Re: Cycling Blog

By: Jay Howard 

Welcome readers and thanks for joining the discussion today. Be sure to read on if you’ve ever thought it might be a good idea to clean the dust from that bicycle in the garage, and hit the pathways. We’d like to announce a new opportunity for members-only of the Truckee Meadows Parks Foundation. The event will be a very simple guided group bike ride on the Erica Grief Veterans (paved) Pathway from the Rosewood Nature Study Area. The intent here is to put together a ‘fun ride’ that anyone can participate in, regardless of age or skill level. Just a basic ability to ride a bike and a functioning bicycle (you can also rent bikes around town if you don’t have one). But you will need a willingness to join in with others and have a good time. And don't be concerned at all about the possibility of a flat tire, chain coming off, or anything else, we’ve got you covered! This will not be a mountain bike ride, with crazy climbing or downhilling, nor will it be a race. Slow and easy will win the race with the Rosewood Group Fun Rides. Distance shouldn’t be a concern either since we’ll only be doing a few miles down to the river and back the first time out. Of course, we’ll change it up with different distances and destinations, but will always do an out and back from Rosewood for convenience. And we definitely encourage and welcome Adaptive Cyclers.

My name is Jay Howard and cycling became a passion for me a little later in life, so to speak. I think I was in my mid-40’s when I decided to try the trails up at Tahoe for the first time. Of course I grew up on a Schwinn when I was a kid just like everyone else. At that age, the bicycle was the only way to get around. Back then most kids were allowed to ride all over town and I remember strapping my fishing pole to the crossbar of my handle bars and riding to the Truckee River with the neighbor kid to fish on weekends. But as you grow and get older, and career and family comes along, not a whole lot else tends to happen but career and family.

I found myself living and working up at Tahoe as a park ranger by the early 2000’s. At Tahoe, you are surrounded by some of the best cycling in the world. These strange new things called mountain bikes had already hit the scene on trails by about the mid 80’s. That caused something of an uproar (I, like a lot of people, thought trails were really just for hiking), but that is another story for another time. Around 2012 or so, I decided to try riding the trails on my first Costco mountain bike...then never looked back. I was hooked. What a great way to get out, get some excellent exercise, blow off steam, and see a lot of great territory. I also quickly realized though I needed a better bike! This led to a few different bikes over the years when I decided it wasn’t such a good idea to be 15 miles in the backcountry with a Costco bike. But lucky for us almost any kind of bike works for a Rosewood fun ride.

Let’s talk more and ride at the inaugural Rosewood Group Fun Ride. I strongly encourage our members to come out if you can, and don’t forget your bike helmet. Keep an eye out for the announcement in our newsletter… probably sometime late Spring. Hope to see you there!

---

About the Author

Jay Howard 

Trails Program Manager

Jay is our Trails Program Manager and works to implement the goals of the Truckee Meadows Trails Initiative. He comes to us after a 30 year career with Nevada State Parks. His time with State Parks involved several years being a recreation specialist for the Nevada Tahoe Resource Team, and 13 years as park supervisor for Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park (Sand Harbor, Spooner Lake and Backcountry, Cave Rock, and Van Sickle). Jay loves the outdoors and is an avid hiker and mountain biker. And let's not forget, professional volunteer. Jay enjoys working with the Thunderbird Lodge Preservation Society and Tahoe Mountain Bike Patrol.