Stateline, NV – Imagine the scenic beauty of Lake Tahoe with its crystal clear blue waters surrounded by towering majestic Sierra Nevada mountain peaks. Imagine riding a bicycle around its 72-mile shoreline. This Sunday, over 1,800, bicycling enthusiasts from all over the country will participate in the 10th Annual “Tour de Tahoe – Bike Big Blue – Ride to Cure Diabetes” around Lake Tahoe. This fun ride is not a race, but a fully supported tour offering spectacular scenery, fresh mountain air, rest stops with great food and beverage.

This year marks the third year participation of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) as their National Team Fundraiser “Ride to Cure Diabetes”.

“We are extremely pleased to host the JDRF National Team and to be their premiere Ride to Cure Diabetes fundraising event,” commented Event Director, Curtis Fong.

Bicyclists will ride two different tour options based on their ability level with all rides starting and finishing from the Horizon Casino Resort, located on U.S. Hwy. 50, in Stateline, Nev., on Lake Tahoe’s South Shore. For the “recreational” bicyclists, the Lake Tahoe Boat Cruise & 35 mile Half Ride is offered featuring a sightseeing boat cruise on Lake Tahoe Cruise’s Tahoe Queen Paddle Wheeler, complete with a continental breakfast across the Lake to the North Shore where participants start their 35 mile bike ride back to the Horizon. This ride option offers challenge as well as beauty with over 1,000 vertical feet of climbing along Lake Tahoe’s east shore.  This ride option is limited to 120 participants and 50 family members and guests with a non-bicycling option.

For the conditioned bicyclists, the 72 mile Tour de Tahoe route around Lake Tahoe is not only one of the most scenic, it is also one of the only bi-state bike rides in the country with it’s route in both California and Nevada. The 72-mile route circumnavigates the highways around Lake Tahoe in a clockwise direction and offers over 4,000 vertical feet of climbing.

Rest stops, stocked with a variety of fresh fruits, Nature’s Bakery Fig Bars, Cookies, Cytomax Sports Energy Drink, Power Bar, Power Gel and more are offered at Vikingsholm Parking lot overlooking Emerald Bay, at Homewood Mountain Resort, Kings Beach Plaza and Spooner Junction. A lunch is featured at the Kings Beach rest stop co-sponsored by Port of Subs. Tahoe Sports Ltd., Wattabike Shop, West Shore Sports, Olympic Bike Shop, Mighty Mobile Bicycle Repair, Shoreline Sports and others also provide technical support, with Crankin’ Time, Flume Trail Bikes and Wanna Ride Tahoe providing SAG Transport services. Sponsoring rest stops include volunteers from Kiwanis Club of Tahoe Sierra, Kiwanis Lake Tahoe Sunrisers, Bijou School Parents Association, Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care, Rite of Passage, Lake Tahoe Bicycle Coalition and other volunteers including the Tahoe Amateur Radio Association providing communications with Tahoe Center for Orthopedic/Barton Health Care and Douglas County Search & Rescue providing medical support.

All ride options begin at 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 a.m., with staggered 15-minute start windows. All bicyclists will receive a Lake Tahoe welcome packet, a commemorative number, event T-shirt, custom water bottle, wrist band, food & beverage at all rest stops, a lunch stop in Kings Beach, special finisher medals and after ride pasta feed and pool party with live entertainment at the Horizon Casino Resort.

While online event registration at www.bikethewest.com is now closed, on-site late registration will take place from noon to 8 p.m. this Saturday at Tahoe Sports Ltd., located on Hwy. 50 at Heavenly Village Way in South Lake Tahoe, Calif.; or from 5:30 to 7:30 a.m. on Sunday at the Horizon Casino back parking lot C. Participants must be at least 14 years of age to ride and must be accompanied by an adult. More information is available at www.bikethewest.com.

For those who enjoy organized racing, cyclists will take to the road at the Tahoe Sierra Century ride on Saturday, September 22, a race starting and finishing in Squaw Valley ski resort on Tahoe’s North Shore. The route has earned praise for its scenic races (30, 60 and 100-mile routes are available), demanding hill climbs and full-support services. For more information visit www.tahoesierracentury.com.