Next year marks the 30th anniversary of Bikecentennial, the predecessor to the Adventure Cycling Association. Staff members will be hitting the road to talk about what's new.
For the most part, cross-country touring all started with Bikecentennial. Sure, bicyclists had picked their way from one coast to the other before then. But 1976 — the nation's bicentennial — marked the first time that bike route maps, and campground and services lists, and a series of guidebooks had been created just for bicycle tourists to get from the Pacific to Atlantic on the TransAmerica Bicycle Trail.
Some 2,000 people bicycled the entire 4,200-mile route that first year, according to Adventure Cycling Association's history (this is an interesting article about how a small group of young folks started a movement on wheels). Tens of thousands have ridden the 4,200-mile route by now, and Adventure Cycling has mapped out 33,000 miles of backroads and backcountry bicycle routes for cyclists now.
During the next year, members of the Adventure Cycling Association staff will be visiting cities across the country to talk about new routes and other plans for the nonprofit group. Some upcoming meeting dates and cities:
Cincinnati, Ohio, Oct. 13;
New York City, Oct. 19;
Berkeley, Calif., Oct. 26;
San Francisco, Calif., Oct. 27;
Saratoga, Calif., Oct. 28.
Next year's visits include Phoenix, Seattle, Washington DC, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Madison, Wisc.
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