Travel the gravel
The Panhandle Gravel Series: A trio of bike races cut from a different cloth By Ben OlsonReader Staff Some people are just built differently. While most bicyclists avoid gravel roads like the plague, riders...
Tagged: Charles Mortensen
208 Fiction 2026 contest results
Here we present the winners of the fifth annual Sandpoint Reader 208 Fiction contest, in which we invited writers to submit a work of fiction totaling exactly 208 words for consideration by a panel...
Even ‘good dogs’ die
By Tim Henney Reader Staff My son has buried my Best Friend Tippy in the backyard among the raspberry bushes. She and I were roughly the same age: in our early ’90s (in Tippy’s...
208 Fiction competition results
Welcome to the third annual Sandpoint Reader 208 Fiction contest, in which we invited any and all writers to submit a work of fiction totaling exactly 208 words for consideration by a panel of...
Bikes, mud and beer
By Ben Olson Reader Staff It’s safe to say that cyclocross bicycle racers are a different breed from the rest. While the thought of lapping road bikes on a dirt track filled with obstacles,...
Off the beaten path
By Ben Olson Reader Staff Sandpoint is a cycling town. No matter if it’s a lonesome dirt road, a mountain trail, gravel or asphalt, Sandpoint cyclists find a way. There is no better representation...
Cool Rides: Charles Mortensen’s 1961 Willys Jeep draws attention for all the right reasons
By Ben Olson Reader Staff Anyone who has strolled past Charles Mortensen’s bike shop, Syringa Cyclery on Oak Street in Sandpoint, has probably noticed the collection of repurposed scrap metal welded into functional art...
Trail Dispatches: Trails under construction in Pine Street Woods
By Charles Mortensen Reader Contributor After nearly a decade of dreaming, trails are coming to Pine Street Woods, and they’re coming quickly. Kaniksu Land Trust, which purchased the 160 acres of woods following a...
The 3/4-Minus Cykeltur: A wild ride through Idaho’s back roads
By Ben Olson Reader Staff If you’re a bike enthusiast, there is no shortage of rides and races available in the west. Whether it’s road races like the CHAFE 150 Gran Fondo or closed-course...
Bikes, beer and a little bit of crazy
By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff Cyclocross is not a sport for the faint of heart. “Imagine a road bike with knobby tires — and then combine that with a steeplechase,” said Charles Mortensen, owner...
