80 miles of road, mixed terrain and gravel and includes a descent on Willow Creek. The event takes you north on Highway 1, up to Fort Ross from the coast and back. Your $65 registration includes support, two rest stops and lunch.

Easy Early Season Ride

Also on May 6 the 16th Annual Tour de Lincoln offers a milder take on bike riding: 10, 20, or 40 miles or 100 kilometers along the roads of Lincoln and the Sacramento Valley. Expect a Continental breakfast, well-stocked rest stops, SAG, and postride barbecue, with a beer and wine garden.

Bridge to Dam Family Ride

The following day, three short rides take off along the family-friendly Sacramento River Trail in Redding for the May 7, 2017 Shasta Dam Bridge Ride. The mileage is 10, 20, and 32 miles. This ride is a fundraiser for the Redding East Rotary and Shasta Family YMCA.

Road Ride Santa Clara County

Twenty-six years ago, what were you doing? The I Care Classic started up 26 years ago and is still going strong. On May 13, 2017, it rolls away from Morgan Hill for springtime riding in south Santa Clara County. Pick up a continental breakfast before you go off on your ride of 100 kilometers or 100 miles, 50 kilometers or 20 miles.

After your ride you get a hot barbecue lunch, ice cream sundae (you deserve it, you know), and raffle opportunities. All proceeds for the I CARE Classic support Almaden Lions programs to provide glasses for needy children, veterans and families.

Singletrack Nevada County

For those who are up for a L-O-N-G singletrack ride, also that day, May 13, the 19th Annual Singletrack MTB Ride for Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Nevada County rolls through the hills of Nevada County. There are two rides to choose: a 25 mile and 50 miler. Ride for the kids and raise money for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Nevada County. Contact the organizers for information on the 50 mile ride!

Doubling Down in Davis

On May 20, 2017, there is a ride that doesn’t have "death," "terrible," "monster," "devil," or "heartbreak" in it. But it is a long one: The Davis Double Century. At 200 miles, it's on the milder side of long distance with nine rest stops and a lunch stop, good SAG support and climbs that are mostly under 10 percent. There are also shorter routes if you decide you want to skip the 200 mile project entirely: 43 mile and 100 mile options.

Hilly Blossom Ride

May 21, 2017, the 5th Annual Apple Blossom Bike Tour takes off from El Dorado Adventist School in Placerville. The rides wind their way through the orchards and vineyards of Apple Hill. Expect 3,500 to 6,000 vertical feet of climbing in the foothills with spectacular views of the Sacramento Valley on the metric century and the metric half century. There is a shorter family option that follows the old railroad bed, but also gains 900 feet before returning to the school.

Artful Survival, Beautiful Ride

If you have never experienced truly rural California, the Art of Survival Century is that opportunity on May 27, 2017. The area around Tulelake, just south of the Oregon border is, in a way, more like Oregon, than what most people experience as California. This event offers several ride options from a century, metric, 40 mile, 20 mile family friendly ride, or a 20 mile mountain bike ride through forest lands.

As with rural areas around the state, many of the roads have little car traffic, and because it is on a plateau, are mostly flat. The routes go through Lava Beds National Monument, past Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge and rolling farmland with serene settings. Following the ride, there will be a celebratory dinner, entertainment and prizes.

Clockwise around Big Blue

On June 4, 2017, in a more population-dense area of California, America’s Most Beautiful Bike Ride – Lake Tahoe takes off from the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Resort in South Lake Tahoe. This fully supported event has two routes: a 72 mile ride around Lake Tahoe or full 100 mile century. The shorter version is a clockwise ride around the lake with all the elevation gain that entails. The longer ride adds on a roll to Truckee along Highway 89/bike trail before rejoining the short route and continuing around the lake.

Sequoia: More Everything!

This year, the Sequoia Century is back with new routes, promising more: More elevation, more challenge, more beauty, more fun. This June 4, 2017 event has all new routes with significant elevation: the 49, 64, 72, and 100 mile route gain over 100 feet per mile.

The NEW 100 miler has over 10,000 feet of gain, as you ascend Moody Road and Page Mill Road, then ride across open grassy ridges, through redwood forests to the ocean. Both the longer routes challenge riders with the Tunitas Creek climb. Also new this year: 64 mile ride has over five miles on a car-free gravel road thru the redwoods. After the ride, enjoy a great meal, music, beer, and vendors.

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