Local cycling teams and groups take off on an annual Tuesday night kickoff bike ride toward legacy trails to gear up for Beauty and The Beast Bicycle Tour in Tyler.

Spring weather is here and cyclists are gearing up to take advantage of prime riding conditions.

Elite Bicycles hosted its Tuesday Night Kickoff Ride this week to celebrate the first Tuesday evening ride of the season. They also host Saturday morning and Sunday afternoon rides, as well as a variety of cycling events throughout the week.

They also are gearing up for the Tyler return of the Beauty and the Beast Bicycle Tour, which had been moved to Bullard in the past few years.

The “beauty” of the tour’s name represents portions of the routes that take riders through picturesque rolling hills and the “beast” represents a hill climb on Old Omen Road near Lake Tyler.

Participants earn a medal if they can slay the beast and pedal to the top of the hill.

The Bicycle Tour features routes of 26, 43 and 62 mile routes that will begin at College and Erwin on the downtown square at 9 a.m. March 14.

The tour, in its 32nd year, dates back to the 1980s, and in its early days even drew competitors like Lance Armstrong.

To register, visit bikereg.com