Bike tour of pre-Civil War border wars

More than 200 bike riders begin pedaling through Bleeding Kansas today, reliving the border skirmishes that led up to the Civil War.

This is the first year of the “Border Raiders” bicycle tour, sponsored by Hog Back Ridge Bicycle Touring Co. in Lawrence. Cyclists will follow a 400-mile route through Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, and Nebraska.

Bicyclists will visit the home of Jesse James and pedal through areas devastated by border ruffians like John Brown, William Quantrill and other notorious pro- and anti-slavery outlaws.

The Lawrence Journal-World reports the bike ride might generate more interest in Congress to set up a Bleeding Kansas National Heritage Area.

This isn't the first bike tour with a Civil War theme. In 1999 Bike Virginia hosted 1,800 cyclists on a tour of Civil War battlefields in Virginia.