Trail Economics: How a Youth Bike Race Brings a Boost to KP

Riding is a great way to meet new people and make lots of friends. You can travel all over the country, but we also have one of the best courses right here.”

Eliza Rasmussen

Eliza Rasmussen was neck-and-neck with Julianna Kercher for nearly all of the two-lap, 10-mile Advanced Middle School race at the Washington Student Cycling League state championships in early June at 360 Trails in Gateway Park.

It’s unusual for two riders to stay that close for that long on a cross-country mountain biking course, especially one known for its technical terrain and steep climbs.

“We had a passing problem,” Rasmussen said. “Neither one of us could get around each other.”

The seventh grader from Key Peninsula Middle School managed a final push, sprinting through the finish in 55:19.70 to edge out her Spokane-based opponent and claim fifth place by a tenth of a second.

“I’m proud of myself,” she said. “I might’ve had a chance at fourth, but I’m happy how it turned out.”

The razor-thin finish capped off a strong season for Rasmussen, who rides with the Key Peninsula Pirates, a composite team made up of middle- and high school racers. But while her personal achievement was a highlight, the race weekend itself marked something even bigger for the Key Peninsula: a sign of the area’s growing economic and recreational value.

More than 400 youth riders and their families came to Gateway Park for the two-day championships, hosted by the WSCL. Bikes lined fences, team tents filled open fields, and vehicles spilled from the parking lot into surrounding streets.

“Almost every business around Gateway Park had cars with bikes on the back in their parking lots,” said Mark Michel, a  Key Pen Parks commissioner.

Michel estimates the event generates more than $100,000 for the local economy, saying he’s heard races like these called “wallets on wheels” because of the money they bring in.

He’s been involved in the WSCL partnership since 2013, before Gateway Park was built. Since then, 360 Trails has become a rider favorite and a fixture on the state race circuit. The student league has held events there every year since, except for 2020.

WSCL Executive Director David Williams said 360 Trails is regularly voted the top race venue among league participants across the state.

“The trails make it a high-level regional course,” Williams said. “The dirt there is great, and it has various options to change up the course.”

It’s also highly functional.

“It’s ideal for wet-season races,” Williams said. “Only a few hours after a rain, the course is ready to go.”

The trails aren’t just busy on race day. Many out-of-town student league riders and their families arrive a week or two early to pre-ride the course and get familiar with its challenges, bringing added business to the area across multiple weekends.

“It’s a tough course,” Rasmussen said. “There’s a lot of climbing and some tricky downhill parts.”

And the hazards aren’t always terrain-related.

“Definitely try to avoid the bees,” she said. “I got stung three times in the neck during the race.”

The WSCL pays Key Pen Parks $4,500 annually to use the site — by far the league’s most expensive venue. Most locations offer courses at no cost. But the expense is worth it, according to Williams.

“We wouldn’t be able to afford to pay ($4,500) at every course,” he said. “But I’m willing to pay it here because our families overwhelmingly enjoy being at 360 Trails.”

That fee covers trail use, overnight parking, and a growing camping area, which Key Pen Parks is testing as a new revenue stream by gradually increasing permitted campsites each year during the event.

“It’s definitely our biggest single-day revenue event,” said Michel, who admitted there is still debate about whether to market the parks on the Key Peninsula as revenue generators.

Still, he emphasizes it’s about more than money.

“My whole involvement with the parks was because I wanted to give kids more opportunities, specifically our kids on the KP,” he said. “It’s been super rewarding to see these people who barely ride bikes come out time and time and time again and get better and develop friendships and partnerships.”

That includes Rasmussen and her older brother, Blaze, who also races for the Pirates. As part of their commitment, the team helps maintain sections of 360 Trails, giving them a sense of ownership in their home course.

“Riding is a great way to meet new people and make lots of friends,” said Rasmussen, who plans a summer road trip to ride “must-do” trails across seven states — from Washington and Oregon to Colorado and Utah. “You can travel all over the country, but we also have one of the best courses right here.”