The hills and roads from Canby to Molalla to Gervais and back again will be alive with the sound of – bicycles?
It’s true. Approximately 300 cyclists will take part in the Portland Bicycle Club’s 2024 century ride, which covers three different distances, begins in Canby and traverses much of the north Willamette Valley on June 8.
As organizer Doug Myers explained, century rides are so named for the distance, 100 miles, and not the amount of time it takes to ride one. A Canby-based century ride, dubbed the Pioneer Century, has been a tradition of the Portland Bicycling Club since 1973.
This year’s ride on June 8 will kick off between 7 and 9 a.m. from Columbia Distributing, 2525 SE First Ave., in Canby. From there Riders will try their luck over 33, 62 or 101 miles through the valley’s back country.
The club formed in 1971 as the “Portland Wheelmen Touring Club” and hosted its first 100-mile ride the following year — but that one did not start or end in Canby.
“That one was just on Sauvie Island,” Myers said. “And I think they went around Sauvie Island, like, 12 times. They decided it was pretty boring.”
The club headed south the following year and, finding the scenic byways, views of Mount Hood, and pastoral farmlands surrounding “The Garden Spot,” as Canby is known, to be much more to their liking, a new tradition was born. The heritage event has continued pretty much every year since then, with the one notable exception being the Covid-19 pandemic.
The ride is open to anyone, club, and non-club members alike, and offers a couple of lighter options for those not ready to commit to a full day in the saddle for the Full Century. The Pioneer Metric (which covers 100 kilometers, or 62 miles) is a good middle option, as is the Half-Metric, which is a relatively flat, 33-mile loop.
All three courses are well-marked and include rest stops stocked with water, sports drinks, and nutritious cycling foods. As many as 500 have joined the club’s Century Pioneer events in the past, Myers said.
“A lot of it depends on the weather,” Myers admitted. “If it’s going to be pouring down rain, nobody really wants to go that far.”
While the event’s home base has been Canby for five decades, its routes traditionally weave through other communities, including Molalla, Mount Angel, Gervais, and Scotts Mills. And, the event is a ride, Myers stressed, not a race.
“It’s just recreational,” he said. “It seems like there are always some who try to see how fast they can do it each year, which I think is a waste of a lot of beautiful scenery along the way.”
Those who plan on doing the full 100-mile route are encouraged to hit the road in that 7 to 8 a.m. timeframe. The fastest riders can complete the course in five hours or so, but most take their time. The gate stays open for finishers until about 5 p.m.
Tickets are $45 for nonmembers or $40 for club members if you reserve a spot early. Registration will be $60/$55 May 1 through May 31 and $70/$65 June 1 through June 5. On-site registration will be available on June 8, the day of the event, for $75/$70.
All proceeds benefit the Portland Bicycling Club, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to promoting cycling and cycling safety. For more information or to register, visit portlandbicyclingclub.com/pioneer.
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