Schweitzer Hill Climb honors memory of local cyclist Joe Claxton

By Reader Staff

It has been just over a year since local cycling enthusiast Joe Claxton passed away after a diagnosis of Stage 4 esophageal cancer, but friends, family and fellow bikers are honoring his memory with the Schweitzer Hill Climb, set for Saturday, Sept. 19.

Cost to participate is $40 for either the road or dirt course, with riders departing from the base of the mountain at 10 a.m. and ending at the Schweitzer village.

The paved route follows Schweitzer Mountain Road over 8.65 miles and 2,551 feet of elevation. 

The dirt route leaves the road at the Lower Basin trailhead, then follows the Shedwater, Cedar Dreams, Yew Can Do It and Ursa Major trails to the roundabout, later connecting with the Upper Basin trail to Telemark Road near the Schweitzer Mountain Road junction. The route then re-enters Schweitzer Mountain Road to the village, covering an overall distance of 7.69 miles and climbing 2,620 feet.

Claxton started his cycling journey in 2003, embarking on his first 50-mile ride in 2006. Upon retirement in 2015, he and his wife settled in Hauser, Idaho, and Claxton joined a Spokane cycling group where he rode as many 100-mile rides as possible.

Later moving to Bonners Ferry in 2021, Claxton joined the Saturday morning road ride group with the Pend Oreille Pedalers, and the ride up Schweitzer Mountain was one Claxton took many times as a training exercise. Even after his cancer diagnosis in 2023 — and despite chemotherapy and radiation  treatments — Claxton continued to ride, including on his final cycling trip, which took him to Bali and Singapore.

For more information on the Schweitzer Hill Climb, in memory of Joe Claxton, go to the Panhandle Gravel Facebook page. More signup info is available at runsignup.com.