“The Loop” Offers All The Best Of M.V.

By CYNDI GRAHAM

Moapa Valley Progress

Equipped with a map and plenty of water, cyclist of all ages hit the road for “The Loop” event organized by the Moapa Valley Revitalization Project (MVRP). This 19 mile family-friendly bicycle event was held Saturday, March 23 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The event was set in motion from an idea by Overton resident Jean Gottschalk who is a member of MVRP. The goal was to introduce commerce to the valley from locals and visitors and to let participants know that there are a lot of products and services in the valley that they may not have previously expected.

Myra and Jack Moran came from St George and got started on The Loop at around 11 a.m. By a little after noon, they found themselves with a flat tire along the trail. The couple were surprised to have so many offers for help from locals to repair the tire. The flat was repaired by neighbors who quickly stepped up to help.

“It’s a little embarrassing that I’m a bike repair guy without the right gear today while I’m riding,” Jack Moran said.

Jack works with St. George Bike Collective, a non-profit that collects donated bikes then repairs them and delivers them to children around the area.

With a repaired and fully inflated tire the couple were back on the trail in no time.
The Morans said that they try to get out as much as they can to bike. They said they were happy that they had found out about The Loop event.

A few other visitors stopped to inquire about real estate in the community. Both Clea’s Moapa Valley Realty in Overton and Foremost Realty in Logandale had stops along the route to provide information to riders.

The event had roughly 20 local stops ranging from farm tours, local crafts for purchase, small animal petting, a bike repair stand and a food truck. Many of the locals that participated told Gottschalk that they were happy they were able to provide stops.

Laura Bledsoe of Quail Hollow Farms in Overton said that she had many people stop by for farm tours. “We had a good group of people throughout the day come bay and take time to go down and take a look around the farm,” she said. “It was a great time of year to see the farm!”

Gottschalk was pleased with the snapshot of the community that the event offered. “We did some surveys and about half of the people riding were from out of town,” he said. “I had people from St. George tell me that they didn’t even know that this community was here. They felt like they were getting a flavor for what the community is all about.”

Volunteers from the community were stationed around town, and at busy highway intersections in particular, to alert oncoming traffic to the bike riders and to assist the participants with directions.

The Moapa Valley Amateur Radio Club also stepped in and filled in a few volunteer gaps.

Gottschalk expressed appreciation for the local people who volunteered and who greeted riders from the various stops.
“All the logistics went well thanks to all the community who were involved,” Gottschalk said. “It was all of their efforts in getting stops set up and being available all day to greet the participants that made the event possible.”

MaryKaye Washburn, President of the non-profit MVRP, put up signs for the event, helped organize and did purchasing. She spent a lot of the day at Extreme Stitch reaching out to the visitors that were participating.

“It’s likely to become a yearly tradition” she said. “And I would say that it was very successful for a first time event. I couldn’t ask for a better day.”

To find more about the Moapa Valley Revitalization Project visit their website www.playinourdirt.com.