Cycle Tour Stop Expected to Bring 1,500-Plus Cyclists to Greenville-Pitt County

The Greenville-Pitt County Convention & Visitors Bureau (Visit Greenville, NC) and the Greenville-Pitt County Sports Commission are excitedly working on final preparations this week for the 2019 Cycle North Carolina “Mountains to Coast” Ride overnight stop at the Greenville Town Common on Thursday, October 3^rd, 2019, which will bring over 1,500 cyclists, staff, family, and friends into the heart of our city!

“With the influx of over 1,500 cyclists, we are expecting heavy foot traffic into the Uptown Greenville District restaurants and businesses,” stated Gray W. Williams, Executive Director of the Greenville-Pitt County Sports Commission. “Once the welcome festivities have finished on the Greenville Town Common, riders will begin to explore Uptown Greenville to eat dinner and shop, enjoy our craft breweries, art galleries, and other entertainment venues. We also have cyclists who are planning to attend the ECU Football Thursday night game and get the full Pirate Nation tailgating experience!”

According to Cycle NC, the 2019 cyclists represent 37 states (AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, FL, GA, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, NC, ND, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OR, PA, SC, TN, TX, UT, VA, VT, WA, WI, WV), the District of Columbia, and both Ottawa & Toronto, Canada. The youngest cyclist to ride for the entire week is just 6 years old, while the oldest participants are 82 years old.

Greenville is the 6^th stop on the 2019 North Carolina “Mountains to Coast” Ride which begins in Blowing Rock on September 30^th and end in Atlantic Beach on October 5^th. This will be the first visit to Greenville and Pitt County for most cyclists, but many return to their favorite Cycle NC stops along the route for years to come. In addition to the overnight stop in Greenville, Pitt County will also host three rest stops along the route in Farmville, Fountain, and Ayden. Each of these towns are extremely excited to host the cyclists and show them all the wonderful things Pitt County has to offer.

“This event is key in helping Greenville-Pitt County become a more bicycle-friendly community,” stated Paul Sheehan, Director of Sports Development for the Greenville-Pitt County Sports Commission. “We hope the riders participating in this event will notice all the strides our destination is making to be more welcoming to the cycling community.”

The cyclists will ride approximately 80 miles from Clayton to reach the Greenville Town Commonin the Uptown District around 11am Thursday morning to rest, recharge, and explore. Many of these cyclists will camp out overnight on the Greenville Town Common, while others will stay at area hotels. A fun evening by the Tar River featuring local food, craft beer, live music, and more has been planned to welcome these cyclists and supporters to Greenville.

Greenville Cycle NC Overnight Stop Event Timeline:

Thursday, October 3^rd:

·      11:30am: Earliest anticipated arrival of cyclists

·      1:00pm – 5:00pm: Activation on Town Common (Beer Garden, Sam Jones BBQ, Psylo Joe & William Seymour)

·      4:00pm – 7:00am: Greenville Police placing hard barricade on First Street at Town  Common (closed to through traffic)

·      4:00pm: All cyclists should have checked in at the Greenville Town Common

·      4:00pm – until: Cycle NC Riders are free to explore Uptown Greenville and beyond for the evening

Friday, October, 4^th:

·      6:30am: Earliest time riders are able to begin leaving Greenville Town Common on the designated route

·      7:00am: Route officially opens

·      9:30am: All cyclists should be on route out of Greenville toward Ayden

For more information, please contact: Paul Sheehan, Director of Sports Development | Greenville-Pitt County Sports Commission

Office: 252.329.4200 ext. 4232, paul@visitgreenvillenc.com