Cycling tour brings spending windfall to area

SANDPOINT — It took a changed city ordinance to make it happen, but now that Sandpoint City Beach has been opened to major events, the lakeside park could become the hub for a new kind of economic stimulus aimed at the downtown core.

Over the next few weeks, three such events will touch down in the park, bringing a total more than 2,600 people to shop and eat at local stores and restaurants, according to a Downtown Sandpoint Business Association tally.

The first event rolls into town tomorrow, as 300 cyclists on the annual Ride Idaho tour make Sandpoint their “day one” stopping point. Their arrival marks a new era in City Beach history, as the riders will be the first group ever allowed to camp overnight at the downtown park.

“Ride Idaho is pumped about this opportunity, because they’ve never had a situation where they’re camped right downtown,” said Kathleen Hyde, downtown manager for the DSBA. “And they’ve got a $10 million view.”

Hyde’s proposal, delivered on behalf of the riding group, initially got a thumbs-down from parks & recreation, public works and city administration officials before finally gaining approval from the city council.

Two things helped win the day: Ride Idaho comes fully self-contained, with things such as its own portable toilets and shower facilities and about the only thing the riders and their support staff leaves behind is money. According to Ride Idaho founder Earl Grief, quite a bit of money.

“The revenue is significant,” said Grief, whose rides, administered by the Treasure Valley YMCA, are going into the sixth year. “And it’s going to be even more significant this year because of the number of riders we have.”

Ride Idaho attracts a decidedly upper-demographic in terms of age and income, with the average rider being 55 or older, peddling a $2,500 bike and earning somewhere between $65,000-$100,000. The visitors will spread some of that cash around town as they go out to eat using the $12 meal certificates, provided by Ride Idaho, that are a Sandpoint exclusive this year.

“This will be a unique stop for them, because in every other city their meals are catered,” Hyde explained. “In Sandpoint, if they want to eat, they’ll be eating in our restaurants.”

“They’re going to spend more than $12 on a meal, because they’ll throw in some of their own money and splurge for the salmon or the prime rib,” added Grief. “And you know who really benefits?  The waiters, waitresses, bartenders and other staff who get the tips these riders leave for them.”

Until now, the closest Ride Idaho has come to the northernmost cities was a swing through Coeur d’Alene, Wallace, St. Maries and Lewiston three years ago. The 2010 circuit, which totals about 450 miles over seven days, will take them from their starting and finishing point in Hayden along a side trip to Priest Lake on the way to the first night of camping in Sandpoint. From there, the riders will travel through Bonners Ferry and head east to Troy and Thompson Falls, Mont., before looping back into Idaho to catch Kellogg and Harrison.

When the cyclists arrive at each day’s destination, their support team already has swept in to set up tents, showers and other facilities in advance. According to the founder, most riders make a beeline for the town center to shop and explore.

“Because of the age and income of our riders, they tend to enjoy being in town and hitting the shops,” said Grief, whose group drives two vans along the route for the express purpose of toting booty the riders amass along the way. “They spend money while they’re in town. And when we camp close to town, I see those riders coming back with bags and bags of things they purchased from local merchants.

“City Beach is a great location for that, because you’re right on the water, we’ve got that view of the lake and the mountains and we’ll be right next to downtown,” he added. “Everything’s perfect.”

It took some convincing to get Sandpoint Parks & Recreation Director Kim Woodruff on that same page. But now that he’s comfortable with the concept of allowing the right kind of events in the park, Woodruff sees City Beach in a different light.

“It is a great resource to function as a draw for downtown,” he said. “The key is balance. Ride Idaho has been an outstanding group to work with, because they’re sensitive to what that park is all about. That’s the big part — these groups need to be respectful of the park and its unique environment.”

Counting its support staff, Ride Idaho is expected to bring approximately 420 people to town for tomorrow’s stay. They will be followed by the next City Beach event on Saturday, Aug. 14, when about 1,000 runners arrive in Sandpoint as part of the 24-hour Spokane to Sandpoint Team Relay race. On Sept. 19, the park will again act as the start and finish line for the second annual Scenic Half half-marathon race. Last year, that event attracted a few hundred entrants. For 2010, it is expected to draw at least 1,200 runners and walkers, though some estimates run much higher.

The DSBA prepared downtown merchants for this windfall of potential spenders by sending schedules — annotated by the hour — for all three events so that business owners could maximize the opportunity. Beyond that, the downtown association encouraged merchants to offer event specials, which have been advertised in handouts that will be included in the ride and race packets of participants. About 30 Sandpoint businesses took part by offering promotional discounts and keeping later hours for the out-of-town clientele.

“The communities that see this ride as something special are the ones that benefit most from it,” Grief said. “Kathleen gets that and Sandpoint has really organized some great things for us to do while we’re there.”

On the entertainment roster, the DSBA helped organize live music for a beer and wine garden social featuring Pend d’Oreille Winery, Laughing Dog Brewery and McDuff’s and hosted by Trinity at City Beach. Riders also will be invited to tour the lake on the Shawnodese with Lake Pend Oreille Cruises, with the added possibility of seaplane rides for those who want to view the scenery from the air.

For locals, the stopover offers a Bike Safety Rodeo on Monday at 3 p.m. Co-sponsored by the DSBA, Sandpoint Parks & Recreation and Ride Idaho, the event will include certified bike mechanics on hand to check bike tires, seat height and more, as well as safety talks, demonstrations and an on-bike riding course to develop and improve cycling skills. In addition, Ride Idaho plans to distribute 40 new bicycle helmets to young riders who attend the rodeo.

It was this kind of nod to local residents that, in the end, caused Woodruff to welcome the appropriate use of city beach for larger events.

“I think locals like the activity,” he said. “It’s fun when you can go downtown to attend a well-planned, well-executed event.”

This week’s tour of North Idaho will be the longest and largest outing the organization has mounted since it began taking riders through different parts of the state in 2005. Idaho has always been an easy sell, as shown by prior tours, but the 2010 ride eclipsed past performance in terms of interest in the region to be covered.

“This year, we sold out the ride within 30 days of registration,”

 the founder said. “I can attribute a lot of that to the location and the fact that we’re going up to the northern part of the state.”

About 50 percent of the riders come from outside of Idaho, representing 19 states and Canada. The oldest rider will be 88, with the rest of the birthday bell curve swelling at about the 65-70 year mark.

“A lot of them are retired and this is their passion and their vacation,” Hyde said. “It’s a demographic that’s likely to come back once they’ve experienced Sandpoint and we’re expecting them to spend, easily, at least $20,000 while they’re here.”

“A lot of our riders do return to locations we’ve ridden through,” Grief agreed. “We’ve even had riders who visited a community and then moved there and took their business with them. The purpose of Ride Idaho is to bring positive economic impact to local communities, but you never really know just how positive the total impact will be.”

For more information on Monday’s events, call the DSBA at (208) 255-1876 or Sandpoint Parks & Recreation at (208) 263-3613. For more information on Ride Idaho, visit: www.rideidaho.org.