After 40 Years, the Ride Continues: Adventure Cycling Seeks to Reconnect with Bikecentennial & TransAm Cyclists

After 40 Years, the Ride Continues: Adventure Cycling Seeks to Reconnect with Bikecentennial & TransAm Cyclists

Adventure Cycling’s 40th anniversary celebration in 2016 will include events, tours, reunions, ’76 retro merchandise and more.

MISSOULA, MONTANA, April 22, 2015 —Adventure Cycling Association has been creating social networks since the launch of Bikecentennial in 1976. Now, the largest cycling membership organization in North America wants to reconnect with those involved in Bikecentennial and cyclists who have ridden all or part of the TransAmerica Trail between 1976 and today. In preparation for a yearlong 40th anniversary celebration in 2016, Adventure Cycling invites Bikecentennial and TransAm cyclists to fill out an online form to share their contact and trip information. Anyone interested in participating or volunteering in the 40th anniversary events can also fill out the online form.

“We are looking to reconnect and honor the contributions made by our original Bikecentennial family and those who have cycled our first route, the TransAmerica Bicycle Trail.” stated Eva Dunn-Froebig, events and outreach coordinator for Adventure Cycling. “We are also excited to engage present and future generations with a great lineup of events open to people of all ages.”

Adventure Cycling was founded as Bikecentennial, a 4,250-mile TransAmerican bicycle ride in the summer of 1976, with over 4,100 participants. Today, Adventure Cycling has over 48,000 members, guided tours, an award-winning magazine, 44,673 miles of bicycle routes, an online store, and bicycle travel advocacy programs.

In addition to reconnecting with TranAm and Bikecentennial 76 cyclists, Adventure Cycling is looking to engage anyone who is interested in celebrating 40 years of bike travel with family-friendly events, special tours, retro merchandise, and more. Those interested can fill out the online form.

The 40th anniversary will include The Montana Bicycle Celebration, July 15 – 17, 2016 in Missoula, Montana—home of Adventure Cycling’s headquarters—and will bring together bike travelers from all over the world for celebratory Bikecentennial reunions and parties with inspirational speakers, and music, art and film. Organized bike rides throughout the weekend will showcase Missoula’s trail system including the completed 50-mile Bitterroot Trail south of Missoula. On the same weekend, Tour of Montana will host professional bike races, an expo, and a Gran Fondo.

Two new annual events, set to kick off in 2016, will inspire a bike travel movement throughout North America. National Bike Travel Weekend, June 3 – 5, 2016, will motivate bike travelers from all over North America to go on bike overnights through a festive online community. Adventure Cycling will provide do-it-yourself resources and an interactive map that will connect bike travelers during what will be the most prolific weekend of bike travel in North America. Bike to Your National Park Day on September 24, 2016 will celebrate the National Park Service’s centennial, National Public Lands Day, and Adventure Cycling’s 40th anniversary by promoting bike travel to and within national parks, state parks, and other recreational areas.

In honor of the 40th anniversary, in 2016, Adventure Cycling will offer extra TransAmerica Trail tours and other special epic tours, including on Bicycle Route 66, the Underground Railroad and the Great Divide. Sign-ups will be available on the Adventure Cycling website in the summer of 2015.

For those who cannot attend Adventure Cycling’s events or tours and want to plan their own reunion or ride, Adventure Cycling will provide online tools and resources to help plan Do-It-Yourself Reunions and Celebrations throughout 2016.

Adventure Cycling will also have retro-themed jerseys and merchandise available in the Cyclosource store throughout 2016. Other Bikecentennial projects include a beautiful, large format, picture-laden book about the TransAmerican Trail co-authored by Greg Siple, a co-founder of Adventure Cycling, and longtime Adventure Cycling staff member Mac McCoy; special bike giveaways; a commemorative beer; an online project that will recognize 40 bicyclists who have made significant contributions to the bike travel community; and an archival project with Story Corps to preserve the fulfilling and transformative memories of Bikecentennial cyclists and other bike adventurers.

“Bikecentennial started with a vision to encourage more people to experience bike travel and was fueled by the passion of a small group of dedicated staff and volunteers,” Siple says. “Bikecentennial 76 continues to inspire bike travelers of all ages and backgrounds 40 years later.”

Adventure Cycling invites the public to share photos, stories and words of wisdom from Bikecentennial, now, and any time in between at adventurecycling.tumblr.com.

For more information about Adventure Cycling’s 40th anniversary visit adventurecycling.org/40th.