Top Century Rides from 2025

I had a pretty good 2025 for century rides. Some of the rides that I was most looking forward to, notably the Mt. Baker Hill Climb and Flying Wheels, I decided not to attend because the weather was poor. No sense driving hours out of my way way only to ride my bike up a mountain or on the the flats in the pouring rain. That said, the rides I did attend in 2025 were pretty damn spectacular.

The season kicked off with the Skagit Spring Classic. A little known fact is that Skagit is the century ride that started my love of long distance, supported, rides. The Skagit, like all of the rides on my list, is put on by the local bike club. Completely volunteer driven, right down to the plateful of spaghetti you get at the end of the ride. For 2025 the weather was brilliant. A nice crisp day with temperatures averaging 9 degrees celcius. Throw on a long sleeve jersey, bib tights, and away you go. No complaints.

View from behind the bars at the Skagit Spring Classic

From the Skagit the next ride to write about is the Viking Tour, run out of Poulsbo, WA. A little warmer this time with temperatures in the 13 c range. A little warmer than the Skagit but still on the cool side. Started the day with arm warmers, a merino base later and a merio long sleeve jersey for added warmth. Turns out this was the perfect combination of clothing for the ride as I was not cold. Aid stations were stocked with the usual mix of grapes, nuts, chocolate, bagels, and some other miscellaneous sweets. My only complaint about the route? About 50% of the ride is on highways or busy roads. A far cry from the quieter farm roads I am used to for the other century rides on the Ride Index.

A couple of steep climbs on the Viking Century route.

One of the better organized rides is the Valley GranFondo. Not only does the route hit the sweet spot, falling between 100km and 160km, the ride includes a burger and a beer at the end. What's not to like about that? Temperatures for this ride warmed up considerably from the Viking, averaging 20 degrees celcius. The perfect riding temperature if you ask me. Plus who doesn not like receving a medal for a ride well done at the end?

Who doesn't like a medal for a job well done?

The Tour de Whatcom, a perennial favourite of mine, takes place in July. Temperatures for this ride were a little on the cooler side, averaging 14 degrees. But while not on the hot side, the cooler temperatures made for a nicer day of riding. Perhaps the best part of the Tour de Whatcom? The aid stations. The aid stations are plentiful and frequent, happening about every 30km. So just as you are starting to think to yourself how a stop would be a good idea, boom! The aid station appears like an oasis. My complaint for this ride though? Headwinds from hell, although that is hardly the fault of the ride organizers.

One of the many aid stations. This one on the beach.

Rounding out the rides from 2025, I'd be remiss not to talk about RAMROD. This was my fifth time completing the ride and believe it or not this was my fastest time ever. Clocking in at 8hrs53 mins for riding 256km, I was told that I was in the top 10 when I crossed the finish line! Who'd have thunk it? Cooler riding temperatures for the day, with an average of 16 degrees C might have helped. Also, the standard route changed directions because of complaints from Mount Rainer National Park. This was ok with me as I enjoyed the new route. Still lots of climbing, ending the day at 2,864m. I was definitely glad to be off the bike once this event was done.

The calm before the storm

With such a great number of events compelted for 2025, I am definitely looking forward to an active 2026.