BIKEcentennial?

The year, 1976. The United States was celebrating its Bicentennial. A group of cyclists rode across the country in celebration of this event, with some four thousand riders taking part.

Bikecentennial eventually was renamed Adventure Cycling Association, and the rides continue!

 

The Greg Siple Award for Young Adult Bike Travel eventually grew out of this. Some of the participants in the original Bikecentennial are still members of Adventure Cycling; but \”AC\” wants to encourage more young people to travel by bicycle. After all, the riders from the first Bikecentennial are now in their 60s (or even beyond), and they want to see more young riders out there.

The year 1976 also saw some special Baskin-Robbins flavors. I think there were as many as five or six of them. One involved chocolate (naturally!), and one was something crunch. One of them was Yankee Doodle something-or-other. My favorite was Red, White, and Blueberry. It was Neapolitan with blueberry replacing the chocolate part.

Now that we\’ve enjoyed our ice cream, we can get back on our bikes and burn off a few of those calories. I\’ve pored over Adventure Cycling\’s \”ride catalogs\”, all but drooling. Three-week \”epic\” rides! \”Inn to Inn\” rides! Fully supported rides!

For a newcomer to the bicycle touring scene, I guess a fully-supported trip would be the wisest choice. It certainly would be for me. It probably is better to \”learn the ropes\” when you aren\’t trying to haul a lot of gear!

Happy riding!

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!!