Bikecentennial '76 was an event consisting of a series ofbicycle tours on theTransAmerica Bicycle Trail across the United States in the summer of 1976 in commemoration of thebicentennial of America'sDeclaration of Independence.[1] The route crossed ten states, 22 national forests, two national parks, and 112 counties betweenAstoria, Oregon, andYorktown, Virginia, a distance of about 4,250 miles (6,840 km).[2] 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.[2] Roughly 1,750 cyclists were signed up to ride the entire length of the trail.[3] Most of the participants rode in prearranged groups of 10 to 12 with a group leader, while about a quarter rode solo.[2] The riders were essentially self-contained; they carried camping gear, food, and other necessities inpanniers on their bicycles.
Bikecentennial had been a501(c)(3) nonprofit 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 toAdventure Cycling Association.
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, calledHemistour, fromAnchorage, Alaska, toTierra del Fuego, Argentina, to promote bicycling andhosteling.[4] June Siple coined the name Bikecentennial a few months later as Hemistour progressed throughMexico. Siple had founded an annual bicycle tour called theTour 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 theWestern Hemisphere.[2]
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.[2] The Bikecentennial TransAmerica Trail should not be confused with the similarly namedTrans America Trail (TAT), a mostly off-pavement, 5273-mile (8486-km) motorcycle route between theOuter Banks of North Carolina andPort Orford, Oregon, that has become popular withmountain bike riders.[5]
The route crosses theContinental Divide nine times in Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana.
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.[2]
Bikecentennial received support from theWally Byam Foundation,Huffy bikes,Shimano, the Bicycle Institute of America, and the American Revolution Bicentennial Administration.[2]
The success of the 1976 event led Adventure Cycling to map several additional bicycle routes across the United States and Canada. TheAdventure Cycling Route Network now consists of over 52,000 miles and is the largest bicycle route network in North America.[6]
Since 2014, the annualTrans Am Bike Race has used basically the same route as that used for the Bikecentennial.