EPHRATA - Cyclists filled the Ephrata High School parking lot, taking bikes from racks and riding through the parking lot Saturday morning.

The 100 riders were getting ready for third annual Gran Fondo event, an 80-mile ride leaving from the high school, going to Trinidad and back to Ephrata. Riders traveled along Baird Springs Road to state Route 28 and returned along Palisades Road.

"We had it limited to 100 people and sold out in about a month," said Jake Maedke, the event's organizer. "There are a lot of rustic, primitive gravel roads in it, a lot of climbing, a lot of unique terrain. (The course goes) through a lot of wheat fields, farmland; the Palisades area is really interesting with the cliffs and basalt. It's a pretty interesting unique ride as far as bicycle events go."

The riders were a mix of amateurs and professionals, Maedke said. The event wasn't a race, but organizers provided the times for the riders.

"(The rain) definitely affects it. It's cool this morning -  that kind of makes it tough, and a little bit of rain gets you cold and wet," he said. "It's hard on the riders being that it's gravel roads. If the roads get wet that makes them look mushy and soft and that makes it challenging for the riders, but it's a tough group out here. Anybody who is riding 80 miles, signing up for this, they know what they're doing."

Jim Lais was one of the riders returning to the event. The Portland, Ore., resident was checking his bicycle one last time before getting ready to leave on the ride.

"I had a blast last year," he said. "I like the back roads and the little bit of gravel. It's, for me, my next adventure in cycling after mountain biking."

Lais commented the weather for this year's event was better than last year, when the temperature was in the 30s.

"Hopefully next year they do it in June," he joked. "Once we get rolling it will warm up then it's just (removing) layers. That is the nice thing about having support is if you get a little over hot you can always throw your jacket in a car coming behind you."

The event is well run, and fun, Lais said.

"It's a good long day, and it's not flat here," he said. "I never really realized how hilly it is. It's kind of deceiving, cruising down the highway you just see those lumps. Then you actually get on them and try and ride up them - that goes up for a ways."

Nearby, Eric Atwood rode his bicycle around the parking lot as he prepared for the event a second time. He came from Sammamish to participate.

"I did it last year and had a lot of fun, so I'm just returning to do the same thing," he said. "It's fun to do something different. I like riding on the dirt roads and the scenery of it."

The distance isn't the challenge, Atwood said.

"It's the terrain," he said. "It's what the 80 miles consists of ... It's fun to get out there on the dirt roads ... You're out there. You're remote ... Last year it was kind of foggy, a lot of different weather. We'll see how it goes this year."

Karl Johnson was preparing his bike after he traveled from Western Washington to participate in the event. He filled his water bottle, added oil to the bike chain and checked the bike.

He put a lot of work into his bicycle, he said. He originally bought the red frame for $10.

"It had no wheels, no seat, and I've replaced everything else," he said.

He came to the ride after seeing a listing about the event on an Internet forum, Johnson said. It was his first time making the trip.

"It intrigued me. It sounded like a lot of fun," he said.