Join the Bikecentennial Co-Founders for the Montana Bicycle Celebration, July 15 - 17

January 11, 2016

Join our co-founders at the Montana Bicycle Celebration

Happy New Year! Throughout 2016, Adventure Cycling will celebrate the 40^th anniversary of Bikecentennial, the largest bicycle ride across the United States, with over 4,000 participants riding all or part of the TransAmerica Trail during the summer of 1976. Bikecentennial wouldn’t have happened without its dedicated and enthusiastic co-founders Greg and June Siple and Dan and Lys Burden.

Join Greg, June, Dan, and Lys in celebrating this important milestone at the Montana Bicycle Celebration, July 15–17, in Missoula, Montana, where we’ll celebrate 40 years since that transformative ride. The co-founders will be special guests and speakers at this exciting weekend celebration featuring social events, bike rides, film, art, music, and Bikecentennial reunions.

“Lys and I are looking forward to taking an active part in the 40th reunion in celebration of the unique camaraderie and spirit of the many men and women who hung their dreams and framed their lives around the development and riding of a trans-continental journey by bike,” Dan Burden says.

The Montana Bicycle Celebration will be the opportunity of a lifetime for Bikecentennial participants and other bike travel enthusiasts of all ages. Never before has Adventure Cycling held an event with people coming together from around the world because of their common interest in bicycle travel and cycling in general.

“There can be only one celebration like this, and we hope that you will devote your 2016 vacation or travel to make this unique and special for all,” Burden concurs. “Pedals Up!!!” 

Montana Bicycle Celebration Tickets

Many of the activities during the Montana Bicycle Celebration are free, but you must purchase tickets in advance to attend two important evening events:

1. The reception on Friday, July 15, 4:30 – 7:00 p.m. at the UC Ballroom on the University of Montana campus, and
2. The dinner on Saturday, July 16, 5:30 – 9:00 p.m. at the Holiday Inn Downtown.

Over 100 tickets to each of these evening events have already sold and only 500 seats will be available for each evening event, so don’t wait to purchase your tickets to the Montana Bicycle Celebration. The cost is $25 for the Friday reception and $55 for the Saturday dinner through April 30. Purchase both for the discounted price of $76 through April 30.

At the Montana Bicycle Celebration, there will be opportunities to hear the Burdens and the Siples recount stories like the one captured in this video of Greg Siple, recorded by Dan Burden during an Adventure Cycling staff meeting on November 15, 2015. The film of Greg talking about the first time he met Dan, June, and Lys was taken during a rare visit by Dan to the Adventure Cycling office.

Join Greg and June Siple and Dan and Lys Burden at the Montana Bicycle Celebration in 2016 as they celebrate the past and look to the future of bike travel. We look forward to seeing you in Missoula in just six months!

Photo 1 by Dan Tiffany, Photo 2 by Mark Gorseth.

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40th ANNIVERSARY HIGHLIGHTS is posted every other Monday by Adventure Cycling’s events and outreach coordinator, Eva Dunn-Froebig. Eva and guests will preview 40th anniversary events and projects and interview Bikecentennial cyclists. Adventure Cycling’s 40th anniversary celebration in 2016 will honor the past and look to the future of bicycle travel. Fill out this form to express your interest in the 40th anniversary.