Bicycling

ANTELOPE ISLAND — Among the racers talking about their experience on the first day of the USA Cycling Collegiate Road National Championships, one superlative kept popping up.

Beautiful.

Friday’s time trial races at Antelope Island featured sunny skies, ideal temperatures in the low 60s, and plenty of praise for the 21-mile course along the east side of the island.

OGDEN — The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports nearly 5,000 people die each year and more than 78,000 are injured in traffic accidents involving pedestrians and those out exercising.

It’s that time of year when more people take their exercising outdoors, whether it’s riding a bicycle or running and walking.

SALT LAKE CITY -- Salt Lake City has launched a new, membership-based bike share program that organizers say will offer environmentally friendly transportation at key downtown spots.

OGDEN — Mayor Mike Caldwell was nearly 7,000 miles away from his constituency Friday, hoping to sell Taiwanese bicycle manufacturers on the benefits of setting up shop in Ogden.

Caldwell is in Taiwan with Ogden City Business Development Director Steve Fishburn and Todd Brightwell from the Economic Development Corporation of Utah.

The trio are getting an up-close and personal look at the country’s bicycle industry and trying to pitch Ogden as a premier cycle city to companies at the Taipei International Cycle Show.

Fat bikes are gaining traction around the mountain west.

You may have seen one on the trails and done a double take after you realized that the trails are still covered in snow. After all, this is when people should be traveling on skis or snowshoes, not cruising down the trails on a mountain bike.

“I never really rode a bike in the snow. You’d walk in it, You’d ski in it, but riding a bike in the snow is pretty new,” said Gabriel Chiafre, of his new experience riding a fat bike.

OGDEN — A deal with the Weber County Sheriff’s Office will give the Bicycle Collective of Utah more bikes to sell or donate to the community.

WEST HAVEN — Those who love Utah’s wilderness, and a step back into history to go along with it, may want to explore Weber County’s best-kept secret.

The portion of the Centennial Trail through West Haven and Marriott-Slaterville is a 31⁄2-mile stretch between the two cities. With the recent paving of the final mile, the trail is nearly completed.

The Centennial Trail is a 27-mile trail in Weber County that follows the Ogden and Weber rivers and the Bonneville Shoreline Trail connecting Ogden and Weber canyons.