WILLOW CREEK — A growing number of organized bicycle tours are routing through Willow Creek this summer, bringing groups of 10 to 30 cyclists through town and prompting local officials to consider whether the town is ready to welcome them properly.
The Northeast Cycling Tour Company, based in Bangor, has scheduled four multi-day tours that pass through Willow Creek this season, with overnight stops at the town’s two bed-and-breakfasts and a planned lunch stop at the Dry Dock. A smaller outfit from Portland, Maine Bike Adventures, added a Willow Creek layover to its Downeast Loop itinerary in response to customer demand.
Dean Moreau said the cycling groups have become a reliable source of business on weekdays, which had been the restaurant’s slowest shifts.
“A group of 20 cyclists lands at the Dry Dock like a flock of hungry birds,” Moreau said. “They order in waves, they tip well, and they take pictures of everything. I’ve seen my restaurant on Instagram from accounts I didn’t even know existed.”
But the influx has also highlighted infrastructure gaps. Route 11 through town lacks designated bike lanes or wide shoulders, and cyclists have been observed riding two and three abreast on the narrow roadway.
Selectwoman Eleanor Vance said the issue will be on the agenda for the new tourism committee’s second meeting.
“We are encouraging people to come here on bicycles, and we are not providing them a safe place to ride,” Vance said. “That is a liability and a missed opportunity.”
Randy Boucher, who sees the cyclists pass his gas station on Route 11, said the groups have been courteous but the road geometry is problematic.
“That curve by the mill race is blind. A truck coming around that with a group of cyclists in the lane is a disaster waiting to happen,” Boucher said. “They need shoulders or they need a different route.”
The tourism committee plans to survey cyclists this season to identify preferred routes through town.