Four Sandpoint men, known as Team Laughing Dog, finished 10th among 19 in their division of the Race Across America cross-country bicycle race. From left: Al Lemire, Jacob Styer, Wayne Pignolet and Mike Murray. (Photo courtesy of V. Scott Pignolet)

Four mostly middle-age Sandpoint men have bicycled across the country in 6 days, 9 hours and 28 minutes to raise $80,000 for autism. Wayne Pignolet, 51, describes his experience with Team Laughing Dog as “epic.” The Sandpoint cyclists’ 10th place finish among 19 teams in their division of the Race Across America was faster than Pony Express riders took to get halfway across the country on swift horses. Laughing Dog, named for the brewery that sponsored it, averaged 19.5 mph in the nearly 3,000-mile relay race. Riders climbed 100,000 feet of grades that sometimes exceeded 10 percent and rode down them at speeds that reached 55 mph/John Craig, SR. More here.

Question: Have you ever raised thousands of dollars for a worthy cause? Tell us about it.