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Bikecentennial '76 was an event consisting of a series of
bicycle tours
Bicycle touring is the taking of self-contained cycling trips for pleasure, adventure or autonomy rather than sport, commuting or exercise. Bicycle touring can range from single-day trips to extended travels spanning weeks or months. Tours may be ...
on the
TransAmerica Bicycle Trail
The TransAmerica Bicycle Trail was the first bicycle touring route to cross the U.S. It was developed and mapped by Adventure Cycling Association, and travels between Astoria, Oregon, and Yorktown, Virginia, along mostly rural, two-lane highways. ...
across the United States in the summer of 1976 in commemoration of the
bicentennial __NOTOC__
A bicentennial or bicentenary is the two-hundredth anniversary of a part, or the celebrations thereof. It may refer to:
Europe
*French Revolution bicentennial, commemorating the 200th anniversary of 14 July 1789 uprising, celebrated ...
of America's
Declaration of Independence
A declaration of independence or declaration of statehood or proclamation of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the ...
. The route crossed ten states, 22 national forests, two national parks, and 112 counties between
Astoria, Oregon
Astoria is a port city and the seat of Clatsop County, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1811, Astoria is the oldest city in the state and was the first permanent American settlement west of the Rocky Mountains. The county is the northwest corne ...
, and
Yorktown, Virginia
Yorktown is a census-designated place (CDP) in York County, Virginia. It is the county seat of York County, one of the eight original shires formed in colonial Virginia in 1682. Yorktown's population was 195 as of the 2010 census, while York Cou ...
, a distance of about .
The route was chosen to take cyclists through small towns on mostly rural, low-traffic roads.
About 4,100 riders participated in the event, representing all 50 states and many foreign countries. Several route options were available to the participants, ranging from an 82-day, 4,250-mile cross-country trip to a more modest 12-day trip through the Rocky Mountains.
Roughly 1,750 cyclists were signed up to ride the entire length of the trail. Most of the participants rode in prearranged groups of 10 to 12 with a group leader, while about a quarter rode solo.
The riders were essentially self-contained; they carried camping gear, food, and other necessities in
pannier
A pannier is a basket, bag, box, or similar container, carried in pairs either slung over the back of a beast of burden, or attached to the sides of a bicycle or motorcycle. The term derives from a Middle English borrowing of the Old French ''p ...
s on their bicycles.
Bikecentennial had been a
501(c)(3) nonprofit
A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of the 29 types of 501 ...
since 1974, and after the 1976 event the organization lived on to serve the needs of traveling cyclists, developing more routes and making maps. Bikecentennial changed its name in 1993 to
Adventure Cycling Association
Adventure Cycling Association is a nonprofit member organization focused on travel by bicycle (bicycle touring). Headquartered in Missoula, Montana, Adventure Cycling develops cycling routes, publishes maps, provides guided trips, and advocates ...
.
Origin
A 1976 bicycle tour across the United States was conceived by Greg Siple in 1973 while he, his wife June, and Dan and Lys Burden were riding an 18,000-mile bicycle tour, called
Hemistour Hemistour was a bicycle tour from Anchorage, Alaska, to Tierra del Fuego, Argentina, completed in part by Dan and Lys Burden and in full by Greg and June Siple from 1972 to 1975. Twenty-nine other cyclists joined the Burdens and Siples for parts of ...
, from
Anchorage, Alaska
Anchorage () is the largest city in the U.S. state of Alaska by population. With a population of 291,247 in 2020, it contains nearly 40% of the state's population. The Anchorage metropolitan area, which includes Anchorage and the neighboring Ma ...
, to
Tierra del Fuego, Argentina, to promote bicycling and
hosteling. June Siple coined the name Bikecentennial a few months later as Hemistour progressed through
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
. Siple had founded an annual bicycle tour called the
Tour of the Scioto River Valley (TOSRV) in Ohio with his father in 1962.
During a break from Hemistour, Dan Burden became severely ill and had to drop out. He and his wife, Lys, focused on building the Bikecentennial event while the Siples continued their tour of the
Western Hemisphere
The Western Hemisphere is the half of the planet Earth that lies west of the prime meridian (which crosses Greenwich, London, United Kingdom) and east of the antimeridian. The other half is called the Eastern Hemisphere. Politically, the term We ...
.
Route
Bikecentennial's route, called the TransAmerica Bicycle Trail, was developed by Lys Burden with the help of Bikecentennial staff and volunteers. The route was chosen to satisfy several requirements, such as a road surface suitable for bicycles, minimal traffic, varied terrain, historic and interesting landmarks, and access to basic services like campgrounds and grocery stores.
The Bikecentennial TransAmerica Trail should not be confused with the similarly named
Trans America Trail
The TransAmerica Trail or TAT is a transcontinental vehicular route, intended as a recreational pathway across the United States using a minimum of paved roads, traveled by dual-sport motorcycles, off-road vehicle, or touring bicycle.
The trail w ...
(TAT), a mostly off-pavement, 5273-mile (8486-km) motorcycle route between the
Outer Banks
The Outer Banks (frequently abbreviated OBX) are a string of barrier islands and spits off the coast of North Carolina and southeastern Virginia, on the east coast of the United States. They line most of the North Carolina coastline, separating ...
of North Carolina and
Port Orford, Oregon
Port Orford (Tolowa: tr’ee-ghi~’- ’an’ ) is a city in Curry County on the southern coast of Oregon, United States. The population was 1,133 at the 2010 census.
The city takes its name from George Vancouver's original name for nearby Ca ...
, that has become popular with
mountain bike
A mountain bike (MTB) or mountain bicycle is a bicycle designed for off-road cycling. Mountain bikes share some similarities with other bicycles, but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and performance in rough terrain, which ...
riders.
The route crosses the
Continental Divide
A continental divide is a drainage divide on a continent such that the drainage basin on one side of the divide feeds into one ocean or sea, and the basin on the other side either feeds into a different ocean or sea, or else is endorheic, not ...
nine times in Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana.
Ride
The TransAmerica Bicycle Trail was inaugurated on May 14, 1976. The TransAm groups, those riding coast to coast, set off from trailheads at either Astoria, OR, or Yorktown, VA, while other groups riding shorter tours set off from trailheads inland. The prearranged groups consisted of about 10 to 12 riders including a leader, trained by Bikecentennial staff, who would handle the group's money and delegate chores like buying food, cooking, and cleaning up the campsite.
Support
Bikecentennial received support from the
Wally Byam Foundation,
Huffy bikes,
Shimano
, originally and later , is a Japanese multinational manufacturing company for cycling components, fishing tackles and rowing equipment, who also produced golf supplies until 2005 and snowboarding gear until 2008. Named after founder Shozaburo ...
, the Bicycle Institute of America, and the American Revolution Bicentennial Administration.
Legacy
The success of the 1976 event led Adventure Cycling to map several additional bicycle routes across the United States and Canada. The
Adventure Cycling Route Network The Adventure Cycling Route Network, developed by Adventure Cycling Association since 1974, comprises over 50,000 miles of routes for bicycle touring in the U.S. and Canada and is the largest such network in North America.
Overview
The Adventure ...
now consists of over 44,000 miles and is the largest bicycle route network in North America.
Since 2014, the annual
Trans Am Bike Race
The Trans Am Bike Race (TABR) is an annual, self-supported, ultra-distance cycling race across the United States. The route is about long and uses the TransAmerica Bicycle Trail that was developed by the Adventure Cycling Association for the Bik ...
has used basically the same route as that used for the Bikecentennial.
Further reading and external links
* Stephanie Ager Kirz, ''Bicycling the TransAm Trail: Virginia to Oregon/Washington'', 2nd Edition, White Dog Press Ltd., 2003, .
* Jay Martin Anderson, ''Two Wheels to America'', J.M. Anderson/iTunes, 2012. Author Anderson led a Bikecentennial group of 12 cyclists west to east.
* Dan D'Ambrosio, "Bikecentennial: Summer of 1976,
Adventure Cycling Association 2019.
* Derek L. Jensen, ''Mad Dogs and an Englishman'', Pivo Publishing Corp., 2007, . Author Jensen was one of the ~2000 (and 10% foreigners) who rode the entire Bikecentennial Trail in 1976. ''MD&E'' includes a detailed account of the event from west to east.
* Ruthie Knox, ''Ride With Me'', Loveswept, 2012, ASIN B0061C1OQ0. A romance novel of bicycle touring on the TransAmerica Bicycle Trail.
* Michael McCoy & Greg Siple, ''America's Bicycle Route: The Story of the Transamerica Bicycle Trail'', The Donning Company Publishers, 2016, .
References
{{reflist
See also
*
June Curry June Curry (February 8, 1921 - July 16, 2012), also known as “The Cookie Lady”, lived in Afton, Virginia, alongside the TransAmerica Trail, a cross-country bicycle route mapped by Adventure Cycling Association in 1976. For more than 35 years, C ...
*
U.S. Bicycle Route 76
Bicycle tours
Cycling events in the United States
1976 in the United States
United States Bicentennial