Cycle to Farm

The first Cycle to Farm took place in the Town of Black Mountain, North Carolina. Cycle to Farm is a group ride cycling event covering 63 miles of North Carolina.The event supports local farms by having the reststops hosted at local farms, and local businesses take an active role in the event from beginning to end. Cycle to Farm gives the local economy a beneficial boost.

Description
The event was envisioned, planned, and set into  action by Jennifer and

David Billstrom, and funded by  sponsors and registration fees. Following the first  event, local farms and businesses, as well as those  who participated in the actual ride, gave  overwhelming support for the event, and interest has  been so high that the Billstroms are strongly  considering branching out with Cycle to Farm by applying it to different communities. This event has shown to be beneficial to the community, and has received nothing but praise since the success of the first ride.

The Cycle to Farm event is a very unique bike ride  through Western North Carolina’s rural farms and  forests. Each of these farms has free samples of their  produce available for the riders, and their locally  grown produce is available for purchase by the riders. A refrigerated truck stops at each farm in order to  transport any purchases made by the cyclists to the  finish area for them. Before the ride, participants are  offered complimentary coffee from a local coffee  roaster, yoga instructors are there to help cyclists  stretch before and after the event, and the local bike  shop is there as well for mechanical support.

The first Cycle to Farm ride was in June 2012. An  economic study done in Black Mountain showed that  the event added nearly $50,000 to the local economy,  and 57% of participants travelled over 50 miles to take  part in the event, which clearly had a large draw. The  event aims to support local farms and produce, as well  as support local businesses.