Home

Steamboat Springs — Steve Hitchcock, of Zirkel Trading, kept his high-end men’s clothing store open until 9 p.m. Wednesday to accommodate participants in the Ride the Rockies bicycle tour, and he was glad he did.

“We did more than 20 percent of our business for the whole day after 7 p.m., and more than half of our customers were with Ride the Rockies,” Hitchcock said. “We gave people directions to the hot springs and sold them swimsuits to take there. We had a very good day because of Ride the Rockies, and the difference really was the layover day.”

Hitchcock was referring to the fact that the cyclists riding the spine of Colorado’s high country arrived Tuesday afternoon and stayed until Thursday morning. That gave them time to relax, and in some cases they were joined by family members.

One U.S. Highway 40 innkeeper shared Hitchcock’s appreciation for the brief burst of business from the bicycle tour.

Midway through a challenging month, Steamboat Hotel operator Jay Wetzler was more than pleased to see Ride the Rockies cyclists rolling into his property. A week earlier, with his entry drive flooded by the Yampa River, it would have been more difficult to host them.

Wetzler said the layover gave his property back-to-back nights of solid bookings minus a handful of first-floor rooms where a small amount of water seeped from the foundation of the hotel into the carpeting.

“It seems like every time Ride the Rockies comes to Steamboat they plan their layover here, maybe just because of the desirability of Steamboat,” Wetzler said.

In the greater scheme of Steamboat’s summer season, a group that comes to town for two nights doesn’t make or break the resort community. But the arrival of Ride the Rockies was of special interest this year, because the local bicycling and business communities are teaming up to capitalize on Steamboat’s potential to become a cycling destination.

The Steamboat Springs Bike Town USA Initiative published in October a report on the potential economic impact of attracting more cyclists to Steamboat in the summer.

Based on 2008 data that shows visitors to the Whistler Bike Park in British Columbia spend an average of $133 a day, Bike Town proponents say Steamboat has the opportunity to increase revenues over the $73 the community’s typical summer visitor spends each day here.

Planning for cycling visitors here to spend a more modest $112 daily, Bike Town estimates that attracting 10,000 new visitors could generate $1.11 million in spending, and 20,000 new pedaling visitors would generate more than $2.2 million.

Cyclists like those in Ride the Rockies who spend seven hours in the saddle to cover 75 miles a day are serious about their equipment and arrive in town on bicycles that cost several thousand dollars.

“They’re definitely my demographic,” Hitchcock said.

He said his employees always make the effort to engage their customers at Zirk­­el Trading in a conversation rather than simply offering their help.

In doing so on Wednesday, they learned that although Steamboat saw visitors from all over the country this week, most of the cyclists were from Colorado.

“I’m excited to meet Front Range people in the store,” Hitchcock said. “They have a chance of becoming weekend visitors.”

Wetzler said he likes the way cyclists conduct themselves while in town.

“It’s one of the best groups ever. They come here for a reason, they’re focused, they don’t smoke and they’re very complimentary about Steamboat,” he said.

— To reach Tom Ross, call 970-871-4205 or email tross@SteamboatToday.com