Over the weekend, 326 cyclists from 17 states came to town for the annual Cycle NC Mountain Ride. The event changes locations each year, with Murphy hosting this year – 25 years after Cycle NC first came to the farthest west part of the state.
In 1999, the first Mountain to the Coast Ride started in Murphy. Like the Mountain Ride, the Mountain to the Coast cross-state ride changes host locations and routes each year.
A total of 17 states were represented over the weekend among 326 cyclists. Cyclists came from as far west as Idaho and as far north as Massachusetts, Maryland, New York, and Pennsylvania. Also, almost every southern state was represented at the Mountain Ride.
The average age of the cyclists was 61, with the youngest being 19 and the oldest 82. The ratio of men and women was 61% men and 39% female.
The tourism-focused cycling event kicked off Friday afternoon, when cyclists set up base camp at Konehete Veterans Park. Recreational vehicle and tent camping was available at the park; however, due to the summer heat, a lot of cyclists opted to stay in local hotels and rental houses.
On Friday afternoon, there was an optional 16-mile warmup loop to kick off a weekend of cycling. That night, the cyclists were invited to a kickoff event at the L&N Depot, where there were food and drinks. It was a chance for the cyclists to gather and socialize prior to a big weekend of riding.
Bright and early Saturday morning, cyclists were off to as far as downtown Hayesville from Konehete Park. Three routes were offered that day at 27, 48 and 63 miles.
On Saturday night, another social was held for the cyclists at the Hackney Warehouse. Race director Chip Hofler said one of his highlights of the weekend were the two events held at L&N Depot and Hackney Warehouse.
Another big day was Sunday, which featured 23-, 38- and 54-mile routes heading north from Konehete Veterans Park to Andrews and as far as Lake Nantahala. Cyclists looped back to Murphy to wrap up their weekend.
“I thought it was a great weekend, the routes were fantastic and the people were great,” Hofler said. “We had a lot of great volunteers from (the Southern Appalachian Bicycle Association), and it was a really fun weekend for everyone. We got a lot of good compliments and feedback.”
He added that Murphy is a good fit to host the event again in the future.
“Without a doubt. The support from the town, and the infrastructure of the town, works for that size of event,” Hofler said. “It was a perfect fit for an event like that. So we would definitely consider coming back in the future based on how the event went.”
Cycle NC’s next event is a Mountains to the Coast Ride on Oct. 6-12 from Spruce Pine to Ocean Isle Beach to end their year of cycling events across the state.