Cycling Club Celebrates Its 25th Year

Alice Hostetter wasn’t pedaling anything serious when she moved to Spokane nearly 30 years ago.

The Valley homemaker just wanted a few bicycling companions.

Odd as it may seem, Spokane didn’t have a club for recreational bike riders, she said. The city had paved roads that could quickly usher bikes into pastoral rural areas, but she had trouble finding riders who were taking advantage of them.

The Spokane Bicycle Club grew from a small group of women in the Valley who, encouraged by Hostetter’s love for cycling, began to meet Tuesday mornings to ride.

They started with four-mile outings. Soon these moms and grandmothers were touring 10-15 miles on their morning getaways.

Their pack was like a rolling snowball that gathered more bikers, both men and women, young and old. By 1976, the loose-knit group had 25 members, including 84-year-old Leo Payne.

Born as a social riding group, the wheels soon started turning for a larger agenda. The club has left tracks just about everywhere bicycling is concerned in the region.

“It’s pretty remarkable to see where members have contributed their energy over the years,” said Margaret Watson, co-organizer for the Spokane Bicycle Club’s 25th anniversary celebration.

Non-Polluter Commuter Week activities made headlines in the ‘80s. Members pushed for a city bicycling advisory committee that has worked frustrating years for small gains.

Bike carriers on STA buses, more bike racks around town, a new bike lane in the Nevada-Lidgerwood neighborhood, school safety programs and bicycle access to the new Division Street bridge over the Spokane River have come to pass largely through the efforts of club members, Watson said.

Group rides, however, continue to be the club’s cornerstone. Members can chose from several group rides every week.

The community can take advantage of major riding events sponsored by the club, such as the Autumn Century, which will be held for the 19th time in September.

Since 1981, the club has offered the Double Century, a cycling endurance test in which bikers burn their thighs over 10,000 feet of elevation gain in 200 miles.

“We only get about 25 people a year to take the challenge,” Watson said. “But it’s probably the toughest double century in the country.”

Club members were among the earliest supporters for the Centennial Trail. With just 350 members, the club has put $10,000 in escrow to help rebuild the trail’s bridge over Deep Creek in Riverside State Park, Watson said.

“We’re planning a full slate of rides this year, but we’re also championing the Cooper Jones Bicycle Safety Bill in the Legislature,” she said.

Jones, 13, was riding in a time trial west of Spokane last year when he was struck by an automobile and killed.

The bill would allow the Washington Traffic Safety Commission to establish traffic and bicycle safety programs funded with money from a tax on the sale of certain bicycles. The tax would equal 1 percent of the selling price.

The bill also would require drivers involved in serious or fatal accidents to take a driving exam within 90 days of the accident.

The driver who struck and killed Jones on an open stretch of highway after passing signs and 14 other cyclists was given a $250 fine.

The bill appears to be stalled in the Washington Legislature, but it’s not for lack of interest by cyclists themselves.

“Bicycling is a great individual and family activity, but we always have to be working to maintain a balance of safety,” Watson said.

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MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: CYCLERS’ BUFFET The Spokane Bicycle Club is celebrating its 25th anniversary with a buffet dinner and dance Friday beginning at 6 p.m. at the Bayou Brewing Co., 1003 E. Trent. All cyclists and biking advocates are welcome to make reservations by calling Margaret Watson, 624-3793. Cost is $23.