Hemistour: The Ride Behind the Ride
In June 1972, our four founders — Dan and Lys Burden and Greg and June Siple — set out on their Hemistour with the intent of riding from Anchorage, Alaska, to Patagonia. The ride, during which Greg came up with the idea for Bikecentennial, was featured prominently in the May 1973 issue of National Geographic.
A decade later, June wrote about the impact of the Hemistour on the creation of Bikecentennial in a BikeReport article titled “The Chocolate Connection,” named after the Mexican town where Greg first conceived of a transcontinental ride celebrating America’s bicentennial.
The Follow-up
June returned to the topic some 33 years later in 2016, this time writing about the impact of the National Geographic article on the growth of bicycle touring.
From the Adventure Cycling Vault
Celebrate Adventure Cycling’s 50th Anniversary with re-issued merch featuring our iconic 76 logo!
Celebrating Bikecentennial in Print
PUBLISH DATE: 1986
A Summer to Remember
In the June 1986 issue of BikeReport, Dan D’Ambrosio wrote this Bikecentennial retrospective, a topic he would return to again in the December/January 1986 issue’s “The Right Staff,” 2006’s “30 Years of Adventure,” and both 2016’s “Return from the End of the World” and the America’s Bicycle Trail coffee table book.
Bikecentennial, Seen Through Judy Cureton’s Prints
Original ’76er Judy Cureton was so inspired by her Bikecentennial ride that, in 1979, she debuted a series of woodblock prints documenting the tour for her Art in Teaching master’s degree at Southeast Missouri State University. One of those prints graces the cover of Adventure Cyclist magazine’s 50th Anniversary issue. Now, the other surviving prints are online for the first time ever.
The Poster that Started it All
Now is your chance to own a reproduction of the original Bikecentennial poster, in all its ’70s glory.
America’s Bicycle Route
Excerpts from our coffee table book celebrating our 40th anniversary.
Introduction
Bicycling across America is no less, and no greater, of an accomplishment today than it was in 1976
Bikecentennial
How the Summer of 1976 Ushered in the Biggest Cycling Celebration in America’s History
Behind the Photos
The stories behind two of the most evocative Bikecentennial photos
The TransAm Trail Tattletale
Tidbits from TransAmerica Trail News, a weekly newsletter distributed by the Bikecentennial office during the summer of 1976
Clarence Pickard
In 1976, an 85-year-old retired Iowa farmer exuded the “can-do” spirit of youthful optimism
Falling In Love to the Sound of Crunching Grasshoppers
Barbara and Bill’s meet-cute
