If you’re looking for an entry point into gravel for any level of rider, you can’t find a better place than Bike Dog Brewing’s Thursday night Shred Dog ride out of In Velo Veritas.
It all starts with community and Sacramento has one of the best along with its overlapping cyclocross scene.
Part of what makes this ride so welcoming is obviously the elevation which is about as flat as it can possibly get, but don’t let that fool you.
The ride is split up into two groups with the fast leaving first while the majority stick to the party pace with a number of regroups.
Meeting out of Old Sac on Thursdays at 5:30pm between April and October, the rides are typically led by Kevin of In Velo Veritas.
Clocking in around twenty miles, it may surprise you that most of the ride takes place outside of Sacramento County as crossing the river over the iconic Tower Bridge puts you in Yolo where you soon pass the minor league ballpark.
After skirting through another couple miles of city streets, we paralleled the Sacramento Ship Channel with its wide, sweeping turn, but the best part was when it straightened out due south….sort of.
While you can stick to a cardinal direction, the fun is found in the pathways in the floodplain below that has plenty of options with none of them really wrong.
The ride does backtrack for a mile, but then again you can just choose a different offshoot which is what makes doing this ride multiple times a joy.
Exiting out to the edge of the suburbs, we crossed into the farmlands stopping at Dave’s for water refills, popsicles, watermelon bites and an overabundance of nuts and produce where maybe you should save your shopping for later.
Heading over to our other section of dirt intersects us with the former Oakland, Antioch, and Eastern Railway bridge that discontinued service in 1940 with the levy above the Sacramento River waiting for us on the other side.
Once we got on the bank, it was time to let loose on nearly six miles of smooth gravel albeit interrupted by the occasional gate.
While not a race, it’s just fun to spin where there’s a gliding feeling no matter how hard you go.
Getting back on the streets closes the loop pedaling back over the Tower Bridge, but now heading over to Bike Dog Brewing’s Broadway location where most people park before the ride to address the different ending point.
The majority of the group ends up grabbing a pint or anything refreshing just an extension of enjoying the company you just shared on the bike.
Gravel is not just about the riding, but the community you share and few can do it as good as Thursday Night’s Shred Dog.