Maryland

Biking for Business

Hagerstown bike race promotes tourism, business

Separated by mere inches, 150 cyclists careened through downtown Hagerstown, racing for the finish line at the Maryland Theater.
Spectator and State Farm® employee Graydon Moir, a technical services specialist from the FOC, was amazed at the cyclists’ talents.

“When the riders rode by – not only could you feel the breeze, you could see the trees moving.  They were so close to the ground on the corners you could see sparks come up from their pedals hitting the pavement. There were a few crashes but, fortunately, nothing a few band aids couldn’t fix!”

Graydon joined more than 700 spectators to cheer on their favorite biker.

The opportunity to promote tourism, exercise and the arts was too good to pass up for several Maryland State Farm® agents. The agents recently sponsored the pre-race (called a twilight event) for the 2011 Tour of Washington County.

The goal of the bike race was to promote tourism to locations outside the D.C. Metro area. Hagerstown is approximately 70 miles from D.C.

State Farm Agent Tom Breidenstein of Hagerstown became involved in the event when a longtime customer, Joe Jefferson, approached him about the sponsorship and the positive impact for businesses in the Hagerstown area.

Joe said he’s been a customer of Tom’s since he learned to drive. So it was only natural he ask his lifelong friend and agent to sponsor the event.

“This was our first event in downtown Hagerstown,” said Joe, a member of the Antietam Velo Club. “Our goal is to promote tourism in and around Washington County. We wanted to draw attention to what the downtown area has to offer – for both tourists and people who live in the area and have not been downtown recently. The economic impact from the weekend of racing was around $116,000.”

The opportunity to attract business to their area was a win-win for the State Farm agents and the merchants.

“All the Washington County State Farm agents sponsored the event,” Tom said. “Agent Larry Michaels, Steve Swayne and I attended the event. We coordinated getting the Good Neigh Bear®, handed out goodies, etc.”

Other Maryland agents who participated included: Dwight Guyton of Maugansville; Sharon Elbin of Hancock; Gaye McGovern of Hagerstown; and Tim Panther, also of Hagerstown.

Graydon said he picked up one of the bikes to see how much it weighed.

“The rider said it cost $12,000 – and it was no heavier than the digital camera I was holding in my other hand. Unreal!”

Graydon said he saw some of the riders pedal up to Tom between races to personally thank him for his sponsorship.

“It was a great State Farm-sponsored event!” Tom agreed. “It was great for Hagerstown -- and we also got a lot of exposure to potential new customers,” he said.