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A friend recently shared this link with me. In it Jerry Norquist, the executive director of Cycle Oregon, discusses how cycling events can bring prosperity to small towns. He gave an example of how one coffee shop owner in the small community where he lives reaped large financial rewards when a bike tour came through town.

Norquist says, "Most rural communities already have the assets that they need to promote cycling tourism. They just don’t know how to harness those assets." 

He says one community on its own may have a difficult time reaching the wider cycling audience, but a statewide effort can spread the word. 

With events like this, this and this, a trail like this and a mountain biking venue in the near future, lots of bike riders are familar with our region. The question is: What are the next steps to spread that reputation as a must-ride place? Please share your ideas.