by Pamela Thompson
(far right, above, with daughter Marlene)

I am Pam Thompson and have ridden the Santa Rosa Wine Country Century (WCC) eight times since 2011.  I first rode the metric century with friends who I met on a bicycle tour from San Francisco to Los Angeles, CA.  Those wonderful friends introduced me to the WCC and I have never looked back.  

I continued to ride the WCC in 2016, 2017, 2019, 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025.  During three of the WCC that I rode, I took my daughters to ride with me.  They were thrilled with it and wanted to continue riding.  

My best memory is when I rode the metric century in 2011 and was in awe of the outstanding beauty of the ride, as well as the interesting winding roads through the gorgeous vineyards.  I also liked seeing, during the 2022 WCC, old cars displayed in downtown Healdsburg.  

My worst memory is when my daughter, Adrienne Thompson, was descending a hill, before the barn where the name "Thompson" is displayed, and injured her arm and hand.  The sag wagon immediately arrived to her rescue and took care of her wound in a caring professional manner.  I will always remember the compassion and care that Adrienne received during that unfortunate event.  

I look forward to continuing to ride the WCC as often as I can.  The ride is always beautiful and the rest stops serve good snacks and provide bike mechanic support.  The end of the ride serves a wonderful meal.  I plan to ride the 2026 WCC, as I seem to be recovering from sciatica that I contracted a few months ago.  

Please check out photos of my friends who introduced me to the WCC as well as a photo of my daughter, Marlene, at one of the great rest stops.  

I hope to see many more of my riding friends on future WCC rides.