The RedSpoke 5 Day Bike Ride, sponsored by the Redmond Rotary Club, will achieve two milestones in 2017: The cross-state event will celebrate its 30th anniversary, and its riders will have raised a cumulative total of more than $1 million for charity.

RedSpoke occurs every July and runs along U.S. Highway 2 from Redmond to Spokane. This year’s event will take place July 19-23. To register, visit http://www.redspoke.org/

Cyclists complete the event over five consecutive days, mostly sleeping in tents in schoolyards and parks along the way. The RedSpoke ride covers 320 miles of riding and nearly 18,000 feet of elevation gain, including a summit of the Cascade Mountains at Stevens Pass.

RedSpoke is a fully supported bike ride. Cyclists’ gear and luggage are transported by truck to each day’s overnight stop. Meals are provided by volunteer organizations in towns along the way, including: Skykomish Lions Club, Eastmont Kiwanis (Wenatchee), Coulee City PTO and Celebrate Davenport. Support and gear (“SAG”) stops along the ride are staffed by friendly Rotarians who supply snacks, liquid refreshments and lunch. Helpful “SAG Wagon” drivers along the way transport tired or injured riders to the next stop. A mechanic from Seattle’s R+E Cycle accompanies the group, providing services from flat repairs to bike adjustments to component replacements. RedSpoke also arranges for a massage therapist to massage aching backs and necks at each overnight stop. At the finish line in Spokane’s Riverfront Park, cyclists indulge in a sumptuous buffet lunch and then board a coach for the trip back to Redmond.

First staged in 1988, RedSpoke is the major fundraiser for the Rotary Club of Redmond. Riders raise money to participate in the event, and 100 percent of the proceeds are used for Redmond Rotary’s charitable projects. Those projects have included:

• Washington Women in Need

• College scholarships to local high school students

• Support of Hopelink and the Together Center in Redmond

• Support of global charities: Ethiopia Water and Hygiene Project and Rotary polio eradication efforts

“Cyclists are overwhelmingly thrilled and proud when they complete the RedSpoke ride. They have done well for themselves by performing an impressive and demanding physical feat. They have done good for others by raising money that goes toward worthy causes,” stated Deana Hale, chair of the 2017 RedSpoke Ride.