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For hikers, Colorado offers more than breathtaking vistas. The dramatic landscape extends a challenge, too. For years, tourists have flocked to the Rocky Mountain State to test their metal against Colorado’s rugged peaks and summit its tallest mountains. Now, bicyclists will feel a similar draw, too.

“People around the world set a lifetime goal to climb all 58 of Colorado’s 14,000-foot mountains,” Dan Grunig, Executive Director of Bicycle Colorado, says. “We thought bicyclists needed a similar checklist.”

This month, that checklist went live with the launch of the Bike the Byways website. A joint initiative of Bicycle Colorado and the Colorado Department of Transportation, the site highlights 25 bicycle touring routes that hit keys points of interest and showcase the state’s unique and diverse landscapes. According to the press release: “Routes range from a short 19-mile ride near Sterling, to a breath-taking trip to the top of Mt. Evans, to a multi-day tour deep in the San Juans.”

But the website isn’t a static source of information; it proposes a challenge, too. Visitors are invited to register for Bike the Byways and check off each route as they complete it. Participants are encouraged to comment and provide tips on the rides, as well.

“We hope this program will encourage folks to get out and visit areas of the state they may not have bicycled in before,” Grunig says. “We have such a vast array of geography and terrain here in Colorado that the byways really do provide something for everyone.”

And, it’s not just an opportunity for bicyclists. The benefits will extend to the communities along the routes, as well.

“My expectation is that this program will form a collaboration among bicyclists and local byway communities, as well as integrate the byway experience with bicyclists,” Lenore Bates, CDOT Scenic Byways Coordinator, says.

Check it out and, perhaps, plan your own trip at http://www.BikeByways.org.