CHAFE 150 adds new category for young riders

By Ben Olson
Reader Staff

CHAFE 150 Gran Fondo has added a new category for its annual fundraiser bicycle ride that caters to riders 16 and under.

CHAFE riders cruise up Cedar St. during last year’s event. Photo courtesy Sandpoint Rotary.

The new category reduces entry fees for younger riders, an attempt by CHAFE to attract the next generation. At last year’s ride, the youngest rider was 7 years old (and the oldest was 87, who rode the 80-miler).

Registration fees for the event break down as follows:

Ages 17-plus (plus minimum donation of $50):

150 miles: $75

80 miles: $75

30 miles: $45

Ages 16 and under (plus minimum donation of $25):

150 miles: $50

80 miles: $50

30 miles: $20

This year’s ride will be the 11th annual CHAFE ride, which is organized by the Sandpoint Rotary. Money raised from this annual ride benefits student academic, social and emotional growth programs in the Lake Pend Oreille School District, with an emphasis on students on the autism spectrum.

During the last five years, Sandpoint Rotary has donated $210,000 to establish sustainable programs for local students on the autism spectrum.

The annual ride takes place June 16, with an average of 350 riders each year who tackle the three separate distance classes: 150-, 80- and 30-mile rides. The ride has been voted one of the most beautiful rides in the country as it winds through North Idaho and western Montana, beginning and concluding at the Sandpoint City Beach.

Learn more about the CHAFE ride at www.CHAFE150.org.