Adventure Cycling

By participating in free group bike rides, I’ve met cyclists with all sorts of cycling experiences. Cyclists have shared different rides that they recommend in the area, some of which I then participated in myself. However, the most inspiring group ride cyclist was the “sweep” (ride leader who stays with or behind the last cyclist in a “no drop” group ride. “No drop” meaning that the group waits for everyone.) After retiring, she had completed an Ironman as well as going on several days long cycling tours.

Cycling for more than one day in a row? And carrying all your gear and camping supplies? Her stories were so inspirational! Yet, I didn’t think I’d ever physically be capable of such accomplishments. However, she provided the name of a company, “Adventure Cycling”. Their website was full of tours in the United States for road bikes and mountain bikes. There were different tour types, whether camping, hotels, van and mechanical support. And, eventually, I signed up for my first cycling tour in summer 2020. The COVID19 pandemic canceled that trip.

Two years later, a friend joined me in signing up for the Cycle Washington Tour. The rest of our friends, family and co-workers thought we were crazy. Even other cyclists! It was one of the toughest things that I’ve ever done. And, yet, cycling all day, eating as much as possible and sleeping hard was a wonderful escape from daily life. There was no time or energy to stress about work, only to push one pedal down after the other to get a little bit closer to the next food stop or hotel. We signed up for another cycling tour this summer.

In Jody Rosen’s book “Two Wheels Good”, he has a chapter on Bike Centennial in 1976. Two of the organizers of BikeCentennial founded Adventure Cycling in Missoula after the epic cross-country cycling tour. In fact, the Trans American Trail is still a tour option today.

This summer, we started in Missoula; and, we even had a chance to see Adventure Cycling headquarters. Inside, bicycles ridden on the 1976 BikeCentennial hung on the walls. There were photos and information about the history of Adventure Cycling, as well as a variety of gear available for purchase. Our tour actually started from Bozeman but ended in Missoula. On day one in Missoula, we simply had to get ourselves, our luggage and our bicycles to the check-in point. Then, a van hauled our bicycles, while a coach bus carried us cyclists to Bozeman.