For cyclists arriving in north Alabama from Colorado as part of the U.S. Space Command relocation, the landscape may look different at first glance. The towering peaks of the Rocky Mountains give way to the rolling terrain of the Tennessee Valley, and the high-altitude training grounds of Colorado Springs are replaced by a subtropical climate and a growing network of greenways.
But beneath those contrasts lies something familiar, and in some ways surprising, for riders trading the Front Range for Redstone Arsenal: a deeply rooted and rapidly expanding cycling community.
City planners, longtime riders and recent transplants say Huntsville offers a blend of accessibility, community support and diverse riding opportunities that can ease the transition for cyclists used to Colorado’s nationally recognized terrain…