BikeMaine economic bounty to hit Aroostook County
Photo / Maureen Milliken
BikeMaine Village at Manson Park in Pittsfield in September, one of the host communities of 2017's event. The 10-day yearly bike trek has added $2.3 million to the state's economy since 2013, organizers said. This year's venue will be Aroostook County.
Hundreds of bike riders participating in BikeMaine have pumped $2.3 million into the Maine economy since the event’s debut in 2013.
Now, the Bangor Daily News reported, Aroostook County has been selected as BikeMaine’s venue for 2018, with overnight stops in cities like Caribou and Fort Kent along the way. Last year’s event took riders through western Maine and resulted in a direct economic impact of $660,000 over participating communities, BikeMaine Ride Director MaryBeth Luce told the BDN.
“We strive to bring notoriety to the regions we cover,” Luce said. “We are also committed to locally sourcing the food and other items as much as we can during the event.”
For the 2017 event, held in September, BikeMaine, organized by the Bicycle Coalition of Maine, spent $262,000 to bring the ride to central Maine and the event's 400 riders spent $398,000, not including the registration fees, according to a report released by event organizers.
The organization spends money on food, lodging, community relations, fees, local purchases, vehicle rentals, mobile showers, fuel and other rider support. BikeMaine served 10,500 meals during the week, and 75% of the food was bought within 75 miles of the event, according to the report.
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