Spring & Summer Event Ride Schedule in Salem

There are tons of great rides around Oregon this summer. But you knew that! What you might not know is now there's an increasing number of great rides here in Salem! There's one each month now. These are supported rides - with aid wagons, food, and rest stops. Plan your summer fun!

Monster Cookie

The Grand-daddy of them all is the Monster Cookie! It's been going for more than 30 years now.

The cookie takes place on Sunday, April 25th. Online registration is open until the 18th. Day-of-ride registration is also an option.

The ride starts at the State Capitol and goes through the rolling hills of French Prairie to Champoeg - where the Oregon Territory got started in 1843! For more information, including a map and elevation profile, click here.

(If you've got little ones that can't do a metric century, don't forget about the Kidical Mass Mini Cookie Metric Decade, a 6.2 mile ride around playgrounds starting at Grant Elementary School! The mini cookie is not affiliated with the Salem Bicycle Club ride, but it does take place at the same time.)

WVV Ride and Hill Climb Challenge

Updated - see below

Just announced a couple of days ago is a brand new ride.

Willamette Valley Vineyards is hosting a Bike Ride and Hill Climb Challenge on Sunday, May 23rd.

Enjoy a scenic 50, 25, or 10 mile bike ride through the beautiful central Willamette Valley on Sunday, May 23, 2010. Ride times start at 8:00 a.m. (50 mile), 9:00 a.m. (25 mile) and 10:00 a.m. (10 mile) at Cloverdale Elementary School located at 9666 Parrish Gap SE Turner, OR. Finish the day at the winery enjoying Willamette Valley Vineyards' delicious and sustainable wines accompanied by an incredible fajita buffet (vegetarian options available).

Registration is $30 and includes ride, souvenir t-shirt, wine tasting, Riedel wine glass, lunch, coupons and discounts, support vehicle and staff, prizes and bragging rights. An extra prize will be awarded to riders who ride their bike up our infamous hill for the Hill Climb Challenge. Guests are welcome for wine tasting lunch at an additional charge that can be purchased online or at the door the day of the event. Space is limited to first 200 registrants. Please register online here.

(We've got a question into WVV to ask about a "sustainability" package for Salem residents who bike out to the winery instead of driving a car and might not want to transport a fragile wine glass!)

WVV sends an update!

We will have a pick-up at Travel Salem for bike riders who choose to “Be Green” and do not drive a car. Participants can pick up wine glasses and bottles purchased at Travel Salem.

Boys and Girls Club Cycle Challenge


Another new ride is the Boys and Girls Club Cycle Challenge on Saturday, June 26th.

It's a benefit ride and replaces the old SBC Watermelon ride. Its secret sauce is the "Family Fun Ride" in Willamette Mission! That's a short course, inside the park and wholly protected from auto traffic. It should be great fun - and the kids get a medal for finishing! Salem hasn't had an event ride for kids and families, and this fills a real need.

The ride benefits the Boys and Girls Club of Salem. It will take you through lush vineyards, to the stunning Oregon Gardens, over the historic Gallon House covered bridge and across the Willamette River on the Wheatland Ferry. Choose from a 75-mile route, a 40-mile route or bring the kids for the family fun ride through the park.

Registration for the Family Fun Ride through Willamette Mission State Park is $15 for adults and one child. Registration includes an adult Cycle Challenge t-shirt, lunch for you and a child, a participation medal for your child presented when they finish and even rest stops along the path. Additional children are $5 each.

Registration for adults on the longer courses is $50. Register online here. For more information, including maps and a pre-ride training program, click here.

The Boys & Girls Clubs provide thousands of children with critical life changing support by providing nutritious meals, basic health services and youth development opportunities every day.