Back in the Saddle Again

September 21, 2009

When you see or hear the words "Laramie, Wyoming," the first thing that comes to mind might be things like guns, horses, and classic westerns—say, The Man from Laramie, a great 1955 shoot-'em-up starring Jimmy Stewart.

But today in Laramie, home to the University of Wyoming (my alma mater, by the way), bicycles are as big as horses ... if not bigger. The weeklong Tour de Wyoming, which follows a different route through the Cowboy State every year, is organized by a crew out of Laramie. And the 111-kilometer Laramie Enduro, held each summer in the nearby Laramie Range, has grown into an extremely popular regional mountain-bike race.

And trails, trails, trails. For beginners, try the network at Curt Gowdy State Park, named for the legendary sportscaster who grew up in Green River and Cheyenne, Wyoming. The park is nestled in the hills between Cheyenne and Laramie. Then there's Soapstone Prairie Natural Area, a newly designated preserve that's actually in Colorado, but situated just south of the state line. Finally, for something a little more leisurely but no less scenic, steer your tires onto the 21-mile-long Medicine Bow Rail-Trail.

Yee-haw, let 'em roll!

Photo: The Man from Laramie movie poster, 1955, Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc.

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BIKING WITHOUT BORDERS was posted by Michael McCoy, Adventure Cycling’s field editor, highlighting a little bit of this or a little bit of that — just about anything, as long as it related to traveling by bicycle. Mac also compiles the organization's twice-monthly e-newsletter Bike Bits, which goes free-of-charge to over 45,000 readers worldwide.