Tom Danielson, an experienced cyclist, recalls the initial invitation from a friend to ride 100 miles. “And then that I realized that it was almost exactly 100 miles from my front door to our cabin on Lake Florida in Spicer, Minn.,” says Danielson. That was the beginning of the Century Ride, an annual 100-mile trip from Plymouth to Spicer, organized by Danielson and a group of friends from Maple Grove. The group’s first ride was in 2012.
That same year, Century club member Bob Pearl was diagnosed with cancer. His absence on the ride posed a challenge formembers. Pearl, the group's photographer, joined in for the last 25 miles in 2013, and fully returned to the ride last year, completing the entire 100-mile journey. “Bob’s return to the Century Ride was extremely uplifting for the entire group,” Danielson says. “Many Century Riders like to view it as a ‘victory ride’ over cancer, for the entire group of cyclists.”
The century ride takes place each August and Danielson expects to have 15 to 20 riders participate on the 2015 trek.
“We do it for the joy that it brings us; not only the riding, but it’s the early morning take-offs and the sharing of something in common that we all love,” he says.
