Loam Cycling Journal

Every year, the gravel cycling world turns its attention toward Emporia, Kansas.

Thousands of riders from around the world travel to Unbound Gravel. The event attracts roughly 5,000 participants and generates millions of dollars in economic activity for the community. For a few days each year, Emporia becomes the center of the gravel universe.

It’s an impressive success story.

But I think many rural communities are asking the wrong question.

The question isn’t, “How do we become the next Emporia?”
The better question might be, “What is our version of Dufur?”

Rural Communities Don’t Need the Next Unbound. They Need Their Own Version of Dufur. — LOAM What can rural communities learn from Dufur, Oregon and the Gorge Gravel race? Explore how cycling events, tourism, and community partnerships can create new economic opportunities.

With big gravel events like Unbound Gravel garnering millions of social media impressions and global attention, it raises an interesting question:

Is this a viable path forward for rural communities?

Unbound attracts roughly 5,000 racers and generates millions of dollars in economic impact for Emporia, Kansas, each year.

But perhaps the bigger story isn’t the race itself.

It’s what happens when a small town embraces an event, tells its story well, and creates an experience people want to travel for.

Not every community needs an Unbound. Most shouldn’t try to be.

It’s easy for small towns to look at places like Bentonville, Arkansas, or Moab, Utah, and think: “Well, sure ... but we could never do that here.”

Truth be told, most communities are looking at the finished product instead of the starting point.

What many of today’s well-known cycling destinations figured out early was something surprisingly simple: People will travel for experiences. Especially experiences that feel authentic, scenic, adventurous, and different from everyday life.

That’s where cycling events come into the picture.

Why Small Towns Should Embrace Cycling Events for Tourism Growth — LOAM Discover how cycling events help small towns grow tourism, create economic impact, and generate long-term visibility through storytelling, social media, and community momentum.

People can’t visit places they don’t know exist.

That’s why outdoor events matter.

They introduce people to communities they might have otherwise driven right past.

And when the experience is memorable, people share it.

Sometimes tourism starts with something as simple as giving people a reason to show up.

Small towns understand the immediate economic impact of events like bike races. Hotels fill up. Restaurants get busy. Coffee shops see a rush of customers.

But there’s another layer of value many communities still overlook: visibility.

Every cycling event generates thousands of photos, videos, stories, recap posts, and conversations online. Riders become storytellers, and social media becomes tourism marketing.

In this new article, I explore how cycling events create both economic impact and Earned Media Value (EMV), why influencer-style storytelling matters, and why content is now part of a town’s tourism infrastructure.

Read more: https://bit.ly/4v4GOTS

Most social media posts disappear in less than 24 hours.

Then what?

If that’s the only place your race story lives, it gets buried just as fast.

Long-form storytelling gives it a longer life.

More depth. More context. More staying power.

Something people can come back to. Share. Trust.

Not everything needs to be fast.

Some stories deserve to last.

You can have the most effective and efficient strategy for marketing, promoting, and spreading the word about your race.

However ...

If the whole brand experience falls flat, it was more hype than substance.

Growing awareness of your race is essential. So is making it as memorable as possible.

Why do some races sell out within minutes of opening registration, but other races never seem to catch momentum?

What separates one race from another?