Be Part of Adventure Cycling's 40th Anniversary

April 21, 2015

It all started in the summer of 1976: A 4,250-mile TransAmerican bicycle ride with over 4,100 cyclists called Bikecentennial 76. The event paved the way for bicycle travel in the United States and set the foundation for what is today known as Adventure Cycling Association. Are you part of that history? Do you want to participate in the next 40 years? 

Did you participate in Bikecentennial 76 as a cyclist, volunteer or staff member? Have you bicycled all or part of the TransAmerican Trail any time from 1976 until now? Are you interested in participating or volunteering for Adventure Cycling’s 40^th anniversary celebrations in 2016? If you answered yes to any of those questions we want to hear from you. Please fill out Adventure Cycling’s 40^th anniversary interest form. By filling out this form you will help us complete our records of Bikecentennial 76 participants and TransAmerican Trail cyclists. You will also help us start a directory of individuals—members of Adventure Cycling and non-members—who are interested in being part of Adventure Cycling’s 40^th anniversary as a volunteer or participant. 

We also want to honor Bikecentennial 76 riders by archiving your stories. Bikecentennial 76 participants, staff and volunteers, please fill out the form and email me if you are interested in sharing your story for our archives and/or as part of this blog series. 

We’re counting on bike travelers like you to participate in a yearlong 40^th anniversary celebration. It’s easy to participate: There’s no need to travel outside your community to be part of the celebration and all you have to do is travel by bicycle as a group or independently during one of the 40^th anniversary events. Go on a bike overnight to your favorite campground or bed and breakfast during National Bike Travel Weekend, June 3 – 5, 2016. Bicycle to your nearest national or state park on Bike to Your National Park Day, September 24, 2016. And help inspire others to do the same by inviting friends to join you and sharing your ride on social media. Bike travelers like you are also invited to our headquarters in Missoula for the Montana Bicycle Celebration, July 15 – 17, 2016 for an extraordinary weekend celebration with reunions, parties, and bike rides. Combine your trip to Missoula by signing up for a tour or plan a do-it-yourself adventure using Adventure Cycling maps. It’s your party, ride if you want to. Bikecentennial 76 or TransAmerican Trail cyclists can also organize Do-It-Yourself Reunions throughout 2016.

The year of the bicycle—2016—will also include special tours, DIY reunions, ’76 throwback merchandise and archival projects to honor Adventure Cycling’s beginning. Find out more at adventurecycling.org/40th

Adventure Cycling Association started as a dream to get more people to experience bike travel. When Bikecentennial 76 founders Greg and June Siple and Dan and Lys Burden conceived the idea of Bikecentennial their impetus was to not be selfish and keep the experience of bicycle travel all to themselves. They wanted to share bike travel with the world. Today, Adventure Cycling is a 48,000 member organization with guided tours, a magazine, 44,662 miles of bicycle routes, an online store, a vibrant online community and bicycle travel advocacy programs. 

What will the next 40 years bring? We invite you to find out by being a part of Adventure Cycling’s 40^th anniversary. Fill out the 40^th anniversary interest form to share your story or to express your interest in Adventure Cycling’s 40^th anniversary so we can stay in touch about upcoming exciting opportunities.

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40th ANNIVERSARY HIGHLIGHTS posted every other Monday by Adventure Cycling’s Events and Outreach Coordinator, Eva Dunn-Froebig. 40th Anniversary Highlights will preview 40th anniversary events and projects, and include historical photos and interviews with Bikecentennial riders. Adventure Cycling’s 40th Anniversary Celebration in 2016 will honor the past and look to the future of bicycle travel.