Winding up the ski season while starting the biking season in California…a dream, right?

Lake Tahoe, in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. First, the arrival at South Lake Tahoe from a mountain stage of the Tour of California: quite a program for a road season opener. But keep your cool.

When I arrived in Truckee after a long car trip, I happened to choose a small 40-kilometre ride to warm up. Hah! A col, or pass, about 10 km long rose at an average 9% slope after a few kilometres. Humbling.

You have to bear in mind, as well, that it’s the huge amount of white gold – snow – that brought you here. So you can’t be surprised if impressive quantities of snow close off access to some roads, even in late May. And watch out for the traffic. The 115 kilometres of the tour around Lake Tahoe are absolutely magnificent, but there are a lot of cars.

My personal favourite: the short but magnificent bike path that joins Squaw Valley resort to Tahoe City running alongside the Truckee River. Then you can head north or south the length of Lake Tahoe.

Have a great ride!

See also: The California spring rush to the white gold