Revenue generated by U.S. recreational road cycling events topped $240 million in 2008

—Revenue generated by U.S. recreational road cycling events topped $240 million in 2008, according to a survey by Bikes Belong, the industry-funded organization charged with putting more people on bikes more often. Of that dollar total, nearly $200 million went to charities. More than 1,700 road events (no races) attracted 1 million participants who spend about $140 million on food, lodging, and other purchases at the rides. A leading example is Iowa’s RAGBRAI cross-state ride, which annually sees participants spend around $19 million on cycling products. Click http://www.bikesbelong.org/roadevents for more details on the road events survey.

…from the free (and well written, informative) Road Bike Rider newsletter – http://www.roadbikerider.com/