Luke Lamperti’s favorite ride goes from his hometown of Sebastopol, California, to the ranch on Clear Lake that his family has farmed since 1887.
Luke first rode it with his dad and his brother when he was a little kid. He and his family would often cycle up to tend the cattle, horses, and sheep that roam their land far above the blue waters of California’s largest freshwater lake. They would ride dirt bikes, mountain bikes, and four-wheelers between stints mowing fields on their tractor.
“To be back in Sebastopol and be able to train on home roads in such a nice spot in the world to ride bikes and where I grew up is always super special,” Luke said. “And then to come back here to the ranch where I learned how to work and spent so much time with family is great. I have so many memories here.”
Luke loves exploring California wine country. After all these years, he is still finding new ways to crisscross the green valleys and oak-covered hills around Sebastopol.
“Obviously, I am biased, but it is my favorite place in the world to train,” Luke said. “You have a lot of variety. I can ride every single direction from home and see something different. You’re close to the ocean. You’re close to warmer mountains. It’s not too far to the snow. You have a lot of different climates and a lot of different areas with a lot of cool stuff to do. I’m usually here in the wintertime, when I have a little bit more freedom to enjoy the roads and explore, and there is always something new.”
Luke’s favorite route is his family’s classic point-to-point, though. It rises through the misty vineyards of Sonoma County to the steep, rocky terrain of the Mayacamas Mountains, with their slopes studded with Mendocino cypress and gray and knobcone pines. After crossing Ida Clayton Road, with views out over Mount Saint Helena, and the Big Canyon Climb, it drops down toward Clear Lake and the farm where so many of Luke’s fondest memories were formed.
Luke's route
“You usually start in foggy, socked-in vineyards, riding wine country roads that are all windy and up-and-down,” Luke said. “You don’t see much through the fog before you get into the mountains and you start climbing. The sun will come out as you get to the tops of the mountains, and then you descend back down into the fog. Then you go up through the forest and pine trees and head back down from there toward our warm mountain lake.”
That lake is where Luke will always feel most at home. His family’s ranch on Clear Lake taught him discipline and how to have his own fun and gave him his work ethic. Ripping around it on dirt bikes with his brother, he learned skills he still uses to race to the front of the WorldTour peloton. Clear Lake is where Luke now goes to slow down and spend time with his family.
“It’s a lot of work, but it doesn’t feel like work the same way it would sitting at a desk or whatever for me,” Luke said. “When I was a kid, I was in a rush to do everything, and I still am, but I do really enjoy working up here.”
It’s a wonderful place to ride a bike, too. Go beyond your universe with Luke Lamperti in Northern California.