Monster Cookie bike ride returns April 27 with scenic route through east Marion County

Cyclists with a sweet tooth are in for a treat later this month.

The Monster Cookie Metric Century bike ride returns on April 27. Those who complete the course will be rewarded with large M&M-filled cookies.

The 49th Monster Cookie, hosted by the Salem Bicycle Club, will be a 63-mile course from McNary High School to Mt. Angel and back. Online pre-registration closes April 23, though riders can sign up the day of the ride starting at 7:30 a.m.

A shorter 35-mile “Half a Monster” ride will turn around at Willamette Valley Pie Company on Northeast 82nd Avenue. There will also be a 6.2-mile guided ride – the “Mini Monster” – aimed at families with younger cyclists.

Organizers believe the Monster Cookie is Salem’s biggest bike ride.

Event proceeds help fund the bicycle club, which supports various bicycle safety efforts in the Salem-Keizer area including Safe Routes to Schools, a volunteer program which teaches students at local elementary schools to ride bikes.

This year’s Monster Cookie will be the second time riders take a new route which debuted at last year’s event and drew more than 580 participants.

The route traditionally went from the Oregon State Capitol to Champoeg State Park and back, but organizers changed the path to protect rider safety from mounting traffic on River Road, according to Ken Freeman, who serves on the bicycle club’s board of directors.

They also wanted riders to have a change of scenery.

The new route takes riders through rolling hills and farmland in east Marion County, with views of Mount Hood and Mount Jefferson.

“It can be a fantastic viewing opportunity,” Freeman said.

He said he hopes the weather “cooperates” but acknowledged that Oregon can be unpredictable. Last year’s event saw sunshine, rain, wind and hail all in the same day. “It is part of the risk that we take,” he said.

There will be three rest stops – at Willamette Pie Company, in Mount Angel and at Holy Trinity School at the intersection of Northeast Rambler Drive and Northeast Howell Prairie Road. 

Volunteers will be at the rest stops handing out snacks such as fruit, muffins, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and, of course, cookies. Freeman said staff from Scott’s Cycle, a Salem bicycle store, will also be available at the Willamette Pie Company to help riders if they face mechanical issues or other challenges. 

Freeman said around 700 volunteer hours – and as many as 1,500 cookies – are put into making the race happen.

The ride will offer different types of cookies to accommodate people’s needs, including allergies, dairy-free and gluten-free.

Sandwiches will be served for lunch, with a choice of turkey, ham and vegetarian options.

Many who take part in the shorter rides are relatively new to biking. For those with no biking experience, Freeman suggested they first join the bicycle club on a weekend ride. Around 400 rides are scheduled each year with varying levels of intensity. Information is available on the club’s website.

The Monster Cookie also isn’t a competition, Freeman said. “It is a recreational ride. We are not in the racing business.”

Contact reporter Ardeshir Tabrizian: [email protected] or 503-929-3053.

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