2023 Diamond Jubilee Marin Century an Overwhelming Success
“America’s Classic Bike Ride”, the Marin Century celebrated its 60th Anniversary this August 5th, with 2,000 riders and 300 volunteers who donated more than 1,600 hours of their time to make the event an incredible success!
The 2023 Diamond Jubilee Marin Century was an overwhelming success, with nearly 2,000 riders and 300 volunteers.
The setting of the Marin Century is like no other. The ride started in the beautiful State Park setting of Stafford Lake in Novato. The backdrop continues to inspire, as riders navigated through the foothills of Mount Tamalpais and the nearby coast of Tomales Bay.
David Snaith, Marin Century Cyclists President stated “A huge “thank you” to all the volunteers who made this event happen. Your time and efforts are greatly appreciated, as shown in the responses to our rider survey, where a great many of the responses point out how grateful the riders are for the cheerful, friendly, and generous volunteer support!”
“We’re also thankful that there were no serious incidents during the Century. Due largely to the heat, we SAG’d in several riders, but again, due to the high number of SAG drivers, both from the volunteer pool and from the Marin Amateur Radio Society, we were able to get those riders the help they needed without any difficulty.”
“Everyone was in high spirits at the start / finish at Stafford Lake Park. It is worth all the time in preparation and executing this event when you see the smiling faces of friends gathering at the start, eagerly anticipating the day ahead, and again at the finish in the afternoon, to see those friends find each other and exchange both their enthusiastic successes and the difficult challenges of their day. Several families also come to the park to greet their loved ones. It’s a great and joyful scene in the afternoon, with plentiful food and music, enjoyed even more, as the weather cooled in the afternoon.”
“Thanks again to everyone involved and we’ll look forward to putting on an even better event in 2024!”
VIDEO: Stanley turns the Classic into a Double!
Stanley Tsang, a long time Marin Cyclist, SF Randoneer, 2020 Strava Top Mileage and Vertical winner, decided to work on the setup for the Marin Century on Friday, August 4th, but he also decided to ride the Classic Century, the following day, on August 5th.
However, Stanley also decided to ride the Century, starting from his home, in Pacifica, South San Francisco, to Stafford Lake, ride the Classic, and then ride back to Pacifica. All in all, Stanley rode 197.9 miles, and achieved over 13,000' vertical. Wow!
Please check out his amazing video that highlights the amazing volunteer support deployed at the Start/Finish for the entire day of the event, they don't always get the opportunity to take a look at the amazing support and rest-stops our riders are treated to. Please check out his video, it's fantastic!
Amazing Volunteers & Rest Stops
Margie Baer, Rest Stop Capitan Chair stated, “60 years, Wow! We have once again held an amazing Century. I want to thank all the volunteers. While I was working at the Tomales rest stop, it was very clear by the smiles and laughter of the riders the happiness this event creates for so many. Thank you for making the magic happen, we could not do it without you!”
“So many people helped make the rest stops so memorable. The rest stop captains were all experienced organizers who often had to think on their feet while creating a magical atmosphere. The volunteer groups and club volunteers were wonderful workers and great sports.”
“Our mechanic partners and volunteers joyfully got riders back on the road. Special thanks to Ed T. for ordering just the right variety and amount of food and supplies. I have so much appreciation to Rob K. for preloading the rest stop delivery trucks, (courtesy of Gary K.), with tons of ice, folding tables, food preparation equipment and seemingly everything except the kitchen sink. Nancy S., was instrumental in orchestrating the live musicians.”
Jeff S. hooked us up with donations of ice cream from Strauss Family Creamery and hot dog grilling from Canyon Bikes. Doug H. invented and perfected the waffle sliders. Lastly, Paul Smith kept the whole symphony playing the same tune.”
“To all of you, thanks for everything! We did it! I look forward to doing it again next year!”
Five Stars & Beyond Reviews!
- Marin century is a classic. Keep up the great work!
- Appreciated vegan food options, amazing volunteers, excellent route.
- Awesome ride thank you for doing this ride. You could charge more if you wanted, Levi’s charges a lot more and this ride is better.
- Great route & support! It was a challenging and beautiful route, and the snacks were excellent. Coconut water, fresh fruit, and brie! I appreciated the effort to minimize plastic waste.
- Best post ride food/expo I’ve been a part of. Thanks.
- Best Fondo in the country- great food and course!
- Thank you so much. I know a ton of people worked hard to make this happen!
- I had such a fun ride. It's such a well-supported event!
- You guys do an amazing job with this event. I think I've done it every year since I resumed cycling in 2017. Great support, great volunteers. Looking forward to next year.
- Thank you all so much for the work you put into making this event as awesome as it is! The meal after the ride is the best ever! And the food at the rest stops was great. Thank you, guys’ awesome ride. The route and the organization were exceptional. We will be back :)
- The food choices were the best I'd seen at any event. It was very cool to see so many participants who were also a part of AIDS/LifeCycle along with the roadies from 2023. The weather and the roads were very enjoyable. Overall, a great event and worth the effort to attend. Thank you to all volunteers.
- You guys were amazing and great event! One of the best organized events I've been a part of. Thank you!
- I had a perfect day. I loved everything about it. From the people telling me where to park to all the amazing volunteers who fed me and kept me smiling (loved the guy in red short shorts and pom poms at the rest stop after Marshall Wall). The weather was great. I heard it was hot. I didn't notice. This is my favorite event. Yes, I was scared off of the full century because of the heat. Please thank all the volunteers. And the expo was great too. And the food. And the Brie!
- Loved the brie. And nutter butters.
- Again, great event. My partner's and my first time and we were totally impressed by the organization and feast at every stop.
- The post ride event was awesome - lots of options and very well coordinated. Rest stops were well stocked - great group of volunteers.
- The first rest stop with waffles & bacon was the best!
- Fantastic event, very friendly people, well-marked, beautiful course. Cannot recommend it highly enough!!! Had a great time. Really, a top-notch century!
- Super event as always. Love the variety of food at the stops and the overall volunteer support. This is probably the best cycling event in CA. Keep up the good work.
- I had an exemplary experience the ride route was so good. I have ridden many miles in Marin, but it is always nice to have support like this event offers.
- Really appreciate all the staff and Sag crew that helped make this all happen. The ride was very well organized and the refuel stations were on point. Ice cream at the last station was CLUTCH!
- You all do a great job organizing this event, year after year!
- The vegan/veggie burritos were great. As were all the options for snacks. I don't eat dairy, eggs, meat, white flour, white sugar, or oily/fried things - and I did just fine with the snack and beverage options. Potatoes! Coconut water, fruit, veg/vegan burrito, salsa, guacamole, lettuce without dressing. Thank you.
- I've done a lot of these all-over Northern California. Yours was an example of outstanding organization from start to finish and food.
- I’ve never seen bacon at a rest stop, and it was the best! It was even warm! One piece went a long way. Hope to see it back next year.
- I wish I could thank the volunteers more. They were amazing! So appreciative.
- It was our group’s first Marin Century, and we all had a great time. Fun scenic course, excellent support and great post ride food and experience.
- Insanely well organized. Awesome route. Change nothing. And this is coming from a cranky grouch who likes to complain about everything! Charles D.
- I just really appreciated everyone I interacted with. It's a great event. Thank you for all the hard work that was put into making it happen!
- The Marin Century was an excellent experience. I had a wonderful time, and I'd like to thank everyone who helped make it happen.
- Very well planned and executed. We’ll done.
- Thank you for providing this event. Oh, and the bagpipes at the base of Mt Tam were amazing!!
Order your Jubilee Kit Here!
Below is the final design and apparel winner which was submitted by the Italian cycling apparel designer Giordana. All the fabrics are Italian and all of the apparel is made and imported from Italy. As an important point, the original 1963 Marin Cyclists Jersey was made, and imported from Giordana/Gita Sport. Ken Potter, Marin Cyclists founder, wrote the order in Italian and snail-mailed it to Gita Sport/Giordana, in Italy. So the return to the Giordana relationship and that historic very first order, makes our 2023 Diamond Jubilee Marin Century event Kit, even more special. The wavey blue colors in the jersey represent the waters surrounding Marin, the two waves of greens the trees and the hills surrounding Mt. Tam.
Our Diamond Jubilee Marin Century Kits and accessories are available for purchase until September 1st, with delivery expected in late October. All kits are club fit, but run a little on the small side, so to be safe, order one size larger. Jersey $79, Bibs $90, Shorts $80, Socks $15.
For more information, please visit: https://www.marincyclists.com
2023 Marin Century Photo Gallery
