Blannahassett Island hosts overnight campers for 1st time with multiday bike race

MARSHALL - It's not every day Marshall residents see lines of tents propped up on Blannahassett Island. In fact, Aug. 5-7 may have been the first time camping was allowed there, as the town hosted a three-day bike ride.

The ride, Cycle NC's Mountain Ride is one of three annual rides throughout the state headed by the organization, along with the Coastal Ride and the Mountains to Coast Ride. Cycle NC is operated by North Carolina Amateur Sports, a nonprofit organization established in 1983 to host the first sanctioned State Games of North Carolina in 1986, according to its website.

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Marshall resident Connie Molland coordinated the local organizing committee, which had about 10-12 members, according to North Carolina Amateur Sports Vice President Chip Hofler.

"I'm so excited to see this event come to Marshall," Molland said. "This is years in the making. It was 2017 that I started working on this. We went to a couple different Cycle NC events to see how they did it, and we knew the big stumbling block was they always do the camping."

Molland said she originally received approval for overnight camping from the town of Marshall in 2018, but the town was skipped over in favor of another N.C. site.

"I had the check from the TDA in my hands for my months while they were making their decision, and then they chose a different locaiton. It's OK," Molland said. "We worked hard to get it. (Myself and my husband Richard) came from Indianapolis. When they got the Super Bowl, they didn't just get here the first time they applied. You have to work toward it."

Hofler said Molland's interest in bringing the Mountain Ride to Marshall was one of the most dynamic of any local organizing committee he's seen.

"We haven't seen an interest in this event quite like that," Hofler said. "But for some of our other events, absolutely. Particularly in a small town like this, where you guys have the Mermaid Festival and a couple things you do every year, but you don't get something like this to come that often. It's a boon.

The Mollands are involved with the annual Hot Doggett 100 bike ride, which starts and ends at Mars Hill University and has taken place in Madison County for 16 years.

According to Molland, the Mountain Ride offers a more relaxed vibe than the Hot Doggett 100.

"It's multiple days, so it's much more relaxed," she said. "There's no mass start. There are no road closures. It should feel different out on the roads because you don't have giant groups of people like we do for Hot Doggett. Hot Doggett is much more intense, and it's a one-day event. You take off in the morning, and you're done by the middle of the day."

The North Carolina Amateur Sports team offered energy bars, bananas and a host of sports drinks each day at three pit stops throughout the county.

"It's not a race - it's a tour," Hofler said. "So, there's no mass start. It really showcases the county. We're taking them by interesting points and stops to see in the county. Sometimes, the different rest stops will offer music as well. It's kind of cool to showcase the towns and the larger county as well. We're partners with Visit North Carolina as well, so they're happy we're able to give some business and exposure to these small towns. We're encouraging them to take their time and enjoy the views of the countryside."

Foster Creek Church, Mars Hill University, Horse Sense of the Carolinas, French Broad Volunteer Fire Department and Walnut Island Park served as some of the rest stops.

Economic driver?

According to North Carolina Amateur Sports' numbers, roughly 300 people from as many as 15 states participated in this year's Mountain Ride.

In her pitch to the town of Marshall in April 2021, Molland said one of Cycle NC's main motivations for choosing smaller mountains is the economic stimulus the event provides for the towns.

"They really do believe in having the event in various small towns because they know that they're bringing money into those small towns," Molland told the board. "What they really like is to be close to a town where people can walk in and go into the establishments. They really want that economic impact for the small towns."

Molland and Hofler estimated that each race participant was responsible for bringing in roughly $100 to the county.

"It's probably more than that because if they're going out to dinner both nights and shopping and stuff like that, plus getting coffee in the morning and things like that, it's going to be a lot," Hofler said. "The economic impact is definitely big. A lot of these towns say it's their biggest sales day of the year, just because of the impact for the weekend."

Zuma owner Joel Friedman said he did not notice a particular boost in sales during the bike ride weekend, though.

"My hope is that this will be a positive impact in the future, as I see these same folks returning," Friedman said.

Sweet Monkey also hosted a dinner event for riders on August 6.

"It was great," Sweet Monkey owner Hollie West said. "It was wonderful doing that for those individuals."

Giving Madison County added exposure

According to Hofler, the average age of bikers was 57.5 years old.

"A lot of these folks are retired, so they've got extra time," Hofler said. "The benefit is they can come before, they can stay after, and be around town. Also, if you showcase the town, then people come back for vacation later on. Some people could even move here."

Marshall resident Terry McGhee said the Marshall event is his fourth Cycle NC Mountain Ride.

"This is unique because it's close to downtown, it's just walkable to the downtown," said. "A lot of these events, you have to get bussed into the restaurants. This is right here. I've been to a bunch of these, and to be able to camp right on the river and walk across to this wonderful historical town, I just walked around and said, 'There's nothing like this. This is very unique.'

"The way this came out, when they first said, 'We're going to have this event on the island,' I was skeptical. But here you can park right next to your tent basically.

Cary resident Allen Richardson, 66, has participated in five Mountain Rides, and nearly 20 Mountains to the Coast rides.

"They're really careful about setting up different routes," Richardson said. "I did 19 miles (Aug. 6). I went up to Walnut Creek, and then we went across the ridge and came back along the ridge. Marshall is a great little town."

The Mountains to Coast rides typically amount to 55-65 miles per day, according to a Cycle NC pamphlet for the event. The Mountains to Coast rides begin in Lake Junaluska and end at Holden Beach, with the trip taking one week.

"I enjoy the friends - you make friends with people, because there are a lot of people that have done it a lot of years," Richardson said. "I enjoy the exercise too. Seeing the different towns is fun too, because we don't go into the big cities. We go through little towns that you rarely see. That's the main reason I participate, is the experience."

Raleigh couple Andy and Gwen Whiteman said they stayed in a vacation rental along with their friends, Decatur, Georgia, residents Gwen Possehl and Sam Martin. The Whitemans said they loved Marshall and plan to come back to visit.

"We're completely charmed by it," Andy Whiteman said. "It's such a quaint little town right here on the river. It's very picturesque."

Ruth Leonard said she and her husband have participated in similar rides in Kentucky before, but the Mountain Ride marks the first North Carolina bike ride they've participated in.

Leonard, a Kingsport, Tennessee, resident who grew up in Georgetown, South Carolina, said this was her second time in Marshall.

"It's like (close to) everything, but it's also separate," Leonard said. It's a very nice area. I actually messaged a friend of mine because Kingsport's only an hour and a half away, and I told her, 'I found a little town for you and your husband to come and check out.' I told her she needed to come check out Marshall."

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Blannahassett hosts campers for first time with multiday bike ride