April 3, 1973: Bikecentennial is Born


Today is the 39th anniversary of the birth of the Bikecentennial idea.

Hatched in Chocolate, Mexico, the vision of a grand bicycle tour across the U.S. grew and flourished to launch the storied ride that inspired more than 4,000 people to cross the country by bike during the summer of '76, and led to the creation of the TransAmerica Trail, the first cross-country bike route in the U.S. (traversed by the Bikecentennial riders), and gave birth to our organization, known at first as Bikecentennial '76,  now as Adventure Cycling Association.

Take a few minutes to read June Siple's lovely account of this special milestone in the "The Chocolate Connection," (PDF), first published in a 1983 issue of BikeReport.

Photo courtesy of Greg Siple, photo by Jim McCreary.

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NEWS, NETWORKING, AND NEW MEDIA is usually posted by Winona Bateman, Adventure Cycling's media director, and highlights cool media (articles, videos, photos, etc.) and meet-ups related to Adventure Cycling and bicycle travel. This week's post was by media & publications assistant Alison Riley. Writing a story about bicycle travel or Adventure Cycling Association? You can contact Winona via email: pressATadventurecyclingDOTorg. Visit our media room, view our news releases, or follow us on Twitter.

Source: http://blog.adventurecycling.org/2012/04/april-3-1973-bikecentennial-is-born.html

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Training For Your Tour

We get a lot of questions about what kind of training is needed for a bicycle tour, which is a super broad question.

How you train for a tour depends on the difficulty and length of the tour, your experience as a rider, your body type, and health conditions to name just a few factors. Regardless, here's some general advice that can be applied to almost any training regiment.

Don't neglect core and upper body.
It's intuitive to focus on your legs when training for a tour, but your core and upper body should be given good consideration as well. Your upper body works harder than you might think in supporting yourself on the bike. Workouts as simple as sit-ups and push-ups can go a long way.

Slowly work your way into longer miles.
If you're just picking up the bike after a long off-season, don't all of a sudden start putting in big miles out of the gate. Ideally, you have enough time to spend a couple of weeks putting in short easy rides, then bumping mileage up slowly over the next month or so before your tour. If your tour is coming up really fast, see if you can schedule it out so you put in the shortest days early, and longer days near the end of the tour. Too many miles too soon can lead to all sorts of ailments, not to mention fatigue.

Save the high power, low reps for the weight room. 
When you're on a bike, you don't want to be mashing a big gear at a low cadence. This can wreak havoc on your knees, and will wear you out quicker. At the same time, don't be spinning like a mad man. Think smooth, fluid, and controlled.

Don't forget hydration and nutrition.
Even when training, it's important to stay hydrated and fueled up to get the most out of the time you put in.

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Grab a free issue of Adventure Cyclist magazine
TOURING GEAR AND TIPS is written by Joshua Tack of Adventure Cycling's member services department. It appears weekly, highlighting technical aspects of bicycle touring and advice to help better prepare you for the journey ahead.We get a lot of questions about what kind of training is needed for a bicycle tour, which is a super broad question.

Source: http://blog.adventurecycling.org/2012/04/training-for-your-tour.html

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Springing for Suggestions

Ah, spring! As I type this, snow is falling outside my window -- the new, not quite framed in one -- and it's hard to imagine riding in warm breezes and sunshine. I know it will eventually be here though and will give way soon enough to the dog days of summer -- days when I'd rather be out there riding than in here writing.

It seems many people around me are in the throes of spring cleaning. For me, not only do I feel a need to clean up but also to organize and prepare. One of the major To Do's on my list in this vein is to plan out some more great content for my blog posts. This is where you come in.

What would you like to see in this space? What burning questions do you have about our route network? About the maps we make? About who is making them? Ask away and I'll do my best to get the answers in my queue. I look forward to hearing from you!

Photo from ibm4381's Flickr photostream

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GEOPOINTS BULLETIN is written by Jennifer 'Jenn' Milyko, an Adventure Cycling cartographer, and appears weekly, highlighting curious facts, figures, and persons from Adventure Cycling's Route Network with tips and hints for personal route creation thrown in for good measure. She also wants to remind you that map corrections and comments are always welcome via the online Map Correction Form.

Source: http://blog.adventurecycling.org/2012/03/springing-for-suggestions.html

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Bicycle Date for Two: The Benefits of Membership

5% off a beautiful, foldable, tandem from Bike Friday -- $139.75



10% discount on a 2-person tent rental from LowerGear.com -- $2.80


25% discount on shades for each of you from Optic Nerve  -- $24.50

 

10% discount on a room at Motel 6, when that torrential downpour hits in the middle of your bike overnight -- priceless


These discounts and more, are available exclusively to Adventure Cycling members. To access the codes, log into your My Adventure Cycling account. 

1st photo by Bike Friday. 2nd photo by Lower Gear. 3rd photo by Optic Nerve. 4th Photo by Motel6.

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MEMBERSHIP HIGHLIGHTS is typically posted every other Friday by Amy Corbin, Membership and Marketing Coordinator. Membership Highlights spotlights the various benefits of membership,our accomplishments thanks to member support, and even interviews with some of our most passionate and dedicated members, both individual and organizational.

Source: http://blog.adventurecycling.org/2012/04/bicycle-date-for-two-benefits-of.html

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Planet X Demo Bike Clearance ? Bag a Bargain NOW

We’re clearing out our entire stock of Planet X and On-One demo bikes. New and nearly new bikes at bargain prices. What’s more, we’ll include a FREE Level 1 bike fit with each bike if you collect from our Bristol Studio. Watch the website next week for BIG news about our new brands. Planet X Stealth [...]

Source: http://blog.bike-science.com/2012/04/07/planet-x-demo-bike-clearance-bag-a-bargain-now

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Three Women Athletes Who Inspire Me to Take it to the Next Level

I love getting outside and moving my body around. It makes me feel alive. This post goes out to three super-awesome women who teach me how to be braver, stronger, quicker. There are so many inspirational ladies out there. Who do you look at for lessons?

Joan Benoit Samuelson's name to me is synonymous with women's distance running. She was born in 1957. She was a track star in college, but when she got into distance training she was so uncomfortable running in public on roads outside her small town that she'd pretend she was looking at flowers when a car would pass her. Finally, she got over her fear of running in public. Joan went on to win the gold medal at the 1984 summer Olympics for the marathon, and still holds the fastest time for an American woman at the Chicago Marathon and the Olympic Marathon. Lesson: Do what you love, and don't worry about what others think.

Just a few short years ago, Evelyn Stevens was working long hours as an associate on Wall Street--then she bought a bike for exercise. After a fun experience in a local race, Evelyn entered another...and won. Then she just kept winning. And she hasn't stopped. The thing with Evelyn Stevens is that she's just built for bike racing. She's capable of putting out huge amounts of leg power for her size and has incredible aerobic capacity. Now she rides for team Specialized/lululemon and is well on her way to becoming one of the best cyclists in the world. Lesson: Don't be afraid to try new things. You never know what secret strengths your body holds.
Steph Davis is an incredible, inspiring rock-climber, but I included her on my list because I love her blog where she she answers all sorts of questions, from how climbing shoes should fit to how to bake vegan cheesecake (really!). She seems so awesome and down to earth and interesting and exactly like the person you'd want on the other end of your rope. Sometimes when my hands hurt from climbing and I'm convinced I'll always be terrible, I read about Steph's incredible adventures and get all revved up again. Lesson: How to make oven-baked fries. Also, only fear is keeping you from being your greatest.

Photo 1 of Joan Beonot preparing for the 2008 Chicago Marathon, Wikipedia.org. Photo 2 of Stevens in the 2010 Merco Credit Union Grand Prix, Wikipedia. org. Photo 3 by Jimmy Chin.

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SHIPPING NEWS is brought to you by Sarah Raz, sales representative/outreach coordinator/lover of all things outdoors. She also wishes Eddy Merckx was her father (sorry Dad!)

Source: http://blog.adventurecycling.org/2012/04/three-women-athletes-who-inspire-me-to.html

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