Waynesville NC Named Host and Starter City for 2015 “Mountains to Coast” Bicycle Tour

Waynesville NC  -  After months of behind the scenes planning and coordinating, the North Carolina Amateur Sports organization and Cycle North Carolina recently announced that the Town of Waynesville has been named as the starting host town for the 2015 “Mountains to Coast” Bicycle Tour in September.

The organization made the official announcement on Sunday, March 8 at the opening reception of the North Carolina Governors Conference on Tourism in Pinehurst, NC. All participating municipalities and communities were announced with Waynesville receiving the distinguished title as the starting host town for the ride.

“We are honored and excited to be selected as the host/start city for the event this year. The tour will allow the 1000+ participants and their families to enjoy the mountains and scenic beauty of the area, giving Waynesville the opportunity to showcase its hospitality and charm,” said Marcy O’Neil, Town Manager for Waynesville.

The Cycle North Carolina “Mountains to Coast” bicycle tour is a week-long cross state ride to be held September 26 to October 3, 2015. Cycle NC is one of the most successful bicycle rides in the United States and has been voted the “Best Biking in America” by the League of American Bicyclists. This particular ride is not classified as a race but a leisurely ride across the state making overnight stops in North Carolina communities.

Waynesville will serve as base camp for the initial kick-off and starting point for the cross state ride. Participants will arrive Saturday September 26, or even earlier, and will have free time to enjoy the local area. They begin their journey on Sunday September 27 and travel 55 miles to neighboring Hendersonville, where they will spend the night before continuing on to Shelby.

The “Mountains to Coast” ride provides participants with just enough introductions to each community to entice them to bring their families back for longer visits including vacations. A host community, like Waynesville, will receive numerous benefits including:

• One to two-night stays from 900+ participants 
• More than 4.6 million media/print impressions. ($250,000 value) \
• Introduction of the community to participants throughout North Carolina, the U.S. and other countries 
• Additional revenues from concessions, catering, hotel stays, dining, shopping, attraction visits, etc. 

The economic impact that this event will bring Waynesville and Haywood County will be incredibly beneficial to the area’s tourism industry. The participants will occupy hotels, dine at restaurants, shop locally, enjoy visitor attractions and much more. The starting host town for the ride will see cyclists arrive as early as two days prior just to enjoy the area.

Waynesville and Haywood County have the opportunity to benefit even more as the time spent at pre-arrival will give the participants a taste of the community sufficient to inspire a return visit. “This event is the perfect opportunity to showcase Haywood County’s rapidly growing bicycle tourism market. It goes hand in hand with the county-wide master plan established by the Blue Ridge Bicycle Club to maximize bicycle tourism in the area. The “Mountains to Coast” tour is major step in the right direction to grow this specific tourism market in Haywood County,” said Lynn Collins, Executive Director of the Haywood County Tourism Development Authority.

Find additional information about the NC Bicycle Tour at  http://cnc.ncsports.org.

Waynesville NC is Haywood County's oldest town with over a century of experience as a quaint mountain retreat. Even before the railroad made it easy to get to Waynesville, visitors flocked to the town for the cool clean air, clean water and outstanding scenery. Today Waynesville continues to be popular with visitors and is known for its Southern hospitality and small town charm. Downtown Waynesville is home to many shops, galleries and restaurants and offers block parties, street dances, art-after-dark and dozens of annual and special "hometown" celebrations and festivals.

Along with its picturesque beauty, Haywood County and its five towns of Maggie Valley, Waynesville, Lake Junaluska, Canton and Clyde offer year round activities and events centered around food, heritage, music, art and the outdoors. No matter what experience you choose, you will always experience Authentic Appalachian, Pure and Simple! For more information visit www.visitncsmokies.com or contact the Haywood County Tourism Development Authority at 800-334-9036.