One of my favorite organized bicycling events is returning to kick off the summer cycling season this June, and you can consider this post your personal invitation to join me for it!
The Columbia Century Challenge is returning for its ninth year, making its way to Clatskanie, Oregon on Saturday, June 14. It’s a can’t-miss ride, especially if you like traversing some good rolling terrain that also incorporates some sustained climbs and fast descents.
Set against the backdrop of the Coast Range foothills, the Columbia Century Challenge brings cyclists to the backroads of Columbia County for an epic day of cycling amid stunning scenery that includes mountain views, rolling rivers, and picturesque farmland.
Each year, the CCC makes a point of rotating its host towns for the start and end of the event. This year, it’ll come to Clatskanie for the third time, a town that’s relatively accessible from the I-5 corridor as it’s only 12 miles west of Rainier, where the Lewis & Clark Bridge brings you across the river into Oregon. The drive there is about 1 hour 15 minutes from Centralia, WA, where I live.
This year’s ride has two options as usual: a 60-mile option and a 96-mile option, and due to all the elevation gain, the event really tends to focus on individual endurance, stamina and climbing ability. There are very few pacelines on these roads due to the consistent elevation changes, and that makes the ride rather unique among PNW road ride events.
Both routes are functionally similar; however, the longer route incorporates what may well be the best pacelining opportunity of the day, utilizing Oregon Highway 47 as a connector to Vernonia, then continuing to the Banks-Vernonia State Trail and McDonald Road before looping back to 47 and heading toward Mist.
Check out maps of the 60-mile route and the 96.8-mile routes here.
The event is always well-supported, with food and drink stops spaced out along the route. Event volunteers also run a SAG vehicle in case of emergencies, so if anything does happen along the course, you’re well covered. Rest stops this year are well-planned and strategically located at Hudson-Parcher Park near Rainier, Schaffer Road near Camp Wilkerson on the Apiary Road ascent, and Mist Elementary School. Century riders get another rest stop at Anderson Park in Vernonia.
Now I have a personal connection to the ride: I grew up in Rainier, Oregon right in the heart of Columbia County. I first learned to ride a bike as a kid growing up in the hills behind Rainier, and I always make it a point to drop by my old neighborhood along the route as a sort of tribute to my childhood.
I have participated in the Columbia Century Challenge each year since 2016, save for the 2020 pandemic year in which all events in our region were cancelled. I’ve watched as people from further-reaching areas from Columbia County join up, and I’ve come to know folks from all different types of cycling disciplines that I met at CCC. It’s one of the friendlier rides out there, particularly because folks are being so encouraging on the hilly portions!
I recommend this ride for anyone training for STP, which takes place generally a full calendar month after CCC. The number of climbs and the total amount of elevation gain on this ride — 6,272 feet for the century route and 4,531 for the metric route — will ensure you’re ready for the STP, especially considering the metric route covers all but 500 feet of the entirety of the STP’s elevation gain.
And if you’re not riding the STP, the CCC is a fantastic cycling accomplishment due to the consistency and frequency of the hill climbs. It’s a good challenge that will have something to offer for even the most experienced riders among us.
Simply put, if you love climbing, descending, and rugged scenery from the seat of a bicycle on paved roads, the CCC is for you.
Please join me in supporting the Columbia Century Challenge and benefiting the cycling community in my home county. Columbia County has communities that are very spread out and are generally pretty small, but there are people aiming to make cycling connectivity in their towns and rural areas much better. They deserve support, and the CCC is a great way to raise funds to provide direct economic and ideological benefits for this purpose.
Registration is open now, and the ride is just $40. You won’t find many other rides that offer a fantastic price point and marry it with fantastic support and amazing scenery.To register for the ride, head here and tell ’em Chris sent you.
If you’d like to join me this year, leave a comment below or hit me up at iamchrisbrewer -at- gmail -dot- com. The more the merrier, and I’d like to keep giving back to my home county by continuing to support this ride.
Big thanks to Paul Barlow and company who help organize this ride each year, and to all the volunteers who help make the ride happen on the big day. It is a monumental task to make this ride a continual success, and you all do it well!
