Door County Bike Summit Scheduled for May 20 & 21

The Door County Silent Sports Alliance (DCSSA) is in the final planning stages for their 2011 Door County Bike Summit. The organization’s third annual summit slated for May 20 & 21 is sure to surpass their first two, with a broader scope of activities and a power-packed slate of speakers scheduled at the Door Community Auditorium.

“We have some industry leaders who are coming to Door County for this bicycle summit,” said Bob Dickson, DCSSA president. “It’s a really neat lineup.”

The summit will kick off on Friday morning with a trail work day in Peninsula State Park. The trail work is slated from 8 am – 1 pm, with a crew from the DNR traveling to Door County to aid in the efforts. Led by Bridget Brown, the state trails coordinator with the DNR, trail work will be directed at the mountain bike and ski trails in the park.

In addition to the actual labor to improve trails around the peninsula, bicycle advocacy is also a large part of DCSSA’s mission. On the cusp of achieving the goal of a countywide bike plan, with an $80,000 grant awarded from the state in October 2010, Dickson feels that “It’s important that people understand the impact that road and mountain biking has on the county” because “it’s not a slam dunk that the county will adopt the bike plan.”

With that in mind, the focus of the speakers at the Door Community Auditorium late Friday afternoon and evening will revolve around the economic impacts of biking. The final details and timetable of the agenda are yet to be finalized, but attendees can expect an update or appearances from a number of big names in Wisconsin’s world of biking starting at around 4 pm.

A few individuals who have made the commitment to attend include: Hansi Johnson, Midwest Regional Director of the IMBA (International Mountain Bike Association); Kevin Hardman, Executive Director of the Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin; Chris Fortune, President and CEO of Saris Cycling Group located near Madison, Wis.; a representative from the DOT; and Scott Chapin, an avid silent sports enthusiast and a nationally recognized trail use insurance specialist with RJF Agencies.

Chapin who lives in Hayward, Wis. will present the findings of a study analyzing the trail system of Sawyer County – home to the American Birkebeiner, the Lumberjack World Championships, the Chequamegon Fat Tire Festival, and a destination similar to Door County – in his presentation, “The Economic Impact of Mountain Biking to Your Community.”

After the presentations, a meet and greet gathering at Alexander’s Restaurant in Fish Creek will offer attendees and presenters the opportunity to network, socialize and further their conversations about biking in Door County and beyond. Free appetizers and a cash bar will round out the evening.

Then on Saturday, plans are in the works for organized road biking rides in the morning, an informal lunch gathering, followed by organized mountain bike rides in the afternoon.

Sponsors of the 2011 Door County Bike Summit include the Peninsula Pacers, Door County Triathlon, Nor Door Sport & Cyclery with other potential sponsors yet to be announced.

Volunteers interested in participating in the trail work day at Peninsula State Park should contact Freddie Bexell at [email protected] or call 920.421.0848.

For more information or future updates about the two-day schedule, visit http://www.doorcountysilentsports.org.