Reno, a rare oasis in the Nevada desert, is known the world around for its wedding chapels, gambling casinos, marquis entertainers and many nearby ski resorts. It was also the Reno roads and nearby   Sierra Mountain Range that hardened the man who would re-energize bicycling in America, Greg Lemond.  Here now 30 years after Lemond shocked the world by winning the Tour de France, Reno is embracing his legacy by committing large amounts of resources to making all levels of its bicycling FUN.

None of this could even begin to come  true until 1928. It was then that the dirt roads of the Lincoln Hwy gave way to a paved US 40 over foreboding Donner Pass and the rest of the Sierra Mountain Range.  In 1937, eleven years after Reno welcomed this exciting development with the Reno Arch pictured below,  Bill Harrah opened up the bingo business that would go on to become the 925-room Harrah’s Hotel and Resort Casino.

Long a world class drawing power, it is from this highly regarded establishment that we will show you the new form of travel and resulting tourism, the City of Reno is basing its future growth upon. It is toward this end, that Reno has turned to Complete Streets and bicycling in a big way!l

It’s 226 miles of brightly striped bike lanes (plus 76 miles of paved paths)  on what is usually new looking black asphalt thanks to its annual slurry re-sealing program, place it quite readily on a par with all the top bike cities in America. In many respects, there is better cycling in Reno than can be found in any large city anywhere. With 233,000 people and a 69 square  mile footprint or 3,376 people per sq. mile, it contrasts with Northern California’s  large bike cities

• San Francisco: 852,469  people and 49 square miles (17,397 people per sq mile)
• Oakland: 413,775 people and 56 square miles (7,388 people per sq mile)
• San Jose: 1,015,785 people and  174 square miles (5,837 people per sq mile)
• Sacramento: 485,199 people and  97 square miles (5,002 people per sq mile)

such that traffic (and railroad tracks) is not a constant annoyance. Nor is the morning and evening cool of the San Francisco Bay Area a cause for much concern. During the summer in Reno,  (like in Sacramento and Davis) the 60 to 70 degree morning temps make cycling very enjoyable especially before 12-noon.

To find  out where to ride your bike to in Reno and how to safely pedal to these places,  click on any of places we have noted at:

Reno Attractions.