Bikecentennial

Bikecentennial, formally associated with the 1976 Bikecentennial '76 event, was a large-scale American bicycle-touring initiative created to mark the bicentennial of the Declaration of Independence. Its central activity was a set of organized rides on the newly developed TransAmerica Bicycle Trail, a roughly 4,250-mile route linking Astoria, Oregon, with Yorktown, Virginia. The route crossed ten states, 22 national forests, two national parks, and 112 counties, taking riders through rural communities and historic landscapes on roads selected for relatively low traffic, usable surfaces, scenery, and access to basic services. The idea originated with cyclist Greg Siple in 1973, during the Hemistour expedition that he undertook with his wife, June, and Dan and Lys Burden. Hemistour was an 18,000-mile bicycle journey from Anchorage, Alaska, to Tierra del Fuego intended to promote bicycling and hosteling. June Siple developed the Bikecentennial name while the expedition was traveling through Mexico. When Dan Burden became seriously ill and had to leave Hemistour, he and Lys Burden concentrated on developing the proposed American bicentennial ride, while the Siples continued their journey. Bikecentennial became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in 1974. The event began on May 14, 1976. It offered both full cross-country tours and shorter options, ranging from an approximately 82-day, 4,212-mile journey to a 12-day ride through the Rocky Mountains. Of the 4,065 participants, 1,784 registered to ride the complete trail. Riders came from every U.S. state and from numerous foreign countries. Most full-route participants traveled in prearranged groups of approximately ten to twelve people under the direction of a trained group leader; roughly one-quarter rode independently. Participants were largely self-sufficient, carrying camping equipment, food, and other necessities in bicycle panniers. Bikecentennial was supported by organizations and companies including the Wally Byam Foundation, Huffy, Shimano, the Bicycle Institute of America, and the American Revolution Bicentennial Administration. Its importance extended beyond the 1976 celebration. After the ride, the organization continued mapping routes and supporting bicycle travelers rather than ending with the event itself. In 1993 it changed its name to Adventure Cycling Association, which continued the route-development and cyclist-support work under a new organizational identity. The resulting Adventure Cycling Route Network eventually grew to more than 52,000 miles across the United States and Canada, making it the largest bicycle-route network in North America. The original TransAmerica alignment also remains influential: since 2014, the Trans Am Bike Race has followed essentially the same cross-country corridor.

Bikecentennial developed out of the American bicycle-touring movement of the early 1970s and the broader public interest surrounding the United States bicentennial. Greg Siple conceived the idea in 1973 while participating in Hemistour, an 18,000-mile bicycle expedition from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego with June Siple, Dan Burden, and Lys Burden. The journey promoted bicycling and hosteling and provided the setting in which the Bikecentennial name was created. Siple had prior experience organizing bicycle tours through the Tour of the Scioto River Valley, an annual Ohio event he had founded with his father in 1962. The project took shape while Hemistour was still under way. Dan Burden became seriously ill and withdrew from that expedition, allowing him and Lys Burden to focus on organizing the proposed 1976 American cross-country ride. Bikecentennial was established as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in 1974. Its organizers sought to create not merely a one-time ride, but a practical, attractive, and serviceable bicycle corridor across the country. Lys Burden, working with staff and volunteers, developed the route that became the TransAmerica Bicycle Trail. Route planning involved balancing several considerations. The organizers looked for roads with surfaces suitable for bicycles, limited motor traffic, varied terrain, historic or otherwise notable destinations, and access to campgrounds, food, and other essential services. The resulting route ran between Astoria, Oregon, and Yorktown, Virginia, covered approximately 4,250 miles, and passed through ten states, 22 national forests, two national parks, and 112 counties. It crossed the Continental Divide nine times in Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado. Its emphasis on small towns and rural roads distinguished it from a direct highway-oriented crossing and made local services part of the touring experience. The TransAmerica Bicycle Trail opened for the Bikecentennial rides on May 14, 1976. The event was structured as a family of tours rather than a single uniform race. Participants could undertake the full coast-to-coast journey or choose shorter sections, including a route of about twelve days through the Rocky Mountains. The longest published option covered approximately 4,212 miles over 82 days. In total, 4,065 riders participated, representing all 50 states and many foreign countries. A total of 1,784 cyclists signed up for the full trail. Most participants in organized groups traveled with approximately ten to twelve riders and a trained leader. Leaders handled group finances and coordinated practical responsibilities such as shopping, cooking, and campsite cleanup. About one-quarter of participants rode alone. The touring model was substantially self-contained: cyclists carried tents, sleeping equipment, food, clothing, and other supplies in panniers rather than relying on a continuous commercial support convoy. This format helped establish a template for later self-supported and supported long-distance bicycle tours. The initiative received backing from the Wally Byam Foundation, Huffy, Shimano, the Bicycle Institute of America, and the American Revolution Bicentennial Administration. Its success gave Bikecentennial a life beyond the 1976 celebration. The nonprofit continued serving traveling cyclists, producing maps, and developing additional routes in the United States and Canada. In 1993, it adopted the name Adventure Cycling Association. The successor organization preserved the route-planning mission and expanded it into the Adventure Cycling Route Network, which later exceeded 52,000 miles and became North America's largest bicycle-route network. Bikecentennial's legacy is therefore both an event and an infrastructure project. The 1976 ride demonstrated the feasibility of a nationally coordinated bicycle crossing while creating a route that could be reused by later travelers. The original TransAmerica corridor continues to attract endurance cyclists and touring riders; the Trans Am Bike Race, established in 2014, uses essentially the same route. Although the Bikecentennial name is no longer the operating name of the organization, its route and organizational legacy continue through Adventure Cycling Association and the wider American bicycle-touring movement.

• 2014

  Trans Am Bike Race begins using the route

  [1]Bikecentennialen.wikipedia.org

  The annual Trans Am Bike Race began using essentially the same corridor as the original Bikecentennial TransAmerica route.

• 1993

  Organization renamed Adventure Cycling Association

  [1]Bikecentennialen.wikipedia.org

  Bikecentennial changed its organizational name to Adventure Cycling Association, continuing its route-mapping and cyclist-support activities.

• 1976

  TransAmerica Bicycle Trail inaugurated

  [1]Bikecentennialen.wikipedia.org

  The first Bikecentennial rides began on May 14, 1976, connecting Astoria, Oregon, and Yorktown, Virginia, through a network of rural roads.

• 1976

  4,065 cyclists participate in Bikecentennial '76

  [1]Bikecentennialen.wikipedia.org

  The event attracted 4,065 riders from every U.S. state and many foreign countries; 1,784 registered for the complete route.

• 1974

  Bikecentennial becomes a 501(c)(3) nonprofit

  [1]Bikecentennialen.wikipedia.org

  The organization was established as a tax-exempt nonprofit and began developing the event and its cross-country bicycle route.

• 1973

  Bikecentennial concept developed during Hemistour

  [1]Bikecentennialen.wikipedia.org

  Greg Siple conceived a major American bicycle tour while traveling on Hemistour, and June Siple coined the Bikecentennial name during the expedition.

• 1962

  Tour of the Scioto River Valley established

  [1]Bikecentennialen.wikipedia.org

  Greg Siple and his father founded the annual Tour of the Scioto River Valley in Ohio, an earlier bicycle-touring initiative that helped inform Siple's later organizing work.

A nonprofit-led, self-supported bicycle-touring initiative that combined patriotic bicentennial commemoration with long-distance recreation, rural travel, community access, and the creation of a durable national cycling route.

• Organized bicycle tour · 1976

  Bikecentennial '76

  The principal Bikecentennial offering was a nationwide program of bicycle tours held during the summer of 1976. Riders could select a complete coast-to-coast trip or shorter segments. Full-route participants generally traveled in small groups with trained leaders, while riders supplied much of their own camping and touring equipment.

• Bicycle touring route · 1976

  TransAmerica Bicycle Trail

  The TransAmerica Bicycle Trail is the approximately 4,250-mile route created for Bikecentennial. It links Astoria, Oregon, and Yorktown, Virginia, crosses ten states, and was designed around bicycle-suitable roads, low traffic, varied terrain, historic sites, and access to services. It remains the initiative's most enduring physical legacy.

1. 1Bikecentennialen.wikipedia.org