Bike City, USA: How Charleston, West Virginia Is Riding Into a New Identity

Nobody walks into a convention and visitors bureau meeting expecting to talk about Amtrak bike cars. But that’s where Tim Brady’s head is these days — figuring out how to get DC riders onto a train to Charleston with their bikes stowed and an adventure waiting. It’s that kind of thinking that has been driving the Charleston CVB’s outdoor recreation strategy since they landed a five-year contract to host USA Cycling’s Pro National Championships, a deal that now runs through two Olympic cycles.

The Bike City, USA brand didn’t come from thin air. It came from inventory — Canal State Forest, the Elk River Trail system, flatwater kayaking, and Hatfield McCoy trail heads all within thirty minutes of downtown. Throw in Appalachian Outlaw Trails opening twelve miles up the road and an ongoing gravel trail mapping project with David Landis across four counties, and Charleston is starting to look like a hub in a way it never quite has before. Tim’s bet is that if you get someone here once — for a race, a festival, a weekend ride — there’s an 85 percent chance they come back.

Learn more about: charlestonwv.com / USA Cycling Pro Nationals / Appalachian Outlaw Trails / Elk River Trail Foundation