STOKR ride proceeds benefit Libby Habitat for Humanity house

"Field of Dreams" pays off for local fundraiser

By Kyle McClellan The Western News

The STOKR bike tour's reputation is ascending in the cycling community and now tour organizer Susie Rice must alleviate the growing pains.

Actually, she is attempting to prevent such pains by instituting a lottery system next year that she hopes will serve as a more just rider selection process.

The harsh objectivity of the lottery system will transform the tour dynamics. Familiar faces may disappear.

"We're gong to miss some of the old favorites," Rice said.

But it is a necessary step for a bulging bike ride at risk of losing what Rice wants to maintain.

The ambiance of the ride is important to her. That ambiance, she said, was the missing factor in other rides she rode in the area, which were becoming increasingly congested. Her husband Greg rode with her on the rides. These rides served as the pool from which they would incorporate the best aspects and combine them into their own new ride.

"We thought, 'Well, could we share our favorite routes with other people?'" Rice said.

She saw an opportunity to link her idea with the Habitat for Humanity, where she was a board member. She mentioned the idea at a Habitat committee meeting.

"They went, 'Yeah right, Susie. People are going to come to Libby, Montana, and ride their bikes? And pay to do it?'"

Susie told the committee to trust her; that the riders would come.

It was her "Field of Dreams" moment, except they came with bikes and Cliff Bars, not bats and sunflower seeds.

The idea became reality in 1995, when 98 riders rode.

At first, they came in "bits and spurts", depending on the weather.

Then they came in larger numbers as the ride's prominence increased, mostly by word-of-mouth method.

Enter the 2007 STOKR, when Rice was forced to reject hundreds to protect the original idea she cultivated 14 years earlier. And still, riders raised $30,000 for the construction of Libby's newest Habitat for Humanity house on 1307 Idaho St.

The 400 who make it into STOKR enjoy majestic views, rolling hills, twisting mountain roads, non-congested camaraderie and general open-air bliss.

"It's the total outdoor experience, it's the scenery and being outside in the fresh air," Rice said. "I asked one guy why he keeps coming back. He said h e lived right next to I-90 in Spokane and smelled diesel all day long. He said, ' I love to come out here and breathe deep'".

STOKR's 400 riders constitute a sizeable task for Libby's law enforcement and approximately 300 volunteers who guide them through highways and homemade buffets.

"We have hit the max. I'm not going above 400," Rice said.

"We want to keep the ambiance, we want the homemade food and the friendly volunteers."