Hospitality, organization and flat terrain are the three key factors that contribute to the success and continual growth of Bikes, Blues & Bayous, says Richard Beattie, one of the event’s founders.
“That’s the secret recipe,” he said. “The most frequent comment is about the hospitality — how nice the volunteers are and the rest areas. Then people talk it up and bring other people. Word of mouth has really spread this event.”
This year, the 10th anniversary of Bikes, Blues & Bayous will be celebrated, and the event is projected to draw well over 1,000 participants.
Mississippi’s largest bike ride is presented by the Greenwood-Leflore County Chamber of Commerce and the Money Road Cycling Club.
“We’re just in celebration mode all the way around this year, because this is the 10th Bikes, Blues & Bayous event and the chamber’s 100th anniversary,” said Beth Stevens, executive director of the chamber. “Those are some pretty big milestones, and I think any time you can celebrate milestone anniversaries like that, it just really speaks to the success of it. Bikes, Blues & Bayous has grown every year, and I think that’s proof that it’s not letting up any time soon.”
In 2016, the event included 947 participants. Beattie said this year the event registration is 12 percent ahead of last year, with more than 600 participants signed up to ride either 11, 22, 46 or 62 miles.
Beattie, Brian Waldrop and Bret Freeman, members of the Money Road Cycling Club, founded Bikes, Blues & Bayous in 2008.
“When we started out, we said ‘first annual’ in hopes that there would be a second one,” Beattie said with a laugh. “At the time, it was wishful thinking.”
Beattie said the group had no idea what would happen the first year. They were expecting only about 50 participants to join the ride.
“Then we got 50 and said ‘let’s get 75,’ and during the last week half the people signed,” said Beattie
Bikes, Blues & Bayous had 213 participants that year.
“Once we got going, we realized we had something and said, ‘This thing can go to 1,000 or more,’ and sure enough we’re going to reach that amount this year,” said Beattie.
A couple of years after creating the event, the Money Road Cycling Club partnered with the Chamber of Commerce to host Bikes, Blues & Bayous. Each year the event has grown.
Bikes, Blues & Bayous received comments last year such as, “BBB was incredibly organized. Beautiful area and wonderful people. I’ll be there next year for sure,” and “Cannot overstate welcoming enthusiastic volunteers at every step, y’all shine!”
In a survey, 97.6 percent of participants said that Bikes, Blues & Bayous is above average or one of the best events compared to other rides. More than 74 percent of those surveyed said it was one of the best.
“We are good at the hospitality aspect of it, and we are focused on people having a good, positive experience while they are here,” said Stevens. “We’ve got to be good at the hospitality part of it, because that is probably the number-one thing that people remember about an event, and that’s what keeps them coming back to Greenwood year after year.”
About 70 percent of the participants have ridden in the event before, and the largest age group of participants — making up 81 percent of the riders — is 40 to 69 years old.
Sixty-two percent of the participants are from Mississippi, and 38 percent are from out of state, including Tennessee, Arkansas, Louisiana, Alabama, Indiana, Georgia, Texas, Florida, Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Montana and Washington, D.C.
“We’re blessed to have events like this that bring people in from literally all over the country,” said Stevens. “That’s something I think people need to take notice of, because that’s good for our community. That’s not something a lot of communities can say they have.”
Although the majority of participants are not Greenwood residents, locals make up 10 percent of the cyclists. That number has stayed steady throughout the past 10 years, and as participation overall increases, so does local participation.
“Ten percent is still 100 or more people,” said Beattie. “A significant key that has motivated more local people to get involved in is that it’s not a competition or a race. It’s a fun ride, and we have all these great rest stops. I think once people understood the more casual rider can take part in it, more local people began to take up biking and get involved in it.”
Many Greenwood residents who do not enter the event but still want to get involved volunteer. Bikes, Blues & Bayous is composed of about 300 local volunteers each year.
“We have a great group of volunteers, and we wouldn’t be able to pull this off without that group of people,” said Stevens.
Most of the hotels will be booked during the weekend of Bikes, Blues & Bayous, and locals looking to make some extra cash are encouraged to list rental property with the chamber or on Airbnb.com. For more information about making alternative lodging available to the participants, call the Chamber of Commerce at 453-4152.
“This is a great event for Greenwood,” said Stevens. “The majority of our hotels are booked for the whole weekend, and that says something. Several of the restaurants that I’ve surveyed over the last few years have said that is their busiest weekend of the entire year. Those two pieces of the community right there — hotels and restaurants — benefit significantly from this event.”
The registration fee for Bikes, Blues & Bayous is $45 per participant until July 16. After that, the fee will increase to $55.
Each participant will receive a T-shirt, socks and a finisher medal. The riders will also enjoy a post-ride party featuring a complimentary barbecue meal with beer, soft drinks and chocolate milk, and live blues performers.
The ride includes six rest stops, five support and gear vehicles, two bike mechanics from The Bike Rack in Jackson, law enforcement at major intersections and a sports massage team.
To celebrate Bikes, Blues & Bayous’ 10th anniversary, a party will be held at Tallahatchie Flats from 5 to 8 p.m. on Aug. 5.
The event’s participants and their families are invited to attend the celebration, which will include drinks, “Tour de World” appetizers and a live blues performance by B.B. King’s cousin, Jerry Fair, and his band. The party is limited to the first 200 reservations.
Other new items this year:
• A raffle for a Trek travel “California Wine Country Explorer” trip for two. Tickets are $50 each, and only 200 will be sold. The $5,000 retail value trip is a six-day and five-night vacation for two. The winner will be announced Aug. 5 before the ride.
• A raffle for two Trek Emonda S4 carbon road bikes, both worth $1,579 each. Tickets are $5 each. Winners will be announced Aug. 5 before the ride.
• A full kit collection of jersey, shorts, bibs, gloves, sap and socks is available this year. The kit features a custom design and images of Front Street, the Leflore County Courthouse and Yazoo River.
For more information about Bikes, Blues & Bayous, email bikesbluesbayous@hotmail.com or visit bikesbluesbayous.com.
• Contact Ruthie Robison at 581-7233 or rrobison@gwcommonwealth.com.
