Because of the nature of the delta, you will fight heat-driven headwinds until you are north of the delta, then the wind favors you. If you decide to ride Bakersfield to Redding, try to ride in the wee hours while you are in the San Joaquin valley, like 3:00 AM to 10:00 AM. Once into the Sacramento valley, start after 9:00 AM and let that wind carry you as far as you like.
For those unfamiliar with Central Valley geography, and why the coldest winter is a summer's day in San Francisco, here's a primer. As the summer sun heats the land and air of the Central Valley, said air becomes less dense and rises up the mountains (Sierra, Tehachapis, Siskiyous). This air must be replaced. Replacement air comes in from the ocean at the San Francisco bay, which cools SF immensely and makes Rio Vista a board-sailing Mecca. At the delta, this airflow splits north/south. In the event of a stubborn high pressure system, all bets are off; you get baked without any breeze.