2010 Chelan Century Challenge

With all of the winter weather that we have had this summer, surely there must have been a little pent up demand from Seattleites for a warm and dry Chelan Century Challenge. There were 358 riders for the 2010 Chelan Century, up 30% from 2009:

http://tomsbicycleblog.blogspot.com/2009/06/tour-de-chelan-century-challenge-on-6.html

Of those 358, 247 riders managed to make it to the top of the very difficult McNeil Canyon climb. An additional 167 cyclists participated in Cycle de Vine, up 80% from the inaugural ride in 2009:

http://www.centuryride.com/index.php?page_id=237

Cycle de Vine is a 35 mile ride that took riders through incredible scenery and encouraged participants to visit some of the Chelan Valley's preeminent wineries. Selected wineries hosted rest stops stocked with snacks and non-alcoholic drinks. Without McNeil Canyon, I imagine that there was a little more emphasis on the social aspects of an event ride!

The Chelan Century has a new permanent Saturday slot in late June, and no longer conflicts with the Tour de Blast the held the previous week, or Flying Wheels the week before that.

All of the things that have made this event great were still in place in 2010. As usual at this time of the year, the weather was perfect: sun, low 80’s, and not much wind. It’s a bit of a drive to Chelan, but well worth it for some of the best riding in the state, including fantastic climbs, light traffic, and smooth roads. The Chelan Century is still small, very reasonably priced, and incredibly well supported. Perhaps the best thing of all is the vibe. Instead of the usual team “race the event” mentality, Chelan seems to attract riders who don’t take themselves too seriously and are just there to have a good time.

I’ll be in Chelan on June 25th in 2011 for another great Chelan Century.