Sopris Century bike ride and fundraiser returns to Carbondale Saturday

The Sopris Century — Ride for the Child road bicycling event will return to Carbondale and the Roaring Fork Valley on Saturday.

The event features rides of different distances — 100, 60 and 31 miles and a 12-miler for families with kids and older riders.

The true century ride is “a hard course for the serious rider,” according to the event website. There is a vertical gain of more than 7,000 feet, with grades averaging between 4 and 8 percent. The course departs downtown Carbondale, heads upvalley and takes in Capitol and Snowmass creek valleys before pulling a U-turn near Woody Creek and returning to Carbondale via Missouri Heights.

The shorter rides use a portion of the century course. The inaugural event was held last year.

The event raises funds for Casa of the Ninth, which serves children in Pitkin, Garfield and Rio Blanco counties. Casa volunteers are appointed by judges to advocate for abused and neglected children.

For more on the event and the cause, go to http://sopriscentury.com/.