There are cycling communities, and then there’s Laramie. What’s happening in this Wyoming town is more than a bike program, more than a school initiative, more than research in action. It’s a living, breathing example of what happens when all of Outride’s pillars (Riding for Focus, Community Impact Grant, and Research) don’t just coexist, but actively fuel one another.

Laramie shows us what it looks like when a cycling ecosystem becomes so integrated, so collaborative and the impact multiplies far beyond what any single program could accomplish alone.

Pillar 1: Riding for Focus - Where It All Began

The story starts when Jamie Simmons, a middle school P.E. teacher, and Dr. Cynthia Hartung, a University of Wyoming researcher and professor, applied for the Riding for Focus grant in 2019. Cynthia, a passionate mountain biker herself, had first brought the idea to Jamie, recognizing how transformative the program could be for Laramie Middle School (LMS) students.

“Giving kids more opportunities to learn to ride a bike has been a big thing – we have a lot of kids who don’t know how or have never tried. So we tailored the program from very beginner to very advanced... and I’m so glad Cynthia had the idea to bring it to our school. It’s turned into so much more than just a P.E. class on bikes...It’s just been amazing to watch – we have this amazing trail, it’s not competitive, they’re not trying to win, they are just riding and they are cheering each other on.” - Jamie Simmons, LMS P.E. Teacher

Since then, the program has become a cornerstone of the school’s P.E. curriculum. Students learn bike handling, safety, and trail etiquette during class! But the real magic happened when the community stepped in.

Jamie and Cynthia rallied Laramie BikeNet (a local non-profit for which Cynthia is on the board of directors) to help build a single-track loop around the school’s football field and track. As a result of the efforts of multiple BikeNet members and donors, what started as a simple idea grew into a dynamic skills course with optional features for riders of all levels.

Today, the school has a barn filled with 40 bikes, helmets, tools, and equipment. Teachers handle much of the maintenance, but they’re quick to acknowledge the incredible support of local shops like The Pedal House, All Terrain Sports, and Link Cycling organizations like PeopleForBikes whom that have become steady partners in keeping the bikes and kids rolling.

Now, it’s totally normal to see families riding the school track after hours - siblings chasing each other around berms, parents riding alongside, kids meeting friends on weekends to practice what they learned in class. Some students even asked to keep riding after school! Which leads us to the next chapter...

Pillar 2: Community Impact Grant - The After-School Mountain Bike Club

When students started asking for more riding opportunities, Laramie Middle School listened. They launched an after-school mountain bike club, supported by an Outride Community Impact Grant, and it has now been running for 6 years with over 40 different students participating each year.

This club has become a haven for students who don’t always connect with traditional team sports and who might never have had access to mountain biking otherwise. John Hennings, one of LMS’s P.E. teachers and club leaders, put it best:

LMS Mountain Bike Club - LMS student and UWY graduate student scoping their route

“Doing this in P.E. gives those who haven’t always had these opportunities [to access mountain biking], have them through our school. It’s really unique that we have a population that has been underserved, and we’re getting more representation in mountain biking now because these students are getting exposed to cycling at our school. It’s a larger population reaping the benefits of what biking has to offer – so I’m thrilled about it!” - John Hennings, LMS Physical Education Teacher

The club rides local trails, builds confidence, and gives students a chance to experience the beauty of Laramie’s public lands. One student even asked if she could have her birthday riding bikes with friends, so club leaders Jake (LMS’s Social Worker and Teacher) and Elise (LMS’s Speech and Language Pathologist) spent an afternoon riding with the kids to celebrate!

The club has also become a living laboratory in some ways. University of Wyoming researcher Tristan Wallhead and his graduate students partner with the program to study how cycling influences social emotional learning, belonging, and student well‑being. Their work is helping quantify what the community already feels: this program changes lives.

Pillar 3: Research - Understanding the Why Behind the Impact

At the University of Wyoming, both Dr. Tristan Wallhead and Dr. Cynthia Hartung are leading studies that explore the benefits of youth cycling from different angles.

Dr. Tristan Wallhead, a professor in the Division of Kinesiology and Health at the University of Wyoming, has spent years studying how physical education can inspire students to stay active beyond the classroom. In partnership with Outride and Laramie Middle School, Dr. Wallhead and his colleagues recently explored how students participating in Outride’s Riding for Focus program developed motivation for mountain biking, and whether that excitement carried over into after-school riding opportunities. Their findings showed that when students feel confident, supported, and given opportunities for choice during PE, they are more likely to continue biking outside of school and turn it into a lifelong activity.

The research also highlighted several ways schools and communities can help students stay engaged in cycling. Dr. Wallhead emphasized the importance of balancing skill-building and safety with fun, self-directed learning that gives students a sense of independence. Just as important is making biking accessible beyond PE by reducing barriers like transportation and access to equipment. The study found that after-school biking clubs, supportive peers, and easy access to bikes and trails significantly increased the likelihood that students would continue riding. In other words, when students have the tools, encouragement, and opportunity to ride, they really do “take it out of PE” and into their everyday lives.

“The research provides important evidence that if we teach using the R4F curriculum and offer middle school students the opportunity to transfer their skills into an extra-curricular biking context they will do it…..and take what they learned in PE out of the gym!” - Dr. Tristan Wallhead, University of Wyoming

At the University of Wyoming’s Attention and Learning Lab, Professor Cynthia Hartung and colleagues are exploring how exercise, especially cycling, may help students with ADHD better manage attention and emotions. Their early research, presented at the Outride Research Summit, found that college students with ADHD experienced immediate improvements in focus and reductions in emotional impulsivity after participating in high-intensity interval cycling sessions.

LMS Mountain Bike Club taking a break after uphill climb

Dr. Hartung’s work focuses on practical, evidence-based strategies that help students succeed academically and emotionally. In addition to developing tools that support organization, time management, and planning skills for college students with ADHD, her newer research is examining how physical activity can strengthen executive function and academic performance in adolescents and young adults. Building on these promising findings, Outride has partnered with Dr. Hartung and her University of Wyoming colleagues to better understand how exercise impacts middle and high school students. Together, this work could help shape more effective school-based interventions that support both mental health and learning through movement.

“Teaching lifetime sports to adolescents increases the likelihood that they will continue to engage in these activities in adulthood. Mountain biking is also a fun and challenging outdoor activity that can help improve self-esteem which is often lacking in adolescents with ADHD.” - Dr. Cynthia Hartung, University of Wyoming

And here’s the beautiful full circle moment: Cynthia, the same researcher who encouraged Jamie to apply for the Riding for Focus grant, is expanding research in the field to show potential benefits for students who are riding in the program. Part of the study even looks at LMS students along with college students! It’s a rare and powerful example of research, education, and community engagement feeding into one another.

Where All Three Pillars Meet: On the Trails

When you visit Laramie, it’s striking to see all three Outride pillars in motion at once.

On any given afternoon with the after-school mountain bike club, you’ll find:

Students practicing skills they first learned in Riding for Focus

Teachers riding alongside them, offering tips and encouragement

Tristan and Cynthia pedaling with the group, observing, chatting, laughing

Kids swapping stories about their favorite trails and the features they’re finally brave enough to try

New riders celebrating how far they’ve come

It’s a portrait of a community that doesn’t just support cycling, it really lives it!

What’s happening in Laramie is special. And it’s a reminder of what’s possible when teachers, researchers, families, bike shops, volunteers, and students all pull in the same direction.

When a cycling community works together, the impact doesn’t just add up, it really amplifies. Kids gain confidence. Families connect. Trails get used. Research advances. Programs grow. And the joy of riding becomes something shared, celebrated, and sustained. Laramie shows us the blueprint. The rest of us just need to follow their lead!

For more community spotlights using cycling as a tool for wellbeing, follow along on Instagram or subscribe to our newsletter to stay in the loop! Share these stories to amplify their impact, working together to spread the power of the bicycle.

The Laramie Way: How a Community on Bikes Became a Model for What’s Possible