Fun rides on with Coeur d'Fondo

COEUR d'ALENE - The Coeur d'Fondo is a community on wheels. Not "hardcore" competitive, but fun.

"You really feel like you're part of a big thing," said Garth Merrill, who rode last year's 108-mile Gran Fondo around Lake Coeur d'Alene.

That spirit of Coeur d'Fondo fun returns on Saturday, with five courses around the lake to get riders out on their bikes with friends and family. Capacity will be capped at 1,200 for this year. At least 1,000 people are already registered, so don't wait until the last minute to register.

Packet pickup and late registration will take place from noon to 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 27 at The Coeur d'Alene Resort Plaza Shops. There will be no late registration on the day of the ride, but participants can pick up packets from 6-7:30 a.m. at First and Sherman.

This is the second year for the Centennial Trail Foundation fundraiser, which last year the community embraced so warmly that organizers added another course for this year's event - the 47-mile Centro Fondo. The new course includes a cruise from Coeur d'Alene to Harrison.

Fondo turnout last year was much greater than Centennial Trail Foundation director Charlie Miller expected. The event raised a net of $30,000 last year and drew people from all over the region - and even some from farther away.

"Based on other cycling events we've been involved with in the past, I thought we'd have about 250 people. Eight hundred was definitely a pleasant surprise to me," he said.

This year's rides include:

* Family Fondo - 15 miles. Starts at 8 a.m., Second and Lakeside.

* Piccolo Fondo - 37 miles. Starts at 8 a.m., Second and Lakeside. Includes cruise from Harrison to Coeur d'Alene.

* Centro Fondo - 47 miles. Centro riders must board cruise boats from 6:30-7:25 a.m.

* Medio Fondo - 84 miles. Starts at 8 a.m., Second and Lakeside.

* Gran Fondo - 108 miles. Starts at 8 a.m., Second and Lakeside.

All of the rides except for the 15-mile Family Fondo come with tickets for the Coeur d'Alene Downtown Oktoberfest, which runs Friday, Sept. 27 from 4-9 p.m., and Saturday, Sept. 28 from 1-8 p.m. A convenient bike corral will allow Fondo riders to park their bikes without worry.

Merrill said he would encourage anybody to participate in one of the rides.

"There are so many options," he said. "There's something for everybody."

He was excited about getting a chance to ride around the lake, something he had wanted to do since moving to the area 12 years ago.

"To have an opportunity to do it on a supported ride with relatively safe traffic conditions was really exciting," he said.

The group he rode with included Caleb Hiebert, who plans to ride the Gran Fondo this year as well.

He said he enjoyed being part of such an event with others, and he enjoyed the ride around the lake, which can be dangerous even for drivers. The presence of so many bicyclists during the Fondo made drivers more careful, he said.

"In general, it's just awesome to see something that most of us can't get to see on a bicycle," Hiebert said.