Coastal Ride to bring 1,300 cyclists to town in April

About 1,300 cyclists are expected to visit Elizabeth City next spring to pedal their way around Pasquotank and surrounding counties.

Last week, Elizabeth City Downtown Inc. Director Debbie Malenfant provided City Council a presentation of the N.C. Amateur Sports Organization’s planned Cycle North Carolina Coastal Ride. The event will be held Thursday through Sunday, April 24-27, and is expected to generate additional revenue for city businesses.

“The ride will bring about 1,300 bicyclists and participants, some of whom will stay in hotels — we estimated 600 that will stay in hotels,” Malenfant said.

Another 500 are expected to camp outdoors, she said. ECDI, in partnership with Mid-Atlantic Christian University, has already designated a location at the private university for outdoor campers, she added.

Another 50 plan to camp indoors, and ECDI has found a location for them as well, Malenfant said.

About 150 plan to stay in RVs while they’re here for the bike ride, Malenfant said.

“We’re still evaluating where those RVs will be parked,” she said.

The cyclists will arrive on Thursday and get settled, before riding a choice of different routes, some as long as 100 miles through Pasquotank, Camden and Perquimans counties on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, according to Malenfant. They are scheduled to leave town by 4 p.m. that Sunday.

ECDI will host a Friday night welcome event for the riders, who will be also visiting Elizabeth City the same weekend as Albemarle Area United Way’s popular annual Bocce, Beer and Bites fundraiser, held each year on a Saturday at Waterfront Park.

The group will submit the applications for necessary city permits, Malenfant said.

The N.C. Amateur Sports Organization has been holding similar rides for more than 20 years and past ride locations have included Edenton, Washington and Oriental.

The Cycle North Carolina Coastal Ride will not replace the Tarwheel Century, a similar bicycling event which also has been held in the area in April in past years. That event will be held the same weekend in April as the Bassmaster Elite Series tournament that will be held for the first time on the Pasquotank River. That event is set for April 10-13.