September premier month for organized bike events
September is pure joy for a serious bicyclist. With a full season of in-the-saddle training, you’re ready for anything, champing at the bit to spin away more miles – and no month delivers so many options.
About two dozen organized rides are coming up in the Northwest, including the two biggest events of the year near Spokane and Coeur d’Alene:
• SpokeFest, set for Sept. 13, attracts 2,000 participants, families as well as serious riders. The eighth annual event has four options: a 1-miler kid-ride and rodeo 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 50-miler extending Classic Loop into the Four Mounds area. Cost, $8-$15.
• Coeur d’Fondo, set for Sept. 26, a Gran Fondo style timed event begins and ends in Coeur d’Alene with competitive and non-competitive options. The fourth annual event offers five distances: 15, 37, 47, 84 or 108 miles. Riders end with entry to Oktoberfest. Course features Lake Coeur d’Alene and Idaho’s Highway 97 Scenic Byway through Harrison and St. Maries. Shorter tour riders board a partyboat back to Coeur d’Alene from Harrison. Riders on the new 47-mile ride board a boat to start at Harrison. Sponsored by Idaho Centennial Trail Foundation. Costs: $15 for family ride, $85 for others.
One new local event is an addition to the Kidical Mass series of rides that block off neighborhood streets for a few hours of traffic-free riding and events. On Sept. 19, Spokane will be celebrating based out of Kendall Yards in a global event synchronyzed with participting cities around the world.
Here’s a sampling of other rides listed online in The Spokesman-Review’s Northwest Bicycling Events Calendar:
• Kootenay Suffer Fest, Sept. 5-7: Based out of Kaslo, New Denver and Nakusp, British Columbia, gentle to extreme events include mountain bike, cyclocross, duathlon, trail runs and kids races. Costs vary.
• Great Northwest Fall Tour, Sept. 6: Routes of 15, 30, 50 or 85 miles beginning at Newport City Park. Benefits Newport/Priest River Rotary Club. $35 ($75 per family).
• Kootenai River Ride, Sept. 12: Ride 16, 60 or 100 kilometers near Kootenai River out of Bonners Ferry fairgrounds supported by Rotarians, followed by baked potato feed. $25, family $50.
• Bike MS 150, Sept. 19-20: Ride 20, 50, 75 or 100 miles in one day or two, on Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes to benefit local Multiple Sclerosis. Overnight at Silver Mountain Resort. $75, minimum donation $250.
• RIM Ride, Sept. 19-20: Rotary In Motion Family Fun Ride based from Liberty Lake, Wash., starts with 5-mile family ride on Saturday, then routes of 15, 25, 50 or 100 miles on Sunday finishing with lunch and beer garden. $15-$60.
• Blazing Saddles Bike Ride, Sept. 19: Combines rides of 20, 40, 65 and 100 miles out of Colville with the Northwest International Chili Cook-Off and beer garden. Sponsored by Rotary. $60-$70 (kids under 10 free), includes t-shirt, entry to chili festival.
• Rotary Rivers & Ridges Ride, Sept. 26: Ride 15, 50 or 100 miles from Clarkston area, with a Riverfest event. $20-$50.
• Centennial Trail Family Bike Ride, Sept. 27: Family bike tour on the Centennial Trail starting at noon with other festivities at Mirabeau Point Park. Routes of 6.8, 8.8 and 15.6 miles available. $15 or $5 for kids under 11.
Ready for more? Another half-dozen organized rides are set in October, when temperature cool even more.