August 3, 2006

Adventure Cycling Joins REI for Celebration of Bikecentennial in Bloomington, MN

Birthday Celebration marks the 30th anniversary of Bikecentennial,
the ride that revived bicycle travel in North America

What: Presentation and celebration
When: Wednesday, August 23rd at 7:00 pm
Where: REI in Bloomington, Minnesota at 750 79th St W. It is at the corner of I-494 and Lyndale Ave. S.

Adventure Cycling Association, North America’s largest bicycling membership organization, with more than 42,000 members, will host a birthday celebration in Bloomington, Minnesota on August 12 to recognize 30 years of adventure cycling from Alaska to Florida. 

The celebration marks the 30th anniversary of the famous Bikecentennial bike ride of 1976, in which 4,100 intrepid cyclists spun across America on the 4,248-mile-TransAmerica Trail, which starts in Yorktown, Virginia and ends in Astoria, Oregon. The event sparked a renaissance in bicycle travel, helping spawn more than 400 bicycle travel companies worldwide, and encouraging many thousands of global citizens to use the bicycle to seek out personally fulfilling adventures. Bicycle travel has also contributed to the resurgence of bicycling generally which, according to the Outdoor Industry Association, is one of the most popular sports in America, with 87 million participants.

The celebration is designed to enable veteran and beginning cyclists to mingle and learn the latest about bicycling and bicycle travel – and also for past cross-country riders to reunite. There will be an inspirational video showing of “Lewis and Clark and The Kids: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery” video by John Seigel Boettner and photo sharing by cyclists. Refreshments and birthday cake will follow.

Adventure Cycling Association is the premier bicycle travel organization in North America with more than 42,000 members. A nonprofit organization, our mission is to inspire people of all ages to travel by bicycle. We produce routes and maps for cycling in North America, organize more than 30 tours annually, and publish the best bicycle travel information anywhere, including Adventure Cyclist magazine and The Cyclist’s Yellow Pages.