Visit Virginia’s Blue Ridge Reports Large Economic Impact From 2025 Event

Visit Virginia’s Blue Ridge has announced the 2025 USA Cycling Endurance Mountain Bike National Championships in Roanoke, Virginia, generated $2.6 million in direct visitor spending.

Over 1,200 athletes from 44 states raced at Carvins Cove, Elmwood Park and Explore Park from July 14–20, 2025, attracting approximately 15,000 spectators. With over 2,300 event registrations, many athletes competed in multiple disciplines throughout the week, generating longer overnight stays in the region than a typical weekend event.

“USA Cycling couldn’t be happier with how our Mountain Bike National Championships went this year,” said Kyle Knott, USA Cycling national race director. “The event saw participant growth in almost every category. We believe that has everything to do with the urban outdoor experience that Roanoke, VA has to offer. From a logistics perspective, it was a joy to work with each jurisdiction to make this event a success.”

Lodging showed significant increases over 2024 in both demand and revenue during race week. Short term rentals saw a 17 percent increase in room demand and a 31 percent increase in room revenue. Hotels saw a 4.8 percent increase in room demand and a 7.3 percent increase in room revenue.

“I think our biggest success is that our community has this enormous pride in what we have and what we did [for this event],” said Whit Ellerman, chair of the local organizing committee. “Most communities could not pull this off because they don’t have the same regional approach that we do.”

The Visit VBR Foundation and USA Cycling raised $22,400 for local trail maintenance and development through a $10 race registration fee. Checks for $11,200 were presented to both the City of Roanoke Parks and Recreation and Roanoke County Parks, Recreation, and Tourism on September 25.

“One of our top priorities when planning these championships was to generate giveback for lasting outdoor infrastructure in our region,” said John Oney, vice president of sports and sales for Visit Virginia’s Blue Ridge. “It’s very important to Visit VBR that we make this a legacy event for our locals who ride these trails every day.”