A Few Good Bicycle Travel Heroes

After only one month, we have already received some really great nominations for our 2009 Bicycle Travel Awards:

• A corporate exec, who left his day job to follow his passion and open a bike shop
• A touring couple, who bring their dog along for the ride and work to inspire young people to try out bike travel
  
• A local general store in small town America, opening its doors on the day off to feed some hungry cyclists
• A historical society that plays hosts to cycle tourists all summer long
• Folks who have taken the reins and helped to plan amazing tours that not only inspired other riders but brought them new adventures
  

So, now it's time for you to think back over your bicycle touring adventures, both big and small, and nominate the people, organizations, and businesses that made those trips more fun, possible, or interesting. Nominations close September 30, 2009. Nominate your hero now!

photo by Chuck Haney
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MEMBERSHIP HIGHLIGHTS is posted each Friday by Amy Corbin, Membership and Marketing Coordinator and spotlights the various benefits of membership, what we have accomplished thanks to member support and even interviews with some of our most passionate and dedicated members, both individual and organizational.

Great Divide Mountain Bike Route Map Improvements

This past spring Carla Majernik and I spent our days updating the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route maps from Roosville, Montana, to Antelope Wells, New Mexico. As we began organizing the update information, we received a letter from Adventure Cycling member Chuck C. who had recently ridden the route. Along with his corrections and updates, he had a couple of suggestions pertaining to the narrative boxes.

For those unfamiliar with the GDMBR maps, the route is laid out over a full sheet rather than broken into panels like the rest of the Adventure Cycling Route Network maps. The narratives are broken into chunks and kind of sprawl across the map. This layout results in an exercise commonly referred to as "map origami" since cyclists end up folding and refolding the maps as they travel.

In an effort to reduce map origami, we did two things: 1) moved all the narratives to be adjacent to the route they refer to and 2) ensured that both the route and its corresponding narrative fit inside an 8" x 10" space so it could be easily displayed in a handlebar map holder.

Chuck also suggested shading every other narrative instruction to make it easier to follow on the fly. It seemed like a sound idea so we did some in-house experimenting and came up with what we hope is a worthy improvement.

Additionally, we added weather blocks giving precipitation and temperature information, and slightly reduced the type in the trailblazer blocks making room to add new names. (Miles still available for purchase...) We also added the all service town of Columbus, New Mexico, as an alternative ending point on section 6.

Now that the maps incorporating these changes are available for sale, we are curious to hear how they have been received. If you have the 09 version of the GDMBR maps, please let us know what you think in the comments below.

[Note: The Canadian GDMBR map was updated in February 2008 so it hasn't been given the above enhancements yet. This should happen at the next reprinting.]

map image by Adventure Cycling Routes & Mapping staff

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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.

Website Update: Shipping Your Bike

Check out our recently revised "Shipping and Bike Cases" article in our How-To Department. Now you will find links to some of the major airlines' online shipping information, as well as links to Amtrak, and other ground shipping options. Plus the article includes info about a few different bike cases that you may want to consider.

We'd love to hear about your successes and failures (we can all learn something) with shipping your bicycle. What's your favorite way to ship?

photo by Sarah Raz

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NEWS, NETWORKING, AND NEW MEDIA is written by Winona Sorensen, Adventure Cycling's media director, and appears weekly, highlighting cool media (articles, videos, photos, etc.) related to Adventure Cycling and bicycle travel. Get media updates from Adventure Cycling.

Looking Ahead, Summer 2010

Summer is in full swing; the days seem endless, your bicycle adventures seem to stretch on and on...

Winter seems implausible, right? And next summer is just a blip on the horizon. But, here in the tours office, we're busily dreaming up great rides for you to enjoy next year (I know, rough job, huh?) While we can't reveal our full slate yet (we prefer to keep you in suspense until October) we can disclose that we will likely offer a self-contained tour on the Norther Tier and the Pacific Coast. There's even some talk around the office of a supported Southern Tier...stay tuned, our long trips will be available for your perusal in late August!

photo by Sarah Raz

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ON THE ROAD is posted each Tuesday by Sarah Raz, Adventure Cycling's Tours Specialist and Intrepid Traveler, and shines a spotlight on the daily delights that take place on Adventure Cycling Tours.

Underground Railroad Meets the Great Divide

Two of Adventure Cycling's most popular and talked-about routes are the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route and the Underground Railroad Bicycle Route. The Great Divide, the longest mountain-bike route in the world, is legendary for the wild, high places it leads bikepackers to and through; the Underground Railroad is more storied for its cultural significance: it takes riders from the Deep South along a route that freedom-seeking slaves might have followed to find sanctuary in Canada in the pre-Civil War days.

A route that recently came to my attention sounds a lot like a cross between the Great Divide and the Underground Railroad. South Africa's Freedom Trail is a 2,300-kilometer (1,430-mile) mountain bike route launched in 2004 to help celebrate a decade of democracy in that country—marking, that is, the 1994 election of Nelson Mandela as president and the end of the policy of apartheid, or government-sanctioned segregation, in South Africa.

The Freedom Trail, which sounds out-of-this-world, goes coast-to-coast across the southern part of South Africa from Durban to Cape Town. With food and accommodations available every 50 to 80 kilometers, the trail follows a combination of dirt and gravel roads, "forestry tracks," singletrack trails, and some sections of pavement. Riders can either tour the route at their leisure, or take part in the annual Freedom Challenge—like the Tour Divide, a non-stop, unsupported race over the length of the trail.

Hmmm, makes a guy want to travel.


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BIKING WITHOUT BORDERS is posted every Monday by Michael McCoy, Adventure Cycling’s field editor, and highlights a little bit of this or a little bit of that—just about anything, as long as it’s related to traveling by bicycle.

Brooks B17 Saddle

Brooks B17 Standard
Photo by Josh Tack

The Brooks B17 saddle is an excellent upgrade for any touring bike. Providing cyclists with miles of comfort for over 100 years, it's sure to receive respectful nods of approval from fellow riders. This handmade, leather saddle is made in England, and is one of the best selling saddles in their lineup thanks to its versatility. It will be right at home both on and off road. For all of you seasoned cyclists out there, this is old news to you. This post is for people just getting into cycling, and for those of you who have known about Brooks saddles, but for whatever reason, haven't made the jump.

Years ago, my first introduction to the Brooks B17 was filled with mixed feelings. I had read the reviews, listened to the hype, checked out the competition, and decided to give it a try. As I pulled it out of the box, I was skeptical. Being accustomed to more modern saddles with gel cushioning, anatomic design, and center cutouts, it seemed bulky and stiff. Having already put down $80 for the B17 Standard model, I mounted it to my bike, treated it with Proofide, and rode away.

As I recall, the maiden voyage wasn't groundbreaking, but it wasn't bad. At 145 pounds, the break in process wasn't instantaneous, but with each ride I began to feel and see big improvements as the imprint of my sit bones began to shape the leather cover for an almost custom fit. After just a few weeks in the saddle, I was convinced that there was no turning back.

Rear view of the B17
Photo by Josh Tack

For riders interested in the saddle, I often hear concerns about maintenance. It's true, a Brooks saddle requires a little more TLC than your average seat, but it's nothing to be worried about. Brooks recommends using Proofide to treat the upper portion of the saddle. Apply the wax based formula lightly with a soft cloth, and allow it to air dry. Once dry, give it a smooth polish with a clean, soft cloth, and start riding. This treatment will aid in the break-in process, as well as protect the leather from cracking. As far as rain is concerned, it does provide a small amount of protection, but you will still want to cover your saddle when left out in the rain. Fenders are also recommended to keep water off the underside.

After you start breaking in your saddle, you will notice that it begins to sag over time. Once this occurs, it's time to check out the tension screw on the underside of the saddle. This is best accessed with the Brooks spanner wrench, but a small adjustable wrench can also do the job. As you tighten the bolt, the leather tightens up as well without sacrificing the comfortable feel you've worked so hard to obtain. Be sure to make small adjustments, as once the bolt has reached the end of the thread, it's time to send the saddle into a dignified retirement.

While breaking in the saddle contributes greatly to your comfort, there are a few other features that help you look forward to long rides. There are some small holes punched through the center of the saddle that provide airflow, which makes hot days in the saddle very bearable. The leather surface itself is plenty wide for excellent weight distribution, and the sides are shaped nicely to prevent chaffing of the thighs.

So what could be more fun than riding a B17 saddle? How about picking one out. There are a plethora of options available with the B17 model. Aged leather, copper rivets, titanium rails, and various colors are all choices you can find yourself obsessing over. While some people might be anxious about spending $80+ on a saddle, you have to ask yourself how much you're willing to spend for years of comfort in the saddle.

ACA riders love their Brooks saddles
Photo by Josh Tack

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TOURING GEAR AND TIPS is written by Joshua Tack, a part 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.

Being an Adventure Cycling Ambassador

Here at Adventure Cycling, we are working daily to get more people to try out bicycle touring because we think it is an amazing thing to do. It challenges us physically, mentally and even emotionally. It can change our perspective on the world, our family, and our personal abilities. During the summer months, hundreds of traveling cyclists pass through the doors of our offices, wanting to get a glimpse of the history and to rest and eat some free ice cream.

For those of us working the daily grind, these visiting cyclists remind us of why we do what we do. They bring us back in touch with the magic of bike travel, the transformative power of self-propelled adventure.

We love to hear stories about these same cyclists going home and sharing their travels and stories from the road with their friends, families and communities. One of our favorite blogging bike travelers, Russ Roca, aka: the Epicurean Cyclist, is about to set out on a new adventure, which you can read about here. In anticipation of that, he and his partner in crime, Laura, recently gave a talk at a Long Beach book store entitled, "Let's Go Touring". They were able to share their passion for bike touring, along with resources for the road, including info about Adventure Cycling. This was just one of many presentations the pair plans to do as part of The Path Less Pedaled.

We just wanted to give a shout out to Russ and Laura for sharing their dream with so many folks. If you are interested in doing the same thing in your community, you can get in touch with our Ambassador program to learn more and to request materials. Together, we can get more people on the road to their next (or first) cycling adventure!

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MEMBERSHIP HIGHLIGHTS is posted each Friday by Amy Corbin, Membership and Marketing Coordinator and spotlights the various benefits of membership, what we have accomplished thanks to member support and even interviews with some of our most passionate and dedicated members, both individual and organizational.

Digesting the 2009 Routes & Mapping Survey

This past January we took a survey specifically aimed at Adventure Cycling route map users. The aim was to find out how our maps are being used, how we might improve them, and where technology fits into the picture. We received loads of feedback, nearly 60,000 words worth! After reading some suggestions, we looked at each other and said, "of course!" while others left us scratching our heads, "hmm, how would we do that?"

In between our regularly scheduled mapmaking tasks, we are still sorting out the finer details of the returns, separating compliments (thank you!) from criticisms or suggestions, and planning the implementation of a thing or two. You'll have to wait for the launch of the new Sierra Cascades Route to discover the tweaks we've made. (a couple of tweaks are also showing up on the maps newly converted to GIS, i.e. Grand Canyon Connector and Great Parks South, section 1.)

One piece of information we discovered is that the majority of our users (38%) navigate by reading the map panel rather than the written narratives. I know I have a great appreciation for both, and flip back and forth. Sometimes it just isn't possible to show everything that's happening on the map and written narratives are the only way to go. How about you? What's your preference?

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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 the Adventure Cycling Route Network, with tips and hints for personal route creation thrown in for good measure.

New Guided Tours Photos!

Our Guided Tours Group on Flickr is growing with new photos from last year's C&O Canal GAP tour, this year's Cycle Montana trip, and more. Check out the Flickr slideshow!

If you've been on one of our guided tours and want to share your photos with us and other tour participants, just log into Flickr, join our Guided Tours Group, and add your photos. Joining Flickr is free and easy, and we'd love to see your shots!

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NEWS, NETWORKING, AND NEW MEDIA is written by Winona Sorensen, Adventure Cycling's media director, and appears weekly, highlighting cool media (articles, videos, photos, etc.) related to Adventure Cycling and bicycle travel. Get media updates from Adventure Cycling.

Keeping the Wheels Turning Smoothly

I know it’s especially interesting to hear all about what goes on the road, but I’d like to take a break this week to give readers a glimpse of our inside office at Tours .


Anthony Guglielmo (Goog-lee-ah-mo) is joining us as our newest Tours Logistics Specialist, and, although he has only been with us for a few weeks, he is already an integral part of our team. Anthony spends his day boxing up equipment, organizing details, and chatting with our visiting cyclists, and his post-work hours riding one of his 8 bicycles or hiking with his fiancé, Beth. If you call our office and Anthony answers the phone, make sure to try to stump him with a gear question—so far he’s proved cool as a cucumber!

photo by Sarah Raz

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ON THE ROAD is posted each Tuesday by Sarah Raz, Adventure Cycling's Tours Specialist and Intrepid Traveler, and shines a spotlight on the daily delights that take place on Adventure Cycling Tours.

The Giant of Provence

It’s a good thing I write this blog on Mondays. That’s because Mondays are rest days for riders in the Tour de France, so tapping on the keyboard takes my mind off the awful truth that there is no tour stage to watch today.

If you’re following the 21-stage race, you know that Levi Leipheimer, the pride of Butte, Montana (and Santa Rosa, California), had to drop out last week after breaking his wrist in a fall. But yesterday, his teammate on the Astana team, Alberto Contador, asserted his gravity-defying dominance by virtually dancing on the pedals up the steeps of Verbier, which in the winter is part of the 4 Valleys, the largest ski-area complex in Switzerland (this year’s tour could actually be called the Tour de France, Spain, Andorra, and Switzerland). At the end of the day—as British race announcer Phil Liggett is so keen on saying—Contador had grabbed the yellow jersey and an advantage of 1 minute and 37 seconds over the number-two rider, a relatively unknown fellow Team Astana member by the name of Lance Armstrong.

Even Armstrong appeared impressed by Contador’s performance on Sunday, and perhaps even resigned to the probability of his teammate’s eventual win. Now that the riders are back in the Alps, the Spaniard is going to be tough for anyone to catch. If you can manage to watch only one stage in the rest of the race, make it stage 20 on Saturday, when the boys will be making the climb up the off-the-charts difficult Mont Ventoux, the “Giant of Provence,” which contains grades as steep as 11 percent.

In September 2004, my wife Nancy and I had the pure pleasure of taking a self-guided bicycle tour in southern France. The first day of the ride was up and down none other than Mont Ventoux, which as we learned is a magnet for bicyclists from throughout Europe and the world. It was a Sunday, and literally hundreds of riders of all shapes, sizes, and speeds were making the climb with us. From the small town of Bedoin to Ventoux’s 6,266-foot bald summit, a distance of just over 13 miles, the road gains 5,315 vertical feet. The record time for the climb had been set just three months earlier by another Spaniard, Iban Mayo, who pedaled from Bedoin to Mont Ventoux in just under fifty-six minutes. Nancy and I narrowly failed to better that mark—our ascent took only a little over two hours longer than Mayo’s.

At the top we found, among a lot of people and other things, a woman who had set up a huge makeshift, open-air market, where she was selling nothing but hard and chewy candies. I have a world-class sweet tooth, and sweets have never tasted sweeter than they did on that wind-buffeted summit. Had I known about the lofty candy stand in advance, I no doubt would have come even closer to shattering the Spaniard’s record time.

I’d have to say Mont Ventoux is my all-time favorite climb. What’s yours?


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BIKING WITHOUT BORDERS is posted every Monday by Michael McCoy, Adventure Cycling’s field editor, and highlights a little bit of this or a little bit of that—just about anything, as long as it’s related to traveling by bicycle.

Surly Long Haul Trucker

Here at Adventure Cycling headquarters in Missoula, Montana, the bike touring season is approaching its midway point. Throughout the past four and a half months, we have greeted over 250 touring cyclists, which amounts to quite a few bikes. We have seen riders aboard standard touring bikes, road bikes, mountain bikes, cyclocross bikes, recumbents, and tandems. Of all these bikes, there has been one make and model that has stood out as the clear favorite amongst tourists

The Surly Long Haul Trucker (LHT) has been heavily spotted this year, gracing the Adventure Cycling bike racks at least once a week. What attributes to this bike's popularity? Let's take a look at it piece by piece.

Frame and Fork:
Like all Surly bikes, this is built with low grade, heavy, durable 4130 CroMoly steel. No frills, no fancy lugs, no weight saving features, just a tough bike that will get you from point A to point B with confidence. The geometry of the bike is classic touring all the way. You have a long wheelbase that handles very well whether you load the bike or not, and you have plenty of clearance for fat 45mm wide tires (42mm with fenders). There are a few touring friendly features that can be found throughout the frame, such as a third set of water bottle mounts underneath the downtube, a pump peg, and spoke holders along the non-driveside chainstay that hold two spokes. You won't have any trouble looking for places to bolt racks and fenders to, as this bike is riddled with eyelets to make sure everything is securely bolted down. It's important to note that if you ride a 54cm or smaller frame, the bike will only accommodate 26" wheels. Frame sizes 56cm and larger take 700c hoops.

Components:
This bike can be purchased complete or as a frame and fork only. If you choose the complete bike option, you have everything you need to start riding, minus pedals and racks. The build kit is just as simple and burly as the frame. For starters, they skip on STI style shifting and provide you with low maintenance bar end shifters. The Shimano drivetrain gives you 9 gears on the rear cassette (11-34t), and three chain rings up front (48-36-26t). Some other component highlights are the Shimano XT derailleur and the nicely overbuilt Alex Adventurer rims laced with 36 spokes to Shimano XT hubs for excellent dependability. Lastly, I really want to applaud Surly for replacing last year's harsh Velo saddle with a much more forgiving WTB seat.

Potential Upgrades:
Like any complete bike, there is always a bit of fine tuning to be done. Inline brake levers are becoming a popular addition to many bikes, and allow you to access the brakes when your hands are resting on top of the handlebars. The SRAM chain is a little on the weak side, and I would suggest looking at a something a bit stronger, such as a Shimano LX/105 chain.

Is This The Bike For Me?
The Surly LHT isn't going to be a fast and nimble bike by any stretch, so don't expect it to get you anywhere quickly. It will, however, give you a very smooth and comfortable ride once you get rolling, and handle all the gear you can throw at it. At $1095 for the complete bike ($430 frame and fork only), the price is hard to beat, and the 2009 edition comes in an Olive Green or Truckaccino color.


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TOURING GEAR AND TIPS is written by Joshua Tack, a part 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.

Share and Win

We are one month into our Share the Joy challenge and we have already had a great response. Almost 100 members have taken the challenge and recommended Adventure Cycling to a friend.

You too can get in on the action and get entered to win some great prizes! Random winners will be drawn from all entrants to win a Bike Friday touring bike, along with several smaller prizes. The person who recruits the most new members will win an Adventure Cycling shopping spree. You must be an Adventure Cycling member to be eligible to win. (Not a member? Join today!)

Here's how it works: If you are a member, you can purchase a gift membership for a friend and be instantly entered. You can also recommend Adventure Cycling to all your cycling buddies and when they join, your name will be entered one time for each person who joins. For more information and contest rules, click here.

Don't miss out on your chance to Share the Joy!

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MEMBERSHIP HIGHLIGHTS is posted each Friday by Amy Corbin, Membership and Marketing Coordinator and spotlights the various benefits of membership, what we have accomplished thanks to member support and even interviews with some of our most passionate and dedicated members, both individual and organizational.

Falling for Bismarck

One of the most memorable Adventure Cycling routes I've worked on to date is the Lewis & Clark Bicycle Trail, published right around the 200th anniversary of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark's original journey. I especially remember a group of young people riding the route, the Corps of Rediscovery. When they passed through our offices in Missoula, Montana, we asked them for the highlights of their trip up to that point. Much to my surprise, Bismarck, North Dakota was on the list.

Ever since then, I have been curious about the city and I have come to the conclusion it could be a great autumnal cycling destination. The high temperatures are in the 70s with overnight lows in the mid-40s. Access is pretty straightforward via their airport and yet it appears to retain a rural feel just outside the city limits. (An interesting side note, according to Time magazine, it is also a great place to go looking for a job.)

Using the Lewis & Clark Bicycle Trail, Section 3 map as a starting point, day trips and loops will keep you busy for days. There is plenty to see and do in addition to cycling, including the Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park and the North Dakota Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center at Fort Mandan. Go check it out!

map image by Adventure Cycling Routes & Mapping staff

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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.

I Love Bicycle Travel - 1 - Mine to Explore

Check out this first video in a series of shorts about the many reasons cyclists love to travel by bicycle, featuring photos from the Sacred Valley in Peru.

Where has bike touring taken you that you thought you'd never go?

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NEWS, NETWORKING, AND NEW MEDIA is written by Winona Sorensen, Adventure Cycling's media director, and appears weekly, highlighting cool media (articles, videos, photos, etc.) related to Adventure Cycling and bicycle travel.

Trans America Tales

This week will be a fantastically exciting week in the Tours Department; as we reach the oddly thunderstormy summit of July, we have not just one, but both of our Trans America tours visiting our Missoula, Montana headquarters. Our rollicking self-contained tour will drop in for lunch on Friday, July 17, and we’ll host our supported tour (shown above topping out at Hoosier Pass!) on Monday, July 20. It’s an opportunity for us in the office to hear first-hand the extraordinary stories of life on the road.

I know that I’ll occasionally fall asleep dreaming of breezy summers spent pedaling through unsullied landscapes, this is the week I get to meet two groups of people actually doing it. A burger in exchange for anecdotes of double breakfasts, snoring tent partners, wildlife sightings, and everlasting friendship seems like a pretty fair trade to me…

in this photo: 2009 supported Trans Am group tops out!
photo by Joe Golden

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ON THE ROAD is posted each Tuesday by Sarah Raz, Adventure Cycling's Tours Specialist and Intrepid Traveler, and shines a spotlight on the daily delights that take place on Adventure Cycling Tours.

What Not to Wear

You might be interested in taking a look at the cover story I wrote, on behalf of Adventure Cycling, for the current issue of the Seattle-based Bicycle Paper (and which my fellow blogger Winona Sorensen also mentions in her July 8 posting). In Prepping for the Big Tour, I begin by relating my own first experience getting ready for a big ride.

“To prepare and train for our ride, [my future wife] Nancy and I purchased a pair of Peugeot UO8 ten-speed bicycles at Redmond Cyclery, along with some primitive panniers and camping gear at REI in Seattle. Then we packed up and went for a shakedown ride around Lake Sammamish. At 30 miles, it was the farthest either of us had ever ridden in one sitting. The next day we set off for the ride up and over Stevens Pass and points eastward, but as of then still unknown.”

It’s not how I advise people today to prepare for an epic tour. Of course, that summer we also bicycled helmetless and wearing tennis shoes, cut-off blue jeans, and T-shirts. That was only two years before the big bicentennial summer, so that’s how many of the Bikecentennial ’76 riders dressed, too (although by then helmets were starting to grow in popularity). I think we had just as much fun back then as riders do today; maybe even more: for one thing, we weren’t compelled to write a blog entry every day. Some might say we looked funny—but then again, if you think about it from the perspective of rural townspeople, hippies decked out in cut-offs and sneakers probably looked less odd than the aliens who arrived later wearing spandex and stiff riding cleats.

For a real kick, check out this slideshow I tracked down featuring mostly black-and-white shots of some 1976 Dutch riders.

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BIKING WITHOUT BORDERS is posted every Monday by Michael McCoy, Adventure Cycling’s field editor, and highlights a little bit of this or a little bit of that—just about anything, as long as it’s related to traveling by bicycle.

About the Author

Welcome to my weekly column. My name is Joshua Tack, and I'll be posting gear reviews and advice here every Saturday. When it comes to the best bikes, components, and accessories, there are no right answers, and you shouldn't expect to find them here. My aim is to provide you with useful information on touring equipment that will help you decide what will work best for you.


I have been with Adventure Cycling Association for two years now, and spend much of my day fielding member and non-member questions, in addition to monitoring our forums. With over 15 years of cycling under my belt, 10+ years as a mechanic, and my time with Adventure Cycling, I'm afraid I don't have all the answers. What I do have is a pool of experience to reach into, and a strong understanding of the technical aspects of the bike. From here, I will steer my posts based on what I hear and see from travelling cyclists who check in with us at Adventure Cycling.

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TOURING GEAR AND TIPS is written by Joshua Tack, a part 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.

Bike Travel Heroes, Wanted!

It’s time again for the Adventure Cycling Awards! Take a few moments to nominate the individuals, organizations and businesses that have made your bike travels enjoyable, easier and maybe even possible. We have already received a dozen exciting nominations, so keep them coming!

Here are the categories:

The June Curry Trail Angel Award, named in honor of June Curry, the famous ‘Cookie Lady,’ of the TransAmerica Bicycle Trail, honors a generous individual or group encountered during a bicycle tour that makes the journey of the traveling cyclist easier, or even possible.

The Pacesetter Bicycle Travel Award, named in honor of Charlie Pace of Columbus, Ohio, who has spent over 40 years creating and supporting bicycle travel opportunities, recognizes and applauds the efforts of those who have done great things to support and promote bicycle travel in the US.

The Braxton Bike Shop Award, named for the Braxton Bike Shop in Missoula, Montana, honors a shop that is committed to getting more people excited about bike travel and goes to incredible lengths to achieve just that.

Nominations will be open throughout the cycling season, closing on September 30, 2009. So, in your travels this summer or as you reminisce about adventures past, be sure to recognize your heroes from the road with a nomination.

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MEMBERSHIP HIGHLIGHTS is posted each Friday by Amy Corbin, Membership and Marketing Coordinator and spotlights the various benefits of membership, what we have accomplished thanks to member support and even interviews with some of our most passionate and dedicated members, both individual and organizational.

Elevation Profiles and Tours

There is the kind of bicycle touring we advocate and then there is Tour de France touring. Way different pursuits but with some similar concerns: how many miles am I pedaling today? where/what am I going to eat? and what is the elevation I've climbed/descended?

The last one can be a real trick to determine accurately and consistently. Why is this? It all depends on how the data was calculated or measured. I'm not even going to try and explain the ins and outs of this process because it boggles my own brain.

I admit it's a pretty consistent piece of feedback we receive from cyclists who use our maps, our tour participants in particular, they want better elevation profiles. Sadly, there is little comfort in knowing we aren't the only ones who have this issue. There were some Seattle Livestrong riders who found that their GPS units gave them different overall elevation information than what was stated on the maps.

At the end of the day, what I can say is this: we do the best we can to represent a route's estimated elevation profile and we know sometimes it will conflict with reality. We wish there was a more accurate source of information from which we could gather the data. (If you have suggestions, please chime in!)

graphic by Adventure Cycling Routes & Mapping staff

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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.

Jumping into Bicycle Travel

This week, a few inspiring online media bits for getting involved with bicycle travel.

In their July issue, Bicycle Paper featured an article by our own Mac McCoy on "Prepping for a Big Tour". Kicking off with Mac's early experiences with touring, the piece gives a great overview of the basic decisions you need to make before embarking on a bicycle adventure. Of course, you can also check out our How-To Department or get on our forums to find advice and travel tips from its more than 4,000 users.

For our Long Beach, California readers, you have a special opportunity to learn about bike touring from a couple of inspiring young bicycle travelers, Laura Crawford and Russ Roca. Check out their presentation on Saturday, July 18th about the basics of bike travel, some info about Adventure Cycling, how to document your adventure, and more. Get more info.

Russ and Laura also have a special request from those of you out there who are gripped with wanderlust, spin to the sound of your own bicycle, and basically are not afraid to meander off a well worn path. Say Russ and Laura on their website, "All around us are amazing stories of people who are trying something that’s beyond the status quo - people following an impulse or a desire to try something new and different. Is this you? If so, we want to hear from you. Tell us your story and why we should come visit you - and we’ll add you into our itinerary. " Share your story.

Lastly, read the story of Bill Bliss, a truly-inspired and dedicated bicycle traveler, and the Bliss family triplet pictured above.

in the photo: Bill Bliss and his daughters riding the TransAmerica Trail in '76 on their custom built triplet
photo courtesy of Greg Siple

Everyone from Everywhere

Adventure Cyclists are a remarkable, hardy, varied bunch. We've established by now that all sorts act as our Tour Leaders (more profiles to come). But what sort of riders join our tours, and where do they come from? The answer: all sorts, from everywhere! Cycle Washington, which leaves in less than a week, has 60 participants who come from all over Texas, California, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Nevada, DC, Baltimore, and, of course, Canada. In terms of age, folks are anywhere between 34 and 71. One thing that we always stress at Adventure Cycling is that when it comes to planning your tour, guided or otherwise, is that your bike isn't important, nor your age, nor your experience. If you approach your ride with a courageous spirit, an open heart, and a true love of cycling, exhilaration is sure to follow.

ON THE ROAD is posted each Tuesday by Sarah Raz, Adventure Cycling's Tours Specialist and Intrepid Traveler, and shines a spotlight on the daily delights that take place on Adventure Cycling Tours.

Tour de France, Idaho

Early on July 5—the annual morning of fireworks-strewn roadways—a small group of us from Teton Valley, Idaho, pedaled the hilly, 32-mile Lamont Loop, aka “Tour de France, Idaho.” While they may have been actual communities at some point in time, both Lamont and France today hold nothing but dilapidated grain elevators standing beside the abandoned grade of a Union Pacific Railroad spur line running between Victor and Ashton, with connections from Ashton onward to West Yellowstone, Montana. (Several sections of the grade have been transformed into rail-trails, with more planned for the future.)

The riding out there is about as good as it gets: traffic-free, chip-sealed farm roads winding through a landscape of rolling potato and barley fields punctuated with the occasional deserted farmstead, as beautifully depicted in some of the photographs in the galleries of Ashton-based photographer Christopher Leavell (click on the "Eastern Idaho" gallery). Cold mountain water cascades down the beds of Conant Creek, Squirrel Creek, and the Falls River, while flowing more gently along the irrigation canals paralleling the natural waterways. Groves of quaking aspen trees, their leaves fluttering and whispering on the morning breeze, frame the distant Tetons, still holding a lot of last winter’s snow on the first weekend of July.

Serendipitously, about a mile of our Sunday ride took place on the Ashton-Flagg Road, which the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route follows to get from Idaho to Wyoming.

No crowds, no jokesters wearing devil outfits, and no roadside vineyards or latte-serving bistros—but this mellow, noncompetitive, open-country version of the big ride in France the country still comes highly recommended. (Go Lance!)

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BIKING WITHOUT BORDERS is posted each Monday by Michael McCoy, Adventure Cycling’s field editor, and highlights a little bit of this or a little bit of that—just about anything, as long as it’s related to traveling by bicycle.

Where Did You Say You Were From?

As a member of the bikelist.org touring newsgroup (formerly phred.org) I come across not only suggestions for great places to do a bike tour, but also some interesting ideas about ways to make bike travel more fulfilling.

One such idea relates to maps. No, not the ones depicting how to get where I'm going (I know where to get those!), but rather a map showing where I came from. I thought this a novel idea, especially if I were traveling overseas. The U.S. is a big place and if I tell a curious new friend I'm from Missoula, Montana, U.S.A., I'm likely to get a polite nod or maybe a questioning look leading me to lamely attempt to explain where exactly my hometown is located.

Now, if I had a map of the U.S. and perhaps a map of Montana, I could give a more spatially oriented answer as to where in the world I live. And to really show the flavor of my locale, it was suggested that having 10-12 photos of home stored in my camera would be a nice bonus to share. Another option would be to have that same information available to display on my cell phone or netbook.

Personally, I intend to put this idea into action for my next international adventure as a way to more intimately connect with those I meet on the road. What do you think? Is this a bonus or does it interfere with your persona as a mysterious traveler?

photo by Julie Huck

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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.

Tour Divide Documentary

Check out this short teaser for an upcoming documentary from Mike Dion about the Tour Divide. It's a work-in-progress, but promises to capture the sublime struggle of the world's longest mountain bike race.

BTW, Matthew Lee finished the 2009 Tour Divide yesterday morning in first place.

Check out Aaron Teasdale's Tour Divide Photo Gallery featuring images from Day 1 of this year's race.

photo by Aaron Teasdale

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News, Networking, and New Media is written by Winona Sorensen, Adventure Cycling's media director, and appears weekly, highlighting cool media (articles, videos, photos, etc.) related to Adventure Cycling and bicycle travel.