Cycling is a more than a recreational activity in the Ryan Robinson family.

It’s a serious endeavor.

“Twelve,” he said of the number of bikes at the family’s house.

Ryan, the 36-year-old dad, owns five.

The others belong to his wife, Sarah, and 5-year-old twin sons Weston and Grady.

Ryan says his year old Cannondale road bike, which he rides at least three times a week, was an expensive, but necessary purchase.

“A couple times more than my first car,” he said of how much it cost.

The carbon-fiber frame weighs just two pounds and the bike itself 15, which is perfect for endurance rides.

Robinson will be on his Cannondale today for the Huckleberry 100, which begins at 8 a.m. in downtown Kalispell.

Last year he completed the 100-mile ride in less than five hours.

“It’s very recreational for me,” he said of road cycling.

“It’s something I can do by myself, or in a group.”

The 100-mile course will weave its way around the Flathead Valley, taking riders to Bigfork, Columbia Falls and Whitefish.

The other rides are 50 and 25 miles, a 5-10 mile family ride, plus there is a kid-sized bike race for youngsters between the ages of 2 and 4. That starts at 10 a.m.

Fresh Life Radio is the event host.

“This is as good as any event I’ve done,” Robinson said.

“Fresh Life doesn’t do anything less than full throttle. (I) expect (it to be) even better this year.

“Many of these endurance rides in their infancy (less than five years) are run out of the back of a Subaru,” he added.

“Not this one. It’s a big-time event.”

This is the second year for the Huckleberry 100. Robinson, co-owner of Professional Therapy Associates along with partners Blaine and Britne Stimac and Jey Ponti, said his practice is one of the events six Gold sponsors.

“This was another chance for us to support the community,” Robinson said.

“We always encourage our patients to make healthy choices and to give back to the community. This is a good way for us to lead by example.”

Robinson, who is 6-foot, 165 pounds, started endurance biking in 1999 following a lengthy recovery from seven surgeries. He was seriously injured three years prior to that after shattering his foot and the vertebrae in his back.

“I was walking along a rock ledge (in Somers) with some friends when I was 19 and took a 100-foot direct fall,” he said.

“(I wasn’t) climbing or mountaineering.”

He was in a body cast for three months and on crutches for a year and a half.

“I have a lot of metal in my body, over 20 pieces,” he said.

“I didn’t know what the prognosis was going to be.

“It opened my eyes to how delicate life is after sustaining multiple injuries,” he said.

“Prior to that, I only lived one speed — fast — and didn’t think much about not being here tomorrow. I now see life differently and consider each additional day of life as a blessing, love getting older and strive to stay physically active to keep my machine (body) tuned up.

“Part of my rehabilitation was learning to re-shape my life into new activities that did not include running long distances, so biking was a natural fit.”

Robinson, a former cross country and track athlete at Flathead High School, purchased his first bike — used — for $150. After limited training, he rode that bike in a 200-mile, one-day event from Seattle to Portland.

“I signed up for it right away as a challenge to see what my body and this $150 bike could handle,” he said.

“To my surprise, I felt great afterwards. It seems my body only knows one speed, but I can go that speed for as long as I want.”

It took him 10 hours.

Robinson also did that same ride the following year.

“I left blown spokes and bike parts all over the course,” he said.

“(I) decided it was time to upgrade and get more serious.”

Robinson currently rides with a group of nine every Saturday. They usually start a 6:30 a.m. at a local coffee shop and log 70-80 miles.

“We all go out for coffee afterwards,” he said.

He’ll be riding with that same group today.

“My goal is not to finish first with this ride,” Robinson said, “but to ride with my training group and hope we all stay together.”