In the latest instalment of QUOC's City Guides, we head inland from the California coast to Sacramento — a city most cyclists pass through on their way to somewhere else. Our guide is Joshua Strong: a storyteller and filmmaker whose work behind the camera has made them one of American cycling's most recognised race photographers — but it's their eye for Sacramento's overlooked details that makes them the ideal guide to a city they've chosen to call home. Flanked by San Francisco to the west and the Sierra Nevada to the east, Sacramento sits quietly between two of the West Coast's most celebrated landscapes. But as Joshua makes clear, spend a few days here and you'll realise it's not just a waypoint, but a cycling city that stands on its own.

Sacramento is so dynamic. I think people easily write it off when they look at it geographically. A lot of people think it's flat and there's not much landscape to explore. But if you want urban riding, there's plenty in the heart of the city. There are bike trails that follow the American River, and you can ride from the city using the bike trail — not touching any cars — all the way to Folsom, which is in the foothills.

Once you get to Folsom, the foothills open up and you can start getting elevation. Whether that's road, mountain bike, or gravel, once you're in the Folsom Lake area, it spans out from there. You can head up to Auburn or Salmon Falls. It's only about 25 to 30 miles from the city itself.

There's also so much road riding. If you don't want to go into the hills, you can stay flat and ride around the Davis area. A lot of people do the Winters ride, which is another town outside Sacramento. There are roads galore — think of almost like an Unbound grid, but for road. It's relatively flat — I mean, you have rollers — but no matter what you're looking for, whether it's full gas road riding or hitting the hills for road, gravel or mountain biking, there are so many options.

Sacramento is so centrally located between San Francisco and Tahoe. If you're in Sacramento and want to go to the Bay, you can get there by train or a quick two-hour drive. Or you can go up to the mountains — if you're a skier or want more intense mountain biking, they're really accessible. It's like an hour and a half drive.

Sacramento itself might be relatively flat, but we're between two really cool places. And depending on where you're coming from, it might be cheaper to fly and stay in Sacramento. You still have access to everything you need, versus it costing an arm and a leg to stay in Tahoe or the Bay.

The best recommendation, if you're willing to travel just a little outside Sacramento, would be the Sunday Social run by Pretty Great Instant Coffee. It's honestly just a WhatsApp group chat, but people post it on their Instagram stories. It's welcome to anyone. The locals organise it and it's sponsored by Pretty Great Instant Coffee and run by Bicycle Emporium, which is a bike shop in Auburn.

A lot of people would probably recognise it from Lachlan Morton's social media because he's based in Auburn. He's the celebrity appearance at that ride most weeks. They go on adventures through Auburn. Every other week is gravel, and the other weeks it's mountain bike. They switch it up.

Tony, who runs that ride, will send you through places you would not have imagined. He finds all the little nooks and crannies — little dirt trails between trees. His ride style is really awesome. Auburn is just 20 to 30 minutes outside Sacramento in the foothills.

If you want to stay in the city, there's a really fun ride in the spring and summer called Shred to Ed's, put on by Squid Bikes. A lot of people associate Sacramento with Squid Bikes — they're a huge presence here. They ride the river trails point-to-point. It's a social ride on Mondays.

You can either stick to the pavement on the bike trail, or just adjacent to it there are little jumps, gravel and singletrack. It's pretty much a ride for anyone. Whether you want social pace or to hit the gas, it's there. You can bring any bike — if you want to stick to pavement, you can. But what's so cool about the American River Bike Trail is there's a paved bike path that runners or bikes can use, away from all cars. Right next to it, almost the whole time, you can jet off into the bushes and trees. There's singletrack.

No matter who you are — road runner, road bike, off-road runner, off-road bike — right next to the road, in the trees off to the side, there are dirt options.

That's tough. It depends on the rider, but just the way I ride, I love an all-road bike. I'd want to bring something I can still keep up on the road with, but something I can thrash around on singletrack. Probably a gravel or cross frame with meaty yet slick tyres. Something you're comfortable riding on the road, but you're not afraid to get dirty.

This might be a bold take, but I think Sacramento is one of the hotbeds for cyclocross in America. We get a lot of rain in winter. It doesn't snow, but it gets really wet and soggy, which is perfect cyclocross conditions. The scene here — I don't know what it is, but people turn up. Rodeo Cross is a party. Nutty Cross is a party. There are plenty of races around here unlike anywhere else I've lived.

I've lived in Boulder, Colorado, which is a huge cycling hub. But here, on a given week during late fall and early winter, you could race cyclocross three times a week. I've not seen that anywhere else in America. I'm not going to compare it to the Dutch or Belgian scene, but it feels like the most American-adjacent version of it.

There are people at the races. Not to throw shade, but when I raced cyclocross in Colorado, there were options but it didn't really bring a crowd. It wasn't a party scene. Here in Sacramento, you just have that. There's a huge population that rides bikes or knows about bikes, and it shows when there are actual crowds at the cyclocross races.

The races here do a good job of making it so anyone can participate. They have categories for first-time beginners all the way up to the elites.

If you're going to visit Sacramento, you have to visit Temple Coffee Roasters. That's a big name here. They have so many different locations all across Sacramento and the surrounding area.

A couple other favourites would be Milka. It's a really cute coffee shop in an old house. This is another list I could go on all day about because there's a big coffee scene here. Camellia Coffee Roasters is another good stop in the city.

If you're going out to the foothills, I'd always recommend the ride from Sacramento to Folsom. When you get to Folsom, there's a coffee shop called Sociology, which is a good stop. If you make it up to Auburn, there's Pour Choice — spelled like pouring a cup, then choice. It's clever.

Obviously I ride Squid, so I'm biased towards them as a team rider. I have to shout out Squid Bikes based here. A lot of people who ride metal bikes, especially in America, would recognise the name. Also in the city is In Velo Veritas — your one-stop shop for anything you need mechanicwise. Then I'd also say Bicycle Emporium up in Auburn is an excellent choice if you make it up to the foothills and need service.

It depends on what you're looking for. Downtown would probably have the best experience if you like to stay in the city and enjoy it. But you can't go wrong — if you stay in the city, you can access whatever you want. You can drive or ride all the way out to the foothills on the bike path.

You could stay in the city and ride out to the foothills, or if you want to be in the foothills, stay in Folsom itself or Auburn. Either way, you can access them both. There's not a wrong choice.

There's a light rail train from Sacramento to Folsom. Even if you get out there and get tired, you can just take the train back. It's pretty easy — they have little open areas and you just hold your bike. I think some have racks, but for the most part you can either take a seat and hold it or stand and hold it. They have designated bike areas. You share the same space with wheelchair accessibility — just an open spot in the train.

If you're making a big trip, you can take the train from Sacramento to San Francisco. Whether you started in Sacramento and want to make your way to SF, or you're in SF and want to check out Sacramento, you can pop over.

Obviously trains aren't as accessible as they are in Europe. They don't run as often, but it's still pretty cool that the cities are connected through alternate means of transportation.

Evening life would probably be best spent in Sacramento. There are plenty of really cool spots. There's a wine bar called Ro Sham Beaux. There are also some really cool bars like the Butterscotch Den and the Snug. There's always something most weekends — one of the bars probably has a live DJ or live music.

Obviously I'm biased because one of my day jobs is working at the museum down here — the Crocker Art Museum. We have a lot of rotating shows and exhibitions to check out. In the summers we have jazz nights in a courtyard outside. The summers here can be relatively hot, but the evenings are pretty chill, pretty nice.

Yeah, I'm a huge basketball fan. That's one of my favourite off-bike hobbies. While the Kings might not be top-tier contenders just yet, it is a fun time to go to the games.

I'd start in Sacramento and ride the American River Bike Trail out to the foothills. You're riding through the city, away from cars, along this beautiful river. About 25 to 30 miles later, you're in Folsom. Grab coffee at Sociology, then keep pushing into the hills around Auburn.

Hit some elevation — whether that's road climbs or singletrack. Stop at Pour Choice in Auburn for another coffee. Then you have options: ride back along the trail, explore more backroads, or if you're tired, just hop on the light rail with your bike and take the train back to Sacramento.

That's what I love about Sacramento. The accessibility. You can make it as hard or as chill as you want, and you're never stuck somewhere without options.

Sacramento might not have the name recognition of San Francisco or the mountain majesty of Tahoe, but that's exactly what makes it special. It's a cycling town in the truest sense: grassroots cyclocross races with actual crowds, endless roads that roll through farmland, trails that connect the city to the mountains, and a community that turns up. Whether you're passing through on your way to somewhere else or planning a dedicated trip, Sacramento rewards those who take the time to explore it.

Group Rides: Sunday Social (Auburn) — Alternating gravel/MTB, run by Bicycle Emporium Shred to Ed's (Sacramento) — Monday social ride, Squid Bikes

Coffee Stops: Temple Coffee Roasters — Multiple locations Milka — Sacramento (cute house location) Chameleia — Sacramento Sociology — Folsom Pour Choice — Auburn

Bike Shops: Squid Bikes — In Velo Veritas — Sacramento Bicycle Emporium — Auburn

Evening Spots: Ro Sham Beaux — Wine bar The Butterscotch Den — Bar The Snug — Bar Crocker Art Museum — Summer jazz nights