So the Roanoke Valley Convention & Tourism Bureau and the Lexington and the Rockbridge Area Tourism Development office launched a partnership to promote what they already have: motorcycle tourists.

"We have a number of motorcycle conventions and rallies that come to our area," said Sheryl Wagner, Rockbridge Area's director of marketing. "They're always asking us what's a good ride in Rockbridge County, and we have to take out a map and show them."

Now they have a quick answer ready.

Officials mapped out six routes as representative roadways for visitors who like to take in new places on their hogs. There are two routes in Rockbridge, two in the Roanoke Valley and two that connect the two areas.

The tourism organizations asked area motorcyclists what they thought were the best routes. The six chosen were highlighted for a combination of scenery that nature lovers prefer and the curves and hills that sport bikers love, said David Kjolhede, executive director for Roanoke Valley tourism.

"It's not intended as a be-all and end-all list of any available rides," Kjolhede (pronounced cole-heed) said. "We just tried to present some typical rides that covered a lot of different elements."

The routes include parts of U.S. 11 and U.S. 60 in Rockbridge north and west of Lexington; U.S. 460 and state Route 42 between Bedford, Christiansburg and Newport; and the Blue Ridge Parkway between the two regions.

Ward Snyder, an avid rider who lives in Rockbridge just west of Lexington, said the tourism officials chose routes he's familiar with, and they will be a thrill for people riding them for the first time.

"I think it's a good idea, and I think it's going to blossom into more than they than think," Snyder said.

The local tourism offices expect to attract not gangs but people such as Snyder, a 62-year-old excavation contractor. Many baby boomers approaching retirement age are taking to the deep-throated hogs they couldn't afford in their youth.

Motorcycle buyers' median age tends to be in the 45-50 range, and the typical buyer makes about $80,000 per year, officials said in a release.

That's an attractive visitor demographic. The Lexington area already hosts three biker conventions and rallies, so the regional tourist office knows it's something to build on, Wagner said.

"They stay longer, they spend money and they really enjoy the scenic beauty," she said.

The regional promotion is the first such tourism venture of its kind in the state, said Dale Coyner, a member of the Governor's Motorcycle Advisory Council.

Then-Gov. Mark R. Warner created the council on his way out of office last year as a means to promote motorcycle safety, tourism and economic development.

Coyner, a motorcyclist from Herndon, believes more areas of the state will try to attract bikers as a way to show off the local scenery and ring up some extra tourism receipts. And motorcyclists and biker groups will respond, he believes.

"Anytime you can showcase the riding that you have to offer, I do believe that [biker] groups are going to look at that," he said.

Article by CALVIN R. TRICE
Original article can be found here.