Huck 100 riders pedal through Bigfork

A 100-mile bicycle ride may not be unique in the big picture of cycling, but the Huckleberry 100 is certainly a unique event in Northwestern Montana.

Last year Fresh Life Radio brought it back from the shadows, but the ride originated with Whitefish resident Chuck Haney.

From Ohio, Haney pedaled through the Flathead on a cross-country ride and decided to move here. He wanted to put together a century ride because where he grew up they were common place.

“There were lots of these kinds of rides every weekend,” Haney said.

But there weren’t any in the Flathead, so Haney organized the first one in 1992. He ran it through the Flathead Valley Bicycle Club and at the time the club numbered anywhere from 70-100 riders. Haney organized four rides, the last one in 1995. After he was through, no one picked up the cause until Fresh Life caught onto it.

Now in it’s second year with the station, event organizer Courtenay Dulak said last Saturday’s ride was twice the size of 2011 with almost 200 riders that participated. Dulak said the radio station wanted to take on organization of the ride because it was something their philosophies aligned with.

“We believe in catering to a healthy lifestyle,” Dulak said.

She said the station wanted to promote getting people outside and active.

Registration fees for the ride went to support Fresh Life Radio. Riders could participate by riding 12 miles, 25 miles, 50 miles or 100.

Both the 50- and 100- mile rides came through Bigfork and went down the Swan River Trail. The 50-mile looped back to Kalispell via Creston and the 100-mile riders continued onto Columbia Falls and Whitefish before returning to Kalispell.

Haney said one of the best parts of the ride is the backroads.

“I think the Flathead Valley is probably the best road bike riding in the state, just because we have so many backroads,” Haney said.

Creston resident Kay Burt, 64, pedaled the 50-mile portion of the Huck 100 last year and decided to go for the century-ride this year. She said she’s lived in the Flathead Valley her whole life, and saw some country on last year’s ride that she had never seen before.

Last year was her first doing some serious road biking. Before that she was a runner. She was a Montana State Champion for the Bigfork High School track team as a teenager. She competed in the 50-, 75-, 100-, and 220-yard dashes and in the 440 and 880 races. After high school she had to stop running competitively, but eventually picked up long distance running as a hobby.

“Because in those days there wasn’t really women’s sports after high school,” Burt said.

She completed her first marathon in 2003 and has completed a few half-marathons. Last spring she was forced to stop running because of issues she was having with her feet, so she picked up road biking.

“My personal philosophy is that exercise covers a multitude of sins,” Burt said. “Even more so than diet.”

And since she didn’t feel like she was in good enough shape after riding the 50 in last year’s Huck 100, this year she trained for the 100-mile ride. She’s taken one long ride each weekend and three or four shorter ones during the week for the last few months.

Saturday’s ride was her first 100-mile finish.

“I love biking,” Burt said. “It feels more like flying than a workout.”