It’s not a rash of flat tires, broken chains or gummed-up derailleurs that are threatening to end Cycle Across Maryland’s 20-year run.
High operating costs have pushed this scenic, three-day biking tour through varying parts of the state to near extinction. But it could be saved with a boost in riders, volunteers and donations, according to One Less Car — the Baltimore-based nonprofit advocacy organization for alternative transportation that hosts the event. One Less Car’s board of directors recently decided to cancel the 2009 event, but a surge of interest and riders in last month’s tour has opened the door for possible reconsideration.
“Historically, it’s been a very successful event,” said Richard Chambers, executive director of One Less Car. “But like any other outdoor event, bad weather and logistical concerns like costs can turn a good event into a bad event.”
It costs nearly $100,000 to hold CAM, which has hosted more than 10,000 riders since its inauguration in 1989.
“It’s really expensive, and it’s just for three days,” Chambers said. “From securing dorms and getting staff and food, it’s a lot of money.”
The most convenient way to hold the event is to have a university as its home base. Mount St. Mary’s University in Emmitsburg was this year’s starting point. Registration ranged from $60 for children under 13 to $225 for walk-in participants, and organizers said they don’t want to raise fees.
Until 2004, CAM was a week-long point-to-point ride covering between 400 and 500 miles, and it sometimes drew more than 1,500 riders with an average of about 1,000 riders per year, organizers said. It was founded by Pat Bernstein, press secretary for former Baltimore Mayor William Donald Schaefer.
Making it a week-long event again is not likely possible, Chambers said. “It would cost too much,” he said.
Bob Carson of Towson, a past president of the Baltimore Bicycling Club, who for 19 years mapped out the tour’s routes, said he’s disappointed.
“It’s sad to see it going down the tubes,” Carson said. “It had such a good run. A lot of people had good times.”
So what caused the drop in riders?
“That’s one of the great mysteries,” said Carson, who added that the weekend format brought back riders but not to the number of its heyday. He also said that fewer younger riders are attracted to the event, and sponsorship has become a concern.
“We’re a relatively small organization, and we don’t have a full-time person looking for sponsor dollars,” Chambers said. “We would love to have a title sponsor. We do OK with sponsors but not nearly as much as we’d like to.”
One Less Car also hosts Tour du Port, a ride through Baltimore that is set for Oct. 5 and is a major fundraiser for the organization.
This event, now in its 15th year, draws more than 1,000 riders annually. Cyclists travel through the Inner Harbor, Fells Point, Canton, Federal Hill, Patterson Park and Dundalk in rides varying from 15 to 45 miles.
CAM’s ride this past July had 540 participants, about 100 more than in 2007.
“There was a lot more participation this year, and it’s one of the main reasons why we’re reconsidering,” said Greg Cantori, president of One Less Car’s board. Tour organizers said they saw more new faces and a greater diversity.
“With more and more people bicycling and folks taking a ‘staycation,’ Cycle Across Maryland could get new legs,” Cantori said.
“Through the years, the tour’s been through every county in the state,” said Monica Crusse of Lutherville, a tour veteran. “You can drive through every part of the state, but it really takes on a new perspective when you bike.”
Still, volunteers can be difficult to recruit, because the event is three days, and securing an ideal starting university site is also a challenge. A relatively low-traffic area in a scenic, centralized location that doesn’t have too many hills or flat terrain is essential for success, Chambers added.
The Baltimore Bicycling Club hosts a similar event to CAM — the hugely popular Kent County Spring Fling — every Memorial Day weekend at Washington College in Chestertown. Cyclists ride scenic Eastern Shore routes that range from 11 miles to 100 miles, and the event is an annual sellout.
“The BBC has a long history of doing great events, and they’ve had a very, very strong core of volunteers over many years,” said Chambers, adding that Chestertown is an ideal location. “For whatever reason, we don’t have the volunteer network they have. We just can’t get the repeat business they have. Maybe partnering more with them will help us and them at the same time.”
One Less Car officials hope to make a decision on CAM’s future sometime next month.
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