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SALISBURY, MD--Every one of the nearly 7,000 bicyclists who take to Lower Eastern Shore roads for the 13th annual Sea Gull Century on Saturday, October 13, will exercise the muscle and lung power needed to finish a 100-mile or 100-kilometer ride, but they will also infuse their buying power into the economy of the area that hosts the annual event.

All of Wicomico County's hotel rooms are booked for that weekend, and riders are staying as far away from the starting line as Easton, Ocean City and Seaford. Some people will stay on the Shore two nights to take advantage of all of the activities surrounding the Century. Many come to the Century with their families, who will spend Saturday's ride time visiting local stores, events and cultural sites. Century traveling parties will spend money at restaurants, gas stations and bicycle stores.

"Events like this are wonderful. It shows people what we have here," said Terry Nyquist, manager of the Wicomico County Convention and Visitors Bureau. Unlike people who pass through at 65 mph on their way to the beach, Century riders make their way through small towns, over rivers and along rural roads so they "can actually see what's here, and we know that some of them have come back. They've gotten a flavor for the area."

That flavor includes Assateague Island, Furnace Town Historic Site, host site ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½, the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Milburn Landing on the Pocomoke River, the Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art, crab houses like the Red Roost and Old Mill, and the new rest stop at Public Landing in Worcester County, which is featured on souvenir ride T-shirts in a painting by Berlin artist Patrick Henry. Riders will go home with memories of the outstanding scenery, easy terrain and overwhelming hospitality they have enjoyed here, which explains why the Sea Gull Century has many repeat riders, and why an incalculable number of riders make it a point to come back in less structured visits.

      The Economic Development Group at ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ has estimated that Century riders will bring $1.4 million into the local economy, some of which will be re-spent locally for a total economic impact of $2.5 million.

Volunteer groups that donate manpower to the help put on the event receive a donation in thanks, and rider dollars help support the local chapter of Habitat for Humanity and Helmets for Kids, which last year provided 200 helmets to area schoolchildren. Host site ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ University and University of Maryland Eastern Shore, which is a rest stop, benefit from having people see and spend time on their campuses.

While it is difficult to measure the exact economic impact of the Sea Gull Century, Nyquist said its benefits to the community are both immediate--on ride weekend--and long term. If each of the Century riders tells one person about the Shore, "and only 10 percent of the ones they tell show up, that's 800 more visitors. There is an ongoing impact."

"It's not just ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ or the Wicomico County area that wins with this type of event, the whole Peninsula wins," Nyquist says. "Whatever economic formula you use, the bottom line is, it's good for all of us."

For information on the Sea Gull Century, please call the ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ University Public Relations office at 410-543-6030, or visit www.seagullcentury.org.