A glance at
the huge
economic impact
Cheaha Challenge
has on
Calhoun County
• 77% of our visitors are from
outside Calhoun County, 61%
from outside AL
• 99.59% say they will come back
and/or recommend our events
to others
• 34.16% visited Calhoun County
outside of our event
• 70% spent the night
With numbers approaching 1,000 riders, it
takes a village to support an undertaking
like Cheaha Challenge, and Nelson says
community and volunteer support is vital.
“We have close to 500 volunteers on our
course,” she says. “I do a lot of events, and
I have never seen the kind of support our
area provides to this event.” Volunteers
include Jacksonville PARD marshals at every
intersection, law enforcement, ham radio
operators, and rest stop teams.
In addition, Patrick “Wig” Wigley, of Wig’s
18
Wheels in Anniston, organizes and runs SAG
and technical support for the riders. The
SAG team is made up of support vehicles
who are available throughout the ride
providing equipment, mechanics, and even
transportation for riders who are unable to
finish.
“Wig is a cycling genius who is fully-
committed to all cycling initiatives in our
area,” Nelson says. “He understands what
a cyclist needs, especially those doing an
endurance event like ours, and he makes sure
his crew is the best possible.”
According to Wig, his team this year has
a combined 100 plus years of experience.
“When [Wig] said, ‘We could support the Tour
de France,’ he is being serious. His crew has
so much experience that no matter what is
thrown at them, they will get riders back on
their bikes and headed to the finish line.”
Last year, was an amazing example of the
dedication of the SAG team. Nelson says,
“the night before the ride, a rider had a major
May 2018
INSIGHT