Chico Wildflower Century Ride
SUNDAY, April 29, 2012
The ride is limited to 4,000 riders.
NEW THIS YEAR ONLY!! ~ Wildcat 125 - Help CSU Chico celebrate its 125 year anniversary on the Wildcat 125 mile route - adding Coutelenc Road and Sterling City to the traditional Wildflower route!
REGISTRATION: The ride entry fee includes a large water bottle, bandanna map, Wildflower bag, all-you-can eat rest stops and post-ride dinner. This ride is limited to 4,000 riders. PLEASE NOTE: The pre-registration deadline is April 15, 2012. Late registrations will be accepted at the $75 rate (or $15 for the Childflower) until midnight on Friday, April 20th. Day-of registrations will only be accepted if there is still space available on the ride.
RIDER PHOTOS: PhotoCrazy.com will be back this year taking photos of Wildflower riders! Be sure to order your print to commemorate your participation in our 30th anniversary Wildflower Century! Click here for more information!
ACCOMMODATIONS: For hotel and motel lodging information, please visit the Chico Chamber of Commerce web site or call the Chamber at 530.891.5556. Tent and car camping, as well as RV hook-ups, are available at the Silver Dollar Fairgrounds for $15 per night, per vehicle or tent. Space is available on a first-come first served basis and can be paid for in advance during the online or paper registration process, or during rider check-in. If you arrive on Friday and haven't paid for camping, you may camp that night but please remit payment at the Camping Desk during rider check-in. For information on RV hook-ups please visit the Silver Dollar Fairgrounds web site. Please direct all camping questions to Chico Velo: 530.343.8356 (tel) or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Thank you!
MERCHANDISE: Our traditional jerseys and t-shirts may be purchased during pre-registration or at rider check-in. View our jersey options and merchandise prices. Also available are our traditional water bottles, bags, maps, socks, and more!
QUESTIONS? Chico Velo Cycling Club, PO Box 2285, Chico, CA 95927, Tel: 530.343.8356, Toll Free: 800.482.2453, Fax: 530.342.4646, Email:
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ABOUT THE RIDE: The Wildflower is the anchor of the Chico Velo Century Series. It was first offered as an organized event in 1981. While it poured most of the day, about 60 riders struggled through it. The hard part was making this wonderful 85 mile ride into a century.
Today the ride has lots more choices. There is the Mildflower 65, an option that leaves out the Table Mtn. loop, and the Flatflowers (30 or 60 miles) which boast absolutely no hills.
The Wildflower has grown steadily over the years to 4,000 participants. About 3,150 ride the hills (Mildflower 65 and Wildflower 100), 750 ride the Flatflowers and 100 young cyclists ride the Childflower 15 on the bike path to Durham. The rides satisfy the three biggest desires of century riders - the challenge, the scenery and the food. We combine tough climbs in the lush and fertile springtime with plenty of fresh fruits, fresh baked goodies (like streusel-date bars, banana-walnut bread, raspberry granola bars and raisin-nut energy bars) and a lunch spread that makes other century organizers scratch their heads. The rides have always included a dinner at the finish.
A few years back we began providing a souvenir water bottle that doubled as proof of entry into the rest stops and dinner area. It allowed us to avoid the waste created by using over 10,000 single use drink cups. We also switched from a paper map to an artistic map rendering on a cotton cloth bandana.
Our various Wildflower T-shirts have won many design awards. The Wildflower was listed in BICYCLING magazine as a TOP TEN CENTURY.
In all the years of the Wildflower, there has been just one car-bike accident on the ride. It was in the early 80's when a rider was hit from behind by a driver scolding a child in the rear seat. The rider was treated at the scene, had a wheel repaired and finished the ride. The driver was cited.
Recently, Photo Crazy started taking photos of the riders as they ascend Honey Run Rd. Watch for the camera parked by the side of the road and remember to smile (even if you see small planets and stars orbiting around your head from lack of oxygen) and note the time your photo was taken. Usually within 24 hours you can go to www.photocrazy.com and see your photo and decide to buy a print, a mug, a T-shirt or some other form of proving you were actually riding up Honey Run. You find your photo by remember the time it was taken.
The routes currently offered are the standard Wildflower 100 with 4,300' elevation gain. The Mildflower 65 has less than 2,000' of elevation gain. Flatflower routes of 30 and 60 have no climbing.
The Flatflower had a new route starting in 2007, heading south out of Chico through Durham to Agua Frias Rd. the 30 milers continue west to River Rd and back to the Fairgrounds. The 60 milers turn south on Agua Frias, then east to Richvale. The Flatflower lunch is at Richvale and then the riders head north back to Durham, then follow the 30 milers back to Chico via River Rd.
The 15 mile Parent-Childflower ride takes a bike path and quiet orchard road to the rest stop in Durham south of Chico. A Bicycle Safety Rodeo is held in conjunction with the Childflower Ride at the Durham rest stop. Childflower participants will leave the Silver Dollar Fairgrounds at 9 am for a flat 6 mile ride to the Durham rest stop. Beginning at 10:30, young riders will practice their bike riding skills in mock traffic situations. Fun stations include: the “slow race”, the ABC Quick Check, Scanning, the Slalom, Demon Driveway, and Signaling. Certificates of completion and prizes will be awarded. All Childflower riders are encouraged to participate. Childflower entry fee is $15/person and helmets are mandatory. For more information on the Bicycle Safety Rodeo, contact the Butte Bicycle Coalition at 530.345.7347.
All routes start and finish at the Silver Dollar Fairgrounds (click here to see a map on how to get to the Fairgrounds).
Check-in times are on Saturday from 2 PM to 8 PM and Sunday from 6 AM to 8 AM. Be sure to be on the road by 8 AM otherwise it is possible some rest stops may be closed by the time you get there!
Here's a story about the Wildflower: http://www.icyclist.com
And here's a story and photos from the 2009 Wildflower: http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?535633-A-Wildflower-One-Hundred-Report-w-Pics
(Click to see full sized image)
DON'T FORGET THE ANNUAL MARCO POLO ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT DINNER THE NIGHT BEFORE THE WILDFLOWER. $20 GETS YOU SOME GOOD EATS. Saturday night before the Chico Wildflower @ the fairgrounds 5:30-8pm $20 p/p all you can eat. Chef David Guzzetti, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it 518-4990
