Registration for STOKR opens Feb. 14
Scenic Tour of the Kootenai River 2-day bike ride
February 13, 2016
The 22nd Annual Scenic Tour of the Kootenai River Bike Ride (STOKR) will be held Friday & Saturday May 14 & 15, 2016 in Libby. STOKR is held each year on the second full weekend in May. There is a limit of 450 riders. This is because there is a limited motel space in town and there are limited volunteers available to cook, bake, man food stops and drive support for the event. The STOKR bike ride benefits the Kootenai Valley Partners Habitat for Humanity. It takes two STOKRs to build one home. To date, 10 homes have been built in the community with funds raised by STOKR.
SATURDAY- Day 1 Kootenai River/Pipe Creek
Saturday offers two options, a 98-mile long and a shorter 45-mile route. Both are very scenic. Start/Finish is at the Libby Chamber of Commerce on Highway 2, with the STOKR Headquarters across the street at the Venture Inn Motel.
Option #1: The 98-mile ride begins in Libby and travels west alongside the Kootenai River. The route turns and follows the Yaak River, by beautiful Yaak Falls, through remote countryside with little one-room schoolhouses and bars like the Golden Nugget and the Dirty Shame. We'll gradually climb 4,000 foot Pipe Creek Pass and be rewarded with a scenic 25 mile descent back to Libby alongside Pipe Creek. It is suggested that you have at least one 50 mile ride, and at least 200 miles on your legs, before attempting this ride. Cost is $70.00.
Option #2: This scenic 45-mile route begins with the 98 milers heading west alongside the Kootenai River. There will be plenty of time to stop and take a short walk to Kootenai Falls (film site of the movie The River Wild). The ride goes beside a meandering blue ribbon trout stream, then over a small farmland plateau. It then returns to Libby along the Kootenai River. Cost is $55.00.
SUNDAY - Day 2 - Lake Koocanusa/Libby Dam
Sunday riders will enjoy a scenic 37-mile ride following the scenic Kootenai River upstream to Lake Koocanusa and the Visitor Center at Libby Dam. We will ride on a private side road where the majority of the traffic will be osprey, deer and squirrels! Cost is $25.00.
Refreshment stops are available both days with food and snacks available to riders. Seasoned riders will appreciate the time and effort that goes into the food stops on this bike tour. Libby towns people donate homemade cookies, pasta salads, pots of soups and sub sandwiches. The pie stop is the all-time favorite on the 98 mile loop.
Volunteers follow along to help those who have flat tires or are too tired to finish the ride.
By May, spring has sprung in Libby and the snow is mostly gone. Days can be sunny or showery and a bit brisk, so riders are encouraged to dress for variable weather. The Scenic Tour of the Kootenai River bicycle ride is a great way to get out and start the summer!
Applications will be available online at www.stokr.org from February 14 until February 28, 2016. Applications must be received by March 10, 2016. They will begin the drawing on March 17 and confirmations will be sent out by March 30, 2016. Any vacancies will be filled from the wait list. Please make check payable to: KVP Habitat for Humanity and mail to: STOKR, 1020 Idaho, Ave, Libby, MT 59923. Cancellations received by May 1 will be refunded $20. The vacancy can only be filled from the wait list. CANADIAN RIDERS - Your payment must be an international money order or a check drawn off of a US bank.
This year entry to STOKR will be a lottery system. For those of you who wish to ride with particular friends, gather your applications and money due and included UP TO 10 hopeful riders in one envelope. We will not be looking at postmarks. Applications received on or before March 10 will be entered in the random drawing. If you don't get in, your check will be torn up. If you would want your check returned, enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope.
For more information and the registration form (Feb. 14-Feb. 28), go to www.stokr.org.
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