An estimated 225 riders descended on Scotts Valley last Saturday for the 12thannual Mountain Charlie Challenge.
Hosted as a fundraiser for the Scotts Valley Educational Fund, this year’s event featured five different rides — a 100-mile ride, a 100-kilometer ride, a 50-kilometer ride, a 10-mile ride, and a 1-mile ride.
“It was by far our best ride yet,” said Derek Timm, president of the Scotts Valley Educational Fund. “We were up almost 50 percent in our ridership this year.”
Timm said that he and other organizers were very optimistic that this year’s event would bring in 25 percent more revenue than the $30,000 raised a year ago.
“This is our biggest fundraiser of the year,” he said. “A large part of that comes from our sponsors.”
Zinnia’s and the law office of Terry LaPorte were the two largest single contributors, Timm said, of a field of more than 30 other corporate sponsors.
According to Timm, an estimated 40 cyclists tacked the 100-mile ride, which led riders up Mountain Charlie Road, and south to the Elkhorn Slough area and back.
Meanwhile, he said, another 100 riders tackled the 100-kilometer ride.
“Each of the rides were good,” Timm said. “In the 12 years, this has been the largest ridership.”
