CycleNC rolls through Siler City

Posted
Updated:

SILER CITY — Hundreds of cyclists made their way to Siler City and stayed the night t as part of the annual Cycle North Carolina event Oct. 1 and 2.

Stopping in Chatham County for the first time, the event gathers cyclists from across the state and the country to travel from Blowing Rock in the west to Atlantic Beach on the east. And based on initial reports, things went well.

“I am thrilled with how it went,” said Neha Shah, the director of the Pittsboro-Siler City Convention & Visitors Bureau. “We couldn’t control the heat, we knew that was going to be an issue. I don’t know how they managed to get through. It just got hotter as the ride went on.”

The 964 riders were able to push through the high temperatures thanks to several events and amenities available to participants. Services provided at the National Guard Armory across the street from Bray Park, the event’s Siler City hub, included live music, a beverage garden, yoga and acupuncture, while the Peppercorn, Chatham Rabbit and Oasis Open-Air Market in downtown Siler City also hosted events. Most of the riders slept in tents in Bray Park.

Visit NC, the state’s tourism agency, hosted an excursion to Southern Supreme in Bear Creek. Shah said some riders even ordered some fruit cake to ship home.

“We really wanted to cover a good bit of Siler City so they would go downtown, see the area where Johnson’s is, and also just some of the side roads,” she said. “We did have some who, even though the shuttle was running, if it was something short, they wanted to explore some of the neighborhoods.”

Chatham County Manager Dan LaMontagne said in press release prior to the cyclists’ arrival that the county was pleased to be hosting the event.

“We are thrilled to join with the Pittsboro-Siler City Convention & Visitors Bureau to bring Cycle North Carolina to Chatham County and Siler City,” he said. “We hope that the cyclists will enjoy experiencing our hospitality as well as visiting restaurants, shops and other attractions that make our community so special.”

At the Chatham County Board of Commissioners meeting a week ago Monday, LaMontagne said about 1,100 riders came through and the event “was a big benefit for Siler City” and “a tremendous success.”

Shah said the town was chosen after an application process, and she’s “very confident” Chatham will be on the list in the future.

“We were pleasantly surprised because we have limited accommodations so we had to be creative,” she said. “But we just made a really good bid application this year. Cycle NC was fantastic to work with and they were encouraging. It was important for us to do well so they would want to return.”

Reporter Zachary Horner can be reached at zhorner@chathamnr.com or on Twitter at @ZachHornerCNR.