Riders beat the heat during SISA Series' third heat

ATHOL — Signboards reading triple digits didn’t wilt the spirits of 80 happy mountain bikers spinning their way around the SISNA Mountain Bike Series 12.5 loop in Farragut State Park on Wednesday evening.

Farragut’s Thimbleberry wooded area and facilities provided the riders with ample shade and water to make the dusty haul around this buff single track-double track combo loop. After the third race of the four-race series, a total 140 registered riders have made laps in Idaho’s largest state park in an effort to see if they can improve their performance over this mini mountain bike festival.

Erica Krumpelman, 42, regained her position as quickest female with a time of 46.58, and Mike Gaertner, of Coeur d’Alene, came out and pulled a fast 44.20 loop to take top men’s honors for the week. Doug Krumpelman leads the overall men’s series after three races.

Race organizer Ken Barrett, of All About Adventures, wishes to thanks Ron and Al from Bonner County Search and Rescue, who came out with the barbecue set-up and made a few dollars for the unit.

The SISNA Series will wrap up next Wednesday with some lucky full-series participant winning the grand raffle prize of a cat skiing trip with Selkirk Powder at Schweitzer. For more pictures and information on the SISNA Series call 866-Go Idaho or visit “www.allaboutadventures.com.”