While not quite a case of from little things big things grow, it would still appear the event has grown even bigger than the organisers could ever have dreamed.

The first B2B attracted several hundred riders and, right from the start, was considered a great success.

In the early days it was the major annual event for local Rotary volunteers who saw it as a way of capitalising on the growing popularity of cycling in our region.

It was also an event that showcased our region at perhaps its most beautiful – during the days of early autumn each year.

But if those volunteers thought the first B2B was a success, they were quickly blown away by the rapid growth in just a few years.

Soon the B2B just became too big to be run by volunteers and three years ago the Bathurst Regional Council events staff took over most of the organisation. It was a good fit for both council and the B2B.

The expertise of professional events management staff allowed the B2B to continue growing and also saw new events introduced to further broaden its appeal.

They rebranded the weekend the Bathurst Cycling Classic and brought back criterium racing to the Bathurst CBD in conjunction with a family fun afternoon.

And having the B2B accepted as a qualifying event for the annual UCI Gran Fondo World Championships has been the icing on the cake.

The B2B was scheduled to be one of just two Australian Gran Fondo qualifiers this year and the other one – at Bendigo – was cancelled due to extreme weather in the first week of January.

That fact alone is bringing even more riders than ever to town for the B2B and entries are already at record levels.

That represents a major boost to the region’s visitor economy and a healthy return on council’s investment of time and effort into running the event.

Bathurst and the state’s cycling community owe a lot to those original Rotary volunteers who dreamed up the B2B and worked so hard to make it happen in the initial years.

It was a classic case of the right idea at the right time – and also a case of the right execution.

Having seen how far the B2B has come in just a decade or so it is exciting to think where the next decade might take it.