Santa Fe Century Committee

THE MISSION Celebrating its 38th season, the Santa Fe Century Committee is a non-profit organization whose mission is to spread the joys of bicycling in New Mexico through our beloved annual outdoor recreational events. We are currently also focusing on an effort to build the cycling community by improving our marketing reach, showcasing outdoor industry partners, increasing accessibility to cycling education and events, and hope to begin sponsoring rider safety courses, broadcasting public service announcements describing safe cycling and driving practices, and educating government departments on the needs of cyclists in hopes of obtaining safer local cycling conditions. THE CYCLING EVENT The Santa Fe Century events occur the third weekend of May, attracting riders with Santa Fe’s temperate spring weather. The event kicks off Friday morning for registration in the Railyard Park with signup for multiple paved, un-timed riding options on Sunday including the Century (100 mile) ride, Half Century (50 mile) ride, Family (20 mile) ride, and the Century Kids Race. In 2023, we added a weekend-long expo, showcasing regional cycling-related businesses as an attraction for locals and tourists alike. Given the increased popularity of riding on non-motorized pathways, we offer unpaved gravel rides at Rowe Mesa on Saturday, including the Gravelon and Gravelito. We also offer two timed events on Sunday: Gran and Medio Fondos. These are long-distance supported rides where riders of all levels participate by pushing their limits on New Mexico’s challenging courses. The Century is committed to providing excellent rider support, by addressing rider safety, providing clear maps and rider information, and offering many aid stations that provide food, mechanical assistance, and first aid when needed. THE ECONOMIC IMPACT This long-standing event attracts riders not only from New Mexico but also from Colorado, Texas, Utah, Arizona and California. In the past, the Santa Fe Century has been selected as a TEAM ride event for national charities including the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and MS. A Fiscal Impact Analysis was conducted by Southwest Planning, LLC in 2015 and the information collected has remained statistically relevant, reflecting the impact the Santa Fe Century has had on the economic development of outdoor recreation tourism in New Mexico. Historically, The Century has attracted riders from thirty states with 60% of riders typically from New Mexico and 40% of riders from out-of-state. These percentages and regional participation statistics remain consistent year to year. The Demographics include an average age of 48. Gender division equals 64% Male, 36% Female. Ethnicity included 75% White, 10% Hispanic, and 14% other. Event Visitor Spending equaled an average of $377 per rider. This total consists of an average of in-town spending of $127 per rider while out-of-town riders spent approximately $885. (Note: These expenditures would need to be calculated with an inflation formula for 2023) The Santa Fe Century event has generated approximately one half million in total direct economic impact annually. In 2023, that amount is equivalent to $658,000, factoring in inflation.