Members of the CycleMasters enjoyed a short trip to Las Vegas!
Ted Belanger
Las Vegas was the setting for 41 members of the CycleMasters to enjoy three fun-filled days from November 17-20, with cycling and socializing. Our first get-together was Tuesday night at the Grotto Italian Restaurant, where we indulged in a fabulous salad, pasta and pizza family style dinner. Following dinner we met in our party room for cocktails, and reviewed the next day’s ride out to the Red Rock Canyon.
The location of the downtown Golden Nugget Resort provided us the opportunity to ride on Wednesday directly from the hotel out to the Canyon via low traffic roads and nice bike lanes. The multi distance routes provided riders with a 16 mile ride, or a 32 mile ride, or a 48 mile ride. All the routes included the beautiful l6 mile loop through the Red Rock Canyon. This Canyon is a one-way road that gains over 1000 ft. of elevation in the first five miles of the ride. A couple of the hills involved 10-12 percent grades, but also provided the major downhills for the last eight miles. After that first day ride, we congratulated all the riders with another Happy Hour, followed by dinner on your own. We then regrouped for an entertaining show at the Golden Nugget featuring Gordie Brown.
On Thursday, the group drove out to the Railroad Pass Casino in Boulder City and rode the nice and quiet River Mountain Trail. This relatively flat ride proved to be a challenging 34 mile route along Lake Mead. The ride started flat and mostly downhill before we encountered the Three Sisters series of climbs. After the first sag stop the route took us along the shoreline, and then started a climb up the middle section through some very remote areas at a gradual rate for nine miles. The final four miles was downhill to our starting location at the Railroad Pass Casino, where we celebrated another great ride with a well-deserved lunch. A final Happy Hour was held back in our hotel to discuss all our fun days in Vegas.
The ride was enjoyed by all and could not have been a success without our sag support team of Linda Hart, Jeannie Lloyd and Gloria Belanger. They kept a close eye on all of us, provided water and snacks and offered support when needed.
We were incredibly lucky on our cycling tour, as despite the dangers of the Las Vegas roads, there were no accidents, and no one was injured. After all, it is no secret that cyclists are particularly vulnerable and are at an increased risk of sustaining a personal injury.
That being said, when it comes down to finding a personal injury attorney las vegas is home to some fantastic legal professionals, so if you ever find yourself injured on the roads, following your recovery, it is fundamental that you get legal advice.
For now though, as our club motto says, “We cycle for fun, fitness and fellowship.” This trip definitely filled all of these categories!