Springtime: Time to get out on the bike trail

To explain why Anne Macquarie joined in Muscle Powered's first group ride of the season, you would have had to have been there.

"All you have to do is look around at this beautiful day in Washoe Valley," she said.

Muscle Powered, a community advocacy group to promote walking and biking in Carson City, started hosting the rides about four years ago, but they sort of tapered off last year.

Although Vickie Pritchett commutes by bicycle to work, she wanted more time in the saddle, so she volunteered to be the group leader.

"I was tired of there not being rides," she said. "We weren't riding enough, and I needed to get out."

The group held its first ride Sunday around the Franktown loop in Washoe Valley and will hold another ride this Sunday. After that, there will be a ride each Saturday until April 17.

The rides will serve as a training ground for the Chico Wildflower Century on April 25 in Chico, Calif.

The Wildflower ride offers three distances. The most popular is a 100-mile loop out of Chico, up the foothills to Paradise to Oroville, then back over Table Mountain through Durham back to Chico.

A shorter Mildflower offers a 65-mile alternative, and the Flatflower has a 30- or 60-mile option void of hills.

However, the rides are open to anyone who wants to join, regardless of the end goal.

"It's an easy way to get exercise and socialize at the same time," said Kelly Clark.

She said the rides used to extend into the fall, but they stopped doing that because of unpredictable weather. Now, she said, the rides are scheduled on clear, mostly sunny days.

"We've had a few miserable ride accidentally," she said. "But we usually don't go if it's cold or rainy. There's no reason to be uncomfortable."

Anyone can join in on the rides, the only requirement is to join Muscle Powered. Riders can do so the day of the ride or online at musclepowered.org.

"Bicyclists are really friendly people," Macquarie said. "There's a lot of camaraderie."

All rides meet at 10 a.m. and are as follows:

March 20 - Meet at the park in Genoa: Genoa to Cottonwoods, 20 miles

March 27 - Meet at Bower's Mansion: Loop around Washoe Lake, 24 miles

April 3 - Meet at Mormon Station Park in Genoa: Genoa to Woodfords, back River Road, approximately 40 miles

April 10 - Meet at Mormon Station Park in Genoa: Genoa to Woodfords, back Diamond Valley Loop, approximately 44 miles

April 17 - Meet at Target: Target to Cottonwoods, approximately 40 miles

April 25 - Chico Wildflower Ride

For more information, go to musclepowered.org.