Inland NW fall bike tours
SEPTEMBER
Great NW Fall Tour ( gnwft.homestead.com), Sept. 2: Ride routes of 15, 30, 50 or 85 miles beginning at the Newport City Park. Benefits Newport/Priest River Rotary Club. $25 ($50 per family).
SpokeFest ( spokefest .org), Sept. 9: A Spokane event for families as well as serious riders with four tour options: a 1-miler kid ride with amusements in Riverfront Park that crosses no streets, a 9-mile loop, the classic river loop of 21 miles in Riverside State Park, and a 47-miler that extends the Classic Loop into the Four Mounds area. Music at finish. Register early online for prize drawings.
Kootenai River Ride ( ruralnorthwest.com/rotary), Sept. 15: Ride 16, 60 or 100 kilometers near the Kootenai River out of Bonners Ferry fairgrounds. Ride supported by Rotarians and is followed by baked potato feed. Cost: $20.
Cycling for Cystinosis ( www.24hoursforhank.org), Sept. 8-9: A 24-hour solo or relay ride near Sandpoint to raise funds for medical research. Info: (208) 610-2131.
Bike MS 150 ( bikewai.nationalmssociety.org), Sept. 8-9: Ride 150 miles in two days on the Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes to benefit Inland Northwest Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Minimum donation $250.
Huckleberry 100 ( www.Huckleberry100.com), Sept. 15: Choose from a short family ride or longer courses of 25, 50 or 100 miles from downtown Kalispell through the region between Flathead Lake and Glacier National Park. Sponsored by Fresh Life Radio and local businesses. $25-$55 depending on course and date of registration.
Mica Peak Century Plus ( www.sites.google.com/site
/micapeakcenturyplusbikeride2), Sept. 16: Ride routes of 15, 30, 70 or 100 miles starting from Coeur d’Alene. The ride is fully supported and sponsored by St. Luke’s Episcopal Church. Info: (208) 640-1099.
WaCanId Ride ( www.wacanid.org), Sept. 17-22: A rare international bicycle tour on the International Selkirk Loop, the fourth annual ride includes up to 355 miles or shorter segments. Start in Sandpoint or Nelson, British Columbia. Limited to 50 riders from each start. Passport required.
Coeur d’Fondo ( www.cdagranfondo.com), Sept. 29: A Gran Fondo style timed event with competitive and non-competitive options on choice of four distances, 15, 37, 85 or 108 miles, linked to the Oktoberfest out of Coeur d’Alene. The course features Lake Coeur d’Alene and Idaho’s Highway 97 Scenic Byway through Harrison and St. Maries. Shorter-ride participants ride a partyboat back to Coeur d’Alene from Harrison. $10 for family ride, $75 for others.
OCTOBER
Cycle for Life ( www.cff.org/GetInvolved/CycleForLife), Oct. 6: A cystic fibrosis fundraiser starting in Spokane’s Browne’s Addition. Ride 25 or 65 miles on the Fish Lake Trail and routes near Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge, fully supported, rest stops every 10-12 miles. Riders must be at least 18 years old and raise at least $165 in pledges.
Tour de Rock Mountain Bike Ride & Rough Ride ( www.ski49n.com), Oct. 6: Based at 49 Degrees North Mountain Resort, choose from a fun mountain bike ride at the resort or go for the challenge of starting in Chewelah and gaining 4,000 feet of elevation on a variety of surfaces. Benefits ski patrol. Info: (509) 937-4922 or baker9454@gmail.com.
Manastash Metric Century ( www.drier-ride.org ), Oct. 6: includes 50- or 62-mile options along the Yakima River from Ellensburg to Cle Elum and back. Organizers claim 14 consecutive years of rainless riding. Cost: $30.
Chewelah Valley Lions Fall Half-Century Bike Tour (no website), Oct. 7: Ride 25 or 50 miles from Chewelah to Springdale and back via a Stevens County loop around Waitts Lake. Sign-ups allowed up to the 10 a.m. start time in Chewelah City Park. Info: Becky Washington, rebecca214@centurytel.net.