Red Hills and Kayenta (11/12/2016)

Date: Saturday, November 12
Meet time: 10:00 a.m. MST
Ride-out time: 10:30 a.m. MST
Meeting place: Maverik, 995 E. St. George Blvd. (map)
City: St. George, Utah
Rain policy: Rain cancels; make-up date is Nov. 13
Pace: 2 - medium pace
Terrain: 3 - rolling hills with some steep climbs
Miles: 34

Autumn in southern Utah is a perfect time to ride! It's only about two hours (or maybe even a little less) from Las Vegas, and you get to see the amazing Virgin River Gorge on your way up and back.

We'll meet just off I-15 Exit 8 in the heart of St. George, and we don't waste any time getting right into the climbing. We begin with a climb of about 350 feet in the first two miles up Red Hills Parkway, and you'll immediately see some of the breathtaking scenery that makes this such a wonderful place to ride. Next, we'll head up Snow Canyon Parkway through Ivins and into the desert community of Kayenta with its smooth, almost-empty roads that attract cyclists from all around.

We'll ride out to the Shivwits Band of Paiute Indians reservation for our rest stop, and then we'll head back through Ivins and into Santa Clara on a glorious new bike lane that was recently added. We'll head back into St. George and slowly climb through the historic downtown district on our way to our final climb, back up Red Hills Parkway in the other direction and then back down to our meeting point.

Ride With GPS reports about 2,000 feet of climbing for this ride. Food, water, and toilets are available inside Maverik. Park and meet in the rear parking lot behind the gas station, near Denny's. Look for the ALC banner!

Nevada riders, note: St. George is on Mountain Time, one hour ahead of Las Vegas.

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Three Sisters and Wetlands Park (11/19/2016)

Date: Saturday, November 19
Meet time: 8:30 a.m.
Ride-out time: 9:00 a.m.
Meeting place: Fiesta Henderson, 777 West Lake Mead Parkway (map)
City: Henderson, Nevada
Rain policy: Rain cancels; make-up date is Nov. 20
Pace: 2 - medium pace
Terrain: 3 - rolling hills with some steep climbs
Miles: 36

For our first Henderson ride of this season, we'll spend much of the day on some of the area's excellent paved pathways. And when I say "pathway," don't think it's all flat and easy -- there are a couple of "interesting" climbs on today's route.

We start with a few miles of very gentle climbing on the Union Pacific Railroad Trail, which gains about 400 feet of elevation on its way to the edge of Henderson. Then we'll make a quick connection under 515/95/93 to join the River Mountains Trail, and we'll conquer the Sisters, a series of short but moderately steep hills, but in the easier direction. We'll take our rest stop near Lake Las Vegas area, and then we'll circle around the north hills of Lake Las Vegas before we pick up the Wetlands Park trail, 6 miles of rollercoaster-type hills up and down and around the desert. After that, it's a bit of city-style riding on Gibson Road before we again pick up the Union Pacific trail for our last mile back to the Fiesta.

Ride With GPS reports about 1,700 feet of climbing for this ride. The Fiesta is freeway-convenient, right at the end of the 215 where it meets 95. Toilets, water, and a Starbucks are available inside the Fiesta. Park and meet in the rear parking lot partway up the hill on Fiesta Henderson Blvd., near the train tracks. Look for the ALC banner!

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Blue Diamond loop (11/5/2016)

Date: Saturday, November 5
Meet time: 8:00 a.m.
Ride-out time: 8:30 a.m.
Meeting place: McGhie's, 4035 S. Fort Apache Rd. (map)
City: Las Vegas, Nevada
Rain policy: Rain cancels; make-up date is November 6
Pace: 2 - medium pace (10-12mph)
Terrain: 2 - rolling hills
Miles: 31

We'll do the loop out to Blue Diamond and back, this time in the direction with the more gradual but somewhat longer climb -- only 1,300 feet over 15 miles, so it's really not too bad at all. And after that, it's all downhill for the rest of the ride! Experienced riders who want a more robust ride can optionally add the Red Rock Canyon scenic loop for another 1,200 feet and 13 miles.

McGhie's won't be open early in the morning when we ride out, but park and meet in the back of the parking lot away from the main entrance. Look for the black pickup truck with all the ALC stuff! Several gas stations and mini-marts with toilets, food, and water are nearby.

You don't have to be registered for ALC 2017 to join us on our training rides! In fact, we hope that after you've ridden with us, you'll be motivated to join us for the main event from San Francisco to Los Angeles next June ... registration for ALC 2017 is still open.

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