Come Pedal Our Past
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General William Jackson Palmer sits on a bicycle. Dorothy Palmer stands behind him, holding the bicycle seat. Written on the back of the photograph: "Dorothy Teaching General to ride her bike. Note Echo Rocks in the background." Photo courtesy of Pikes Peak Library District
Bicycles are the perfect tool to explore a city: They are fast enough that you can cover some ground, slow enough that you can really see things, nimble enough that you can stop at a moment’s notice, and open not just to sights, but to scents, sounds, tastes, and tactile and kinetic elements too. So there’s no better way to experience the history of the city in its landscape than a tour by bike!
These routes are intended to serve as a taste of both bicycling in Colorado Springs and our rich and varied history. They are far from comprehensive. If you want more, you can visit City Bike Maps | Colorado Springs for ALL our great bike trails and routes and the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum - CSPM can help you plot your OWN bicycle tour through history!
How to participate
There are lots of ways to participate! Individuals, families, educational groups, businesses, groups of friends, date nights can ALL have fun with Pedal Our Past. And in the process, explore the unique, fun and fascinating story of the people, places and events of the past 150 years that got us to where we are today!
Guide yourself on a historic tour through a neighborhood or join a group ride. Tackle part of a tour or challenge yourself with more than one. Follow our Facebook and Instagram for fun challenges and share your photos and experiences with the hashtag #PedalOurPast to enter a drawing for fabulous prizes!
Explore historic tours of five neighborhoods
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Helen Jackson, the great-niece of Helen Hunt Jackson author of "Ramona," riding her bicycle past the statue of General Palmer in downtown Colorado Springs. Photo courtesy of Pikes Peak Library District
For Bike Month during the entire month of June, temporary signage will write the city’s history on the landscape of the routes. These routes will also live digitally so locals and visitors can keep learning about the history of Colorado Springs well into the future.
- Legacy Loop - The Legacy Loop is the realization of General Palmer’s vision for a greenspace encircling the Downtown area. Points of interest span the first days of Colorado Springs to Olympic City USA.
- Hillside - This loop around the neighborhoods east of Downtown runs the gamut from sick people wanting to be well to athletes wanting to be the best. And Nikola Tesla!
- Southeast - Learn how the airport, the military and strong local institutions and people have made Southeast Colorado Springs (the newest neighborhood in Pedal our Past) the family-focused the strong, resilient, family-focused neighborhood it is today
- Cragmor - You will experience a little bit of everything on this tour, from tuberculosis sanatoria to Hollywood, and from industrial history to education, plus the flood of 1935.
- Old Colorado City - If Colorado Springs was genteel and delightful, Colorado City was a much more Wild West boomtown. Learn about the first territorial capital and how Colorado City has developed since then.
To reduce the economic impact of local businesses, Pedal Our Past will replace the 2021 Bike to Work Day event in which businesses provide riders a free breakfast. The City plans for the return of Bike to Work Day in 2022.
Follow us for updates
- Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for weekly updates, fun and surprises
- Join our Facebook group
- Email us to sign up for weekly trail highlight and bike month fun
Ready to get rolling? Let’s go!
With Friends
Gather friends for a happy hour, breakfast, lunch or dinner date!
Curious about a particular part of town? Pick a ride outside your normal routine drives/rides
How about a ride instead of a coffee date?
Have fun recreating a historic photo from the Pioneers Museum or Pikes Peak Library District. Post on Bike to Biz COS with the hashtag #pedalourpast for a chance to win a LIMITED EDITION Pedal Our Past t-shirt
Follow up with the Story of Us online or visit the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum in person to dig deeper into our shared history
With Family
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Photo courtesy of Pikes Peak Library District
Choose a kid-friendly ride with stops for ice cream, snacks and park breaks
Check out Kids on Bikes for ride trainings and options for low- and no-cost bikes for kids
Gather your neighbors to explore historic bike routes in your area and learn more about the community where you live
With employees and coworkers
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Photo courtesy of Pikes Peak Library District
Take your team on a team-building ride – bonus points for buying lunch or happy hour!
Encourage employees to explore what’s historic about your company
Create signage recognizing your company’s history as part of COS 150!
Plan a team scavenger hunt to find historic points of interest
Award employees for riding most routes over the month
Encourage your client-facing employees to have a bike-n-talk meeting with their clients – a new way to develop a deeper relationship for your business
Share the history of your company or your building or location on Bike to Biz COS using the hashtag #pedalourpast
Reward employees for “historically” commuting to work
Create an internal competition to Pedal Our Past
Post bike route maps so employees can explore and choose routes that interest them
Post Pedal Our Past posters in high-traffic areas (just ask, we have ‘em or your can download a poster)
With educational groups
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Photo courtesy of Pikes Peak Library District
Ride to identify topics for further exploration
Incorporate additional activities such as summer reading lists, summer writing projects or letters to family and friends sharing Pedal Our Past
Schedule follow up visits to Story of Us online or in person at the Pioneers Museum to learn more
Check out the Pioneers Museum for additional summer activities and programs to learn more about Colorado Springs 150th anniversary celebrations!
Partners and sponsors
Pedal Our Past is organized by the City of Colorado Springs and is supported by local media partners KOAA News5, Magic 98.5 FM and The Colorado Springs Independent Newspaper. A special thanks to our organizing sponsors, the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum, Bike Colorado Springs, and the Trails and Open Space Coalition
