Tour de Valley

Bike riding enthusiasts across the United States and worldwide recently came together to participate in the 26th annual Tour de Wyoming.

Tour de Wyoming came to the Platte Valley on July 14 and again on July 17. Bikeriders camped at the Lazy Acres Campground and RV Park in Riverside as part of a six-day tour. Bike riders started at 7 a.m. and took different routes each day.

Amber Travsky, the founder of Tour de Wyoming, said this year at least 250 riders participated.

“Every year we entice 250 riders,” Travsky said. “We used to be bigger but we went smaller because it was much better for our Wyoming highways and the towns we stay in.”

Travsky said riders from different states also competed in this year's Tour de Wyoming. This includes riders from two different countries.

“This year we have riders representing 23 states along with Great Britain and Canada,” Travsky said. “We also have 15 Wyoming communities represented and the largest community to be represented is always Laramie.”

According to Travsky, she founded Tour de Wyoming while serving as the chairperson of the Wyoming Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports in 1997 under Governor Jim Geringer.

“When I was the Chairperson of the Wyoming Governor's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, the Governor’s office agreed to be a sponsor for a couple of years to help provide financial backing,” Travsky said. “We never lost money but they were there just in case

we did.”

After three tours under the Wyoming Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, Travsky helped form a non-profit organization for the event.

“I would form a group of people who were interested in starting a bike riding organization,” Travsky said. “Together we started Cycle Wyoming and it was the smartest thing I have ever done. There are about 15 people on our committee and we put on the Tour de Wyoming every year.”

Travsky said the proceeds will help youth bike programs and provide bike equipment to anyone who needs it. She said her organization can provide funding for anything related to bike riding.

“We support bike events and youth bike programs,” Travsky said. “We also helped build bike trails and given bike racks. So anything with bike riding, people can come to us for funding.”

Travsky also said she was grateful Lazy Acres allowed the bike riders to stay on their campground. She said if it was not for their generosity, this year’s route would have been canceled.

“I was approached in October of 2023 to host the Tour de Wyoming for their stay in Riverside,” Lee Ann Stephenson, co-owner of Lazy Acres Campground, said. “I was excited because I had never done anything like this before.”

Stephenson said the bike riders are respectful people who do a great job of limiting their trash. She said they show great appreciation and respect on the campgrounds.

“Every one of our guests is gracious and clean,” Stephenson said. “They are conscious of the amount of trash they have generated and this is important to me.”

Riders in Tour de Wyoming rode approximately 313 miles in their six-day tour. This included 64.3 miles from Laramie To Walden, 58 miles from Walden to Riverside, 57 miles from Riverside to Baggs, 57 miles from Baggs to Riverside, 51 miles from Riverside to Centennial and 26 miles from Centennial to Laramie.

The last time the Tour de Wyoming came to the Platte Valley was in 2017 where the riders stayed in Saratoga.