LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport Rotary's annual Konocti Challenge cycling event will be back on the road this weekend.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Konocti Challenge, one of Lake County's most popular events, which takes off and ends in Lakeport on Saturday.
Lake County may be a bit battered and bruised by this summer’s string of fires that have ripped through thousands of acres of its terrain, but it is certainly not beaten.
During these past months, community members have demonstrated just how resilient they are and shown that they can certainly rise to the challenge.
“This community needs this event with these cyclists here now more than ever. It's a time of rebuilding and people need to see that we are open for business and the beauty that is Lake County is firmly intact,” said Ride Director and Lakeport Rotary President Jennifer Strong.
The Konocti Challenge brings in hundreds of thousands of dollars to the local economy each year as the majority of the registered cyclists are coming from out of county, Strong said.
“This is a really unique event for Lake County as it encompasses the entire county. Therefore, if you see a cyclist, thank them for coming and most importantly, share the road,” Strong said.
Strong said the ride has had to slim down a bit this year because of the Valley fire's damage to Cobb mountain and Middletown, an area where the 100 mile-route goes.
“There are still major infrastructure repairs occurring in that area so we've asked our 100-mile cyclists to take on the 65-mile this year and they've been more than happy to do that,” Strong said.
The 65-mile is an award-winning route voted Cycle California! magazine's Best Metric Century of 2014. It's a major distinction in a state with hundreds of metric century rides.
The three routes that are available this year are the 65-mile, 40-mile and 20-mile, and there is zero fire damage on any of those routes.
“Because of some of the late rains we had, the lake and the terrain are actually more beautiful this year than I can ever remember seeing,” said Strong.
There will be many additional celebrations occurring including a complimentary wine tasting and live music provided by the LC Diamonds at the Friday check-in and registration from 4 to 7 p.m.
There also will be a silent auction, fire relief t-shirt sales and quilt raffle to support the Lake Area Rotary Fire Relief Fund.
The event is held at the Skylark Shores Resort in Lakeport and ride registration is available on Friday from 3 to 7 p.m. and Saturday beginning at 6 a.m.
For more information go to www.konoctichallenge.com or call Jennifer Strong at 707-349-0815.
Konocti Challenge bike ride rolls on this weekend
- Lake County News reports
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