Article hails access, lodging, weather - and friendly locals
From KTVZ.COM news sources
It's not even April, yet the May 2009 issue of Mountain Bike Action magazine is out, and so is the secret about Bend's mountain biking scene.
In a feature story titled, "America's Top Mountain Biking Town: 35 reasons why Bend, Oregon, rules," Mountain Bike Action (circulation 66,239) editors praised everything from access and lodging, to weather and friendly locals as reasons why they made their ultimate decision.
"To prevail over such respected mountain biking destinations as those we were up against is a perfect example of Bend's business community rallying together to support tourism and leave a positive and lasting impression on the editors that will reap rewards for years to come," said Doug LaPlaca, president and CEO of Visit Bend.
"From Cog Wild Bicycle Tours and Phoenix Inn, to Green Energy Transportation, Deschutes Brewery and several local bike shops and other businesses, this honor is truly a city-wide achievement," LaPlaca added.
During a four-day visit to Bend last September, editor-in-chief Jim McIlvan and assistant editor John Ker spent several days touring Bend with representatives of Visit Bend and Cog Wild Bicycle Tours. Their riding itinerary featured three full-day trips, including Cog Wild's Ochoco Mountain, Cascade Lakes, and Bachelor-to-Bend tours.
The May issue of Mountain Bike Action began arriving in subscribers' mailboxes late last week, and will be available on newsstands in early April. It will also be available on the Mountain Bike Action web site, www.mbaction.com.
This latest news comes on the heels of Bend being touted as, "The cycling capital of the United States for the next two years" by VeloNews magazine (circulation 38,197) after Bend was awarded the 2009-2010 USA Cycling Cyclo-cross National Championships and Elite, U23 and Junior Road National Championships.
About Visit Bend:
Visit Bend is a non-membership, non-profit economic development organization dedicated to promoting tourism on behalf of the City of Bend. For more information or to order a complimentary Official Visitor's Guide to Bend, contact Visit Bend at 800-949-6086 or visit www.visitbend.com.
