Recap: Reverse Tiger
If you’re looking for a challenging route in the Lake Hope/Zaleski area - this is definitely the route for you!
The start location for the route is Lake Hope Little Sandy Mountain Bike Trailhead. I like this start location because it’s a relatively flat start and if you take a short ride or drive up the hill, you’ll find bathrooms with toilets that flush and running water for before or after you ride. And if it’s hot, like it was for us last weekend, you can enjoy your post-ride recovery drink in the cool lake waters at the beach!
This 47 mile route has approximately 4,700 ft of elevation gain and, believe me, you’re going to feel all of them! It starts off with very nice smooth pavement and a quick hop onto the Moonville rail trail which is flat but bumpy and takes you into Zaleski. Once you hit Zaleski, you make your first climb of the day on Atkinson Ridge which is one of the hardest climbs in the area and hits just shy of 23% grade on the way up.
You continue onto a mix of pavement and gravel surfaces with some rollers and some screaming fast descents. At mile 22, you will find yourself turning onto what appears to be a private road - it’s not. Here is where you might be lucky enough to see some tigers and other wild animals. We were lucky enough to see a couple monkeys but the tigers were in hiding.
Once you exit the animal sanctuary, you’ll find your next bit climb and this one will hit 21% grade on your way up. Mile 21? You guessed it! Another climb with a grade just shy of 21% on your way up! You’ll get a break from here until mile 41 with another big climb and finish your day with some rollers until the end. All in all, this route has 5 climbs that hit 19% or better in the 55 miles.
We finished out our day by helping a turtle across the road, giving scratches to this super friendly guy who enjoyed running alongside us, and enjoying the beautiful views. The route does pass by the historic and haunted Moonville Tunnel at the end and it’s always a great place to stop and catch your breath.
This is a great ride on very chill roads with climbing that never seems to end. I highly recommend it if you’re wanting to challenge yourself and maybe get lucky enough to catch sight of a tiger!
