Out of Bikecentennial, Came Adventure Cycling

Backstories have always fascinated me. This summer I'm interning in the publications department of Adventure Cycling, and in the last several weeks I've found a treasure trove of historical material ? documents and photographs which also intrigued me as a relatively new member of the organization.

Adventure Cycling?s membership has shot up 6.6% over the last four years. That's over 2500 people! Considering most members say they joined primarily to support the mission of the organization, I?m betting there are many out there who are equally unaware of how the organization began as I was when I got here in May.

Over the next two months, I?ll be sharing some interesting finds in the archives as well as exploring some other history-related topics here at Adventure Cycling.



What does Bikecentennial have to do with the Adventure Cycling Association?

Bikecentennial was a cross-country bike tour that commemorated the the U.S. bicentennial in 1976. Leveraging momentum from a 10-speed craze sweeping the country, the ride boasted 4,000 riders. Mostly young adults, many had never done long-distance bike touring, if they had even ridden a bike at all since their childhood.

But wait ? who thought up Bikecentennial? Two couples: Dan and Lys Burden; and Greg and June Siple. Young, idealistic bicyclists in Ohio, they decided to ride their bikes from Alaska to Argentina. Dubbed ?Hemistour,? an article about their trip later appeared in National Geographic and inspired the small group to dream bigger.

Out of that dreaming, came Bikecentennial.



After the inaugural cross-country event in 1976, Bikecentennial dedicated itself to inspiring people to travel by bike and in 1994, the organization renamed itself Adventure Cycling. That first cross-country route became today?s TransAmerica Trail (still used by thousands of cyclists each year) and provided the foundation for the organization?s routes and mapping efforts, which are heavily relied upon by today's Adventure Cycling members undertaking their own adventure.

If you?ve got some time, check out the whole story (pdf), written for Adventure Cyclist in 2006. If you?re better with timelines than detailed narratives, check out the timeline of Adventure Cycling's history.

Photo: Teton Mountains, near Yellowstone National Park. This rider was one of more than 4,000 who participated in Bikecentennial in the summer of 1976. Photo by Dan Burden.

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BACKSTORIES is written by Heather Andrews, publications intern. Sifting through the Adventure Cycling archives, the series presents interesting and unusual documents that illuminate the organization's history.

Source: http://blog.adventurecycling.org/2011/06/out-of-bikecentennial-came-adventure.html

2011 tour de france tour de france route