And that's a wrap on summer 2026 outdoor cycling!

For me, summer is all about century rides in the US.  Century ride being 100 miles or 160km.  The rides are usually organized by a local bike club or the local Rotary Club or some other volunteer driven organization and are much more affordable than a commercially driven Fondo.  How much more affordable you may be asking yourself?  Well the entry fee for the Whistler Gran Fondo if you are doing the whole kit-and-cabootle, is $450 CDN plus local taxes with prices rising up to $999 CDN plus local taxes if you are entering a team or some other dealio. Total distance?  152km.

Now.  Let's compare that against the Tour de Whatcom.  Total cost to to that event?  $70USD.  Both rides are fully supported and I argue that the Tour de Whatcom is even a BETTER supported event because they have aid stations every 30km to 40km or so.  The aid stations are fully stocked with snacks, water, hydration mix, and bathrooms.

Of course I am kind of comparing apples and oranges here.  The Whisterl Gran Fondo is a for profit venture.  The highway is closed giving you peace of mind that no car will come and smoke you from behing. And the people entering that event are racing for personal best times.  People are tucking in to pacelines, entering teams, and going after prize money, bragging rights and whatever else comes with spending a thousand dollars are a bike event.  

The Tour de Whatcom on the other hand has a rolling start.  You show up between 7am and 8am, hit start on your bike computer, and away you go.  If you happen to find a group of riders travelling at your pace you can tuck in with them get a bit of a draft.  No expectation to take a pull at the front.  Everyone wins. Roads are not blocked off, you are riding on public roads, although most of the time those roads have bike lanes and after off in the country.  Very chill. And if you run low on pocket snacks?  No problem.  Just fuel up at the next aid station.

I have been doing local club century rides throughout the US for over 15 years now.  But I am seeing challenges on the horizon.  Many of the rides that I used to do, like the Apple Century Ride for example, are no more.  While I do not know the exact reason for the disappearance of these rides I can speculate:

1. When I look around at these clubs, the organizers are predominantly retired.  There does not seem to be any young blood stepping up and taking over the club duties.
2. The level of organization is grand.  The ability to coordinate volunteers, get aid stations figured out, make sure there are SAG vehicles, etc. is a massive undertaking.  I have been told that planning for next year's event begins the day after the completion of this year's event.  
3. Permits take time and money.  One of my more favourite rides, RAMROD, did not take place this year because the local club could not secure permits from the park. Someone needs to do all this planning and lobbying when things do not go as planned.  See number 1 above.

And finally I think there is less interest in organizing rides because it is a thankless job.  People will bitch that this aid station ran out of such-and-such a snack.  Or that the event could have been better organized.  Or the course as too hard. Too easy. etc.  And I think that people will only take so much bitching until they throw their hands up in the air and say "enough!".

The loss of the local club century rides is a shame.  I have met some amazing people at these rides.  In my experience everyone is there for the same reason.  To have some fun, to ride their bikes, and to enjoy the day.  Plus when I am sitting there in the beer tent with a beer and burrito that was included in my entry fee - again, my $70 USD entry fee - and the endorphins kick in after having ridden160km, there is no better feeling in the world.

Alas, the summer of 2026 is drawing to a close.  As summers go, I only managed to fit in four century rides.  My lowest number yet.  The summer of 2025 saw me enter nine century rides.  That worked out to be almost one century ride every weekend starting in June.  To be honest while I enjoyed the rides, I did find it exhausting. Every weekend having to pack a bag with enough cycling clothing to make sure I was equipped for all contingencies, making sure I had enough pocket snacks to get me from aid station to aid station, checking the bike the night before to make sure I would not experience any mechanicals, and of course getting organized to be on the road in time to be at the start line, all took their toll.  By the fifth or six century ride rolled around, I was ready to call it!  All this might explain why I did so few rides in 2026.  I was burnt out from 2025.

Will I rebound in 2027 and get back up to nine century rides?  Hard to say.  I guess I will see how I feel come summer 2027.  That said, I had a good summer of century rides in 2026 and I am a little sad to see the summer coming to an end.