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-$39. 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. $75. 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.
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.
28 Saturday. Blossom Bike Ride. 60-, 40-, 20-, and 7-mile rides. $66-$24. 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.

March


7 Saturday. Solvang Century. 102-, 68-, and 52-mile routes. $155-$134. Limit of 1,000 riders. Registration is open.


April


11 Saturday. Cinderella Classic & Challenge. 95-, 64-, and 42- and 24-mile routes. $85-$55. 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. $75-$65. 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 opens January 1.
18 Saturday. SLO Wildflower Century. 100-, 80-, 65-, 50-, and 35-mile routes. $100. 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 open January 4.
19 Sunday. Primavera Century. 101-, 62-, and 38-mile routes. $80-$40. 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. $164. 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.

26 Sunday. Chico Wildflower. 125-, 100-, 65-, 60-, 30-, and 12-mile routes. $100-$33. 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.

August
2 Saturday. Marin Century. 124-, 92-, 100-, 61-, and 37-mile routes. $155-$90. Registration is open.

3 Sunday. Civilized Century. $71. 100-, 75-, 60- and 35-mile routes. Limited to 200 riders. The 100-mile route starts in Redwood City goes up to SFO and returns before crossing the Dumbarton and returning around the South Bay. Registration opens May 3. is open.

16 Saturday. Cool Breeze Century. $113. 125-, 107-, 100-, 65- and 27-mile routes. A pleasant, not-too-difficult century down in Ventura county with great weather. Registration opens April 1 (no fooling’!) is open. Limit of 2,000.

30 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; registration opens in March. is open.

September
6 & 13 Saturday. Ride The Rim. $10 suggested donation. 33 miles. The NPS closes part of the Rim Drive to cars on these two days. Registration is not open yet. open. Now that the NPS is devastated, will it have money to put on this event?

7-12 Sunday to Friday. Cycle Oregon Rally. 303 to 140 miles. $1,534. Cycle Oregon has revamped its tour. Now it’s a week doing routes in two towns, Prospect and Diamond Lake. Asphalt and gravel. Limited to 600. Registration is open. closed Aug. 28.

13 Saturday. The Bay Ride. 130 or 40 miles. $167. 135 miles around the Bay from the Ferry Bldg or just 40 from the Ferry Bldg. to Oakland via Marin. A fundraiser for the California Bicycle Coalition.

27 Saturday. Napa Valley Ride to Cure ALS. 102-, 72-, 57-, 44- , 40-, and 23-mile routes. $100 registration and $200 minimum fundraising. From downtown Napa a tour through the Napa Valley and Pope Valley. Registration is open.

27-28 Saturday to Sunday. Bike MS: Waves to Wine. $70 start fee. Ride from San Francisco to Rohnert Park. Minimum $350 fundraising. Registration is open.

Eroica California. Eroica California seems no longer to be offered.

27 Saturday. Fall River Century. 200k-, 100 mi-, 100k-, and 25-mile routes. $85-$55. Limit of 500 but 100 day-of-event registrations too. Fall River Mills is northeast of Redding, about a 4.5 hour drive from SF. Registration is open.

27 Saturday. Lighthouse Century. $120. 100-, 75-, 64-, 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 is open.

28 Sunday. Tour de Cure. $?. $250 minimum fundraising and your registration fee counts towards your minimum. 100k, 50k, and 6k routes. Rides out of HP in Palo Alto. Registration is open.

October
4 Saturday. Sacramento Century Challenge. $115-$65. 100-, 63- 36-, and 16-mile routes. Rotary Club fundraiser for at-risk youth. Registration is open.

4 Saturday. Best of the Bay. $185. 200 miles. Registration is open.

4 Saturday. Bike The Bridges. 100k-, 50 mi, 50k, and 25 mile routes. $110-$85. Fundraiser for Special Olympics NorCal. From Martinez across the Benicia and Carquinez Bridges. Limited to 1,000 participants. Registration is open.

11 Saturday. 3F Century. 100-, 62-, and 37-mile routes. $85-$65. If you prefer a flat ride in the Valley in Colusa and Sutter counties around the Sutter Buttes. Registration is open.

11 Saturday. Asti Tour de Vine. $105. 100-mile, 100k, 50k, and 25k routes. Rides in northern Sonoma county starting in Cloverdale. Registration is open.

18 Saturday. Foxy Fall Century. 100-, 100k, and 50k-routes. $110-$60. Fee includes one-year membership in Davis BBcycle Club. Limit of 1,500. Registration is open.

18 Saturday. Tour de Lincoln. 100k-, 50k-, and 25k-routes. $?. If Foxy Fall is too crowded for you, here’s a community ride just up the road in Lincoln. Their website appears to have been hijacked. Contact them through Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TourdeLincoln/

18 Saturday. Ride Santa Barbara. 100-, 62-, and 34-mile routes. $180-$106. It’s a longish drive south but Santa Barbara is a great place to do a century with beach front views and fantastic climbs in the Santa Ynez Mountains including Gibraltar. Limited to 2,000. Registration is open.

November
15 Saturday. Death Valley Century. 100-mile, two 50-miles routes, and a 62k route. $181. Limited to 300 riders. Registration is open.

MAY


3 Saturday. Tierra Bella Century. 100-, 77-, 55-, and 33-mile routes. 100-, 74-, 49-, and 29-mile routes. $95-$85. Big changes this year for the Tierra Bella. Event start has moved from Gavilan College to Christmas Hill Park in Gilroy. More importantly you have to be a member of ACTC in order to ride. But they’re throwing in a “trial” membership good until May 31 along with your registration. The overall rider limit is 1,000, a drop from 1,200 last year. The 100-mile route is limited to 200 registrants; 74-mile to 300 registrants, and the 49-mile to 200. Registration is open.
3 Saturday. SLO Wildflower. 80-, 65-, 50- and 35-mile routes. $120. Limit of 1,000. The 80-mile route is still offered with hope of catching wildflowers. In 2022 the club went down to do this ride and had a great time. Registration is open. now closed. No day-of-event registration.
3 Saturday. Delta Century. 100-, 67-, and 26-mile routes. $75-$50. Very flat rides starting in Woodbridge tour the Sacramento Delta. Registration is open.
3 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.
4 Sunday. Grizzly Peak Century. 100-, 75-, 50-, and 30-mile routes. And a 100- or 65-km gravel routes. $100-$70. Limit of 1,000 riders. Registration is open.
17 Saturday. Davis Double. 200 miles, period. $160-$140. The $140 is for Davis Bike Club members only; $160 includes a trial membership for non-DBC people. Limited to 500 riders. Registration is open.
17-18 Saturday & Sunday. Siskiyou Scenic Bicycle Tour. 104-, 67-, 40-, and 21-mile road routes on Saturday; 63-, 59-, and 39-mile gravel routes on Sunday plus a 35-mile road on Sunday too. $92-$39. Riding in the beautiful area around Yreka. Registration is open.
18 Sunday. Strawberry Fields Forever. 102-, 64-, and 30-mile routes; 40- and 20-mile gravel routes too. $115-$90. Out of Watsonville and into the Santa Cruz Mountains. Also, a gravel ride is being offered for the first time. Registration is open.
24-25 Saturday-Sunday. The Art of Survival Century. 100-, 60-, 38-mile road routes & 74-, 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 is open.
31 Saturday. Ojai Valley Century. 101-, 75-, 63-, and 31-mile routes? $187-$181. A bit further south in Ventura County in the Ojai Valley out to Santa Barbara and back. Information on the website is slightly confusing (not helped by the seemingly complete lack of editing and terrible spelling), likely due to hasty revisions to last year’s info. High cost is probably partly due to RFID tags being issued to all participants even though this isn’t a race. Registration is open.

JUNE


No Sierra To The Sea for 2025. ACTC has decided to stop offering its annual June Sierra to the Sea tour because of riding costs. Will we ever see this ride again?

1 Sunday. Sequoia Century. 100-, 75-, and 62-, and 38-mile routes. $135-$105. A venerable century going from the Midpeninsula over the Coast Range to coastside and back. The routes change every year. Registration is open.
6-8 Sunday to Tuesday. Cycle Oregon (Gravel). $598. Limit of 600. This is a gravel weekend on the Trask River in Tillamook County. Selection of rides. Camping on the Oregon coast along with fly fishing, live music, food, etc. Registration is open. has closed.
7 Saturday. Gold Country Challenge. 100-, 74-, 54-, and 35-mile road routes; also 18-, 42-, and 62-mile mixed terrain routes. $100-$65. Rides through the Gold Country around Grass Valley and Nevada City. Registration is open.
14 Saturday. Mile High 100. 100-, 68- and 33-mile routes. $102-$86. Rides around Lake Almanor near Chester, CA and Lassen. Registration is open. This event is postponed to 2026 due to road construction issues.
21 Saturday. Climb to Kaiser. $?. 155- and 99-mile routes. The hardest climb in California: 15,000 vertical gain. Registration is not yet open.
21 Saturday. Terrible Two Double Century. 200-, 121-, and 112- mile route. $170-$120. No information yet. Registration will open in March. is now open.
Alta Alpina Challenge. Will not be offered in 2025.

JULY

12 Saturday. Death Ride. $244. 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. And the fee? Jumping the shark. Registration is open.

12 Saturday. Giro Bello. 101 mile, 100k, and 50k routes. $134-$107. Similar to the Wine Country Century and in the same area. New routes this year because of road work. Registration is open.
18-20 Friday to Sunday. Cycle Oregon Joyride. $546. 52- to 12-mile routes. Multiple routes each day. Camping in Tygh Valley, Oregon. Women and nonbinary only. Limited to 400. Registration is open.
26? Saturday. Santa Cruz Mountains Challenge. $100-$75? 125-, 100-, 75-, 50- or 36-mile routes? No word yet on a 2025 offering of this venerable ride. Was on hiatus in 2024, so this is ominous.

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 into early May.

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

8 Saturday. Tour of Palm Springs. 102-, 85-, 56-, 36-, 24-, and 7-mile routes. $134-$39. 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. Day of event registration opens Friday 2/7 from 12 to 8 PM and Saturday 2/8 starting at 6 AM.
16 Sunday. POSTPONED. Velo Love Ride. 60 miles. No fee. This event had been put on by Chico Velo since at least the mid-Aughts if not earlier. It’s a much lower key event than their Wildflower, attracting only a couple hundred cyclists in a good year. It’s pleasantly flat and tours the scenic valley area around the Sutter Buttes providing an excellent early season metric. Unfortunately Chico Velo hasn’t been able to find a member willing to organize this long held ride. Note that the previously annual Ride Around the Buttes is no longer offered. So Different Spokes is going to go up there to ride it anyway as long as it doesn’t rain. See the listing in the club calendar. If you’re unfamiliar with the Velo Love Ride, you can read about it here, here, and here.
22 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. If you’re unfamiliar with this ride, you can read more about it here. Registration is open.

March

8 Saturday. Solvang Century. 102-, 68-, and 52-mile routes. $159-$129. Limit of 1,000 riders. This event changed after Planet Ultra took over from SCOR over two years ago. Under SCOR the event food was worse than forgettable. Registration is open.
8 Saturday. Blossom Bike Ride. 60-, 40-, 20-, and 7-mile rides. $66-$29. A metric century starting in the flat orchards 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. Online registration has closed. No mention of day-of-event registration.

April

5 Saturday. Cinderella Classic & Challenge. 60-, 39-, and 21-mile routes. $85-$55. Limit of 600 riders; women/girls only. Girls 8-17 are free when accompanied by an adult. The Classic starts at the Dublin Senior Center this year and hence a new route through the San Ramon valley. Registration opens December 1. is open. Online registration closes April 3.
13 Sunday. Primavera Century. 101-, 63-, and 28-mile routes. $110-$50. Starting at Ohlone College in Fremont the 100-mile route again reverses direction this year and heads out Niles Canyon to Palomares before heading out to Altamont Pass and then back around Calaveras Reservoir before returning to Fremont. Registration opens December 1. is open. Registration closes April 8.
10-13 Thursday through Sunday. Sea Otter Classic. 90- and 50- mile road routes. $205-$155. 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. If you just want to attend the festival and not ride, a ticket is $35.
19 Saturday. Levi’s Gran Fondo. 138-, 117-, 86-, 68-, 46-, 28-, and 11-mile routes. $330-$110. Registration is open.
26 Saturday. Devil Mountain Double. 205/195- and 105-mile routes. $150-$75. Registration is open.
27 Sunday. Chico Wildflower. 127-, 102-, 100-, 62-, 60-, 30-, and 12-mile routes. $111-$79. This used to be the ‘must do’ club ride qua getaway weekend. Terrific riding despite the incineration of Paradise seven years ago during the Camp Fire. Registration is open.

August
3 Saturday. Marin Century. $150-130. 100 or 62 miles. Metric, regular century or the Mt. Tam century. Registration is open but closes on July 28..

4 Sunday. Civilized Century. $60. 100-, 75-, 60- and 35-mile routes. Registration is open. Here’s the ‘new kid on the block’. The 100-mile route starts in Redwood City goes up to SFO and returns before crossing the Dumbarton and returning around the South Bay.

9-11 Friday to Sunday. Cycle Oregon Joyride. $500. 52-12 miles. Multiple routes each day. Camping. Women and nonbinary only. Limited to 500.

17 Saturday. Cool Breeze Century. $120. 125-, 107-, 95-, 60- and 34-mile routes. A pleasant, not-too-difficult century down in Ventura county with great weather. Registration is open. Limit of 2,000.

31 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. Registration is open.

September
7 Saturday. Mammoth Gran Fondo. $159-149. 102-, 70-, and 42-mile routes. Starting at 8,000 feet in the southern Sierras, a big loop through the eastern Sierras.

7 & 14 Saturday. Ride The Rim. $10 suggested donation. 33 miles. The NPS closes part of the Rim Drive to cars on these two days. Registration opens April 1. is open and closes on September 2.

8-13 Sunday to Sunday. Cycle Oregon Rally. $1,450. 298 to 198 miles. Cycle Oregon has revamped its tour. Now it’s a week doing routes in two towns in eastern Oregon, Elgin and Enterprise. Asphalt and gravel. Limited to 600. Registration is open.

14 Saturday. Napa Valley Ride to Cure ALS. $70 registration and $150 fundraising minimum. 100-, 62-, and 38-mile routes. Registration is open.

14-15 Saturday to Sunday. Bike MS: Waves to Wine. $50 start fee. Ride from San Francisco to Rohnert Park. Minimum $350 fundraising. Registration is open.

21 Saturday. Tour of the Unknown Coast. $134. 100- and 62-mile routes. Tour the redwoods in Humboldt County. Registration opens May 1. is open.

22 Sunday. Eroica California. $150. 97-, 73-, and 35-mile routes. Limit of 1,500. Only ‘classic’ bikes—usually 1987 or earlier—are allowed. See site for detailed rules. Mixed terrain routes. No information yet about 2024 event. Registration not yet open. POSTPONED.

28 Saturday. Lighthouse Century. $115. 100-, 75- and 64-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 9. is open. is now closed.

28 Saturday. Sacramento Century Challenge. $115-$65. 100-, 63- 36-, and 16-mile routes. Rotary Club fundraiser for at-risk youth. Registration opens May 1. is open.

29 Sunday. Tour de Cure. $10 plus $250 minimum fundraising. 100-, 64-, 32- and 1-mile routes. Rides out of the Palo Alto area. Registration is open.

October
5 Saturday. Best of the Bay. $185. 200 miles. Registration is open.

12 Saturday. 3F Century. $65-45. 100-, 62-, and 37-mile routes. If you prefer a flat ride in the Valley in Colusa and Sutter counties. Registration opens spring 2024. Not offered this year. Yes, it WILL be offerred this year! Registration is open.

12 Saturday. Asti Tour de Vine. $95. 100-mile, 100k, 50k, and 25k routes. Rides in northern Sonoma county starting in Cloverdale. More information to follow. Registration is now open.

19 Saturday. Best Buddies Challenge. $50 fee plus $1,800 minimum fundraising. 72- or 38-mile routes. Best Buddies has moved its event to rides in Marin since Highway One is still closed.

19 Saturday. Foxy Fall Century. $85-35. 100-, 100k, and 50k-routes. Limit of 1,500. Registration opens in July. is open.

19 Saturday. Tour de Lincoln. $75-$55. 100k-, 50k-, and 25k-routes. If Foxy Fall is too crowded for you, here’s a community ride just up the road in Lincoln. Registration is not yet open.

19 Saturday. Ride Santa Barbara. $180-106. 100-, 62-, and 34-mile routes. 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
16 Saturday. Death Valley Century. $176. Limited to 300 riders. Registration is open.

MAY
4 Saturday. Delta Century. 100-, 67-, and 26-mile routes. $75-$55. Very flat rides starting in Woodbridge tour the Sacramento Delta. Registration opens in early 2024 is open.
4 Sunday. Wine Country Century. 100-, 63- and 35-mile routes. $140-$115. A club fave and great food. It always sells out so register early. Limited to 2,500. This is the 50th anniversary so SRCC has something special planned. Registration is open. SOLD OUT.
4? Saturday. Mr. Frog’s Wild Ride. 55-, 43- and 21-mile routes? $?. A challenging hilly ride out of Murphys including Sheep Ranch Road. No 2024 date yet. APPARENTLY NOT HAPPENING THIS YEAR.
5 Sunday. Grizzly Peak Century. 100-, 75-, 50-, and 30-mile routes. And a 100- or 50-km gravel routes. $100-$70. Limit of 1,000 riders. The start in Moraga is easy to get to and the delicious food is largely homemade. Registration is open.
18 Saturday. I Care Classic. 100-mile, 100-, 50- and 20-km routes. $95-$80. Riding in the Santa Clara Valley between San Jose and Gilroy. Run by the Almaden Lions Club. Registration is open.
18 Saturday. Tour delle Vigne. $75. 100k, 60k, and 30k routes. Flat valley rides out of Lodi sponsored by the Lodi Rotary Club. Registration is open.
18 Saturday. Davis Double. $160. 200 miles, period. Limited to 500 riders. Registration opens first week of March with route information to follow. Registration is now open.
18-19 Saturday & Sunday. Siskiyou Scenic Bicycle Tour. 104-, 67-, 40-, and 21-mile road routes on Saturday; 63- and 39-mile gravel routes on Sunday. $85-$55. Riding in the beautiful area around Yreka. Registration is open.
19 Sunday. Strawberry Fields Forever. 102-, 64-, and 30-mile routes. $100. Out of Watsonville and into the Santa Cruz Mountains. Registration is not yet open is open.
25-26 Saturday-Sunday. The Art of Survival Century. 100-, 60-, 38-mile road routes & 74-, 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 is open.

JUNE


1 Saturday. Gold Country Challenge. 100-, 74-, 54-, and 35-mile road routes; also 42- and 62-mile mixed terrain routes. $95-45. Registration is open.
1 Saturday. Ojai Valley Century. 103-, 63-, and 31-mile routes as well as 102-, 50-, and 35-mile gravel routes. $125-$105. A bit further south in Ventura County in the Ojai Valley out to Santa Barbara and back. (No Class 3 e-bikes.) Registration is open.
2 Sunday. Sequoia Century. 100-, 72-, and 62-, and 38-mile routes. $145-90. A venerable century going from the Midpeninsula over the Coast Range to coastside and back. The routes change every year. Registration is open but just 91 slots left.
7-9 Sunday to Tuesday. Cycle Oregon (Gravel). 65 to 115 mile options. $510. Registration limited to 600. Several route options each day around Big Summit Prairie, OR. Camping. Registration is open.
15 Saturday. Mile High 100. 100-, 68- and 33-mile routes. $95-$75. Rides around Lake Almanor near Chester, CA and Lassen. Registration is open.
22 Saturday. Climb to Kaiser. $140-$125. 155- and 99-mile routes. The hardest climb in California: 15,000 vertical gain. Registration is not yet open is open.
17 Sunday to 24 Sunday. Sierra to the Sea. 420 miles over 8 days. $1,650. Limit of 85 riders; 40 slots left. Registration is open.
29 Saturday. Alta Alpina Challenge. $205-170. Another version of the Death Ride. Registration is open.
29 Saturday. Giro Bello. $125-100. 101 mile, 67 mile, and 50k routes. New routes for 2024. Similar to the Wine Country Century and in the same area. No information yet. Registration is now open.

JULY


20 Saturday. Fall River Century. $75-50. 200k, 100k-, 100-, and 25-mile routes. Beautiful ride east of Mt. Shasta. Limit of 500 riders. Registration is open.
12-14 Friday to Sunday. Cycle Oregon Weekender. 127 to 30 miles. $500. Variety of gravel routes near McMinnville, OR. Camping near town. Registration is open
13 Saturday. Death Ride. $209. 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.
29 Saturday. Santa Cruz Mountains Challenge. 125-, 100-, 75-, 50- or 36-mile routes? No word yet on a 2024 offering of this venerable ride. It’s not being offered this year.

Last year is so last year. And don’t we just move on to the next thing and wipe our memory regardless of how awesome or gruesome it all was? Here’s one last look at lowlights and highlights of 2023 before we consign it to the historical dustbin.

The year started off with a whimper when the January 1 Resolution Ride had to be cancelled. It wouldn’t be the first time it was cancelled due to rain. But this time it was due to the effects of the New Year’s Eve atmospheric river that caused North Gate Road to collapse and closed all of Mt. Diablo State Park. Everyone else had the common sense to find something else to do. But Roger and I had to break in the new year with a ride. So we went for a ride out to Redwood Road only to discover…a huge section didn’t exist anymore again due to the storm. It still doesn’t exist today! It turned into a cyclocross day with plenty of walking, mud, and a long clean up afterwards.

The lowest of lowlights had to be David Sexton’s murder. On July 1 David was murdered—oh excuse me, he was a victim of ‘vehicular manslaughter’ since getting murdered by car drivers has its own lesser category—when he was hit in Richmond, CA while cycling to Napa to visit Gordon. At the time the police indicated they knew who did it. But no arrest has been made to date. David was much loved in the club and his loss is/was a hard one. Although a lot of Spokers have passed over the years, very few have been due to car drivers; the last one was Dennis Nix, who was a club secretary in the late 90’s, who was killed in 2015 by a hit-and-run driver in San Francisco.

The incredible rainfall in the first quarter of 2023 was the other lowlight. Although the prolific atmospheric rivers—33 altogether, I believe—finally ended the multi-year drought, it made cycling even more character building. Every single club ride in March was either cancelled or postponed. As was the case in 2014 a raft of roads popular and well-used by cyclists ended up being closed due to road failure or landslides. Many of them are still closed today, more than a year after the New Year’s Eve deluge that wiped out most of them. On the bright side, some eventually reopened although it took a long time. We’re still waiting for Mountain Charlie, Redwood Road, Wildcat, and Highway One.

All that rain as well as Covid resulted in the cancellation of the annual Kick Off Meeting. When the rains stopped and David got over Covid, the lack of enthusiasm by the board to host the KOM was evident. Ironically we eventually did have a ‘kick off meeting’ of sorts but it was at the very end of October. Which turned out to be a highlight because the end result of a long discussion about the future of the club was a slate of volunteers to step up and become the new board. Yahoo!

One of the highlights at least for me was the rerun in April of New Speedway Boogie, an oblique reference to riding up to Altamont Pass via Patterson Road. Patterson was closed due to a rain-induced landslide but was quickly reopened (compared to just about every other road closure, that is) in time for a club foray to catch the still luxurious green hills. And riding along the California Aqueduct is always a gas!

An intriguing highlight was the club going to the Golden State Warriors game on LBGT night. Yes, we’ve had Gay Games, Angel Island LGBT Sports Day, the Amgen Tour of California, the Coors Classic, and even club time trials around Lake Merced. But this was the first time the club went to a non-cycling spectator sports event. We sold out our allotment of 29 tickets! Spectator sports are the antithesis of cycling, which is all about moving your body. Nevertheless the event was an unexpected hit. Let’s do it again!

The final highlight of the year was the increasing popularity of the Short & Sassy rides, which goes to show that there are club members who would like short(er) rides, like less than 25 miles. A Short & Sassy South Bay ride drew six riders, which is great for a first-timer; the Short & Sassy Tib loop now draws almost as many riders as the Jersey Ride.

Here’s what we know so far for the first months of 2024. April is when the calendar really starts to get packed.

January


1 Monday. Resolution Ride/New Year’s Day Up Diablo. 38 miles. No fee. This isn’t a century but it’s the first “big” ride of the year and practically a club tradition. See the listing in the club calendar.

February


10 Saturday. Tour of Palm Springs. 102-, 85-, 56-, 34-, 25-, and 7-mile routes. $120-$35. Fees go up on Jan. 1. 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.
18 Sunday. Velo Love Ride. 60 miles. No fee. This event had been put on by Chico Velo since at least the mid-Aughts if not earlier. It’s a much lower key event than their Wildflower, attracting only a couple hundred cyclists in a good year. It’s pleasantly flat and tours the scenic valley area around the Sutter Buttes providing an excellent early season metric. Unfortunately Chico Velo hasn’t been able to find a member willing to organize this long held ride. But Different Spokes is going to go up there to ride it anyway as long as it doesn’t rain. See the listing in the club calendar. If you’re unfamiliar with the Velo Love Ride, you can read about it here, here, and here. [POSTPONED TO MARCH 3]
24 Saturday. Pedaling Paths to Independence. 65- and 25-mile routes. $55 and $45. 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. It tours the rolling ag land south and east of the town. If you’re unfamiliar with this ride, you can read more about it here. Registration is open.
24 Saturday. Death Valley Century. 100-, 62- and 55-mile routes. $165. Limited to 300 cyclists. Registration is open. [1/15/24: 180 slots still open.]

March


2 Saturday. Solvang Century. 101-, 68-, and 52-mile routes. $189-$159. Limit of 1,000 riders. Registration opens December 31 is open. No day-of-event registration
3 Sunday. Velo Love Ride. 60 miles. No fee. This event had been put on by Chico Velo since at least the mid-Aughts if not earlier. It’s a much lower key event than their Wildflower, attracting only a couple hundred cyclists in a good year. It’s pleasantly flat and tours the scenic valley area around the Sutter Buttes providing an excellent early season metric. Unfortunately Chico Velo hasn’t been able to find a member willing to organize this long held ride. But Different Spokes is going to go up there to ride it anyway as long as it doesn’t rain. See the listing in the club calendar. If you’re unfamiliar with the Velo Love Ride, you can read about it here, here, and here. [POSTPONED]
17 Sunday. Ride & Walk4Art. 70-, 45-, and 30-mile routes. $105-$45. Limit of 300 riders. The Calaveras County Arts Council is putting on a cycling & walking & art show fundraiser for arts education in the Calaveras county public schools. Loops out of Valley Springs, CA (20 miles east of Linden) by the three big reservoirs. Registration is open.
April


13 Saturday. Cinderella Classic & Challenge. 93-, 63-, and 40-mile routes. $80-$55. Limit of 1,000 riders; women/girls only. The Classic starts at Las Positas College near Livermore and traverses a big loop through Danville, Dublin, and Pleasanton. Registration opens January 1 is open.
13 Saturday. Tierra Bella Century. 100-, 77-, 55-, and 33-mile routes. $70-$50. Limit of 1,200. Starts in Gilroy and takes in the climbs and reservoirs in Santa Clara Valley. New routes this year. Registration opens January 1 is open.
13 Saturday. Levi’s Gran Fondo. 139-, 120-, 81-, 63-, 40-, and 22-mile routes. $295-$100. Registration is open.
13 Saturday. Bike Around the Buttes. $70-$45. 100-, 70-, 40-, and 20-mile routes. Yuba-Sutter Lions Club fundraiser for diabetes and sight. Registration is open.
18-21 Thursday through Sunday. Sea Otter Classic. 85- and 50- mile road routes, 21-mile MTB route. $130. Registration is open.
20 Saturday. SLO Wildflower. 80-, 52- and 30-mile routes. $110. Limit of 1,000. This year the 80-mile route returns with some hope of catching wildflowers. In 2022 the club went down to do this ride and had a great time. Registration opens Dec. 31 is open. Registration is now closed.
21 Sunday. Primavera Century. 100-, 85-, 63-, and 25-mile routes. $110-$40. Starting in Fremont the 100-mile route reverses direction this year and heads out Niles Canyon to Palomares before heading out to Altamont Pass and then back around Calaveras Reservoir before returning to Fremont. Registration is open.
27 Saturday. Devil Mountain Double. 205- and 195-mile routes. $140. Details to come later. the 205-mile route has 20,639 feet of vertical; the 195-mile route ‘only’ 17,639 feet by removing Mt. Diablo. Climb Diablo, Morgan Territory, Altamont Pass, the back side of Hamilton, Calaveras, and Palomares. Registration is open.
27 Saturday. Jane Fondo. 24-, 38-, and 770-mile routes. $90-$150 or more. Marin County Bicycle Coalition fundraiser with routes in Marin starting out of Olema. Women only.
28 Sunday. Chico Wildflower. 125-, 100-, 65-, 60-, 30-, and 12-mile routes. $105-$75. This used to be the ‘must do’ club ride qua getaway weekend. Terrific riding despite the incineration of Paradise five years ago during the Camp Fire. Registration is open.

Here are noteworthy century rides mostly in the NorCal area.

MAY
6 Saturday. Delta Century. 100-, 67-, and 26-mile routes. $65-$45. Very flat rides starting in Woodbridge tour the Sacramento Delta. Registration should open in January is open.

6 Sunday. Wine Country Century. 100-, 63- and 34-mile routes. $110-$80. A club fave and great food. It always sells out so register early. Limited to 2,500. Registration is open. SOLD OUT!

6 Saturday. Mr. Frog’s Wild Ride. 55-, 43- and 21-mile routes. $75-$40. A challenging hilly ride out of Murphys including Sheep Ranch Road. Registration is open.

7 Sunday. Grizzly Peak Century. 100-, 75-, and 50-mile routes. And a 60-mile gravel route. $90. Limit of 1,000 riders. Registration opens mid-January is open.

13? Sunday. I Care Classic. 100-, 62-, 32- and 10-mile routes. $95. Riding in the Santa Clara Valley between San Jose and Gilroy. Run by the Almaden Lions Club. Registration is open.

20? Saturday. Davis Double. 200 miles, period. $140. Limited to 500 riders. Registration opens March 1. is open.

21 Sunday. Strawberry Fields Forever. 102-, 64-, and 30-mile routes. $100. Out of Watsonville and into the Santa Cruz Mountains. Registration is open.

19-21 Friday to Sunday. Cycle Oregon (Gravel). 66 & 61-mile, or 34 & 26-mile days. $375. Cycle Oregon is offering a two-day gravel trip. Limited to 500. Registration opens January 24 is open. SOLD OUT!

27-28? Saturday-Sunday. The Art of Survival Century. 100-, 60-, 38-mile road routes & 74-, 54-mile gravel routes. $75-$25. Rides near the Oregon border in NW California. Registration is open.

JUNE
3 Saturday. Gold Country Challenge. 100-, 74-, 54-, and 35-mile road routes; also 42- and 62-mile mixed terrain routes. $80-$60. Registration is open.

3 Saturday. Ojai Valley Century. 128-, 102-, 67-, and 35-mile routes. $90-$60. A bit further south in Ventura County in the Ojai Valley out to Santa Barbara and back. Registration is open.

4 Sunday. Sequoia Century. 101-, 76-, and 59-mile routes. $125-95. A venerable century going from the Midpeninsula over the Coast Range to coastside and back. Will Stage Road be repaired and open by June? Registration is open.

17 Saturday. Climb to Kaiser. $125. 155- and 99-mile routes. The hardest climb in California: 15,000 vertical gain. Registration is open.

17 Sunday to 24 Sunday. Sierra to the Sea. 420 miles over 8 days. $1,500. Limit of 85 riders. Registration is open.

18 Sunday. Mile High 100. 108-, 56- and 33-mile routes. $95-$65. Rides around Lake Almanor near Chester, CA and Lassen. Registration is open.

24 Saturday. Alta Alpina Challenge. Registration is not yet open.

24 Saturday. Giro Bello. 100-, 63- and 35-miles routes. $100-$75. Similar to the Wine Country Century and in the same area. Registration is open.

JULY
15 Saturday. Fall River Century. 200k, 100k-, 100-, and 25-mile routes. $75-$50. Beautiful rides east of Mt. Shasta. Registration is open.

15 Saturday. Death Ride. $139. 103 miles. Monitor, Ebbetts, and Pacific Grade summit for 14,000 vertical gain. Registration is open.

15-16 Saturday-Sunday. STP. 206 miles. $200-$160. The big ride: Seattle to Portland. Overnight in Centralia with camping or cheap lodging from $50-$25. But you’re doing it in one day, right?

29 Saturday. Santa Cruz Mountains Challenge. 125-, 100-, and 50-mile routes. $90. Registration opens February 1 is open. Despite storm damage there are defined RWGPS routes for all of them.

What’s happening in 2023? Clubs and organizations mostly came back in 2022 and offered their usual centuries. A few did not such as the Pedaling Paths to Independence and the Crater Lake Century. Let’s hope they have the interest and energy to put them back on the calendar for 2023. The risk of event postponement or cancellation due to Covid seems over barring something unforeseen. Vaccinations seem to have greatly reduced the chances of a superspreader event.

Here’s what we know so far for the first months of 2023. April is when the calendar really starts to get packed.

January
1 Saturday. Resolution Ride/New Year’s Day Up Diablo. 38 miles. No fee. This isn’t a century but it’s the first “big” ride of the year and practically a club tradition. See the listing in the club calendar.

February
11 Saturday. Tour of Palm Springs. 102-, 85-, 56-, 34-, 25-, and 7-mile routes. $100-$30. 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.

12 Sunday. Velo Love Ride. 60 miles. No fee. This event had put on by Chico Velo since at least the mid-Oughts if not earlier. It’s a much lower key event than their Wildflower, attracting only a couple hundred cyclists in a good year. It’s pleasantly flat and tours the scenic valley area around the Sutter Buttes providing an excellent early season metric. Unfortunately Chico Velo hasn’t been able to find a member willing to organize this long held ride. But Different Spokes is going to go up there to ride it anyway as long as it doesn’t rain. See the listing in the club calendar. If you’re unfamiliar with the Velo Love Ride, you can read about it here, here, and here.

25 Saturday. Pedaling Paths to Independence. 65- and 25-mile routes. $55 and $45. 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 this year is their comeback from the pandemic. It tours the rolling ag land south and east of the town. If you’re unfamiliar with this ride, you can read more about it here. Registration is open.

March
4 Saturday. Solvang Century. 101-, 68-, and 52-mile routes. $125-$105 Now $135-$115. Although the Solvang has never been short of participants—several thousand is the usual number—since being sold to Planet Ultra there is now a limit of 1,000 riders. Registration opens December 25 is now open.

April
15 Saturday. Cinderella Classic & Challenge. 95-, 65-, and 30-mile routes. $70-$30. Limit of 900 riders; women/girls only. The Classic starts at Las Positas College near Livermore and traverses a big loop through Danville, Dublin, and Pleasanton. Registration will open January 5 is now open.

22 Saturday. Tierra Bella Century. 100-, 77-, 55-, and 33-mile routes. $65 Now $75. Limit of 1,500. Starts in Gilroy and takes in the climbs and reservoirs in Santa Clara Valley. New routes this year. Registration opens Jan. 1 is now open. There may be masking required at rest stops. And new “Southern Picnic” meal after ride!

22 Saturday. Levi’s Gran Fondo. 139-, 120-, 81-, 63-, 40-, and 22-mile routes. $295-$140. Some new routes this year. Registration is open.

20-23 Thursday through Sunday. Sea Otter Classic. 92- and 50- mile road routes. $125. Sea Otter returns to its usual April slot. Registration is open.

23 Sunday. Primavera Century. 100-, 90-, 63-, and 25-mile routes. $95-$40. Starting in Fremont the 100-mile route heads up Calaveras, around the reservoir and then out to Patterson Pass before returning and over Palomares to Fremont. Registration is open.

29 Saturday. SLO Wildflower. 63-, 52- and 30-mile routes. $85 Now $105. Limit of 1,000. SLOBC has decided to cancel the 100-mile route due to climate change, ie. the wildflowers have all disappeared from the route. Last year the club went down to do this ride and had a great time. Registration is open.

30 Sunday. Chico Wildflower. 125-, 100-, 65-, 60-, 30-, and 12-mile routes. $85-$25 Now $95-$35. This used to be the ‘must do’ club ride qua getaway weekend. Terrific riding despite the incineration of Paradise four years ago during the Camp Fire. Registration is open.