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It all started back in 1974 with a group of like-minded, idealistic visionaries who, like H.G. Wells, Albert Einstein, and other great thinkers, believed the world would be a better place if the bicycle played a more important role in it. These idealists not only wanted people to ride bicycles but also to travel very long distances by that mode and to see the nation's landscapes, history, and people from that vantage point.
For a quick look at our organization's history, try this timeline. For even more description, read on our short history below, or jump right to our full history.
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In 1970, Dan and Lys Burden came to Missoula, Montana, from Columbus, Ohio, to attend the University of Montana. In 1972, they were joined by
another Ohio couple, Greg and June Siple. The four had been planning for a number of years to launch a cycling expedition that summer that
would carry them 18,000 miles from Alaska to the southern tip of Argentina. The trek was dubbed Hemistour.
They left Anchorage in June of 1972 and over the next year bicycled to a point in southern Mexico and wrote and photographed an article
about the trip that appeared in National Geographic magazine (May 1973).
En route, they conceived the idea for a bicycle tour across the United States to celebrate the nation's bicentennial in 1976, naming the
event Bikecentennial. Unfortunately, Dan contracted hepatitis when the group was nearing the Mexico/Guatemala border and he and Lys had to
discontinue Hemistour. Greg and June continued south and completed the journey in Tierra del Fuego in February of 1975. Dan and Lys returned
to Missoula and began working on making Bikecentennial a reality. By the fall of 1975, more than a dozen full-time staff members (including
Greg and June back from South America) were busy creating the TransAmerica Trail and what eventually blossomed into Adventure Cycling. More
than 4,000 cyclists took part in the 1976 inaugural tours.
Following the success of the bicentennial summer, the organization began charting additional long-distance routes for cyclists. We occupied
two offices prior to purchasing our headquarters building in 1992.
Read our full history!
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