Lake county may be a bit battered and bruised by this summer’s string of fires that have ripped through some 170,000 acres of its terrain, but it is certainly not beaten. During these past months, this community has demonstrated just how resilient they are and has shown that they can certainly rise to the challenge.
One of Lake County’s most popular events, the Lakeport Rotary Sponsored Konocti Challenge, a cycling event that typically encompasses every zip code in Lake County is set to occur this weekend. 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.
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. 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.
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 traditionally rides. There is still major infrastructure repairs occurring in that area so we’ve asked our 100 mile cyclists to take on the 65 this year and they’ve been more than happy to do that. The 65 mile, it’s also important to note, is an award winning route voted Cycle California! Magazine’s Best Metric Century of 2014 — 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.
This year also marks the 25th anniversary of the Konocti Challenge. There will be many additional celebrations occurring including a complimentary wine tasting and live music provided by the LC Diamonds that occurred at Friday check in/registration. There will also be a Silent Auction, fire relief t-shirt sales and Quilt Raffle to support the Lake Area Rotary Fire Relief Fund.
The event starts this morning at 7 a.m. from the Skylark Shores Resort in Lakeport. Please remember to share the road.
Jennifer Strong serves as Lakeport Rotary President
