NEWS RELEASE, May 10
New Routes for 2004
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TIDEWATER POTOMAC AND GREAT DIVIDE CANADA MAPS
MISSOULA, Mont. -- Adventure Cycling Association, the nation's premier bike-touring organization, has unveiled two new routes in 2004. The
Tidewater Potomac Heritage Bicycle Route and the Great Divide Canada Mountain Bike Route add 626 miles to the association's National
Bicycle Route Network, now totaling 32,361 miles.
The 380-mile Tidewater Potomac Route introduces the cyclist to an area rich in scenic beauty, ecological diversity, and early
American colonial history. Museums and points of interest give ample opportunities for sightseeing. Several historic sites along the route
are connected to our first president. They include Mt. Vernon, George Washington's Ferry Farm (where the president lived from age six until
early adulthood), and the George Washington Birthplace National Monument.
This loop route lies within a portion of the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail corridor. The route begins in Washington,
D.C., and traverses both sides of the Potomac River in Maryland and Virginia until it reaches the Chesapeake Bay. Cyclists cross the bay at
the mouth of the Potomac River and return to D.C. along the opposite shore.
"Like Adventure Cycling's work on the Natchez Trace National Scenic Trail in 1991, we completed the Tidewater Potomac Heritage
project in cooperation with the Potomac Heritage Trail office of the National Park Service," said Carla Majernik, director of the
association's Routes and Mapping Department. "It is truly gratifying to be recognized as the leader in bicycle-route mappingby such a
respected federal agency."
The Tidewater Potomac Route begins and ends at Union Station in Washington. A spur route within the city is also shown,
connecting to the eastern terminus of the C & O Canal Towpath, another popular cycling route in the region.
Another new route, the 221-mile Great Divide Canada, showcases some of the most magnificent scenery in the entire Rocky
Mountain chain. It connects to and extends the association's 2,490-mile Great Divide Mountain Bike Route, the longest off-pavement bike
route in the world.
Great Divide Canada passes through a string of national and provincial parks in Alberta and British Columbia, including Banff
National Park. The route begins behind the Banff Springs Hotel in Banff, headquarters for the park. Most of the route follows the verdant
Elk River Valley between Banff and the U.S. border.
"One of the highlights of Great Divide Canada, in addition to the stunning scenery, is the opportunity to ride on trails within
Banff National Park," said Michael McCoy, the association's route researcher on the project. "In the U.S., mountain bikes are largely
prohibited on national park trails."
Maps for the Tidewater Potomac Heritage Bicycle Route and the Great Divide Canada Mountain Bike Route are available at
www.adventurecycling.org/store or (800) 721-8719. Each map costs $8 for Adventure Cycling members and $11 for nonmembers.
Adventure Cycling Association is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit headquartered in Missoula, Mont. Its mission is to inspire people of all
ages to travel by bicycle and to help cyclists explore the landscapes and history of America for fitness, fun, and self-discovery. With
more than 41,000 members, it is the nation's largest recreational cycling association. Its strategic campaigns are Creating Bike Routes for
the Nation, Getting Americans Bicycling, and Supporting Bicycling Communities. Major services and products include bicycle-route
development and mapping; periodical publishing (Adventure Cyclist magazine and The Cyclists' Yellow Pages resource
directory); a guided bike-touring program; and a Cyclosource sales catalog.
Each year, thousands of cyclists travel along segments of the association's 32,361-mile National Bicycle Route Network, which
includes three major transcontinental routes and three major north-south routes. For information, call (800) 755-BIKE (2453), send email to
info@adventurecycling.org, or visit www.adventurecycling.org.
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