What is a Fondo? It may sound like a car or something you eat but for Coeur d'Alene, its a giant bike race that's gaining national attention.

On Saturday, September 29, cyclists will fill the streets of downtown Coeur d'Alene for the 1st annual Coeur d' Fondo. It's a race where riders can choose from four different courses that range in mileages from 108 miles to a family friendly 15 miles. And at the end riders will be rewarded for the efforts at the the Coeur d'Alene Oktoberfest.  

And due to a large spike of interest nationwide, it's sure to be crowded downtown.

"When we first started out, we thought let's keep it small. Let's keep it to 200 to 500 riders," said race director Issac Mann. "But we got so many entires, we had to stop at 800."

Mann said the unanticipated spike is due to so much support from the area which led to the word being spread around the United States.  

"We have people from Alaska, Georgia, Ohio, Portland and California signing up for this race," said Mann.

You can see a map of the course and more about the race by going to http://cdagranfondo.com/

If you’re a fan of chili, there will be 26 varieties to choose from this weekend for a chili cook-off in Coeur d’Alene. It’s a fundraiser too for the Children’s Village Foundation to provide homes for at-risk children.

The cook behind the winning chili will receive bragging rights for having the best chili recipe in all of North Idaho.

It’s only $5 to attend the cook-off on September 16 and taste all the chili. It’s a lunch event so come hungry from 11-3 p.m. The cook-off will be at Coeur d’Alene Powersports, located at 2745 Seltice Way.