Fall is in the air up here in the Pacific Northwest. The days already are getting noticeably shorter and many school districts are opening their doors next week.
There are still plenty of good bicycling days left this year, however. I've just updated more than 60 charity and recreational bike rides on the West Coast states through the end of the year.
The bulk of the bike rides — 40 — are in California, where the break in the hot summer weather means more comfortable bicycling weather. More than 20 rides are scheduled in Washington state, mostly in September, before the winter rains set in. (This doesn't include the randonneur rides, which have a crowded fall schedule.)
Washington
One of the newest entries on Washington's September bike calendar is the 2nd annual “Pedaling the Muse” on Sept. 12. The amusing poster shows Vincent Van Gogh pedaling along on his bicycle to raise funds for the Port Angeles Fine Arts Center. The century bike ride (there's also a half-century) begins at the Sculpture Park in Seattle and ends at Webster's Woods Art Park in Port Angeles.
Both rides utilize in part the Olympic Discovery Trail.
A much longer-running upcoming charity bike ride in Washington is the Trek Tri Island, which celebrates its 27th anniversary as a fund-raiser for American Lung Association. This 3-day bike vacation, Sept. 19-21, visits San Juan, Lopez and Orcas Islands in the Puget Sound.
California
Among the popular bike rides coming up in September in California is the Unknown Coast Weekend, presented by the Chico Velo Club. The two-day event, Sept. 19-20, visits the Northern California's Eel River valley and passes through the Avenue of the Giants redwoods.
A personal favorite is the Riverbank Cheese and Wine Century, Oct. 11, in the Central Valley. I have patches from this century dating back to the mid-1980s, and remembered being surprised my first year by the steep, scenic hills past old mining camps in the Mother Lode.
A bike ride that doesn't have near the history, but gets a lot more attention, is Levi Leipheimer's King Ridge GranFondo, an Oct. 3 fund-raiser to help bring the Tour of California back to Sonoma.
You can check out all these rides at:
Washington — September/October
California — September, October, November/December
Oregon — September/October
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