Adventure Cycling Association

For the past 45 years, Adventure Cycling’s focus has been to inspire and empower people who go on long distance bicycle trips. But not everyone has time to ride their bike across the country. Most people can, however, fit a one- or two-night adventure into their busy lives. 

That’s why Adventure Cycling Association is launching the Shorts Trips Initiative in 2021. The goal of the initiative is to create inclusive opportunities that encourage and support bicycle travel to both non-members and members which lower barriers and increase accessibility.

The primary components of the Short Trips Initiative are to:

1. Create shorter and more accessible routes from eight metro areas (Boston, Washington D. C., Atlanta, Austin, Minneapolis, Seattle, San Francisco, and Los Angeles) in the United States in 2021. Adventure Cycling plans to expand to 30 metro areas by 2023.

2. Create educational resources to support and empower volunteer Ambassadors to teach and inspire people to go on short bicycle trips from the eight metro areas. The educational resources will also be available to Ambassadors who don’t live in the eight metro areas.

3. Prioritize supporting Black Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) Ambassadors and riders by ensuring the resources and routes are accessible to BIPOC. Adventure Cycling  will also provide stipends to support BIPOC Ambassadors, acknowledging the labor required in participation.

A big part of the Short Trips Initiative will include empowering and supporting Ambassadors to lead rides for Bike Travel Weekend (first weekend in June) and Bike Your Park Day (last Saturday in September). These events help inspire people to go on short, local bicycle trips and they help create community and camaraderie.

Are you interested in being part of the Short Trips Initiative?

We need your help to be successful with this initiative. Are you interested in being part of the Short Trips Initiative as an individual or a partner organization or business? If so, please watch one of the recordings of the Short Trips event below hosted by Adventure Cycling on January 14, 2021. The first link at the bottom of this page includes the full length recording, including questions (one hour in length). The second link at the bottom of this page includes the 20-minute presentation only, without questions.

Once you’ve finished watching one of the recordings, please fill out this survey to indicate your interest in being part of this exciting new project.

We’ll be in touch soon about opportunities related to the Short Trips Initiative. In the meantime, you can be part of the Short Trips Initiative by registering to lead a ride for Bike Travel Weekend, June 4 – 6, 2021.

Full length recording with questions (One hour):

Presentation only (20 mins.):

The NY Times recently featured this initiative in an article about sustainable travel. Read the article.