Bikes, boats and beers
DEVIN HEILMAN/Press Coeur d’Fondo race director Isaac Mann congratulates Stephen Ayers of Coeur d’Alene after he completes the Medio Fondo race just after noon Saturday. This was the sixth year for the event, which boasted more than 1,100 participants who enjoyed a refreshing ride around Lake Coeur d’Alene.
DEVIN HEILMAN/Press Shara Schorzman fills a mug with a bubbly brew Saturday as Tracey Newton, left, of St. Maries and Schorzman’s fellow beer maiden Emma Raynor share a laugh on the front walkway of The Coeur d’Alene Resort. The Oktoberfest tents, filled with a variety of beers to try and traditional German fare to feast upon, welcomed guests to hang out and enjoy the German celebration.
COEUR d’ALENE — Coeur d'Fondo race director Isaac Mann calls this weekend "the three B's."
“Someone coined the phrase the other day, and now I’m stealing it,” he said Saturday. “Bikes, boats and beers. That equals a great time."
More than 1,000 participants enjoyed the sixth annual Coeur d'Fondo, which took them on refreshing bike rides around Lake Coeur d'Alene. The race included five route options: the 108-mile Gran, the 84-mile Medio, the 47-mile Centro, the 37-mile Piccolo and the 15-mile Family Fun. Those who chose the Centro boarded a cruise across the lake to start their ride in Harrison, while Piccolo participants finished in Harrison and enjoyed a boat cruise on their return journey.
The event benefits the North Idaho Centennial Trail Foundation.
"For the last three quarters of a month, we had the smoke and the bad weather blew in,” Mann said. “Then the snow in the higher elevations in Montana and other places put out the fires and then it all went away so we could have our event."
Stephen Ayers of Coeur d'Alene has competed in the Fondo every year since inception. This year, he completed the Medio in third place.
“I enjoy riding with all the other riders,” he said with a bright smile. “It was great today, the weather was nice and cold at the start, warmed up at the end. Painful as always."
After the races, many cyclists and community members headed to the Oktoberfest tents at the corner of First Street and Sherman Avenue and in front of The Coeur d'Alene Resort. Lovely beer maidens Emma Raynor and Shara Schorzman, clad in festive dirndl dresses, kindly greeted Oktoberfest-goers and filled their keepsake mugs with joy as well as flavorful varieties of seasonal and German beers.
“It’s just fun to see all the people that come out for it. A lot of people get to try new beers,” Raynor said. “I like that we do the tasters instead of the full beers so they can try just one if they want."
Lisa Beeler of Pinehurst covered her mug and jokingly chided her girlfriends to “get your own sample.”
“This is girls' day,” Beeler said. “We all went to Cozumel together, so this is our gathering. We enjoy the brew fest."
Oktoberfest is an annual event of the Coeur d'Alene Downtown Association. Mann said it's a great partnership between the Downtown Association, the Coeur d'Alene Convention and Visitor Bureau and the Centennial Trail Foundation.
"We put on the ride, they put on the festival," he said. "Sometimes people think I'm in charge of both, it’s so seamless.”