Riding here is as varied as it can get. Lower elevations tend to favor
road bikes (though not always!). Higher elevations tend to favor mountain
bikes. Currently all rides listed are road (paved) rides, but we
plan to add in some mountain bike rides soon. Of course, either road bikes
or mountain bikes work great on the paved rides listed above.
If anything is common throughout El Dorado county, is that it's a very rare ride you won't encounter hills. The amount of climbing depends on the
direction you go. If your ride tends to be more east-west, then you tend
to follow rivers (or ridges) and the hill climbing will "tend" to be
more gradual. North-South routes are more hilly, but can be more scenic...
nothing beats a sweeping view from a hilltop or ridge.
One note about the ride ratings... there's very few "easy" rides around here, unless you limit yourself to the bike
path in Placerville. As far as being moderate or difficult, that really depends on the
person. I tried to classify it based on experience of those in the local
bike group, and considering distance and elevation gains. Always, these
ratings are subjective at best. Beginners will find the moderate rides
difficult, whereas experienced riders may find the difficult rides easy. I
tried to classify towards the "semi-experienced" rider - someone who
finds a 10-20 mile bike ride as moderate.
Climate varies as much as the terrain. Lower elevations tend to be hot
in the summer and moderately cool in the winter (about half the winter days you
can still ride). Higher elevations - above 4000 ft - can have snow in the winter, but be relatively mild in the
summer - great place to escape from the valley heat. A few minutes drive up or down the hill can make a world of
difference!
Most people tend to bicycle in the lower elevations (less than 4,000 ft)
where there are more paved roads. Some roads are busy with traffic (and we'll point these out as best
as we can), while others have practically no traffic at all.
One region bears special mentioning... Apple Hill. This is a popular
place to ride, but in the Fall season, the automobile and bus traffic can be enormous! Best to avoid this area between Labor Day (early September) and
Christmas (tree cutting for the holidays). Spring and Summer are the best
times to ride here.
