gopherhockey
03-27-2003, 02:27 PM
Gary Crandall for Election into the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame
March, 2003
By Gary Sjoquist
No one has had more impact on the growth of mountain biking in the Midwest
than Gary Crandall and his Chequamegon Fat Tire Festival. Here's why:
First, the sheer number of participants in his event as it approaches its
twenty-first anniversary in 2003 is significant. Nearly 40,000 racers of
all ages (Gary recently had to add classes for riders over 70) have
gleefully taken part during the past 21 years. Numbers could be higher, but
hundreds are turned away each year to protect the facilities. Every
September, some 3500 people from all across America head to the Hayward
Cable area of Northern Wisconsin as racers, family members, volunteers,
medical personnel, and support staff for this annual weekend rite of fall
and all are mountain bike enthusiasts.
Second, Chequamegon's family orientation has meant the happy byproduct of
mountain biking families. Gary has engineered an event with significant
physical and technical challenges for individual riders, but one that
retains a family-friendly atmosphere. Kids can participate in parades and
events specially tailored to their abilities. The Short and Fat, a milder
version of the Chequamegon 40 premier event, was designed for beginning
riders, kids, and spouses. This means little mountain bikers grow up in
cycling families, having learned the fun of mountain biking during years of
participation in the Chequamegon Fat Tire Festival. This is good for the
sport, for the health of our children and adults as they grow older, for the
local economies next to trails, and for the bicycle industry.
Third, Chequamegon has been the launching pad for mountain bike advocacy
efforts not only in the Hayward Cable area, but the rest of the Midwest. The
Minnesota Off-Road Cyclists (MORC), Wisconsin Off-Road Bicycling Association
(WORBA), Cyclists of Gitchi Gami Shores (COGGs), are all organizations that
sprouted with the help of resources from Gary Crandall's Fat Tire Festival.
In the Hayward Cable area, CAMBA, the Chequamegon Area Mountain Bike
Association, turned an untamed network of trails and fire roads into one of
the country's premier mountain bike destinations with Gary's help.
Fourth, Crandall's work with mountain biking has created a measurable
economic impact for the region. How many dollars was revealed through a
study titled "Mountain Biking in the Chequamegon Area of Northern Wisconsin
and Implications for Regional Development," a joint project of the
University of Wisconsin, Sawyer County, and IMBA. Completed in 1996, this
study revealed that for the six community, two-county region of less than
10,000 residents in the Hayward Cable area, the economic impact of mountain
biking was significant for area businesses:
* 63% of mountain biker riders were repeat visitors
* Average length of stay 3.6 days
* 44% of riders came more than 3 hours from Minneapolis/St.
Paul
* total economic impact of mountain biking to the area;
$1,174,100 per year
Clearly, Crandall's event not only expedited this economic growth, but also
literally helped re-create the Hayward Cable area as a mountain bike
destination. Area hotels, B&Bs, restaurants, and communities geared toward
snowmobiling and skiing suddenly had new summer business to contend with
thanks to a steady influx of mountain bikers with dollars to spend and needs
to be met. Mountain biking in the Hayward Cable area and throughout the
Midwest became a legitimate and institutionalized activity due to this
economic impact.
Finally, three of the largest bicycle retailers in the country (in cold
weather states, no less) are located within a few hours drive of the
Chequamegon Fat Tire Festival, as is one of the country's largest bicycle
manufacturers (a faithful title sponsor for the event). Each of these
industry members sell a ton of mountain bikes, parts, and apparel, due in
large part to Crandall's Chequamegon Fat Tire Festival. There is, in fact,
a measurable spike in the sale of mountain bikes and related accessories in
the Twin Cities prior to Chequamegon each year.
Please acknowledge the role Gary Crandall has played in the history and
growth of mountain biking by electing him to the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame.
Sincerely,
Gary Sjoquist
March, 2003
By Gary Sjoquist
No one has had more impact on the growth of mountain biking in the Midwest
than Gary Crandall and his Chequamegon Fat Tire Festival. Here's why:
First, the sheer number of participants in his event as it approaches its
twenty-first anniversary in 2003 is significant. Nearly 40,000 racers of
all ages (Gary recently had to add classes for riders over 70) have
gleefully taken part during the past 21 years. Numbers could be higher, but
hundreds are turned away each year to protect the facilities. Every
September, some 3500 people from all across America head to the Hayward
Cable area of Northern Wisconsin as racers, family members, volunteers,
medical personnel, and support staff for this annual weekend rite of fall
and all are mountain bike enthusiasts.
Second, Chequamegon's family orientation has meant the happy byproduct of
mountain biking families. Gary has engineered an event with significant
physical and technical challenges for individual riders, but one that
retains a family-friendly atmosphere. Kids can participate in parades and
events specially tailored to their abilities. The Short and Fat, a milder
version of the Chequamegon 40 premier event, was designed for beginning
riders, kids, and spouses. This means little mountain bikers grow up in
cycling families, having learned the fun of mountain biking during years of
participation in the Chequamegon Fat Tire Festival. This is good for the
sport, for the health of our children and adults as they grow older, for the
local economies next to trails, and for the bicycle industry.
Third, Chequamegon has been the launching pad for mountain bike advocacy
efforts not only in the Hayward Cable area, but the rest of the Midwest. The
Minnesota Off-Road Cyclists (MORC), Wisconsin Off-Road Bicycling Association
(WORBA), Cyclists of Gitchi Gami Shores (COGGs), are all organizations that
sprouted with the help of resources from Gary Crandall's Fat Tire Festival.
In the Hayward Cable area, CAMBA, the Chequamegon Area Mountain Bike
Association, turned an untamed network of trails and fire roads into one of
the country's premier mountain bike destinations with Gary's help.
Fourth, Crandall's work with mountain biking has created a measurable
economic impact for the region. How many dollars was revealed through a
study titled "Mountain Biking in the Chequamegon Area of Northern Wisconsin
and Implications for Regional Development," a joint project of the
University of Wisconsin, Sawyer County, and IMBA. Completed in 1996, this
study revealed that for the six community, two-county region of less than
10,000 residents in the Hayward Cable area, the economic impact of mountain
biking was significant for area businesses:
* 63% of mountain biker riders were repeat visitors
* Average length of stay 3.6 days
* 44% of riders came more than 3 hours from Minneapolis/St.
Paul
* total economic impact of mountain biking to the area;
$1,174,100 per year
Clearly, Crandall's event not only expedited this economic growth, but also
literally helped re-create the Hayward Cable area as a mountain bike
destination. Area hotels, B&Bs, restaurants, and communities geared toward
snowmobiling and skiing suddenly had new summer business to contend with
thanks to a steady influx of mountain bikers with dollars to spend and needs
to be met. Mountain biking in the Hayward Cable area and throughout the
Midwest became a legitimate and institutionalized activity due to this
economic impact.
Finally, three of the largest bicycle retailers in the country (in cold
weather states, no less) are located within a few hours drive of the
Chequamegon Fat Tire Festival, as is one of the country's largest bicycle
manufacturers (a faithful title sponsor for the event). Each of these
industry members sell a ton of mountain bikes, parts, and apparel, due in
large part to Crandall's Chequamegon Fat Tire Festival. There is, in fact,
a measurable spike in the sale of mountain bikes and related accessories in
the Twin Cities prior to Chequamegon each year.
Please acknowledge the role Gary Crandall has played in the history and
growth of mountain biking by electing him to the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame.
Sincerely,
Gary Sjoquist