Letter: Thanks, but no thanks

EDITOR,
Thanks for the heads-up regarding the AMGEN bicycle tour (“Ride on,” Page 2, April 20). It is marked on my calendar now to avoid our town and anywhere along this year’s more “rural route.”
I currently share the road five days a week on Highway 9 and it scares me every time I pass a cyclist, especially downhill. It’s not safe and it’s not smart. I often wonder why someone would take such a big risk of endangering themselves — and others. Do bicyclists have the right? I guess so. But it still isn’t safe.
So promoting a bicycle race that supports an influx of people to “create awareness” and “raise our community profile” is terrifying to me. I support local business, I love the friendly small-town atmosphere and I cherish the beauty all around us. Why do we want to change that? What kind of identity do we want Boulder Creek-San Lorenzo Valley to have?
It’s the locals that provide our business consistency. Summer tourists help. But big events like this will keep locals away. Or maybe just me.
Thanks, but no thanks.
Jeanne Rose, Boulder Creek