On Sunday you may have noticed a few more cyclists on the Door County roads as riders embarked on the 42nd Door County Century Ride. It was supposed to be the 43rd Century Ride, but last year was canceled because of COVID-19. Event Coordinator John Mory said that he has never seen so many people excited to get out cycling. The ride reached its 3,000 cyclist limit well before Sunday, and Mory says this is the first year he’s seen the ride sell out online.
About half of the riders are returners and the other half are taking part for their first time. Mory adds that a lot of the riders may not even know about Door County before the ride, but once they come they know they need to make the trip again.
The Century Ride has 30, 50, 70, and 100-mile ride options. Cyclists also departed from the Door County Fairgrounds between 6 AM and 10 AM. Mory says the optional departure time helps disperse the bike traffic better than a race with all cyclists departing at once would. The bike ride also has an impact beyond satisfying cyclists, as those cyclists often bring people with them and those people will visit Door County businesses. Mory says next year’s race will be on September 11th and to get your spot in it you’ll want to sign up early.
