Ste. Genevieve Will Be Either Start Or Finish For Recreational Cycling Event In 2020
Holding its first official meeting since late January, the city of Ste. Genevieve Tourism Advisory Council heard reports on some upcoming events and progress reports on some ongoing items.
The council, which wound up having an unofficial brainstorming session at its last scheduled meeting on April 29 when it failed to have a quorum, received a full report from tourism director Sandra Cabot, including Welcome Center attendance and a look at the Fiscal Year 2020 budget she had presented to the Ste. Genevieve Board of Aldermen the week before.
Cabot reported that Missouri Life magazine sponsors an annual cycling event in which cyclists cross the width of the state. In June 2020, the Bikers Across Missouri (BAM) will cross the southern part of the state, with Ste. Genevieve being one of its stops.
“It’s the largest recreational, organized ride in the state,” Cabot said.
It has been taking place for five years. Most of the rides have been in northern Missouri. One year, the tour’s path utilized Route 66.
“Next year they want to bring it to southeast Missouri,” Cabot said.
She said it should have 300 to 400 cyclists with logistics being handled by a subcontractor hired by the magazine.
“They’ll have four nights, overnight, along the trail and then they ride however far during the day,” Cabot said. “And it’s recreational, so if they’re riding through wine country, they might decide they want to stop off at a winery. If they get to the place they’re staying by evening, they’re fine.”
Each night, the subcontractor will provide a band to entertain the cyclists at their camp.
“I think it will be very good for Ste. Genevieve,” Cabot said, “and the way the route is going, it’s either going from Ste. Genevieve to Poplar Bluff or the other way around. Either way, we’ll either be the first community or the last community and both of those have advantages in terms of how long the people are there and how many are there to support significant others.”
See complete story in the July 24 edition of the Herald.