“Adventure Cycling” and the Adventure Cycling Association
May
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: The Adventure Cycling Association is giving away 150 FREE memberships to BicycleTouringPro.com readers like you! Click here to claim your free membership (a $20 value).
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Adventure Cycling
“Adventure cycling” is just one of many terms used to describe what is more commonly known as: bicycle touring, bike touring, cycle touring, bikepacking, bicycle camping, bicycle travel or bike travel.
In the article titled, “What Exactly is Bicycle Touring” I describe bicycle touring (or in this case, “adventure cycling”) as the act of riding a bicycle for days, weeks, months, or years on end as you travel across entire cities, states, and countries under your own power (without the assistance of a motor).
While bicycle touring / adventure cycling is typically an overnight endeavor, a bicycle tour can be a long single-day bike ride; a multi-day cycling event where your gear, food and clothing is carried for you in a vehicle that meets you at various checkpoints along your route; or a solo or group adventure where all necessary clothing, equipment, food and tools are carried on your bicycle.
The term “adventure cycling” is therefore interchangeable with any of the various terms used to describe what is more commonly known as “bicycle touring.”
The Adventure Cycling Association
The term “adventure cycling” is also commonly used to describe the American organization known as the “Adventure Cycling Association.”
The Adventure Cycling Association is a national cycling association in the United States which provides both information and services for bicycle travelers, publishes maps and campaigns for better cycling facilities in the United States, and is the publisher of Adventure Cyclist Magazine.
Based in the mountain town of Missoula, Montana, the Adventure Cycling Association was first founded in 1973 by Dan and Lys Burden and Greg and June Siple around the time of a cross-country bike ride called the Bikecentennial (which took place in 1976). During this mass bike ride, more than 4,000 people rode their bicycles across the United States – starting on the east coast and finishing on the west coast. Once this huge bicycle touring event was completed, the organization lived on and later became known as Adventure Cycling (or the Adventure Cycling Association), a non-profit organization.
Adventure Cycling’s mission is to inspire people of all ages to travel by bicycle for fun, fitness, and self-discovery. The Adventure Cycling Association is America’s largest bicycle travel organization – offering up inspiration and resources to bicycle tourists as well as the creators of a national network of bicycle touring routes and organized bike tours.
The organization’s most popular cross-country bicycle route is the TransAmerica Trail (formerly the Bikecentennial Trail) which runs between Astoria, Oregon and Yorktown, Virginia. This particular bicycle route covers just 4,229 miles, which is just a fraction of the total Adventure Cycling Route Network, which consists of more than 38,000 miles of road and mountain bike routes.
As you can see, the term “adventure cycling” is very closely tied with the “Adventure Cycling Association” and the organization’s popular “Adventure Cyclist” magazine.
Adventure Cycling Association – Website Resources
- Official Website
- Adventure Cycling Route Network
- Guided Bike Tours
- U.S. Bicycle Route System
- Adventure Cyclist Magazine
- Adventure Cycling Blog
- Cyclosource Store
- Bike Bits Email Newsletter
- Bicycle Travel Awards
- Membership Information
Adventure Cycling Association – Social Media Profiles
Adventure Cycling – Bicycle Routes
- Adirondack Park Loop
- Allegheny Mountains Loop
- Atlantic Coast
- Bicycle Route 66
- Florida Connector
- Grand Canyon Connector
- Great Divide Canada
- Great Divide Mountain Bike Route
- Great Parks
- Great Rivers South
- Green Mountains Loop
- Idaho Hot Springs Mountain Bike Route
- Lake Erie Connector
- Lewis & Clark Trail
- North Lakes
- Northern Tier
- Pacific Coast
- Tidewater Potomac
- Sierra Cascades
- Southern Tier
- UGRR Pittsburgh Spur
- TransAmerica Trail
- Underground Railroad (UGRR)
- UGRR Detroit Alternate
- Utah Cliffs Loop
- Washington Parks
- Western Express
Claim Your FREE Adventure Cycling Membership
The Adventure Cycling Association is giving away 150 FREE memberships to BicycleTouringPro.com readers! To claim your free membership (a $20 value), simply click here.
Your free membership includes:
- 9 issues of Adventure Cyclist magazine
- Discounts on Adventure Cycling maps
- Members-only access to special areas of the AdventureCycling.org website
- The Cyclosource catalog – the organization’s book, map & gear guide
- And access to Adventure Cycling’s specially organized tours
This offer is good for new members only… and you must currently be living in the United States.
If you’re not already a member of the Adventure Cycling Association and you’d like to learn more about bicycle touring from America’s bicycle travel experts, just click here and claim your FREE MEMBERSHIP.
