Biketoberfest

COEUR d’ALENE — Brandy Anderson anxiously waited at the finish line Saturday afternoon, her 4-month-old daughter, McKinley, strapped to her chest.

She knew her husband, James, would be whirring through on his bike any moment, making him one of the early finishers of the third annual Coeur d’Fondo.

“My husband has a group of guys that rides together all summer long at like 4:30 in the morning, all summer,” she said. “This is the culminating event of the year.”

More than 1,200 people hopped on their bikes in the early morning to ride the gran, centro, medio, piccolo or family fondo in the fresh, early-autumn air around Lake Coeur d’Alene, beginning at Second Street and Sherman Avenue.

The routes ranged from 15 to 108 miles and riders of all ages and abilities joined in the adventure. Many cyclists rode out to Harrison, St. Maries and Heyburn State Park while others took cruise boats to ride from Harrison to Coeur d’Alene or simply took a trip along the Centennial Trail around the lake. Participants could take it easy or ride competitively.

First across the finish line was Robert Liddicoat of Coeur d’Alene, who rode the 84-mile medio fondo. He was slightly winded and wearing a smile as he stopped, coming in with a time of 4 hours, 17 minutes. A volunteer handed him a medal, which was encircled in a piece of bike chain.

“The temperature was great, great riding conditions for sure,” he said. “There was a pretty good headwind from Worley to here, so that was a little brutal, but the temperature was great.”

Liddicoat said he was scheduled to participate in an Ironman competition in Tahoe, but it was canceled so he decided to compete in the fondo since he is an avid cyclist.

“I had to get it out of my system and come here,” he said. “I hope it gets bigger. I think it’s a great ride.”

Coeur d’Fondo director, Isaac Mann of Coeur d’Alene, said he was pleased with the weather as he assisted volunteers and directed others as he spoke into his two-way radio.

“If you ride your bike long enough, you’ll get a flat tire,” he said. “You get 1,000 people riding their bikes at the same time, you will have a flat tire, but hey, you’re grinning, you bear it, it’s sunny and you have Oktoberfest at the end. Most of our riders come prepared for what the road will give them and the rest will come back hopefully next year.”

The fondo is a primary fundraiser for the North Idaho Centennial Trail Foundation, which is responsible for the care and upkeep of the trail. Funds from the event go to projects and maintenance items such as repairs, expansions and leaf blowers.

Mann said the event does well for the foundation and his goal is to someday see thousands more people participating.

“With the growth of fondos in the nation and the popularity that they’ve had, let’s create our own and let’s build this thing up to where we have 2,500 riders someday riding all the way around the lake,” he said. “We’re going to turn it into the week of the bike. Eventually, we will have something every single day of the week.”

After riders crossed the finish line near Independence Point, they were treated to a free meal at the Downtown Association’s 30th annual Oktoberfest celebration. Beer brats, German potato salad and apple strudel awaited hungry athletes, who could wash the traditional vittles down with a number of hearty beers.

Shara Fouts of Coeur d’Alene wore a traditional German beer maiden dirndl dress as she poured Odell’s 90 Shillings and Ninkasi beer at the festival.

“Normally, I don’t deal with alcoholic beverages on a day-to-day, so this experience is fun for me because I’m learning more about beer personally,” she said. “I’m having fun explaining it to people.”

Fouts worked in the beer garden Friday evening and said it was busy with festival-goers.

“It’s been fun, everyone’s been excited and wanting to get pictures with us,” she said. “I feel like I’m a princess at Disneyland or something.”

Info: www.cdagranfondo.com