The Hagerstown-Washington County Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) has just released a new Bicycle Tours map and brochure for Washington County, Maryland. The hundreds of miles of low-traffic rural roads in Washington County, almost all excellent for bicycling, have always attracted cyclists. The C&O Canal Towpath and the Western Maryland Rail Trail are also popular destinations, as well as Antietam Battlefield. Several local state parks also have excellent mountain biking, including Greenbrier State Park.

Trails.com rankings show that half of Maryland’s 10 most popular trails are in or near Washington County. Thousands of cyclists explore Washington County annually, many who are escaping out of the confines of the urban metro areas. The new glossy map folds out to include eight different bicycle loop tours throughout Washington County, including one through Hagerstown. Each tour varies in length, from 10 to 34 miles, and explores a variety of terrain. The inside of the map shows Washington County with all eight loop tours and the routes for seven of the tours. The back side of the map shows the city of Hagerstown and the route for the "Hub City Tour," which utilizes the newly constructed Hamilton Run bike path and the new North Prospect Street bike lane. In addition to bicycle maps and routes, the new map includes a welcome to Washington County, pertinent safety information, a listing of local bike shops, points of interest, and a brief history of the county. ??

The tour routes were supplied by the Cumberland Valley Cycling Club (CVCC), which provided a great deal of support and guidance to the CVB throughout the entire process of creating the brochure. The CVCC is a recreational and racing bicycle club that has been based in Hagerstown since 1983. The organization's web site is: www.bikecvcc.com. The new map-brochures are currently available at the CVB Visitor Welcome Center in downtown Hagerstown and will be available from many CVB member businesses, especially hotels and bike shops, throughout the area. The map-brochure will be periodically updated, as well.

The President of the Hagerstown-Washington County Convention and Visitors Bureau, Tom Riford, said that the entire project is being made web-friendly. "We're moving forward with putting this whole bike map on our web site. We want to be able to reach even more potential visitors, who are looking for cycling opportunities in our area." The CVB's web site is www.marylandmemories.com.