Registration open for 24-hour bike race

SANDPOINT — Calling all bike riders looking for a good cause, including kids. Registration is now open for the Second Annual “Cycling for Cystinosis” fundraiser held in honor of Henry “Hank” Sturgis, a four year-old Sandpoint boy with a rare, fatal disease called cystinosis that affects only 500 children and young adults in the entire country, or just one in 600,000 Americans.

During the round-the-clock team relay road ride, participants raise pledges and see how many laps they can bike ride in 24 hours, beginning at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 11 and ending at 11 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 12. 

Each lap is 19 miles long with very little elevation gain. All age levels and abilities are welcome  — anyone that can ride a bike, any kind of bike, can participate. New this year is the Kids’ Ride, a four-mile loop for kids 14 and under. 

Rider categories include solo participants, as well as two, three and four-person teams.  Teams ride for prizes, bragging rights and most importantly fundraising for cystinosis research and Hank’s future. 

The event benefits 24 Hours for Hank, a local nonprofit established to raise awareness of cystinosis and support fundraising efforts to find a cure for this extremely rare, genetic disease. To date, in only two years, the 24 Hours for Hank foundation has helped raise more than $175,000 toward a cure for cystinosis through local ski and bike benefit events.

For more information or to make a donation, visit “www.24hoursforhank.org.”