27 miles of bike path never looked so good with over 80 longboarders, bicyclists, and even some cool roller derby ladies pushing for the cause! The 4th Annual Skate the Lake took place on Saturday, August 23rd in Lake Tahoe with the event’s registration party going down the night before at Lakeside where Left Alone, Orbiter 500, and Love’s Tank rocked the night away well actually only until 11pm because everyone needed to get some much needed rest for the skate that was starting at sunrise the next morning!
The skate kicked off at Sugar Pines early in the am with all 80 some participants showing up stoked for the day ahead and for the first time since the events initiation the bike paths were clear of the (out of ordinary) September snow storms we’ve received in the previous years. Among the participants were club A.W.O.L. and Frank Alvarado’s Team Manteca. The Manteca crew was made up of nine riders-men, women, and even a few groms in support of a very dear friend of theirs who is currently battling breast cancer. The love and community support that this team brought set the tone for the whole day as we the saw the skaters off on their 27 mile journey.
Along the way we had several Clif Bar hydration stations for the riders to catch their breaths and get fueled up on electrolytes to help keep their bodies healthy for the miles ahead. This was also a time for all of the riders to catch up with each other as this isn’t a race and everyone’s positive energy and support of one another is what keeps these riders pushing on!
The skate ended in Tahoe City 5 hours after its early morning start with each skater cruising through the Red Bull arch finish line, where family, friends and loved ones cheered them on!
Through the exhausted legs, sweat, scrapes and bruises each skater pushed for the cause, they pushed in honor of someone, and they pushed to be more pro-active with their own health. It was definitely a day to remember and we thank everyone for their heart and soul in support this event and look forward to pushing with you all again next year.
We’d also like to thank Curt Sterner and Chuck Buckley for their hardwork and commitment to the cause, all of our event sponsors: Red Bull, Zola, Liquid Salvation, Clif Bar, Lakeside, Tahoe Longboards, Sector Nine, Arbor, Skullcandy, Paul Mitchell, Crux, Epitaph, Sessions, Taits, Sqauw Valley Resorts, Porters, Pabst Blue River, and Fuel TV was there all day long filming the event, with coverage of the day airing on the Boost Moblie Weekly Update! So big thanks to them for the love. Also, many thanks goes out to all of our wonderful volunteers and EMT’s for making the day an easy one to enjoy!
We’ll see you next year and stay tuned as we’re looking to bring Skate the Lake to more cities in 2009!
