WENATCHEE — It wasn't long after Evan Plews had moved to Wenatchee in 2013 and had ventured into the Foothills for some mountain biking that Plews and his buddies came to a conclusion."We were like, 'We have to have a ride here,'" recalls Plews.A couple years later, that ride is square on the event calendar. On June 13, the inaugural Mission: GranDuro, a 47-mile mountain biking ride organized by Plews and Wenatchee North Rotary, is slated to take place in the Mission Ridge area. The ride will be followed the next day by another Plews production, the 15-mile Mission: RunDuro trail run.Plews, a former professional mountain biker who owns Ridge Cyclesport in Wenatchee, said Mission: GranDuro is meant to be a fun ride and not a race, although riders will be timed. Mission Ridge Ski & Board Resort will serve as the start and finish and as the staging area. The route will take riders down Mission Creek to the Red Devil and Devil's Gulch trails and back."It's meant to be non-intimidating," Plews said. "I want people who just want to ride mountain bikes. There are a lot of mountain bike races. There are not a lot of mountain bike rides, where there is a lot of support and where you can go out and do it."His vision of putting on a ride began to crystalize after he joined North Rotary a year ago. The club was looking for another event to put on in addition to its longtime annual NCW Sports Awards Banquet."I told them, 'We can do this,'" he said. "I want the community to make it their own. Our goal for this — just like the Sports Awards — is we want it to go for 50 years."The event also will benefit the community economically by attracting visiting riders and by showcasing the region's mountain biking system."I've ridden all over (the world), and for just getting out on a trail here, it's unreal," said Plews, who moved with his wife — director of inpatient cardiology at Confluence Health — from Salem, Ore.GrandDuro will feature a total of 9,000 feet of climbing over its 47-mile length from Mission Ridge and back. The event is non-competitive but will be timed. Plews predicts the fastest riders will finish the course between four and five hours, with most doing it in six to eight hours. There will be fully staffed aid stations along the course.RunDuro, to be held the next day, June 14, will leave from Mission Ridge and utilize the Pipeline, Devil's Spur, and Devil's Gulch trails, before returning to the ski area.This article provided by: AdventureWenatchee.comTo register for either Mission GranDuro or Mission: RunDuro — or both — visit http://obra.org/events/23754/register.For more on the event: http://adventurewenatchee.com/event/mission-granduro-runduro/