They Don’t Bite: When there isn’t a club ride

Most Different Spokes rides are on weekends or an occasional holiday Monday. But it is possible to do a group ride every day of the week as long as you don’t mind riding with another bicycle club. If you are willing to do a little traveling you’ll be able to enjoy the company of fellow cyclists on new and interesting routes all around the Bay Area. Some of these club rides are in communities along the BART/SMART/Caltrain axes. But others really require a car and during the week the direction of bridge traffic can make those treks arduous and only for the most determined. Since almost all of these weekday rides are in the morning, if you have to travel by car towards San Francisco or Silicon Valley to ride, you’ll have to endure more traffic. On the other hand if the ride you’re interested in is in a countercommute direction, you’ll have an easier slog. Of course other clubs offer weekend rides as well.

Here’s what I found on club websites. Please check their websites for detailed information for specific dates.

San Francisco
For such a big city you’d expect there to be several cycling clubs. But other than racing teams (Roaring Mouse, Super Sprinkles, Dolce Vita) and maybe some shop rides it’s just SF Cycling Club.

SF Cycling Club
Club rides every weekday except Monday. Friday is the social coffee ride. Membership is $100 and three members have to vouch for you to join; I guess that’s to keep the riffraff out.

Rapha Cycling Club
The Rapha store in SF has a cycling “club” but it’s really a shop ride, not a club. But you do get to pay $95 for…something. Wednesday morning and Friday afternoon road rides into the Headlands. You’ll look fabulous amongst all the pastels and earth tones—so chic!

North Bay
Marin
Marin Cyclists
Marin Cyclists offer morning rides on TWTh. These are mostly at ‘social pace’. Tuesday is a loop around Tam; Wednesday is China Camp; and Thursday is a loop to Muir Beach. The club has both road and gravel rides. Membership is $35.

Sonoma
Santa Rosa Cycling Club
SRCC has morning rides at least on MWF. But if you look backwards in its calendar it had rides every day of the week. A big club, so no surprise. SRCC offers a free 90-day membership so you can see if you like hanging out with them; otherwise a membership is $25.

Napa
Eagle Cycling Club
Eagle has a Wednesday regular ride. It has regular rides every Saturday and Sunday but it’s unclear if those are simply placeholders. Membership is $35 but like SRCC they have a free,90-day trial membership.

Solano
Benicia Bicycle Club
Rides are usually Tuesday, Thursday during the week (as well as Saturday and Sunday club rides). Rides seem to have a “decide and ride” formula, i.e. whoever shows up can decide the route for the day. Rides divide into two groups with the faster group starting at 9 am and the ‘less fast’ riders at 10 am. Membership is $30.

East Bay
Alameda
Grizzly Peak Cyclists
GPC is now a big cycling club, almost as big as Western Wheelers even though its geographical base is much smaller. Its ride calendar is replete with rides almost every day of the month. They’re mostly road rides but GPC has a lively gravel contingent. Many of its weekday rides are after work rides rather than morning rides. However Wednesday has a huge morning ride that usually takes place in Marin but also hits roads east of the Oakland hills and into the Valley and northwards to Sonoma and Napa. This group has a sizeable e-bike contingent as well. Thursday is the Duros morning ride, a faster paced ride almost always in Marin. Lots of women on its rides. Club has the Berkeley ethos. (Read into that what you will!) Membership is just $20.

Berkeley Bicycle Club
This is the real thing: a racing club with a pedigree. Lots of Norcal champions have come out of and been associated with BBC including Cindy Olavarri, my fave. Group rides are training rides but the Friday ride is a “coffee” ride. Wednesdays they ride Pinehurst-Redwood. You don’t have to race to join a ride. These are folks whose goal is to get faster. $60.

Oakland Yellowjackets
I don’t see weekday rides on its calendar but there is at least one weekend ride every week usually Saturday. Each club ride has an easy/medium/hard variant. Racially mixed rides it looks like. $30 membership.

Team Alameda
Rides usually start in Alameda and go around the East Bay but they do have some rides further away. Road rides only. Regular Tuesday and Thursday morning rides as well as Saturday/Sunday rides. Membership is $35.

Cherry City Cyclists
Based in Hayward. Road rides every weekend usually on Saturday and a happy hour ride once per month on Thurday. Membership is $24.

Fremont Freewheelers
The club has rides every day of the week, mostly road but some dirt. Membership is $20.

Contra Costa
Hercules Cycling Club
Its website is a member-only Facebook site so I gleaned no information. The FB page has a group photo that shows primarily Asian faces and just one woman. Hercules’s ethnic composition is mostly Asian/Filipino. I occasionally see HCC jerseys when riding in my neck of the woods so I know they’re active.

Lamorinda Cycling Club
LCC is recreational part of the Lamorinda Racing Team. It offers a weekly Saturday ride. No website with a ride calendar; ride announcements are on Strava. $50 membership.

Diablo Cyclists
Based in Walnut Creek. No published weekday rides but a club ride every weekend out of Heather Farms. No published membership fee. Only road rides on its calendar.

Walnut Creek Senior Center
The Walnut Creek Senior Center (50+) has an avid cycling group that rides every Thursday at 9 am (8 am in July and August). About a 25-mile ride starting at Heather Farms.

Valley Spokesmen Bicycle Club
Valley Spokesmen is the largest club in Contra Costa and also has a racing team. Offers a club ride every day of the week except Tuesday. Weekday rides vary from easy to fast. Every Wednesday at 10 am there is a club ride up Mt. Diablo. Membership is $30.

Major Taylor Bay Area Cycling Club
Major Taylor is a national network with a branch in the Bay Area although exactly where it is based is unclear. Only a members-only Facebook site so I was unable to finda ride calendar. But based on the low activity on their site my guess is that there are few if any weekday rides.

South Bay
Santa Clara
Almaden Cycling Touring Club
Along with Western Wheelers, Almaden is a really big club with a long history in the South Bay. Road rides every day of the week. Some dirt rides. Weekday rides tend to be leisurely to moderate pace. Membership is $25.

Western Wheelers
The other 800-lb. gorilla. This club is huge and has multiple rides every day of the week in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties. Lots of weekday morning choices from easy and short coffee rides to fast-paced sessions. Membership is $35.

Saratoga Cycling Club
Road and cyclocross. A recreational club but some members race. Rides almost every day of the week—short, easy rides and also training sessions. No membership fee!

The Sporting Life

[Courtesy of the Autry Museum of the American West]

The origin and history of Different Spokes SF is intimately connected with Tom Waddell’s Gay Olympics. With the announcement of the Gay Olympics to be held in SF in the summer of 1982, a meeting was held to find and organize gay cyclists to participate. Out of that early meeting came the founders of DSSF. Bob Krumm, one of the founders of Different Spokes, relates that his eyes glazed over when the racing mad meeting organizers started jawing about practicing pacelines, drafting, and intervals. The founders weren’t interested in racing or competition and decided to form a club focused on recreational cycling especially touring. The club formally opened in late November 1982 after about six months of informal riding together and planning. DSSF was the first gay cycling club in the US and probably the world.

The club formed at a time when there were gay social clubs and organizations forming beyond the bars and bathhouses. Gay political organizations in the US go much further back in time, to the 1950s with the Mattachine Society and the Daughters of Bilitis. But sports-related social clubs came later and were especially given impetus because of the Gay Olympics.

Today there are LGBTQ clubs and organizations for just about every sport. There may be no gay luge or bobsledding club yet. But there is gay curling. (That’s a sport, darling, not your hair.) Different Spokes was by no means the first LGBTQ sports club. In prowling around online it seems that honor goes—surprisingly—to the Gay Rodeo, which first formed in Reno in 1976. You might have thought that it would be Frontrunners, which formed in 1980 and took its name from the novel, The Front Runner by Patrica Nell Warren, which was published in 1974.

Cycling is a solo sport mostly (although cycle racing is a team sport). Sports like tennis, tennis, raquetball, and handball require at least two people. Team sports such as baseball, football, or basketball would seem to be a natural for an early appearance in the LGBT community. Sure enough, the Gay Softball League arose in 1976 well in advance of SF Gay Flag Football (1998), Gay Basketball Association (1986), and SF Spikes (1982). The Gay Bowling Organization came into being in 1980. (Bowling like cycling is both solo and a team sport.)

After the Gay Rodeo and the Softball League the next club/organization to form that I could find online was SAGA, Skiers and Gay Athletes in 1977. I’m not sure which came first, Aspen Gay Ski Week or SAGA—both started in 1977. But Aspen Gay Ski Week had to have at least one group organize it, which suggests that a nascent LGBT ski group was in place before 1977.

Although we weren’t a Johnny-come-lately (er, “fashionably late”) we weren’t a groundbreaking organization either. Not surprisingly either, after the 1982 Gay Olympics LGBTQ sports clubs and organization experienced an efflorescence. Today just about any recreational activity has a LGBTQ counterpart.

Valencia Gay Games to Cyclists: “Drop dead!”

I rarely manifest any interest in the Gay Games. This is increasingly the case for the club as well. Club participation was pretty robust up through GG4 (NYC). It probably was minimal up to 2013 (Cleveland). After that the club was in decline and interest in GG also withered. Then 2023 (Hong Kong/Guadalajara) didn’t have any cycling events. And now I find out that Valencia this year also has no cycling events. That struck me as strange because Europe in general has a super strong cycling culture and cycle racing is considered a “real” sport that gets TV and newspaper coverage along with your usual football mania. Cycling is not a fringe sport in Spain at all. I surmise that it was probably due to money because you need money to pay for road closures and a police escort for road events. Putting on a cycling event is not cheap as every club that does a century or a race can tell you. Is this a trend? If so Gay Games could implement a surcharge if you want to race on a bike. If you want to race at home, you need to buy at least a one-day license from USA Cycling or an annual membership. That’s going to set you back about $35 or so and up to $180. Register for a race? That costs about $35-$60 too. It’s not cheap to race…

Valencia is a bit controversial because after it was selected to host the 2026 GG, two right-wing parties won the local elections. One of them is vehemently anti-gay. The local organizing groups who had brokered Valencia becoming the host city now want people to boycott their own games. Talk abour irony! The Federation of Gay Games decided to proceed with the games anyway. I’m not sure which is the better decision: pull out or keep going. (I know some of you automatically answer, “Never pull out!”) The fact that the local organizers don’t want you to attend tells you that they believe participation is going to be a bad thing either for their community or for the GG itself. You have to give some credence to the local groups since it’s their community and they intimately know the inside politics. On the other hand I like the idea of thousands of LGBT athletes and visitors streaming into their city and being out loud and visible, sort of a ‘fuck you, honey’. Oh, and by the way how much money is our event bringing into your community? Yeah, keep sucking until you get your reward.

The next GG is going to be in Perth, Australia. I didn’t know much about Perth except that it’s hella far away. It’s a big city, well more than 2 million residents. As big cities always do, it has a LGBT community that is apparently big and organized enough to put on an event like GG. It turns out it has a LGBTQ cycling club: Perth Rainbow Flyers! It has a FB page but how active the club actually is I don’t know. There is a second cycling club PERTH LGBTI+ Cycling Group also on FB. With any luck the GG will have cycling events again in 2030. But you never know—somebody has to step up to plan and organize those cycling events like a road race, time trial, and mountain bike race. Perth also happens to have a velodrome, which introduces the tantalizing prospect of cycling track events! (You can get ready for that at Hellyer Velodrome in San Jose! Now there’s my excuse to get an awesome track bike…)

In keeping with tradition I’ll end up ignoring the Perth GG. But maybe in a couple of years there will be younger Spokers willing to fly that far as part of Team SF. Perth did support same-sex marriage in 2017 so it’s probably a more welcoming city than Valencia. And I read that it’s a pretty laid back place. Right now you can fly from SFO to PER for about $1,700 roundtrip, which seems doable though It might be quite different in 2030. (Those flights take about 24 hours one way including a stop over in Hong Kong. Economy seats?? I dunno…and sending my road bike and time trial rig? Not gonna be cheap!) We’ll see how Valencia turns out as what happens there may affect how the Perth event evolves.

Ordinary and Extraordinary

Today Roger and I went to the opening of the new linear park in the city of Dublin, the Iron Horse Nature Park and Open Space. This park is adjacent to the Iron Horse Trail at its intersection with Amador Valley Boulevard in Dublin. As part of the new park, a bench commemorating Bob Powers, one of the founders of the Valley Spokesmen Cycling Club back in 1971, and a bike repair station with bike parking were also opened. Bob and his widow Bonnie are the cofounders of the Valley Spokesmen and I’ve mentioned them in the past. Their list of accomplishments is long and includes having founded the Cinderella Classic; the Mt. Diablo Challenge; led many cycling trips in California, the US, and overseas; and perennially involved at a high level in the running of the club. Even today Bonnie is the club secretary and you’ll see her volunteering at virtually every club event.

As part of today’s opening ceremony, Mark Dedon, past President of VSBC gave a short speech about Bob and happened to mention several things I had not heard of and in modesty you won’t see lauded on its club website. The League of American Bicyclists, formerly the League of American Wheelmen (sic), gives out a Club of the Year award to honor local cycling clubs that have done extraordinary work in advocacy, inclusion, membership development, and education among other things. VSBC was the winner in 1980 (?-I don’t recall the exact year Mark mentioned). The VSBC has through the Cinderella (this is the 50th year) and Mt Diablo Challenge (42 years) raised an ungodly amount of money for nonprofits, mostly female oriented for the former and for Mt. Diablo State Park for the latter. (The club used to put on another century, the Hekaton, that also raised a lot of money.) In 2008 Bonnie and Bob were honored by the City of Dublin with June 17 of that year named “Bonnie and Robert Powers Day” for their contributions to the community through the Cinderella.

Recreational—as opposed to racing—cycling clubs (although VSBC is both) mostly exist because local cyclists want to meet other cyclists and ride together. In that sense it’s purely selfish. Racing clubs are slightly different: racers want to race and they want to win; to win you need a team and so you need teammates to train with. If you join a racing club, you don’t get a free ride: every club has to put on a racing event as well and thus you need volunteers to organize and run the event. So you join a racing club, you have to help organize your racing event(s). No one gets a free ride. Recreational clubs almost always do not enforce any kind of membership contribution other than money. But of course clubs need volunteers to run the club and this is expected to bubble up naturally from members’ enthusiasm.

That a recreational cycling club can see beyond merely the desire to ride together to making a contribution either to the cycling community or the community at large is, well, amazing given that there is no duress. Few have the time or patience, and people would rather give money than give time and energy. Club contribution? “I already paid my membership fee for the year.” Cyclists love to ride in events like centuries when it only costs them money. But ask them to put in a day’s work to make such an event take place and the volunteers are few. I often wonder if joining Different Spokes should be more than just paying $30. To be a member perhaps you would have to volunteer as well. Or, maybe there should be a paid membership. But those who volunteer would get their membership fee waived akin to a ride leader credit that other clubs give for free kit. I say that in jest because that kind of come-on caters to the trend today to pay to avoid doing stuff and does nothing to inspire members to make a contribution. Quite frankly, it if were simply money that motivated you, what kind of a person would you be anyway? And why should we add to that ethos? (Maybe because it’s the only way to get volunteers.)

Bob and Bonnie didn’t do all that work themselves. They inspired those around them to volunteer to put on amazing events and do the scut work that holds that club together. As they say, ‘it takes a village.’ Of course if it isn’t fun (“Does it spark joy?”) then it needs to be something else that motivates you, appealing to one of your higher chakras whether that be your belief in community, paying it forward, loyalty to your friends, or—gasp!—a sense of duty.

There isn’t a reason why Different Spokes shouldn’t aspire to be one of the League’s honorees for Club of the Year. At the least I think that should guide the club in a quest to become better than we are. If Valley Spokesmen BC can do it, why can’t we? We should learn from the best and emulate them. You can be ordinary or you can be extraordinary. It’s our choice.

2026 Centuries: August through November [Updated 2/13/26]

Different Spokes at the Mt. Shasta Century!

Some centuries later in the year aren’t confirmed yet but many are. As is the case every year the registration fee goes up with each passing month. So register early for the best price. (But it’s not the best price if you have to unexpectedly back out later!) Foxy Fall is not yet confirmed but it’s a Davis Bike Club regular. This year brings the return of the Crater Lake Century out of Fort Klamath, OR! I with the Mt. Shasta Century (or Castle Crags Century) was still offered. (Sob!)

August
1 Saturday. Marin Century. $140-$80. 127-, 100-, 93-, 64-, and 37-mile routes. Registration is open.
2 Sunday. Civilized Century. $?. 100-, 75-, 60- and 35-mile routes. The 100-mile route starts in Redwood City goes up to SFO and returns before crossing the Dumbarton and returning around the South Bay. Limited to 200 riders. Registration opens May 3.
9 Sunday. Covered Bridge Bicycle Tour. $?. 101-, 85-, 68-, 44- and 23-mile routes. Limit of 2,000. This is Mid-Valley Bicycle Club’s 47th edition, just east of Corvalis. Country route with five historic covered bridges. Registration opens in April.
15 Saturday. Cool Breeze Century. $105. This ride starts in Ventura with a climb into the mountains near Ojai and then doubles back for a flat run along the coast to Carpinteria. Class 1 ebikes allowed. Registration opens April 1 (no fooling’!) Limit of 2,000.
15 Saturday. MCBC Dirt Fondo. 45-, 32-, and 24-miles routes on Mt. Tam and the Marin Headlands. Fundraiser for Marin County Bicycle Coalition. Limit of 300. Registration opens in April.
15? Saturday. Crater Lake Century. 100- and 62-mile routes. The return of an amazing century! Details are being worked out.
August 28-September 2 Friday to Sunday. Cycle Oregon Rally. $1,600. Multiple road and gravel routes. Limited to 600 riders. This year the Cycle Oregon Rally splits basecamp between Grants Pass and Jacksonville. Registration open January 22.
29 Saturday. The Bay Ride. $161. 135- and 35-mile routes. The 135-mile route loops around the Bay. This is a fundraiser for CalBike. Registration is open.

September
5 Saturday. Tour de Fuzz. $135-$115. 100-, 62-, and 32-mile routes. Similar road to the Wine Country Century and even starts at the Luther Burbank Center! You can preregister without payment to hold a spot until registration formally opens.
7 & 14 Saturday? Ride The Rim. $10 suggested donation. 33 miles. If you miss the Crater Lake Century in August, here’s another chance to ride around Crater Lake. The NPS closes part of the Rim Drive to cars on these two days. No information yet.
19-20 Saturday to Sunday. Bike MS: Waves to Wine. $20? start fee. Ride from San Francisco to Rohnert Park. Minimum $350? fundraising. No information yet but dates set.
21? Saturday. Tour of the Unknown Coast. 100- and 62-mile routes. $?. Tour the redwoods in Humboldt County. Last year the ride was cancelled. No confirmation there is a 2026 version. No information yet.
27? Saturday. Fall River Century. $? Beautiful rides east of Mt. Shasta. Limit of 500 riders. No information yet. or even a confirmed date.
26 Saturday. Lighthouse Century. $100. 100-, 75- and 65-, and 40-mile routes. Limit of 1,000. San Luis Obispo Bicycle Club’s other century. From Morro Bay a detour inland before heading back to the coast and halfway up Highway 1 and back. Registration opens June 7.

27? Saturday. Sacramento Century Challenge. $?. Routes down the Sacramento River Delta. Rotary Club fundraiser for at-risk youth. No word yet on 2026 version.
27 Sunday. Tour de Cure. $? plus $250 minimum fundraising. 100-, 64-, 32- and 1-mile routes. Rides out of the Palo Alto area. No information yet but date set.

October
3 Saturday. Best of the Bay. 200 miles. Date set but no information yet.
4 Sunday. Vineyard Tour Umpqua. $?. 104-, 53-, 38-, and 17-mile routes. Sponsored by Velo Club Umpqua in Roseburg, OR. Part of a full weekend festival with sponsorship from local restaurants and wineries. Registration is not yet open.
10? Saturday. 3F Century. $?. 100-, 62-, and 37-mile routes. If you prefer a flat ride in the Valley in Colusa and Sutter counties. No word on 2026 event yet.
10 Saturday. Asti Tour de Vine. $? 100-mile, 100k, 50k, and 25k routes. Rides in northern Sonoma county starting in Cloverdale. More information to follow. Registration is not yet open.
17 Saturday. Foxy Fall Century. 100-, 100k, and 50k-routes. No information yet. Limit of 1,500. Registration opens in July.
17? Saturday. Tour de Lincoln. 100k-, 50k-, and 25k-routes. $76-$55. If Foxy Fall is too crowded for you, here’s a community ride just up the road in Lincoln. No word yet.
17 Saturday. Ride Santa Barbara. 100-, 62-, and 34-mile routes. $127-$74. It’s a longish drive south but Santa Barbara is a great place to do century with beach front views and fantastic climbs in the Santa Ynez Mountains including Gibraltar. Registration is open.

November
14 Saturday. Death Valley Century. $181. Limited to 300 riders.

2026 Centuries: May through July [Updated 2/13/26]

As usual the number of centuries ramps up in late spring and early summer. Although several events do not have their 2026 information out yet, they are very likely to be offered as long as the clubs have volunteers willing to run the event. That is increasingly an issue. But so far only the Santa Cruz Mountain Challenge, normally in July, seems to have gone on hiatus. Unlike last year when registration fees ticked up yet again, fees this year seem to be roughly stable, which is surprising because insurance costs are continuing to go up. Be grateful you’re paying ‘only’ $100.

MAY
2 Saturday. Delta Century. 100-, 67-, and 26-mile routes. $75-$50. Very flat rides starting in Woodbridge tour the Sacramento Delta. Same routes as last year. Registration is open.
2 Saturday. Wine Country Century. 103-, 63- and 31-mile routes. $140-$110. A club fave and great food. It always sells out so register early. Limited to 2,500. Registration is open
3 Sunday. Grizzly Peak Century. 100-, 75-, 50-, and 30-mile routes. And a 100- or 65-km gravel routes. $110-$70. Limit of 1,000 riders. Registration is open.
8-10 Friday to Sunday. Cycle Oregon (Gravel). $598. Limit of 600. This is a gravel weekend in Tygh Valley in the middle of Wasco County. Selection of gravel rides. Camping with six catered meals, yoga, and camp activities. Registration ~~opens January 22~~ is open.
16 Saturday. Davis Double. 200 miles, period. $?. Limited to 500 riders. Date is set but no information on registration yet.
16-17 Saturday & Sunday. Siskiyou Scenic Bicycle Tour. 102-, 67-, 40-, and 21-mile road routes and a 58-mile gravel on Saturday; 63- and 39-mile gravel routes on Sunday plus a 29-to-38 mile road on Sunday too. $92-$39. Riding in the beautiful area around Yreka. Limit of 450 riders. Registration is open.
17 Sunday. Strawberry Fields Forever. 100-, 64-, and 30-mile routes plus three ‘gravel’ routes. $115-$60. Out of Watsonville and into the Santa Cruz Mountains. Registration is ~~not yet~~ open.
23 Saturday. Indian Valley Century. 100-, 64-, 40-, and 25-mile routes. $95-$75. A Rotary Club event in Greenville, which is in Plumas County south of Lake Almanor. Beautiful ride in the Indian Valley and Genesee Valley.
23-24 Saturday-Sunday. The Art of Survival Century. 100-, 60-, 38-mile road routes & 76-, 54-mile gravel routes. $80-$60. Rides near the Oregon border in NW California remembering the Tule Lake internment of Japanese-Americans in WWII. Road rides on Saturday; gravel rides on Sunday. ~~Registration was to open January 5 but still not open.~~ Registration is now open.
30 Saturday. Eastern Sierra Double Century. 190 miles. $181. Out of Bishop, CA. Mono Lake, Sherwin Grade, Mammoth, about 10,000 feet of vertical.
31? Saturday. Ojai Valley Century. 101-, 75-, 63-, and 31-mile routes? $?. A bit further south in Ventura County in the Ojai Valley out to Santa Barbara and back. No word on whether it will be offered this year but it’s a regular mainstay event. High cost is probably partly due to RFID tags being issued to all participants even though this isn’t a race. Website not updated for 2026.

JUNE 
6 Saturday. Gold Country Challenge. 100-, 71-, 55-, and 37-mile road routes. $80-$60. Rides through the Gold Country around Grass Valley and Nevada City. Registration is open.
6 Saturday. Little Red. $100. 100-, 75-, 55-, 30- and 17-mile routes. Women only ride in northern Utah. Limit of 3,000. Fundraiser for the Huntsman Cancer Foundation (ovarian and breast cancer research) put on by the Salt Lake City Bonneville Cycling Club. Raise the minimum amount and the $100 fee is waived. Registration is open.
7 Sunday. Sequoia Century. 100-, 80-, 75-, and 62-, and 43-mile routes. $125-$80. A venerable century going from the Midpeninsula over the Coast Range to coastside and back. The routes change every year. Registration includes a ‘trial’ membership in Western Wheelers good through June. Registration is open.
12-14 Friday to Sunday. Cycle Oregon Joyride. $550. 69- to 22-mile routes. Multiple routes each day. Camping in Pleasant Hill, Oregon. Women and nonbinary only. Limited to 300. Registration is open.
20 Saturday. Mile High 100. 100-, 68- and 33-mile routes? $95-$75. Rides around Lake Almanor near Chester, CA and Lassen. Registration is open.
20 Saturday. Climb to Kaiser. $140-$125. 155- and 99-mile routes. The hardest climb in California: 15,000 vertical gain. Registration is open.
21? Saturday. Terrible Two Double Century. 200-, 121-, and 112- mile route. $? No information yet. Registration is not open.
27 Saturday. Alta Alpina Challenge. $150. Another version of the Death Ride. You pick the number of passes you want to do, up to 8. Registration is open.
27 Saturday. Giro Bello. 103 mile, 100k, and 50k routes. $125-$108. Similar to the Wine Country Century and in the same area. Date is confirmed but no information yet on 2026 version. Registration is open.
27 Saturday. Tour de Outback. $125. 104-, 53-, and 41-mile road routes; 52- and 36-mile gravel routes. Lakeview, OR is just over the California border and east of Klamath Falls, about 7 hour drive from San Francisco. A benefit for Lake County Search & Rescue. Camping and RV available at the county fairgrounds. Route is part of the Oregon Outback Scenic Bikeway. Registration is open.

JULY 
11 Saturday. Death Ride. $216. 103 miles. Monitor, Ebbetts, and Pacific Grade summit for 14,000 vertical gain. This used to be a club ‘thing’. But now it’s just passé. Registration is open.
26? Saturday. Santa Cruz Mountains Challenge. $? 125-, 100-, 75-, 50- or 36-mile routes? No word yet on a 2026 offering of this venerable ride. Was not offered in 2025.

Sleighing It

No Festive 500 for me this year, alas. A lingering hip problem has mostly kept me off the bike since August and it’s looking like I won’t be exercising let alone cycling for at least another two months. Although cycling is generally considered a warm weather sport—who likes to ride on black ice or in the snow?—here in the Bay Area what we call ‘winter’ is really just an extended autumn. It’s actually my favorite time of the year to ride in contrast to many Spokers who protest it’s too cold to be out on the bike. Summertime in Contra Costa it’s not atypical to have daytime high in the low to mid-90s. I find it much harder to muster the will power to go out and self-desiccate than to enjoy the brisk ‘winter’ chill. Our cold weather is easily handled by dressing with more layers and anyway I love the winter sun illuminating crystaline blue sky.

Normally I’d be riding in preparation for the Resolution Ride and for the first centuries of the year. But none of that is possible on this circle of the sun. We got the Christmas tree up and decorated early and Roger’s been concocting homemade eggnog. But no Clement Moore vision for us. In lieu of pedaling we’ve been instead frequenting peddlers of consumer goods, some cycling related and some not. Santa came early this year!

Come March you may see me on a new sled…

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight—
“Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!”

Happy Holidays!

Ride Recap: Doubling Down

Ed. Ride leader Chris Chiang submitted the following ride recap of Saturday’s Double Hawk Hill.

Today’s ride got a cold and windy start in the low forties. We joined up with the Red Ribbon ride at the National AIDS Memorial Grove in Golden Gate Park sharing a somber World AIDS Day ceremony and reflecting on the strength of our community. As we emerged from the protection of the Grove to begin riding, the frigid wind resumed its assault. Taking the direct approach into the Presidio on Arguello seemed like unnecessary punishment yet that climb sure helped warm me up. Weaving through the Presidio we rode with the Red Ribbon riders and ascended to the Legion of Honor. From there, Larry and I peeled off to get on the Marin side of the business.

On the Golden Gate Bridge the wind usually blows from the west. Today we got an unexpected Nor’easter headwind. Each time I rounded a bridge pillar the wind was mercifully blocked even if temporarily. This morning I was held together top to bottom by just a single layer of spandex, not out of vanity but from practicality to remain light on the pending climb. No piggy in a blanket was I in this deep chill. Once on the north side my frosty fingers managed to text Stephanie who was waiting in the heated comfort of her car.

The first section up Conzelman Road offered a consistent ten percent grade for more than half a mile. We were mostly sheltered from the wind. Occasionally an odd swirl kicked in from the Pacific while rays of light struggled to break through the clouds. Stephanie and Larry moved ahead while I dealt with another episode of chain drop. The grade moderated as the traffic circle came into view but increased again from the traffic circle to the summit. We did not linger at the top and quickly continued to the sixteen percent descent on Conzelman on the back of Hawk Hill.

Heading toward Battery Townsley the wind was no better. We encountered odd headwinds when we should have been protected by the hillside. Then the chipseal gave way to dirt-and-gravel going toward the big ridge. But all is good when you’re biking with friends and we arrived at the sixteen-inch big gun with all smiles. On time the sun came out for the photo op. Check out the picture gallery for proof. (You need to be a Different Spokes member to access the photo albums. That and riding with some cool cyclists in spandex! What a steal for only $30 a year!)

Descending through Rodeo Beach we made short work of Bunker Road to return to the traffic circle from the back of Hawk Hill. This climb up McCullough Road is memorable for its unrelenting seven-to-nine percent grade. When we regrouped at the traffic circle, Larry graciously declined another go at the summit. Adding up today’s headwinds, he’s probably logged a second summit and then some. Stephanie and I dashed to the peak and returned to the traffic circle in fifteen minutes. As the three of us descended down to the bridge, I could hear Larry blurting out that he prefers climbing to descending. Good sign I think when one starts to find a zone of comfort in tackling hill climbs.

After a quick farewell to Stephanie, we looked at the bridge with some trepidation. But it was not bad at all and nothing like this morning’s crossing! Sure there was some crosswind from the Pacific but the bridge was now easy-peasy after the day’s climb, spandex or no spandex. We got back to SF and ducked into a warm coffee shop by 1 p.m. Grateful for all the friends and allies who showed up over the years and gave us a collective push when all the elements seemed to want to pull us down.

Ride Recap: Burning Turkey

Ed. Stephen, the ride leader, submitted his account of the club’s Post-Thanksgiving Turkey Burn.

Tony chided me, lightly of course, for my “terse” description of the Mount Hamilton ride. Now, I can do terse and I can do florid. So this time I am going with florid. If you can’t manage to swim though it all, the short version is: three riders, really cold, great ride, please join us next year!

The Post-Thanksgiving Turkey Burn follows the route of what is likely my very favorite ride of all. It’s another of those rides I would call “race to the pizza”. All the way through its meandering around Marin’s most beautiful scenery, the ride inevitably leads to Bovine Bakery and its sadly limited store of unique pizzas with their magnificent, melt-in-your-mouth crust.

This year after two late cancellations there were only three of us: Elmer, Brian, and I. Yes, it is hard getting up the morning after stuffing yourself with bird or its tofu equivalent. But the upside is that the roads are virtually empty and, more importantly, reminiscing about a fabulous meal with family and friends is all the sweeter on a bicycle, in this case a very cold bicycle slicing through a frigid atmosphere, the pedals featuring “icycle” feet.

The forecast promised an appearance of the sun sometime between noon and two. But the thickness of the clouds mocked the weatherman [sic]. Much bundled up and with muttered imprecations, our little team of three managed to leave fully twenty minutes late, closer to 10:00 than the predicted 9:30. Note to team: given when the sun sets at the end of November, this ride really should start no later than 9:00.

The first stretch down Lucas Valley Road is easy, with the vast expanse of Eichler houses peeking elegantly through the steadily thickening forest, a perfect warmup for the first of four climbs. The front side of Big Rock—don’t get me started on the front and back side of hills, but sometimes it’s obvious—is demanding but not overlong and when the Big Rock heaves into view, at least we were warm not counting twenty frigid digits each.

But such warmth does not withstand the magnificent descent into the long ride through the dark, towering forest that is the second half of Lucas Valley. The air crackling with cold cannot hide the sylvan cathedral that is one of the finest roads in all of Northern California. You know the reverie is coming to an end when the vaulted ceiling gives way to sky, alas still without sun. We turned right on Nicasio Valley Road for a brief pit stop at the general store, the less said about the “accommodations”, the better. We decided to skip the Cheese Factory so the climb up the—in my view—annoying Cheese Hill, aka “le col de fromage”, our second major climb, did not hold its usual promise of hunting around for someone with the code to the restroom.

After the goats and the chickens—one of the latter of which had made her way outside the fence—and the aforementioned Cheese Factory with its picturesque pond, and then the fire station, we made the sometimes dangerous left turn onto Hicks Valley Road, a Marin road that fills my heart with glee. There is a little climb but that does not interrupt the painterly rural spread that greets the eye. A left turn at Marshall Petaluma Road with a quick glance to the right and the reassurance that we will not need to do the fearsome, steep Wilson Hill today, led to more meandering through California beauty.

It’s six miles of beauty and then that little bridge and the farm on the left, and no further delay we are on the steep first third of Marshall Wall. Throughout the day Brian was clearly the fastest of us, but not so fast that he tired of waiting at the top of the various mounts. Elmer and I had the pleasure of riding side by side through the steepest part of the climb, again virtually no traffic, and plenty of auditory warning and visual distance should a rare car appear on our heels. Steep climbs go faster when you have a friendly chat, and so it was. Soon enough we crested the first of several false summits and before we knew it we were at the top. No point in stopping to take in the view since it was socked in with cloud and fog.

The descent to Marshall reminds us that the climb up the back side of Marshall Wall is actually tougher than the front side. Again front, back, I really believe it, and I have a categorization of every hill I climb to that end. Then all of a sudden there is that little red church and the stop sign that comes out of nowhere. I always remind riders to watch out for oyster shells on the road. I’m not sure if anyone has every had a flat from one. But they look intimidating and I figure it’s best to avoid them.

In the parade of beauty that is this ride nothing tops Tomales Bay. On this day the muted hues of late autumn filtering through the low, growling clouds gave the scene a Hudson River School quality. I decided that no iPhoto would capture it, and as I was still freezing cold I committed it to memory and pedaled on. I think Brian did take some pics so I will pursue him for those and get them into the album if that works out.

I love riding along Tomales Bay. I wish it would never end. But it does end in a pitiless little hill that at least now has the advantage of having been recently repaved. Many will remember the broken pavement of that torturous stretch and, thanks be to all that is merciful, the pavement is new if not exactly smooth. We all successfully made the right turn on to Mesa. Brian found it while well ahead of the rest of us even though I told him the street was named “Monte”. Curses to aging memory. And so via that little seemingly square roundabout into Point Reyes Station, the drama of the pizza awaits.

Yes, the drama of the pizza. Why Bovine Bakery can’t just throw in an pie or two, I do not know. Mysteries of quotidien existence. I even wrote them once to no effect despite the nice noncommittal reply. So I waste no time whenever I arrive and dive into the line, which in this event was mercifully short. The pizza was still on the chalkboard so there was hope. I tried to remain calm because I have been disappointed before in these same circumstances. When I was second in the line and the young gal behind the counter finally asked me what I might want, I said, “Is there still pizza?” “Yes, there is one piece left!” One piece, the last piece. Yes!! “I’ll take it, whatever it is.” Their vegetarian masterpieces are really the pick of the lot but the one last piece was a sausage thing. Even so it was pizza and that was good enough for me. I even ordered a small double latte in an effusion of accomplishment although I regretted it later because lattes are not their specialty and they are painfully slow to deliver.

You want me, admit it. But you cannot have me!

I took my hard earned pizza in its characteristic brown paper bag and labored to eat it as slowly as possible. That crust, that ineffable crust. You must have it to understand its splendors. I pretty much only eat pizza on bike rides, so wow, yes, hosannah.

The pizza finally safely secured in my digestion, we headed to the dreaded Point Reyes Station port-a-potties. Three jaw-droppingly handsome young racers, all of a kit, laughingly warned us that—my words not theirs—the aesthetics of the port-a-potties were substandard even for these notorious parts. A welcome word to the wise. The only downsides of road cycling are road kill and port-a-potties, and the advice for both of them is the same: do not look down. I did not look down, and I managed to get out of there with my vision and my memory unscarred.

From Point Reyes Station we took the well-traveled return to Marinwood via Pt. Reyes-Petaluma Road, to Nicasio Valley Road, and to Lucas Valley Road. The Nicasio reservoir was still plenty full although not overflowing. And again the muted colors of a a grey day made for fantastical vistas. The sun peeked through once or twice but it was only teasing. There was what I believe to be a golden eagle scanning its horizon perched atop Big Rock, and crazily he was there again on Sunday when I rode with Marin Marauders. On that occasion several of us stopped to investigate proffering a variety of opinions about its identity. But I am sticking with golden eagle and I have photos from Sunday to “prove” it.

The back side of Big Rock Hill is almost a relief. The last of the four climbs is easily the easiest but just enough of a climb to remind your legs of all the work they have done but not so much as to make them regret it.

We three met up one last time at the start/end point. What a ride! Who cares about the cold? The Turkey Burn route is epic. Next year, one more time. And I hope all of you will join us then.
—Stephen Shirreffs

2026 Centuries: January through April [updated 2/23/26]

Roger Sayre riding underneath chainring arch of Potter Road path — Chico Wildflower: the Potter Road bikepath

If you’re eager to get back on the bike after the holidays, you can start planning your century and big ride adventures with these suggestions. It’s almost time to turn a new leaf! For your delectation here is the preliminary listing of century rides. April is when the calendar really starts to get packed. Note that a couple of longtime rides, the Tierra Bella and the SLO Wildflower have moved their rides back to April, making for a very crowded schedule.

January  
1 Wednesday. Resolution Ride/New Year’s Day Up Diablo. 39 miles. No fee. This isn’t a century but it’s the first “big” ride of the year and a club tradition. See the listing in the club calendar.

February  
7 Saturday. Tour of Palm Springs. 102-, 85-, 56-, 36-, 24-, and 7-mile routes. $134-$81. This is by today’s standards a huge ride—many thousands of cyclists. It’s a long drive south but hey, it’s Palm Springs! Registration is open. 
15 Sunday. San Tan Century. 100-, 63- and 34-mile routes. $90. If you’re willing to go further afield, how about a century in Arizona? This ride is put on by the Phoenix Metro Cycling Club. Starting in Chandler it heads out to the San Tan Mountains. But the total gain is just over 2,100 feet. This is the time of year to cycle in Phoenix, just 775 miles from San Francisco. Registration is open.
28 Saturday. Pedaling Paths to Independence. 65- and 25-mile routes. $69 and $53. This benefit for the Community Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired is their annual fundraising ride out of Linden, which is just east of Stockton. It’s a small event of about 250-300 riders and feels more like a friendly small town gathering. It tours the rolling ag land south and east of the town. Registration is open.

March  
7 Saturday. Solvang Century. 102-, 68-, and 52-mile routes. $155-$144. Limit of 1,000 riders. How the mighty have fallen–Solvang used to host as many as six or seven thousand riders and now even the limit of 1,000 hasn’t been reached. Registration is open. 
7 Saturday. Blossom Bike Ride. 60-, 40-, 20-, and 7-mile rides. $72-$29. A metric century starting in the flat orchards in Reedley just outside of Fresno and east into the hills and back. Sponsored by the Lions Club. Reedley is about a 4-hour drive from San Francisco. Registration is open.

April
  8-12 Wednesday through Sunday. Best Buddies Breakaway Camp. $8,000. It looks like no more Best Buddies in Marin or Big Sur. Now it’s a “faux pro” camp if you have deep pockets to stay at a five-star hotel in Menlo Park for the duration of the camp. You get to rub elbows with Alberto Contador and ride in the Coast Range each day.
11 Saturday. Cinderella Classic & Challenge. 95-, 64-, and 42- and 24-mile routes. $95-$60. Limit of 1,000 riders; women/girls only. The Classic starts at the Dublin Senior Center just like last year and the routes through the San Ramon Valley are a bit different than in previous years. Registration is ~~not yet open~~ is now open. (Boys can do the club’s Evil Stepsisters ride instead.)
12 Saturday. Tierra Bella Century. 100-, 73-, 49-, and 29-mile routes. $100. (Price goes up March 1.) The Tierra Bella moves back to April this year. You still have to be a member of ACTC in order to ride. So ACTC throws in a “trial” membership good until May 31 along with your registration. The overall rider limit is 1,000. The 100-mile route is limited to 200 registrants; 74-mile to 300 registrants, and the 49-mile to 200. Registration is open.
18 Saturday. SLO Wildflower Century. 100-, 80-, 65-, 50-, and 35-mile routes. $120. The 100-mile route returns! Spokers may recall that the 100-mile route takes in Shell Creek Road, which has the worst asphalt ever. Hopefully it has been repaved. Limit of 1,000 riders. Registration is open.
19 Sunday. Primavera Century. 101-, 62-, and 38-mile routes. $100. (Price goes up March 1.) This year’s century route goes back to the counterclockwise direction out Altamont Pass and then returning over Palomares and Calaveras back to Fremont. Registration ~~will open December 1.~~ is open.
16-19 Thursday through Sunday. Sea Otter Classic. 90- and 50- mile road routes. $175-$63. There are also gravel, MTB, and road races. If you’re into a party scene and lots of new cycling product on display, this is your event. Registration is open. 
25 Saturday. Ride 4A Reason. 45-, 68-, and 110-mile routes. $125. Starting from either Fairfield, Vacaville, or Oakland, ride to Sacramento. No fundraising minimum but they would like to you gather donations. This is a fundraiser for Oakland and Alameda public schools. Registration is open.
26 Sunday. Chico Wildflower. 125-, 100-, 65-, 60-, 30-, and 12-mile routes. $110-$79. This used to be the ‘must do’ club ride qua getaway weekend. Terrific riding despite the incineration of Paradise eight years ago during the Camp Fire. Registration is open.
25 Saturday. Levi’s Gran Fondo. 114-, 87-, 69-, and 39-mile routes. $345-$150. An expensive day in the Sonoma hills no matter how you cut it partly due to providing timing chips But it’s a big event and a pro race with the accompanying atmosphere. Registration is open.