Celebrating Bicycle Travel at Home: Missouri's U.S. Bicycle Route 76

May 15, 2014

Cyclists ride USBR 76 in Missouri before it was signed

In Tuesday's post, Ginny wrote about celebrating bike travel abroad, her upcoming trip to Europe and European best practices for integrating bicycle routes and tourism into the larger system. Today we're focusing on bicycle travel and tourism at home and celebrating a state that has made huge progress in these areas in the last year: Missouri. 

Missouri has been in the news a lot lately over the last year in the bicycling world — from positive developments like a newly designated and signed U.S. Bicycle Route 76 following the TransAmerica Trail, to less positive news like the recent anti-bicycling amendment in the legislature. But even the anti-biking push had its positive outcome: it was a rallying cry for thousands of cyclists who demanded better for their state, and the subsequent victory proved that we have a strong and effective voice in the political arena.

What you may not know is that in addition to its outstanding legislative advocacy efforts (thanks MoBikeFed!) Missouri has a treasure chest of top-notch bicycle trails across the state. And this year Missouri will be celebrating and showcasing some of its best bike routes and trails. Adventure Cycling is excited to work with our partners on two upcoming celebrations:

• On Saturday, June 7^th, in Willard, MO, Ozark Greenways, MoDOT, Missouri Bicycle & Pedestrian Federation, AASHTO, and Adventure Cycling Association will be celebrating three events: National Trails Day, the Grand Opening of USBR 76, and the 20^th Anniversary of the Frisco Highline Trail. Cyclists are encouraged to ride the Frisco Highline and/or USBR 76 route on their own in the morning, and then convene at the trailhead in Willard for an afternoon BBQ, music, and grand opening/rededication ceremonies. Riders will be encouraged to bike to nearby Walnut Grove, where the TransAmerica crosses the Frisco Highline.

Al's Place welcomes cyclists on the TransAmerica Trail in Farmington, MO

• This fall, on Saturday, October 11^th at Long Park in Farmington, MO, there will be a second USBR 76 Grand Opening ceremony, complete with a 25-mile organized ride along the TransAmerica Trail, SAG support, lunch, a celebration cake, speakers, and even t-shirts printed with the USBR 76 sign. Al’s Place, the charming bike hostel that was once a jail and received Adventure Cycling’s 2010 Bicycle Travel Award, will be open for tours. The hostel is named after local bike racer Al Dzeiwa, who passed away in 2005 after a battle with cancer, and the hostel showcases his biking legacy. We will keep you updated with more details as the event date draws nearer.

Our local and statewide partners in Missouri are doing amazing work to promote bicycle travel and tourism in the state, and we're excited to celebrate their accomplishments and successes! And even more excited to continue to work on designating and signing future U.S. Bicycle Routes. There are three more prioritized corridors that run through Missouri, including 45, 50, and 66, and more may be added. 

Join us if you live in the area or plan to visit during these celebrations. All you need is your bike and a smile!

Top photo by Bill Harrison | Second photo courtesy of Al's Place. 

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The 2014 BUILD IT. BIKE IT. BE A PART OF IT. campaign runs through May 31, 2014. All donations are tax deductible and support Adventure Cycling's organizing efforts and technical assistance for the U.S. Bicycle Route System. The campaign is supported by Adventure Cycling members, bicycle industry partners, bicycle clubs, and cyclists across North America.

The 2014 Build It. Bike It. Be a Part of It. campaign is sponsored by Planet Bike, Primal Wear, Ortlieb USA, Bike Tours Direct, Sun Bicycles, and Team Estrogen. Bicycle club sponsors are Almaden Cycle Touring Club and Cascade Bicycle Club. In-kind sponsors include Beer & Bike Tours, Bike2Power, BikeFlights, Bike Touring News, Cygolite, Detours, Growler Cage, Nutcase, Ortlieb USA, Osprey, Park Tool, Primal Wear, Raleigh, Thunder Island Brewing, and Velo Orange.

The U.S. Bicycle Route System is supported in part by grants from the the Lazar Foundation, New Belgium Brewing, Climate Ride, and the Tawani Foundation.

*No purchase necessary to enter any featured sweepstakes offered during the Build It. Bike It. Be a Part of It. campaign. To enter any USBRS campaign sweepstakes, send an email to development@adventurecycling.org with full name, address, phone, and email address by the cut off date (listed on the blog post featuring that day's sweepstakes) at 5pm MDT. Winners are selected by random drawing. Winners agree to release their name for public disclosure and promotion of sweepstakes on Adventure Cycling's blog and other communications outlets.