A Growing Bike Community

This summer you’ve probably noticed a few less parking spaces in front of some of your favorite local shops and businesses. Spots that would once hold a car or two are now holding a dozen or more bicycles. There are several grassroots bike organizations working to make Coeur d’Alene a more bike friendly community. So far, they’ve added numerous bike racks and improved the visibility of bikes lanes across the city. Many volunteer to keep the Centennial Trail in good shape, and Ales for the Trails Brewfest will again help benefit the trail and local biking community.

“Biking has grown exponentially over the past few years, and I think it comes down to the amount of education out there and showing people how much fun they can have,” explained Chris Caro. Caro is co-owner of the recently opened CDA Bike Company on 3rd street. Along with business partner Alex Castagno, Caro wants the company not just to be a place to buy and tune a bike, but make the store a focal point and hangout for the biking community. As part of getting that community together, the pair hosts two “no drop” rides each week.

“A no drop ride means that someone from our store will finish with the last person, no matter how long it takes,” said Caro.

The rides are Tuesday and Wednesday night, and all ages and skill levels are welcome. The Tuesday ride is a road ride of less than 20 miles, and usually takes about an hour to hour and a half. Riders meet at CDA Bike Company at 5:30pm and end at Java on Sherman where they can take advantage of $2 beers and $2 tacos. The Wednesday night ride is titled “Bikes, Brews, & Burgers” and is an off-road trail ride of about five miles. This group of cyclists meets at the Canfield Nettleton Gultch parking lot at 5:45pm, and once the ride is over they regroup at Slate Creek Brewing for drinks and free burgers. “It’s been awesome and we’ve seen up to 65 people or more on some of these rides which really shows you how big the biking community is here,” said Caro.

Caro said some riders pedal hard and fast, while others take their time and socialize more — and both are alright with him. You can stop by the new shop or check them out on Facebook if you want to learn more about these weekly rides. Caro anticipates the rides will continue to grow and hopes they will one day be a staple of the community. “It’s cool that it’s caught on and went nuts. I’m sure free burgers and cheap beer doesn’t hurt either.”

#local #adventure