Riding 100+ Miles In Beautiful Lincoln County Saturday

If you bike 100 miles in Nevada in one day, that's an exceptional feat because there are mountains and winds everywhere.

That's why Saturday's Park to Park 100-mile bicycle ride in Lincoln County that links four parks along with the rural towns of Caliente and Pioche was one of the most challenging single-day bicycle rides.

I will be writing a travel story on this bicycle trek for the Review-Journal, but I wanted to give people a pictorial peak at beautiful Lincoln County and four of its state parks.

More than 200 riders pedaled the 100-mile, 60-mile and 40-mile rides, with people happy about the great support stations and the low-key, casual atmosphere of the ride.

I can't imagine anyone could have been more cheery and upbeat at 7 a.m. than the ride organizer, Dawn Andone, Nevada State Parks interpretive ranger.

Some rides have loud rock music to kick off the ride. This ride had a ranger say on a microphone: "OK, 100-mile riders, you can go."

There wasn't a lot of flash -- just friendly rangers and volunteers making sure we were filled with water, Clif Bars, bananas and peanut butter sandwiches.

Let's go to the pics.

And we're off -- it was 47 degrees when we took off -- it hit 88 on the ride.

Here's my friend Larry from Mesquite biking into Cathedral Gorge State Park off US 93. We hit this state park at mile 20.

Cathedral Gorge is a mini Bryce Canyon National Park.

Then it was off to Pioche.

Looks like Pioche was a hopping place at one time.

Then it was a visit to Echo Canyon State Park at mile 46..

There was a sweet back road that linked Echo Canyon with Spring Valley State Park through Eagle Valley.

We had lunch at Spring Valley State Park at mile 56..

Then it was a big climb back to Pioche.

And this is how you feel after biking 100 miles.

Bike Lanes Next To Parking and Being Doored

It's hard to get bicyclists to agree on what they believe is the safest infrastructure.

Some bicyclists want bike lanes everywhere and well-intentioned obliging road planners plot bike lanes next to parking spaces in downtowns like this one in Las Vegas.

Other bicyclists want to bike just like they would if they drove a car.

These "vehicular bicyclists" have a great point about unsafe bike lanes and biking in the traffic lane because putting in bike lanes right next to parking spots is a recipe for disaster -- namely, being doored and hitting the asphalt.

Plus, cars routinely drive in bike lanes. Like here.

Cycling The Wednesday Morning Ride With Las Vegas Cyclery

Returned to the Las Vegas Cyclery Wednesday morning ride.

First, we pop on the 215 trail.

Then, it's biking 159 in Red Rock Canyon,

Plus, we bike into Calico Basin.

And then we turn around at the Red Rock overlook on 159 and head for home. An added cyclist -- the mysterious "White Shirt Man" -- even joined the group on the way back.

The Story Behind The Breaking Away Reunion Story

When I first saw Dennis Christopher, he was dressed in dark pants, a white long-sleeve shirt with a vest and Converse sneakers.

He was slim with a scruffy beard as he sauntered merrily into an empty ballroom at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center, where I was poised (and nervous) about interviewing him along with fellow actor pals Dennis Quaid and Jackie Earle Haley for their Breaking Away reunion at the Interbike trade show.

For a mili-second, he looked like a fixie-riding hipster, who probably drank super hoppy IPAs. But that moment came and went quickly and the scenes of Christopher from 36 years ago came zooming back in my memory bank.

He was not a hipster but a young man named Dave Stoller of Bloomington, Indiana, who shaved his legs, raced on a Masi and fell in love with a sorority co-ed at Indiana University.

We quickly engaged in the interview I was doing for this story on the Breaking Away reunion for the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

But the interview quickly morphed into a wonderful conversation between a reporter who returned to 1979 when the movie debuted and a lovely man who adored the opportunity to chat with strangers about their love affair with a movie that won an Academy Award for its screenplay writer, Steve Tesich, and a Golden Globe for best motion picture.

I loved the way Christopher and Haley, who played pint-sized, long-haired, body-building Moocher, embraced and the genuine mutual affection between the two.

Then Quaid walked in, and the hunky one gave Christopher a bear hug. The three easily chatted and talked like three 50-something buds catching up at a high school reunion.

Christopher went on to appear in 40 big-screen and TV movies, but he's most known for playing Dave Stollar. I cover a lot of the movie's plot in the Review-Journal story, so I won't repeat it here.

But Christopher said he loved playing Dave because of the subtle comedic lines and that the smorgasbord of sub-plots in the movies allowed viewers to pick and choose whatever story line resonated with them.

There was the townie v university, son v father, local racer v Italian racers themes woven together with a subtle, humorous and clever touches.

Christopher called it a throwback movie and said today's movies "jostle" the film-goer.

I hope you enjoy the RJ story.  

Bicycles Take Over Mandalay Bay

Nothing like dudes rolling bicycles through Mandalay Bay's restaurant row. It's nice to see security not busting anyone's balls for having a bicycle inside a building.

Great evening at the Interbike media product preview event on Tuesday.

Interbike Weeks Kicks Off With The Outdoor Demo

It's dusty. It's windy. It's toasty.

It can only be Interbike's Outdoor Demo at Bootleg Canyon in Boulder City.

Let's take a look.

The High Holy Rolling Days Are Here

The invasion of the bicycle people is happening in Las Vegas as the most special week is upon us -- Interbike Week. It's the national bicycle trade show. Or as I like to call it, The High Holy Days.

The first two days are the dirt demo where bicycle lovers try out gorgeous mountain bikes and road bicycles at Bootleg Canyon in Boulder City and then it's at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center for the trade show Wednesday to Friday.

And don't forget the famed World Cup CrossVegas bike race at Desert Breeze Park on Wednesday. and Customer Appreciation Day on Friday.

You can tell the Interbike folks are in town because I saw a lot of new faces and bicycles on SR 159 in Red Rock Canyon this morning.

When you see someone riding an urban commuter bike or a portable folding bike on the 159 shoulder, you know someone is exhibiting at Interbike.

Speaking of Red Rock Canyon, there's nothing like missing it for a week to realize how beautiful it is. I'm back in town after a week visiting Great Basin and Yosemite National Parks, the east Sierras, Lake Tahoe and Mount Whitney and Red Rock Canyon can hold its own in the landscape looks department.

I was biking on the scenic loop this morning and I still stare at the beauty of the The Big Red Stripe.