Central Valley Daily

June 19: Cyclists Pedal to Kaiser Pass This Weekend For One Of The Toughest Rides in America

By Elizabeth Arakelian,

Cresencio Rodriguez-Delgado, Jonathan Linden

Published June 19, 2025 at 5:00 AM PDT

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This weekend, cyclists will pedal thousands of feet into the Sierra National Forest for the “Climb to Kaiser.” The annual ride is ranked as one of the top 10 toughest rides in America. Fresno Cycling Club President Dennis Ball tells us why people take on the grueling challenge.

Plus, the latest news headlines: President Trump made renewed calls to defund the High Speed Rail, a UC Merced study shows mass deportations could impact California’s economy, and the CEO of Kaweah Health announces his retirement.

Central Valley Daily

Elizabeth Arakelian

A Valley native, Elizabeth earned her bachelor's degree in English Language Literatures from the University of California, Santa Cruz and her master's degree in journalism from New York University. She has covered a range of beats. Her agriculture reporting for the Turlock Journal earned her a first place award from the California Newspaper Publishers Association.

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Cresencio Rodriguez-Delgado

Cresencio Rodriguez-Delgado is KVPR's News Director. Prior to joining the station's news department in 2022, he was a reporter for PBS NewsHour and The Fresno Bee.

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Jonathan Linden

Jonathan Linden is a podcast producer at KVPR. Born and raised in Riverside, he's a Southern California native. Jonathan's passion for public radio began at a young age when his brother would play NPR while driving him home from middle school. He earned his B.A. in journalism from Biola University in 2019.

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