Natchez24web

Trails
& Trace
SUSAN MARQUEZ
When it comes to the outdoors, Natchez has so
much to offer. When Allen and Beth Richard, both avid
cyclists, moved to Natchez 25 years ago, there were
always bike shops in town. But when the last one closed
a few years ago, the real need for one became apparent.
“The closest bike shop was one hundred miles from
here,” Allen says.
“Natchez has always been a cyclists’ destination.
A lot of locals don’t realize that,” he says. “Natchez sits
smack dab on mile zero of the Natchez Trace, and it only
gets better from here.” The 444-mile parkway originates
in Natchez and winds through Mississippi, Alabama, and
Tennessee with its endpoint in Nashville. The scenic road
is ideal for long-distance bike rides, and the historic
aspect makes it all the more interesting. “The Trace is a
bucket-list trip for cyclists around the country, and even
around the world. Cyclists will either start their trip here,
or they end it here. Either way, we are available to
provide them with whatever they may need.”
The couple, who both work full-time jobs, opened
Natchez Bicycle LLC within the Shops at Kress, a
vendor mall located at 122 N. Commerce Street, a year
ago. “While we aren’t there all the time, the shop is open
in booth #111 seven days a week.” Allen says they do
bike repairs at the shop to get people back on the road.
“We also pack or unpack bikes for cyclists who are riding
the Trace. It’s not unusual for someone to have their bike
shipped to us, and when they arrive in Natchez they
realize they have forgotten their helmet or something
else they may need. We carry all that and more.”
Allen says one day last fall there were customers in
the shop from Michigan, Florida, and Canada, either
starting or finishing their ride. But the shop isn’t limited
to serious cyclists who are riding the Trace. “Our goal is
to launch a rental platform so that visitors to the city can
rent a bike during their stay.”
Locals are utilizing the shop as well. “It’s so much fun
when someone is surprised to find us in a multi-vendor
shop. We have had a lot of people dragging their bikes
out of attics and garages and bringing them into the
shop to be repaired.”
60 2024 VISIT NATCHEZ