Donovan's story: Civilized Century

BaseCamp athlete Donovan Mathias shared his experience at the 2026 Civilized Century bike race in California.

The Civilized Century is a low-key Bay Area event with reasonable start times, modest registration fees, and no real climbing. The website makes mention to no wind, but that is just *&$$@$^* ! 😉

This was the 4th year I've done the ride, and it normally is a good start to the late summer/fall events I normally focus on. This year, though, summer training was rough, so the Civilized Century was a good chance to rive with friends and see where my fitness was. The route has some nice sections along the Bay and crosses once via the Dumbarton Bridge. There is a pretty annoying stretch through city streets with endless stop signs/lights, but it is what it is.

This year Jessie Dotson and I rode together, which passed the miles quickly. The ride was pretty uneventful until, as expected, the last 10-15 miles were straight into an afternoon headwind off the Bay. This happens every year and is never any fun. Big shout-out to Jessie, who wound up pulling most of the last 10 miles! Our matching pink BaseCamp jerseys were pretty popular, and the organizers took pics for the gallery. 🙂