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Cycling's Popularity in Upstate Delivers Economic Impact

Greenville Spinners President speaks to Easley City Council about cycling's impact on local economy, from creating new businesses to attracting existing businesses to move to the area.

Cycling has become an economic engine for the Upstate and Easley and Pickens hope to reap the benefits through many bicycle-related projects.

Steve Baker, president of the Greenville Spinners Bicycle Club, spoke at a meeting of Easley City Council that Pickens City Council members also attended. The two councils were celebrating their recent purchase of the former Pickens Railway rail bed, also known as the Doodle Line.

That rail bed will be turned into a walking and biking trail connecting the two cities.

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“I commend you and congratulate you on the purchase of the rail line,” Baker said. “I think that's fantastic.”

Baker's presentation focused on the economic impact of cycling on the Upstate, including the impact of the Swamp Rabbit Trail.

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The Upstate is ripe for cycling, due to its moderate climbing, varying terrain and residents' outdoor lifestyles, Baker said.

“There's a lot of opportunities,” he said. “We have beautiful, walkable communities. We have a healthy living environment – and we have some excellent cycling in this area.

The cycling is drawing people to the area, Baker said.

“We know they're coming to ride their bikes,” he said. “It's bringing business to the Upstate. It's growing our economy. Cycling in the Upstate is every bit as important to our area as the beach is to coastal South Carolina.”

Tourism brings people and new business to the area, which increases the area's tax revenue.

Cities can then use those funds for further attractions and improvements.

“That in turn brings more tourism and tax revenue,” Baker said.

Cycling tourism is increasing in the entire Upstate, he said.

The Year 2 Study of the Swamp Rabbit Trail reported that the Swamp Rabbit Trail has over 400,000 unique visitors last year.

“That makes the Swamp Rabbit Trail one of the most-visited tourist attractions in the entire state,” Baker said.

In addition to helping attract new companies to the area, cycling is increasing revenue for local businesses, he said.

The Upstate is developing an international reputation for its quality of life.

Baker attends many of the biggest cycling events in the country.

“When I go to these events, people know about Greenville,” he said. “They've been here or they want to come here because of our reputation for quality of life. They know it's the entire Upstate. When you come to Greenville to cycle, you don't just visit Greenville. You visit the entire Upstate area and you ride it.”

That leads to repeat visits.

“People are visiting multiple times,” Baker said. “All of this cycling tourism is growing our local economy.”

The Upstate has over 30 cycling-specific businesses in the Upstate, and that number is growing.

A new cycling business, Palmetto Cycling Adventures, is set to open on August 24 in Easley.

“I'm talking about people who sell bikes, service bikes, deal with people on bikes,” Baker said. “It's direct cycling businesses that I'm talking about there.”

The popularity of cycling is a factor when owners move existing businesses to the Upstate, he said.

“Obviously you don't just move a business … because of the cycling,” Baker said. “But what we can do is document instances where people visited the Upstate for cycling and then that led to increased investments, that led to people bringing businesses to the area.”

One example is TD Bank, Baker said.

“They're a very big success,” he said. “One of the executives of TD Bank loved the area, came for tourism, visited to ride his bike, bought a house in the area. Then when there was an opportunity to expand TD Bank in the US and Canada … brought the business to Greenville.”

The city manager of Travelers Rest has said that over 30 new businesses have opened along the Swamp Rabbit Trail in the Travelers Rest community, Baker said.

Other businesses are benefiting and “piggybacking” from cycling in the area.

“If you're riding your bike and you want a ice cream, you want a coffee, you want lunch,” Baker said. “Those are the businesses that don't actually sell bikes or deal directly with bikes, but they're benefiting and they're growing and they're opening because people are coming to the area. They're coming there and parking and going off and riding or they're riding through the area.

He said a “conservative estimate” was that cycling contributed $20 million annually to the local economy. Baker said he and others believed that number was “much higher.”

The area hosts some “world-class championship events.”

Next year, the Greenville area will host the Paracycling World Championships.

“If you add up all the little charity rides to the more organized rides that bring people in to our hotels ...there's over 100 events every year just in the Upstate,” Baker said. “These events bring in people from all over the world. All of this is growing our economy.”

He encouraged city officials to continue to protect and develop the assets related to cycling, including bike lanes, trails and greenways.



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