First-ever CHaFE 150 bike ride emphasizes safety

SANDPOINT — Setting the wheels in motion on a one-day regional bike ride for more than 100 riders sounds like a daunting task — there’s everything from alerting police officers and municipalities, to coordinating dozens of volunteers to ensuring multiple safety factors.

But it’s just another day in the office for Sandpoint’s Ken Barrett, ride organizer for the first-ever CHaFE 150 bike ride event coming on Sept. 13 in Sandpoint.

The “CHaFE” stands for Cycle Hard for Education and the “150” is the distance — a whopping 150-mile route from Sandpoint into Montana and back. It is being staged by the Panhandle Alliance for Education in what the group hopes will be a major annual fundraiser for its “Ready! For Kindergarten” early childhood literacy program.

A year ago, as the Panhandle Alliance For Education considered staging a major new event like the CHaFE, group members realized they needed an organizer with the chops to deliver a first-class ride. That’s when they contacted Barrett.

Barrett is a licensed outfitter and guide whose All About Adventures brings in hundreds of clients every summer for trekking, biking and paddle adventures in the backcountry of North Idaho. Barrett also manages the SISNA bike race series at Farragut State Park. Come winter, Barrett fires up his Selkirk Powder Company to take clients up into the “deep stuff” with customized snowmobile and ski trips out of Schweitzer.

With that background, taking on big challenges such as directing a ride of this size is something Barrett takes in stride, and in fact he sees that as his role: “I’m the professional confidence guy.”

As adventurous as he is, however, Barrett possesses a good measure of cautiousness as well — part of his heritage from growing up in an “insurance family.” Barrett was headed down the family business’ path — learning the ins and outs of liability, insurance claims and proper coverage — when a trip out West turned his career 180 degrees in the other direction. From that background, however, Barrett emphasizes keeping risks tightly managed to ensure safety.

The CHaFE 150 is a big ride — the course in its final layout is 147.52 miles long, all to be ridden in one day. Bicyclists will take off from Sandpoint and travel east into Montana, head north along the scenic Bull River highway to Troy, turn west into Bonners Ferry, and back south again to Sandpoint.

Covering such a large region, Barrett had numerous contacts to make in advance, making sure there was local and regional awareness of the ride, including the Idaho State Police, the Montana State Patrol, plus counties, townships and sheriff’s offices along the route.

On top of all that, Barrett has been working with two volunteer coordinators and 55 volunteers to ensure support along the route. Volunteers will man five break stops at 30-mile intervals. Volunteer bike mechanics will be stationed along the course, as well as emergency medical personnel. In addition, there will be two 15-passenger vans along the route — one in front to carry Barrett, and a sweep van in back carrying a volunteer nurse. There will also be motorcycle escorts to act as “buffers to oncoming vehicles.”

Barrett will inspect the route prior to the race, stopping to broom off any problem gravel areas plus posting signs that alert motorists to the upcoming ride days in advance.

Communication during the ride will be key, and Barrett has lined up a network of handheld radios ready to make a call if there is an emergency. School buses will be on standby in case a wildfire threat or other urgent development requires riders to be picked up. Of all this, Barrett says simply: “We want to make the riders feel confident with the level of support.”

Panhandle Alliance for Education event coordinator Geraldine Lewis said the group’s ride committee was swayed by Barrett’s experience when it decided to bring him onboard to manage the inaugural CHaFE 150 event.

“We have a lot of confidence in his hands-on experience,” said Lewis, “and he’s pulled together a great team of supporters, as well.”

Barrett fully expects this year’s ride on Sept. 13 to continue as an annual event, noting “we expect this ride to be the mold for all future rides.”

Registration is still open for bike riders up for a big challenge; go to www.chafe150.org, or call Geraldine Lewis at 208-290-7148. Event organizers also welcome riders to team together for the ride, with one rider bicycling approximately 75 miles to the halfway (and lunch) point in Troy, Mont., and the second rider finishing the second half back to Sandpoint. Riders who team together can split a single registration fee.

All proceeds from the riders’ registration fees and pledges will help fund the Ready! For Kindergarten program starting this fall in Bonner County schools. See more at www.readysandpoint.org.