SPOKANE -- Early August is not a day too soon for bicyclists to gear up for September.

Although major cycling events are scattered through the year, September has become the month of the bike throughout the Inland Northwest as charities and bicycling advocates spin the attributes of pedal power.

From one-mile loops through Spokane parks to a lung- and thigh-busting tour de pain crisscrossing the Cascades, cyclists of all abilities can find a ride worth joining for food, prizes, exercise and two-wheel camaraderie.

Many of the tours are fund-raisers in which the charities cater to cyclists.

Newest among them is CHaFE (an acronym for Cycle Hard for Education based on the perspective of a long-distance cyclist), a fund-raiser type ride in which participants are asked to raise donations prior to the event. This event is being staged by the Panhandle Alliance For Education to raise money for Ready! For Kindergarten, an early childhood literacy program to help new parents and disadvantaged kids, said spokeswoman Geraldine Lewis.

Details of some notable September rides in the region follow. Some of the rides require advance registration and limit the number of riders. So check out this lineup of top attractions and plan ahead.