Visit Sarasota County has a new face for its sports tourism push, and he’s a local. Professional BMX athlete Rayne Lankford, who lives in Sarasota County, signed a content partnership with the tourism bureau. The deal puts Lankford in photos and videos shot around local lifestyle and sporting venues, all used to promote the area to visitors and athletes through print, digital, and social media.
The timing lines up with a major run of racing at Sarasota BMX, the world’s oldest continuously operating BMX track, founded in 1974. The UCI BMX Racing World Cup Finals come to the track in both 2026 and 2027, and both events serve as qualifiers for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. For a hometown rider, that’s a rare shot at chasing an Olympic berth on familiar dirt.
The partnership also highlights what sports tourism already delivers here. From October 2024 through September 2025, VSC-supported sporting events drew nearly 300,000 attendees and 44,000 hotel room nights, generating $98.6 million in economic impact. Erin Duggan, President and CEO of Visit Sarasota County, says the community’s investment in high-caliber facilities makes promoting them a priority, both to attract athletes and events and to maximize the return.
Have you ever watched a race at Sarasota BMX? Tell us about your first trip to the track.
