As he sipped a coffee while waiting for the Amgen Tour of California to begin its third stage in downtown Modesto, something caught Manuel Estrada Jr.'s eye.
"NASCAR?" he said, reading the window of a business on 10th Street. "I never knew this was here."
Estrada and hundreds of others may have learned a lot about downtown Modesto on Wednesday, even if many restaurants and stores weren't open when the cycling race began at 10 a.m.
For the handful of businesses that were open, customers were steadily buying coffee, snacks and smoothies.
At Jamba Juice in Tenth Street Place, manager Olivia Rodriguez said sales were about the same as a normal weekday morning.
What was different, she said, were the faces she saw. "I think a lot of people have acted like they've been in a Jamba Juice before, but not this one," she said.
Nearby, Señor Fresh owner Frank Becerra said he saw a similar trend, with many first-time customers stopping in for breakfast.
"I think there will be a little more traffic during and after the race itself," Becerra said. "I think the race introduced people to us."
Economic impact limited
By coming downtown and seeing restaurants like his, Becerra said, he hoped consumers might be encouraged to return.
Jennifer Mullen, executive director of the Modesto Convention and Visitors Bureau, said downtown events only can help spur interest in more shopping and dining downtown.
Still, she said, the race's economic impact on Modesto was limited because riders started here, rather than finishing. That meant less benefit from crews and riders staying overnight, eating meals here and so on.
"We would love to be a finish city," Mullen said. But with 40 cities competing with Modesto to be the host of the start of a stage, she added, meeting that goal won't be easy.
One natural beneficiary of the race was Modesto's Fun Sport Bikes, which had a booth at the race. Assistant manager Nick Blackwood said he gave out a lot of business cards Wednesday, especially after the sleek cyclists zoomed by.
"Everybody's got a bike hanging in the garage," Blackwood said. "Something like this really gets people hyped up.
"It brings more to the community, and it's good for us."
A little exposure was what Vince Neill, manager at Modesto Virtual, looked for Wednesday. Because his virtual gaming business is set back from 10th Street, Neill said, many people don't know it's there. So he and a co-worker set up a stand with coffee, nachos and hot dogs on 10th Street.
"We've been back here two years, and it's been pretty slow," Neill said, as hot dogs slowly cooked on a grill. "A couple people today didn't even know we were here."
But other downtown business owners were less optimistic that the race would give them exposure. At Downtown Market, a convenience store near J and Ninth streets, owner Fraid Azad said he didn't expect much new business from cycling fans.
"It all depends on the walk-in traffic, and it's not like the bike people are going to be living downtown," he said. "They're not really permanent customers."
Bee staff writer Ben van der Meer can be reached at bvandermeer@modbee.com or 578-2331.
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