 In an attempt to diversify the local economy, towns in our region are continuing to use our natural resources to promote and grow ecotourism, and it's beginning to pay off in Weizberg as the city held its second annual Pine Mountain Summit Challenge. The challenge is a 37-mile bike race, which includes a 6-mile climb to the top of Pine Mountain, which is attracting tourists from around the nation. We got a lady here from Florida that's came. We got a couple people from Tennessee, a couple people from Indiana. We got a bunch of people from Lexington, Frankfort and Louisville. Majority of everybody that's here is from out of town. Our cycling scene here is strong, but we keep growing. We got about 10, 15 riders here that rides a lot, but we brought in a lot of people. Well, this is a challenge. I'm from Northport, Florida, and it's all flat, and we spend the summers in Weiz Virginia, and we try to do all the local races to support the local areas, plus it's a challenge. Actually, I'm a runner, and I started riding to Cross Train and just fell in love with it. So now I'm a triathlete, and me and my friends here, we do triathlons. So this really gets us in shape. With over 3,000 feet in elevation, Pine Mountain makes for a challenging event for even the most experienced cyclist. It may be hard on the riders, but it's good for the local economy. I grew up in this town. I've never, I rode bicycles in this town when I was 10 years old. I've never seen anything like this. Last year I think they had 20 people. This year they're probably looking at 60 or 70 people for this race, and some have stayed all night. They're all going to eat before they leave. It's great. It's our new industry here. These things are rallies. They are races and just rides. You can do either one. Next week we're going to be at Heinemann for a 48-mile ride through Knot County, and then on October the 1st the third rally in this series will be in Prestensburg at the Jenny Wally Festival, and we're going to have a points series for all three races. For more information on this and other upcoming races, you can visit Pine Mountain Summit Challenge and the Letcher County Cycling Club on Facebook. Reporting from Weizberg for EKB News, I'm Shawn Allen.