Your June 2026 Member Newsletter

Jun 10th, 2026

    Hello,

    The sun beams down. It’s beautiful outside. I have lots of cycling activities on the horizon.

    The first is an all-women+ gravel race (not that I’ll be “racing”) where the costumes, snacks, and enthusiasm will propel me through the mountainous 45 miles.

    My first bike trip of the year, a weekend along the St. Joe River in Idaho, might have to be postponed to August to account for the incredible blow-down blocking trails and closing campgrounds. We’ve had reports at the office from traveling cyclists that Idaho sections of the Great American Rail Trail are impassible.

    But I’m not fretting it, because what I’m really wrapping my head around is a multi-week ride on part of the Great Divide. My first solo bike trip. To quell any concerns my partner or I might have, I remember that the route is practically my backyard and that so many cyclists, including many of you, have ridden it and, in fact, will be riding it this year! I’m getting excited.

    You won’t hear from me in July but my coworker Maria will write the Member Newsletter and get you everything you need to know for the month, which will be important as we’ve got a special 50th Anniversary surprise in store.

    While magazine-receiving members can expect an anniversary issue of Adventure Cyclist to arrive in late June — including a feature by Sarah Swallow on being the first cyclist to ride the Golden Gravel Trail — the magazine and marketing staffs have been hard at work creating a special page on our site celebrating Bikecentennial, the ride that started it all.

    On it, you’ll find reissued magazine articles from previous milestone anniversaries, excerpts from our 40th Anniversary book America’s Bicycle Route, and more. Oh, and we might be re-releasing another piece of iconic merch that predates Bikecentennial itself. Let’s just say you’ll want to post about it.

    But the celebration continues all year long!

    The board has officially announced the Golden October Celebration, a 50th Anniversary event in Missoula, October 23-25. The weekend will include storytelling, community connection, and opportunities to reflect on ACA’s first 50 years while looking ahead to the future.

    Specific activities are still under consideration, and you can provide input! If you’re interested in attending, please fill out this Early Interest Form. While it is NOT a registration form (that will come later), it will help the board with planning.

    I hope to see you in Missoula!

    Celebrating their own 50th anniversary of dipping their tires into the Atlantic, members of the Bikecentennial group 1TAWK528 visited the office at the end of May.

    Greg and June Siple gave the group a tour of the building, and we had the pleasure of taking the group’s photo.

    Milo Oliver

    Organizer of the reunion, Steve Lind, wrote this on his photo release form:

    “My high school best friend heard about this [Bikecentennial] in Bicycle Magazine in 1975. (The year we graduated H.S.) We planned or promised to ride together the following year. Tragically that summer my best friend Dan-O Watkins died in a mountaineering accident. I promised his family I would ride across the country with the memory and photo of Dan-O.

    “Two other riders from the same town I lived in (Moline, IL), Ed and Mike Kennedy, rode too. They were in the hostel group. I was in the camping group. It was the best adventure of my life!”

    Preach it, Steve!

    Up next on the June calendar lies the next Campfire Chat.

    RSVP to join parents of young children Nicki Bailey and Bethany Roberts as they compare notes on what it actually looks like to keep adventuring after kids enter the picture.

    I have no doubt their stories will have you in stitches. Please bring your own stories to share, too!

    Adventures (& Misadventures) of Touring with Kiddos
    Nicki Bailey & Bethany Roberts
    June 17, 2026 | 5:00 PM Mountain Time

    Campfire Chats is for members only. Our goal is to gather small groups once a month to share real stories, get real tips, and give you the chance to connect directly with other members. It’s our first time offering this benefit, so please attend, and share feedback so we can make these sessions better for everyone!

    It might just be your lucky day.

    Our August Selkirk Splendor tour has three unexpected open seats suddenly. This tour is a perennial favorite among staff and members alike and is one of the few stretches of scenic road in the U.S. to be named by Rand McNally as “Best of the Road.”

    Snag your seat before it’s gone!

    Eric Schoen

    Selkirk Splendor
    Aug 1-11, 2026
    Van Supported

    Gravity Haus just joined the ranks as a partner, giving you a new member discount. Gravity Haus is an industry recognized leader in adventure hospitality and hotel management for modern explorers. You want a luxurious spa and cafe in your hotel after a long day of touring? Yeah, they’ve got that.

    And now Adventure Cycling members get 10% off a Gravity Haus membership (equaling 20% off with annual plans). See all your member perks or login and find instructions on how to get the deal.

    In addition to Anniversary celebrations, new routes, creative member benefits, guided tours, and digitizing the National Bicycle Touring Portrait Collection, we’re in the process of making a tangibly better website experience for you.

    You might notice that we’ve refreshed our homepage.

    Now, when a visitor lands there for the first time, they’ll immediately know we’re a nonprofit and how our mission-driven programs impact traveling cyclists every day. (At least, I hope that’s what it imparts!)

    Alongside that, we’re updating our navigation to help you find what you’re looking for faster, both on desktop and mobile.

    Editor-in-chief, Nicholas Hunt, is using the time between magazine production cycles to craft a new Learn section of the website. It’ll help cyclists explore the ins and outs of planning a road tour or a dirt bikepacking adventure.

    But the biggest and most important website section redesign: Routes.

    The routes team and I have our heads down, digging into how we can make your experience of finding the right route smooth and easy. It’s a big, exciting endeavor that includes the entire Adventure Cycling Route Network, the USBRS, and Short Routes. We hope to launch the new routes landing pages early this fall.

    As you can see, we’ve been busy, and we’re excited by the work ahead as much as we’re stoked about the riding season, greeting visitors, and hearing about your incredible adventures.

    If you’d like to support that work, you can always donate here, and we always appreciate it.

    In conclusion, I’ll leave you with a few to-dos:

    And then enjoy these excellent jerseys sported on the recent Maine Coast and Lighthouses guided tour.

    See you in the August newsletter where I’m certain to tell tales of my Great Divide adventure.

    Jess