50th annual Wine Country Century to draw thousands of cyclists to Sonoma County

When more than 2,500 cyclists take to the roads of Sonoma County on May 4, it will be a birthday party of sorts.

The rolling fete will celebrate the 50th running — or riding — of the venerable Wine Country Century, an event believed to have started in 1973 as a rollicking, but tough, get together among friends who loved to ride bikes and ride them a really long way.

The story goes that the 100-mile group ride started in 1973, not too many years after the 1967 establishment of the Santa Rosa Cycling Club, according to current club president Steve Saxe.

“In 1973 there was enough of a club to put on something called the Santa Rosa Challenge Ride,” he said.

Saxe said he’s done some digging, trying to find out more about those early years, the routes, the rules, the whole deal.

He did discover that finishers were awarded not jerseys or T-shirts, but sew-it-on -yourself patches.

And back then there were no road closures, no competition, no timing.

Funny thing is, the same goes for today. This has always been a ride, most definitely not a race.

“Our ride is strictly recreational,” Saxe said.

The flyer for the 10th anniversary ride in 1983 edition says as much.

The pink sheet depicts a hairy fella holding a goblet of something with the reminder that the century “ … is more of a social event than a race or a molar grinder.”

The cost back then? 10 bucks if you paid early and $15 if you lagged.

Today, the most expensive, no early bird discount registration, fee is $140.

So in that way, things have changed.

The Wine Country Century today draws more than 2,500 riders for three different routes: 34, 63 and 100 miles.

All routes start at the Luther Burbank Center for the Arts. The longest route takes riders west to Monte Rio, to the east side of Forestville, north to Lake Sonoma, east to Geyserville and south to LBC where organizers will host their post-ride party on the grass.

And this year’s event will have a little added sparkle.

“This is a celebration for the accomplishment of 50 years,” Saxe said. “We really want to make it a special experience for our riders.”

Before the ride there will be coffee and pastries. We told you this wasn’t a race.

At the after-event, there will be a live band, lots of food and hordes of volunteers walking around with small bites and dessert trays.

“It was like, ‘What else can we do? What else can we do?’” said club member and volunteer Jan Smith Billing. “We go to such extremes to make everybody feel welcome.”

Per usual, the event sold out months in advance.

Riders from 27 states and two foreign countries are expected to take part.

The youngest “rider?” Three years old (riding in a trailer), according to Saxe.

The oldest?

That would be Gerd Rosenblatt of Berkeley. He’s 90 and using the 100 miler as part his training block for more grueling rides later this summer.

He’s done the Wine Country Century a number of times. And he keeps coming back.

“I like the route,” he said.

He’s especially keen on the roads heading west around Guerneville.

“And the rest stops are good,” he said. “In general, the rides put on by clubs have more, just more of everything. More food at rest stops, more variety at rest stops, more people giving you directions where you need them, more sag wagons, just more.”

“ (Santa Rosa Cycling Club) is just a great club. I like them,” he said.

Rosenblatt is not alone.

This 501(c) 4 nonprofit, meaning they are operated to benefit the community, is now 1,000 members strong, has built up a tremendous amount of goodwill over the years.

When the Tubbs Fire destroyed the club’s warehouse and all of its contents — canopies, trailers, tables, signage — in 2017, the other clubs around Sonoma County and the North Bay that the Santa Rosa Cycling Club has for years supported with loans of equipment, volunteers and expertise, rallied for them.

There were cash donations, donations of goods, and a huge show of love.

“I get goose bumps just talking about it,” Saxe said. “The outpouring of support was absolutely incredible.”

With that to buoy them, the club rebounded. They even hosted a Wine Country Century event the year after the Tubbs fire, albeit on a smaller scale.

The only century the club couldn’t host was in 2020 because of the pandemic. Hence, the 50th anniversary ride is this spring instead of 2023.

And while fun, the ride is the main source of funds for the nonprofit. Money generated by those registration fees supports the club’s good works, and that includes straight donations to other nonprofits.

In 2023, the club cut a check for $24,850 to the Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition.

Smaller donations went to Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition, CalBike and League of American Bicyclists.

But it’s not all bikes. The club has a tradition of polling its members for other groups worthy of financial support. The more votes a group gets, the larger portion of a set monetary amount, usually between $12,000-$17,000, the group gets, Saxe said.

Last year the club cut checks to Redwood Empire Food Bank, The Living Room, TLC Child and Family Services, among others, according to Saxe.

Smith Billing, for one, speaks in tones of almost awe when she talks about how much work her fellow volunteers put in to make the ride special for thousands of strangers, but also the fun they get out of it.

“It’s just a group of really nice people,” she said. “And we are riding around Sonoma County smiling.”

It’s a pretty simple formula. No wonder it’s lasted five decades.

You can reach Staff Columnist Kerry Benefield at 707-526-8671 or kerry.benefield@pressdemocrat.com. On Instagram @kerry.benefield.