As reported by Utah Policy, Mayor Mike Caldwell and the City of Ogden have made great strides in establishing Ogden as a destination for outdoor recreation. Just last fall, Mayor Caldwell joined a group of Asian Cycling CEOs for a 6-day, 420-mile bicycle tour of Utah. Being an avid cyclist himself, Caldwell leads by example in creating a great relationship with international bicycle manufacturers and retailers. With over 80% of bicycles being produced in Taiwan, having a negotiable trade agreement is important to the City of Ogden. Mayor Caldwell stated the following about the ensuing job growth:
“During the past decade, we have created nearly 11,000 jobs in the outdoor cluster,” says Caldwell. “About 600 of those jobs are related to the bicycle industry, and we see an opportunity to add even more jobs to that cluster.”
Maintaining a World-Famous Cycling Landscape
In order to gain such a great reputation as an outdoor playground, work needed to be done. Millions in funding went to clean up the Ogden River, now converting part of the area to a national urban fly fishery. Other measures have been taken to improve infrastructure. A lot of the allure of the Wasatch Front and Ogden in particular, however, comes from the gorgeous natural landscape. Mayor Caldwell continued,
“We’ve found that once these bicycle-related companies see the city and our natural amenities, they fall in love with the area,” says Caldwell. “You can build a rec center or a sports venue, but so can the community down the road. What you can’t build are natural resources. Either you have them or you don’t.”
Top Ogden Cycling Trails
May My Ride has assembled the best trails from around the Ogden Area into one readily accessible site. The routes range in length from over 80 miles to just 6. Also available are several local shorter cycling “courses” for training.
Other Great Cycling Events in Ogden
- Ogden hosted the 2012 Collegiate Road National Championship. The official USA Cycling Organization called the city “one of the premier year-round, outdoor adventure towns in America.” Over 500 collegiate athletes competed in the 18 events held.
- Tour of Utah: For the 6th time in its 10 year history, the Tour of Utah cycling competition will make its way through Ogden. The 2014 race will feature Ogden on Thursday, August 7th as its 4th leg.
Creating a safe cycling environment requires the awareness and full cooperation of both cyclists and motorists. Keeping out a watchful eye for cyclists and pedestrians while driving and obeying all traffic laws are the keys to lowering the fatality accident ratio in Utah.
Christensen and Hymas advocate increased safety for the well-being of cyclists within the state of Utah. We have been personally responsible for drafting new cycling safety legislation in the past few years. As personal injury lawyers, we know how difficult it can be when you sustain injuries during biking accidents. If you or someone you know has been involved in a cycling accident and experienced injuries, call us at (801)506-0800 for a free consultation. You deserve to be compensated for the injuries, loss of income, and pain and suffering that you have received from another’s negligence.
Photo courtesy of USAcycling.org