They could be seen pedaling down Edgewood Drive, spinning out their legs in pelotons a dozen riders long. They could be seen sitting outside Fleur sipping espresso and nibbling a well-earned pastry. And they could be seen for hours on the trails and dirt roads leading from Whitefish to the top of Big Mountain.
Over the weekend 600 cyclists descended on the Flathead Valley to take part in The Last Best Ride, a gravel bike race now in its fourth year. The event, which reaches capacity every year, was the brainchild of Whitefish native and professional cyclist Jess Cerra, along with her partner Sam Boardman, who also races on the pro circuit.
They wanted to create an event that would appeal to everyone — professionals on the top of the national standings, newcomers attempting their first gravel ride, and all riders in between. Riders have their choice of a “short course” of 48 miles or a “long course” of more than 90 miles. Event organizers have been successfully created a unique atmosphere over a busy summer weekend in Whitefish, setting it apart from the rest of the busy tourism season.
“The message we hear over and over again all weekend long is how The Last Best Ride is a whole experience. Participants coming in with a group or as individuals can feel supported and see other people like them,” Cerra said. “They show up to the start having already made friends, having met the community of Whitefish and that sets the stage for a great day on the bike.”
The Last Best Ride is just one of many sporting events that give people a reason to visit the Flathead Valley — other than the obvious allure of Glacier National Park, Flathead Lake and Whitefish Mountain Resort.
Of the 600 participants in this year’s edition of the Last Best Ride, nearly half of them came from out of state, while roughly one-third of the in-state riders were from other cities in Montana.
“That’s a reason I put so much intent into this event,” Cerra said. “You can’t just bring people here to ride bikes. You really have to create the experience that makes the journey worth it, and we’ve seen the response with riders from almost every state in the country.”
From the first email of the year, The Last Best Ride encourages an entire Flathead Valley experience, sending participants route ideas for rides around Glacier National Park, restaurant guides, hiking guides, family-friendly activity ideas and more. “Even moving this event into the busiest part of the summer, we’ve seen nothing but support from the community and the businesses. I look around our town and everyone who lives here is so proud and so stoked that we have an event like this drawing people to town.”
While tourism in the Flathead Valley is often discussed in terms of the economic impact of Glacier Park or the ski season, smaller one-off weekend events create their own measurable impact and are an important consideration of local tourism bureaus.
For years Discover Kalispell used “active sports tourism” to bolster visitation to the area during shoulder seasons, according to Executive Director Diane Medler, sponsoring events such as the Montana Pond Hockey Classic, the Montana Dragon Boat Festival and the Montana Spartan Race.
“The sports tourism industry is a really important economic driver in the Flathead, and is especially impactful outside of the peak summer season,” Medler said.
The Montana Spartan Race was a decade-long success story for the tourism bureau, which helped court the brand into bringing an event to the state. In 2023, the Spartan Race had 7,356 registered racers, two-thirds of whom came from more than 80 miles away. Discover Kalispell estimates that out-of-area attendees spent more than $1 million in the area.
Another of the region’s signature events is The Event at Rebecca Farm, a multi-day Olympic-caliber equestrian competition that routinely draws more than 500 riders from around globe. The Event also features a walkable shopping fair focused on regionally made goods and equestrian products.
According to a study done by the Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research at the University of Montana, 59% of attendees came from outside of Flathead County. The average visitor stayed at least six nights in the area and spent a cumulative $200,000 in the Flathead between accommodations, dining and the Rebecca Farm Trade Fair.
Youth sporting tournaments, such as the Three Blind Refs soccer tournament, the Treasure State Lacrosse tournament and sanctioned high school divisional and state tournaments bring teams from around the state and region into the area, and always include families and spectators — multiplying their impact.
“Visitors in town for specific sporting events, or watching family members at a sporting tournament, they’re going to our restaurants and our shops, but they’re not often on our trails or at our fishing access sites,” Medler said. “They are a visitor we can attract that we know will make an economic impact on the region, but will not add to the sense of overcrowding at our locals’ favorite recreational spots. For us at Discover Kalispell, that’s a segment of visitor we like to focus on.”
The recent addition of a professional baseball team to the Flathead Valley adds another facet to the local tourism industry that spans several months. While the bulk of the Glacier Range Riders’ 2,255 average attendance is made up of local residents, Medler said that there’s almost a double benefit from individuals visiting Glacier Park and deciding to catch a baseball game in the evening, as well as drawing Pioneer Baseball League followers and baseball fans who have marked the Range Riders as a destination in and of itself.
While the Flathead Valley already offers myriad events for individuals and teams, Medler said that a lack of facilities, especially indoor sporting facilities, remains a limiting factor to further capitalizing on the sector.
Earlier this year, the Kalispell Chamber of Commerce presented a feasibility study on the benefits of building a state-of-the-art indoor sports complex, which could further boost the region’s offerings, and some local business partners have indicated plans to break ground on such a facility in the near future.
“We know people will travel for sports tourism,” Medler said. “And we will continue to support even more reasons for people to do so here.”