By Hillary Delaney
Boone County Historical Society
Bicycling in Boone County can mean anything from a short ride in the park to a long, challenging tour.
This pastime is nothing new to our area, and current trends show continued growth in this sport. The early cyclists in the region often enjoyed touring our area.
As early as the 1870s, groups began to form for the purposes of promoting and participating in cycling.
The Ordinary, a type of bike with a large front and much smaller rear wheel was frequently used by the post-Civil War cycling groups, but proved rather dangerous. Its successor, the safety bike that is quite similar in style to modern recreational bikes, began to gain popularity circa 1885. These bikes were more comfortable and provided an ease of mounting and dismounting their predecessors did not. They also offered a chain-driven technology not found in earlier bikes, which made them much better suited for a ride in the countryside.
Photo compliments of nkyviews.com
Boone County and other areas of Northern Kentucky gained popularity as tour routes with groups like the League of American Wheelmen. This organization published first-hand accounts of experiences and road conditions regularly and worked to improve matters to further their sport. The League even endorsed political candidates in the late 19th and early 20th century. Organizations like this are credited with improving road conditions throughout the country and prompting the develop- ment of the highway system we enjoy today.
In several 1883-4 issues of the periodical Outing and the Wheelman: An Illustrated Monthly Magazine of Recreation, cyclist and writer Karl Kron gives a firsthand account of his 1882 trip through the hills of Kentucky . Beginning his trip in Covington, he rode up through Kenton County and into Florence, where the roads were a bit muddy, but began to improve as he made his way to Walton with impressive speed: under two hours.
Boone County’s towns make another appearance in the 1912 guidebook of the League of American Wheelmen some of the suggested routes are as follows:
• The ambitious Route 15 takes the rider from the C&O Bridge in Covington, up the pike (Dixie Highway) through Florence and Walton, which are both considered to have good road conditions, on towards Lexington before turning back to Burlington.
• A shorter, albeit vigorous trip is Route 16 which guides the touring cyclist from downtown Cincinnati, across to Ludlow, then follows along the river through Constance, Hebron, Bullittsville and Petersburg, before crossing at the Lawrenceburg Ferry. This route touts magnificent views and landmarks like a covered bridge and a school house. The roads in this Boone County route run the gamut from steep to sandy, but offered a grand tour!
Some of the above cycling routes excerpts can be found on www.nkyviews.com
This story first appeared in the September-October Boone County Historical Society newsletter.
