PikeRide expands to Manitou Springs
The PikeRide bike program has now expanded into Manitou Springs.
and last updated 2021-07-13 21:34:03-04
MANITOU SPRINGS â The PikeRide bike share program just passed its third anniversary in Colorado Springs. At the three year mark, it is expanding with new locations now in neighboring Manitou Springs.
It diversifies transportation options in Manitou Springs. Manitou has parking issues, they have traffic issues,â said PikeRide Director, Jolie NeSmith, âSo how do we get people out of cars and get them to use a more effective mode of mobility. The addition of PikeRide brings the option of getting to, and around the narrow mountain community without a vehicle.
The first thing you should know about the Manitou Incline is that you canât just walk up and start climbing it. In its outlaw days, before the former utility-railroad-turned-tourist-attraction was legal to climb, devotees could do that. They arrived by the thousands from near and far.
But those freewheeling times led to trouble: The old railroad ties were deteriorating, the soil was eroding and people were getting injured, even dying.
The base is at 6,500 feet and the summit is at 8,590 feet, a gain of more than 2,000 feet in less than a mile. That takes a tremendous toll on bodies â even ones accustomed to strenuous activity at high altitude â and it can take hours for El Paso County Search and Rescue to reach hikers in distress.