Porsche Bike Adventure: Wildflower Century

Monday, February 13, 2017

Wildflower Century

I just registered for the Wildflower Century bike ride in Chico, California happening on April 30, 2017. This is an amazing cycling event. Well attended. Fun and challenging courses. Great food and support. One of the best bicycle events in California.

I rode the 65-mile route last year with a group of my Grass Valley friends. They all had newer road bikes and I brought my 1998 Porsche Bike S mountain bike with road bike style mountain bike tires. So, it was kind of like bringing a knife to a gun fight. I did my best to keep up. The long straights were tough, but I could blow by them on the fast downhills stretches!

This year will be a different story. And a different event. The same group of guys plan to ride the 100-mile Century event. I just recently finished rebuilding a 2004 Porsche Bike X for just such a ride. I made it ideal for a century event. Lighter bike. Larger rims. Thinner tires. Taller frame. More gears. But still all Porsche.

So I'll return to the Wildflower not only ready to keep up, but to push the pace. And like last year I'll report the entire experience on this website.

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My Story

I am a fanatical Porsche enthusiast. I love all things Porsche. This has led me to explore the depths of the automobile brand including some of the least known items the marque is known for. My latest journey - Porsche bicycles!

When I was 13 years old, I fell in love with Porsche cars. Delivering the morning newspaper on my Schwinn ten-speed bike brought me face to bumper with a white 911T each morning and from there I was hooked.

Many years later, I have a garage full of Porsche automobiles and a plethora of Porsche paraphernalia including everything from posters, flags, hats, shirts, sunglasses, scale models, a wristwatch and much more; all of the normal stuff any average PCA member has collected.

Some of my more prized Porsche possessions are my three Porsche bicycles. Yes, three. One is a 100% original 1996 Bike S. The other is a heavily modified 1998 Bike S I use for road and mountain riding. And the latest is a touring-style 2004 Porsche Bike X that I turned into a road bike. I have ridden these three bikes over 5,000 miles in the last few years.

In 2016, I rode many training miles in preparation for a 53-mile ride in the California Sierra foothills, a 72-mile ride around Lake Tahoe and the grand finale ride of 100 miles at the Sacramento Century. The 100 mile ride I believe is a world record on a Porsche Bike S.

Then in July 2017, I completed the 2017 Death Ride with the rebuilt and ultra rare 2004 Porsche Bike X. The Death Ride is an extremely challenging 125-mile, 15,000 foot elevation gain bike ride that crosses five mountain passes in the California Alps near Lake Tahoe. I believe this was the first time a Porsche bicycle completed the Death Ride. Another record.

In the fall of 2020, I rode the 184.5-mile Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Towpath across three days on the 1998 Bike S. My first multi-day bike riding tour. Another Porsche bike record?

And this blog shared every mile!

2016, 2017 and 2020 were great years of riding. What could possibly follow that?

In 2021, I completed my goal to ride the 360-mile Chesapeake and Ohio and Great Allegheny Passage on the 2004 Bike X. I converted the Bike X back to a hybrid bike for the six-day epic adventure. And in 2022, the Bike X also completed the 237-mile Florida Coast to Coast ride with eight other Porsche Bike riders.

More Porsche Bike adventures are coming up. And just like previous efforts, I plan to share every mile on this blog!

Monday, February 13, 2017

Wildflower Century

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Erie Canalway Trail completed