We have completed our 31-mile scenic bike ride through Los Alamos, Bandelier, and White Rock, and I will have a full blog post by Monday evening. The ride began at the Los Alamos YMCA at Central and Iris (~7400 ft msl), continued over Omega bridge and onto NM-501 for about 6 miles until we turned south onto NM-4, which had no traffic because Bandelier National Monument was closed. After a very pleasant 6 miles, we passed the entrance to Bandelier and continued to ride up and down the rolling mesas of NM-4 for another 10 miles before reaching White Rock (~6300 ft msl). The final climb into Los Alamos on East Jemez Road (NM-501) was a moderately comfortable 5% grade for about 5 of the final 8 miles. There's a funny story about that final climb so I encourage you to read next week's post.
It was a great ride but we barely escaped thunderstorms which produced a torrential downpour soon after we arrived back at the Y. You can view our approximate route at http://www.mapmyride.com/s/routes/view/bike-ride-map/new-mexico/los-alamos/17307492) where they rate the difficulty of this ride as Hard due to the climbing. I posted some pictures in the Photos Tab of this blog and will complete my article Monday evening because I have a hike planned for tomorrow!
In a nutshell, yes, I would recommend this ride to anyone in moderately good physical condition (not a beginner's ride!). Other rides in the area include up to the Pajarito ski area and over to Jemez Caldera. These all require intermediate to excellent physical condition due to the climbing involved.
Stay fit and healthy and as always, make it a fantastic day!
It was a great ride but we barely escaped thunderstorms which produced a torrential downpour soon after we arrived back at the Y. You can view our approximate route at http://www.mapmyride.com/s/routes/view/bike-ride-map/new-mexico/los-alamos/17307492) where they rate the difficulty of this ride as Hard due to the climbing. I posted some pictures in the Photos Tab of this blog and will complete my article Monday evening because I have a hike planned for tomorrow!
In a nutshell, yes, I would recommend this ride to anyone in moderately good physical condition (not a beginner's ride!). Other rides in the area include up to the Pajarito ski area and over to Jemez Caldera. These all require intermediate to excellent physical condition due to the climbing involved.
Stay fit and healthy and as always, make it a fantastic day!
~Lori Dotson, CPT
President, DotsoFit, LLC
All Rights Reserved (2011)
