Bike Tour of Nevada - June 2009 

Vital Stats:

Total miles: Approximately 400
Elevation gain: 14,000 PLUS
Six Days with one rest day in Austin
Route - Highway 50 from Reno to Baker, Nevada. Nights spent at Lahontan Reservoir, Cold Springs Station, Austin, Eureka, Ely, Great Basin National Park.
Gear: Rivendell Allrounder Bike with an extra 45 lbs. of gear

Intro: Because I had some issues with my phone charger and didn't want to use my phone battery up I didn't post much during the week of the tour so here is a recap of the ride after the fact. Little did I know I just couldn't find my charger because it was hiding from me in my camelback bag.

Day 1

Greg and I started our day with a coffee at Bibo Coffee Co. before heading up Geiger Grade to Virginia City, down six-mile canyon to highway 50, and then a mostly flat ride out to Lahontan Reservoir to camp. We expected Geiger to be the biggest pass of the trip in overall elevation gain. It’s not particularly steep averaging just over 5% for about 8 miles. It was a good first test with a fully loaded bike.


After cresting Geiger we stopped in V.C. and ate the first of what would be too many cheeseburgers across the state. Highway 50 doesn’t necessarily offer a lot of culinary options but it makes up for it in scenery.

After descending six-mile canyon we hit highway 50 and started heading east. The traffic was heavier here than any other point. We also had some road construction to contend with. Apparently the road crews were putting in the rumble strips on the new tarmac and had closed a stretch of the highway to one-lane. We got to ride the opposite shoulder while the car traffic waited. It was a little weird to be riding down the highway the wrong way on the left-hand shoulder.

Lahontan was a beautiful place to camp and we thought we were going to get some interesting weather. The storm missed us but not the winds which kept me up half the night. That and the mouse that liked to climb in between the rain tarp and mesh of my tent. I kept waking up with the silhouette of a mouse over my head. I think it wanted my trail mix.

Day 2 - Lahontan Reservoir to Cold Springs Station

The next morning we opted to forgo a real camp breakfast and ride the 20 miles into Fallon to eat. We loaded up on calories and left Jerry’s diner ready to get into the “real” Nevada landscape. We weren’t disappointed. After Fallon we stopped off at Grimes Petroglyphs for a quick walk and got buzzed by some “top gun” pilots from the Fallon Air Base.

Then it was down the road until we came to the Salt Flats and Sand Mountain. These are some of the features that make Nevada so beautiful. I think maybe people who know NV can often take these landscapes for granted because we ran into other cyclists who were struck by the stark beauty.

We were less impressed with the evidence of Mormon crickets that started to show up on the tarmac. Around the time we hit Middlegate (and had another Cheeseburger) we were seeing and hearing the huge crickets all over and Greg managed to take a few out with his fat pasela touring tires.


After Middlegate we rode on to our final destination of Cold Springs Station, a private RV campground with huge solar panels. The family who runs the campground were having a birthday party and we were treated to a pretty impressive fireworks display after dinner. I didn’t expect a shower that night but I was pretty happy to have one.


Day 3 - Cold Springs Station to Austin

We broke camp and were about to ride on to Austin when I realized that the head of the bolt for my rear rack had popped off leaving part of my rack precariously perched on a thin piece of metal. Since the majority of the load I was carrying was in the rear I was a bit worried about it working loose. Never underestimate the power of a zip-tie. The zip-tie kept the road vibration from working the bolt out of the frame and we safely road the 50ish miles into Austin. The final climb was the first time that I had to use my granny gear on the trip.

Austin is a small town that receives a lot of motorcycle traffic. It's quite scenic but doesn't offer many services. We opted to take a rest day in town if only to wait for the True Value hardware store to open and replace the bolt that had broken on my rack. It also gave us a chance to hike up to Stokes Castle and down a few beers at the local watering hole, The International.

Day 4 - Austin to Eureka

The beginning of the 4th day greeted us with climbing out of Austin since it is perched half way up one of the steepest climbs of the trip. Much of the day was spent riding across one of the more desolate stretches of Highway 50 and some beautiful peaks. We also ran into a group of 4 cyclists that we were to leapfrog several times over the course of the next few days. Katherine, Ross, Drew and Tony are riding across the U.S. on their way to Connecticut for the Lea Foundation. They are raising awareness for the fight against Leukemia. After arriving in Eureka we had a nice Chinese dinner with them.


Unlike Austin, which seems like it is barely hanging on as a town, Eureka felt like a thriving metropolis with a brand new Fire Department building and, of course, the famous Opera House. We settled down for a night in the Jackson Hotel and prepared for the next day.

Day 5 - Eureka to Ely

Day 5 was in many ways to be the most challenging because of the lack of services along the route and the 4 passes we had ahead of us. It was also epic because of the incredible views going up and over the mountains. It was approximately 78 miles without any services. The most challenging thing about the day was looking at the Adventure Cycling map of the route and expecting a nice descent into Ely and instead facing a hot slog with a headwind over the last 15 miles when we were both tired and ready for a break.


I'm not sure precisely what Harry Reid has done to piss off so many Ely residents but these signs were everywhere. Ironically Senator Reid's name also appears on the "walk of fame" outside one of their nicer hotels in old downtown area.


That night we relaxed with a beer and our friends heading to Connecticut.


Day 6 - Ely to Baker and Great Basin National Park

The final day proved to be in many ways the most fun of he entire trip because of the scenery and also because we had our first dose of "weather." Up to that point the days had been typical with clear skies and highs in the 80s and lows in the 50s. As we left Ely we could see some clouds heading our way and as we reached the Connors Pass the storm hit. I had tailwinds pushing me down the mountain and paused at Majors Junction to wait for Greg. Even though we had gusts of up to 40 mph and rain on the horizon we kept descending and crossed Spring Valley quickly. I hit speeds of 55 mph which matched the fastest speed I have ever reached on a bike from descending Monitor Pass a few years ago on the Death Ride. Unfortunately, I was only able to get a photo of my computer as I hit 50 mph.


The rain hit us as we started the base of the climb up to Sacramento Pass. The wet and the relief from the sun was welcome. We also had some great views of Wheeler Peak.

From Sacramento Pass we descended into Baker, Nevada, a little hamlet with lots of personality. Unlike many of the other little towns we passed through on our way across the state, Baker includes some more interesting culinary delights. Silver Jack's was selling some decent wine and brie. Unfortunately for us we had what was to be our most challenging climb ahead of us from Baker up into Great Basin National Park and into our final campsite. The steepest pitch of the climb was probably around 8% which isn't terrible but with a fully loaded bike and over 8 miles in can get a bit tiring. If that wasn't enough the last 3 miles of the climb was on a dirt road with a headwind and stinging rain in our faces and thunder and lightning around us. No complaints because the camp was beautiful and the kind of rides that challenge you as a cyclist make for some of your best memories after they are done.






In the end I don't know that I could have asked for much better of an experience riding across Nevada. It was beautiful, desolate, and pretty much everything I could have hoped for. I did realize that while I liked the loaded touring experience for a week-long trip I don't think I have much interest in a bike ride across America. Smaller trips seem ideally suited for this type of riding. Perhaps a the red rock loop down near Bryce and Zion is in my future.