Northern California - Reno/Tahoe Centuries

Hey everyone. I'm from Reno, and as such my topic seems to fit in better here than in the Southwest forum.

Anyway, I'm getting the urge to ride a century sometime this summer, and was wondering if anyone had any insight into particular rides in the area. I know the Tour de Nez (http://www.tourdenez.com/) is coming up, and I'm excited to see the pros race in that, but I don't think I'll be in good enough shape in 3 weeks to try a century then.

Another I found while looking around is the Tahoe Sierra Century (http://www.tahoesierracentury.com/), which comes in September. A little farther away, but plenty of time to train.

I consider myself a novice-intermediate rider that hasn't ever done any group rides, but a goal of mine is to try a Century this year, and I thought what better time that the summer!

Thanks for the input!

Have you looked at the MS150 in September out of Northstar at Tahoe? It's not a century per se, but it's not an easy ride to finish both days. I think you have to raise $250 on top of the registration fee. It's run by the Great Basin Chapter of the MS Society, the one out of Reno.

Another great ride is the Grizzly Century in October. Lots of climbing (~10,000 feet), but none of it steep, and it was probably the most scenic ride I've done. Starts and ends in North Fork, south of Yosemite.

JB

The Tahoe Sierra on 9/20 should be doable. How much time or how many miles can you ride in a week? I think that will be a too indicator for how ready you'll be for the 100 miler. If you have a decent base, you shouldn't have much problem with even trying a century in July. It's all about what kind of pace you will be riding.