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PLUS:

Mexico’S YUcatán PeninSULa

RoUghing it in tajikiStan WeiR in PoRtUgaL – PaRt 1

central america:

TouringGuatemala

GO THE DISTANCE. mArCH 2012 www.ADvENTurECyClING.OrG $4.95

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cyclistWaYPointS 8 geaRed UP 40 finaL MiLe 52

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44 annual reporT

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55 scene from The saddle

56 ridinG sweep

58 classifieds/markeTplace

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04 leTTer from the ediTor

05 leTTers from the readers

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d e pa r t m e n t s

07 companions wanTed

08 waYpoinTs

40 Geared up

10 cYcle The maYan kinGdom ... before iT’s Too laTe by Cara Coolbaugh Guatemela will test the mettle of both you and your gear. but it’s well worth the effort.

20 The wondrous YucaTán by Charles Lynch contrary to the fear others perceived, an american finds a hidden gem for bike touring.

26 TaJikisTan is for cYclisTs by Rose Moore if it’s rugged, spectacular bike travel that you seek, look no further than central asia.

34 wine of The people: pedalinG norThern porTuGal by Willie Weir along with his wife kat, the seasoned bicycle traveler finds a land of amazing variety.

is published nine times each year by the adventure cycling association, a nonprofit service organization for recreational bicyclists. individual membership costs $40 yearly to u.s. addresses and includes a subscrip-tion to Adventure Cyclist and dis-counts on adventure cycling maps. The entire contents of Adventure Cyclist are copyrighted by Adventure Cyclist and may not be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission from Adventure Cyclist. all rights reserved.

Our cOvercara coolbaugh encounters a missing piece of road in Guatemala. photo by cass Gilbert.

(left) local Guatemalans are sur-prised to see a female traveling by bike in their country.

missiOnThe mission of adventure cycling association is to inspire people of all ages to travel by bicycle. we help cyclists explore the landscapes and history of america for fitness, fun, and self-discovery.

campaiGnsour strategic plan includes three major campaigns: • creating bike routes for america • Getting americans bicycling • supporting bicycling communities

How to reach usTo join, change your address, or ask questions about membership, visit us online at www.adventurecycling.org or call (800) 755-2453 or (406) 721-1776

email: [email protected]

Subscription Address:adventure cycling association p.o. box 8308missoula, mT 59807

Headquarters:adventure cycling association 150 e. pine st.missoula, mT 59802

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a dV e n T u r e c Y c l i s T ma rc h 2 0 1 2 a dV e n T u r e c Y c l i n G. o r G 3

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a dV e n T u r e c Y c l i s T ma rc h 2 0 1 2 a dV e n T u r e c Y c l i n G. o r G4 a dV e n T u r e c Y c l i s T ma rc h 2 0 1 2 a dV e n T u r e c Y c l i n G. o r G 5

Yield not to temptationfor many years, i waved drivers through when i stopped at intersections.

That all stopped after reading about the liability i took on with that behavior. whether bicycling or driving a motor vehicle, the operator who waves another operator (or bicyclist) through then becomes responsible — and liable — if an accident occurs.

i appreciate the motorists who wave me through, especially when they are at a point at the intersection where they have no responsibility or traffic control device requiring them to stop when i have a traffic control device that requires me, as a vehicle (including bicycle) opera-tor, to stop. however, i still make sure i maintain eye contact with that motorist and check all other intersecting routes to ensure i can safely cross the intersection and maintain my responsibilities to yield to travelers from other directions.

Paul Lloyd-DaviesGreat Falls, Montana

australian updatei’m a member of adventure cycling, a devoted reader of Adventure Cyclist, and an everyday rider in sydney, australia.

Just for the record, australian cyclists took care of magda szubanski when she made her ill founded remarks in the heat

of an ad-libbed comedy segment which invites guests to make fairly outrageous comments in general. rather than being a ‘recent rant,’ it happened in 2009. australian cyclists immediately took her to task, she apologized and did, as you suggest, ride a bike. a quick Google search of ‘magda szubanski bicycle’ brings this news article from the event: www.theage.com.au/national/magdas-anticyclist-rant-sparks-chain-reaction-20091001-gcyf.html.

here’s a look at it is from a cyclist on an australian blog: ozsoapbox.com/cycling/magda-szubanski-apologises-will-join-ride-to-work-day.

and there were many other responses from local riders.

i’m not writing to defend magda, nor to even suggest she is back in the good graces of the local cycling community, just to say that your reference to the inci-dent was lazily incomplete — a useful illustration for your point perhaps but taken well out of context and mis-catago-rized as ‘recent.’

Elizabeth CageCroydon Park, New South Wales

Traffic regulations confusing, dangerous, and, possibly costlyreference recent only in geological terms

letter from the editor

tHe steady macHineThe more things change, the more one thing stays the same

on the moon. Think about that. from a 12-sec-ond, 120-foot flight to an extremely perilous expedition of approxi-mately 250,000 miles through the vacuum of space — and the key: the people returned safely to the earth. shortly after this, human space flight occurred regularly, mostly through nasa’s space shuttle program, and there is now a growing, albeit slowly, international space station orbiting the earth.

almost equally impressive, the french and the british developed the concorde, an amazing passenger jet that flew at twice the speed of sound for extended periods of time — longer than any mili-tary machines of the time.

sadly, for many, these achievements were not adequately followed up. we haven’t been back to the moon since the last apollo mission in 1972, and we seem to have come to the conclusion that robots will take over space explo-ration. The concorde has been retired and, although there are a few supersonic programs sputtering along, faster-than-sound civilian travel remains elusive.

although it’s so far short-lived, the 21st century has been interestingly slow in terms of groundbreaking advances. The century hasn’t started with near the bang of its predecessor, and humans seem satisfied to spend much of their time gawking at hand-held computers and informing the world about their every

mundane move. sure, hand-helds are amaz-ing machines in their own right, in many ways they are much more technologically advanced than anything developed during the apollo program, but they rarely push anyone beyond their boundries.

and then there’s our buddy the bicycle. developed in the 19th century and mass-produced in the 20th, it advanced very little technologically, especially in comparison to the previ-ously mentioned machines. but maybe slow and steady wins the race. concorde is retired. The shuttle program has been scuttled. what endeavors are there left to test human limits? sure, you could jump off mountains in a flying squirrel suit like dean potter, but you can count me out. but hop on a bicycle and ride across the u.s. or some other nation? sure. sign me up.

i recently read a short story titled “artie’s angels” by catherine wells in which a young man in a post apocalyptic world helps redeem downtrodden people by giving them bicycles that he has built. by riding bicycles, they are rescued from what seems to be a hopeless existence. it was during the author’s tandem bicycle tour of arizona that the seeds of the story were sown, more proof that bicycling is a cre-ative force.

michael demeeditor, Adventure [email protected]

The 20th century was a bustling innovative period for modern humans, full of monu-mental leaps in technology and thought. Thecentury started with the invention of successful human flight, and within 66 years the first people stepped foot

Your letters are welcome. Due to the volume of mail and email we receive, we cannot print every letter. We may edit letters for length and clarity. If you do not want your comments to be printed in adventure cyclist, please state so clearly. Please include your name and address with your correspondence. Email your comments, questions, or letters to [email protected] or mail to Editor, adventure cyclist, P.O. Box 8308, Missoula, MT 59807.

letters from our readers

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adventure

cyclist

D i s t i n c t i v e B i c y c l i n g Va c a t i o n s s i n c e 19 7 9

coRRectionS: february

a we misspelled Adam Coppola’s name, giving it one “p” and two “l”s (Copolla). Adam was the winner of our 3rd Annual bicycle Travel Photo Contest (page 52).

a On page 56, we stated that Deanna mcmillen’s bike trip ended in Jasper, wyoming. It should have read that the trip ended in Jasper, Alberta.

a Events we didn’t include (pages 33-35):

– berkshires to boston: Sept. 19-23, berkshirestoboston.com.

– Governor’s Autumn bicycle ride Across Kentucky (GAbrAKy): Oct. 4-7, gabraky.com.

– Trans New Hampshire bike ride, June 22-24, transhnbikeride.org.

– lobster ride & roll, June 21, bikemaine.org


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Support driver — West to east — Summer 2012retired 68-year-old male available to drive your support vehicle during the summer of 2012. would like to support an individual or small group on the northern Tier, western express, Transam, or lewis & clark bicycle trails. i have experience; i drove support for riders on the Transam in both 2008 and 2009, and i have ridden most of the adventure cycling cross-country routes on my loaded touring bicycle. available from may 15 to august 15. if inter-ested email [email protected].

vancouver to St johns — cross canada on may 1, 2012, i will start a four-month trip across canada as part of a sabbatical leave to learn more about rural communities in this country. The route is along the Trans canada highway with planned stops of two to three days in a rural community in each province. we will camp most of the time, carrying all our gear with the occassional hotel stay. i’m looking for cyclists from each province to accompany me for a few weeks at a time to help me learn more about their province. it will be an easy pace! if inter-ested email [email protected].

northern tier — east to West starting in new england. heading west in the spring and end-ing in Vancouver, bc or washington. averaging 50 to 100 miles per day, but this is my first tour and i’m not sure how it will be with all the weight. i’m a 25-year-old guy so i will be traveling cheap. This means camping for free and finding kind people who will loan their couch, but i plan on eating a lot! looking for a fun person for part or all of the trip. The only requirment is you must know how to draft. if interested email [email protected].

Seattle to key West retired businessman traveling by bicycle from seattle to key west, or reverse course, in mid may. Just touring america, seeing its people, and experiencing the freedom of the road. expect to travel 50 to 75 miles per day, depending on our experi-ences and sites we choose to see. looking to travel east to the mississippi, then south along the river, and east through florida to key west. This is only a suggested route. Those who travel as companions are free to suggest alternative routes. if interested email [email protected].

great divide Mountain bike Route a michigan couple, ages 52 and 46, are looking for another couple to ride the northern section of the Great divide mountain bike route. from banff, canada, to southern montana. we would follow a simi-lar route as described in michael mccoy’s book Cycling the Great Divide. we would do this during the summer of 2012. if interested email dan or kellie at [email protected].

Modified transamerica — West to east in 2012male (age 65) looking for companions. ideal group will be two to four people, self-contained, mostly camping, but flexible. The goal will be laid-back travel, but with a purpose (60 to 75 miles a day, depending on terrain, weather, and motivation). no drama, no bosses, no judg-ment — just fun, but with an objective. start on the northern Tier (anacortes), cross the north cascades to whitefish, drop down to missoula, pick up the Transamerica Trail, and head east. start in early June. if interested if interested email [email protected].

northern tier - 2012 west to east starting the end of July. mix of motels and camping.

looking to finish by second week of october. failed attempt of the northern Tier in may of 2010. did Transam in 2007 and loved it! if interested email [email protected].

australia 2012 — june through december i’m a 24-year-old male and i want to cycle australia in 2012, 14,000 kilometers over a period of six months. i have done two months cycling australia for fun but it was so awesome that it has turned into a bit of a dream to finish the ride from darwin on to perth, melbourne, sydney, brisbane, and cairns. The more people the better, for safety and fun. i’m on a budget so i estimate 4,000 aus dollars for the whole trip (20 dollars a day). if interested email [email protected].

oxford to kenya 23-year-old guy looking for some good company for an ambitious tour. i’ve split the tour into three legs and plan on spending approximately three months on each leg. first leg: oxford to albania (england, france, italy, Greece, albania — dalmation coast). second leg: Turkey to egypt (Turkey, syria, Jordan, israel. Third leg: egypt to kenya (egypt, ethiopia, kenya). i have kenyan con-tacts who run Jimba Gede primary school in mombasa that i hope to reach. if interested email [email protected].

companions wanted

Providing partners for tours, domestic and abroad, since 1978

Adventure Cycling Association assumes, but can-not verify, that the persons above are truthfully representing themselves. Ads are free to Adventure Cycling members. You can see more ads and post new ones at www.adventurecycling.org/mag/comp anions.cfm or send your ad to adventure cyclist, P.O. Box 8308, Missoula, MT 59807.

equinOxMany big changes now and ahead for Adventure Cycling

letter from the director

Talk about a pivotal moment, the spring equinox is it. most visitors who come to missoula enjoy our valley in all its lush, green grandeur, dur-ing the summer months. but those of us who live here know what a long,and often overcast winter we experience. even though i love winter, i can hardly wait for that day in march (this year, the 20th) when the light dominates the dark, and thoughts turn to extended bike rides, lazy days by (and in) the river, picnics,

wildflowers and … you get my drift.change is also happening big-time at

adventure cycling, and perhaps its big-gest manifestations are the people and our headquarters. i’ve already written

about our building’s new “west wing,” so suf-fice to say, it’s going up fast and beauti-fully. we’re still on track to re-situate staff and host cycling visi-tors in may (with a big party planned for July 6).

but the people! Talking with long-time staffer Teri maloughney, i reminded her that we now have 32 staff, a 50 per-cent increase over the last six years, and she took a deep breath, realizing what a cool and capable crew we have. in the last six months, we’ve brought in seven new people (some in existing positions, some in new spots), working on cartog-raphy, tours, information technology, development, publications, and media — all of it to provide you with the best information and inspiration to travel by bike.

other changes are also significant. last month, we unveiled our new

underground railroad detroit alternate route to major fanfare from the midwest to pennsylvania. i traveled for eight days in a row, meeting members, donors, the media, and public officials — and the excitement around bike travel was palpable. also nearing completion is a huge change in our northern Tier and lewis & clark routes. because of the oil and gas boom in north dakota, our current routes have become less safe for touring cyclists. so last year, we quickly dispatched a researcher who altered the two routes by hundreds of miles to pro-vide a more enjoyable riding experience (see page 56). in record time, these new routes (and maps) will be available in late may. Together, all these route additions and changes leave the adventure cycling route network at more than 41,000 miles, the largest mapped cycling system in the world.

i invite you to try out one of our routes — or one of our tours. another change we’ve seen is the surge in demand for adventure cycling tours. as i write this, we have surpassed 925 sign-ups — last year at this same time we were at 550!

so change is all around — and soon, montana’s changing days will match our mood and outlook — bright, sunny, and ready for bicycle travel!

Jim sayerexecutive [email protected]

New people and new routes to adventure …

www.MassBikePike.org

Back To The Berkshires With All New Routes

August 2 - 5, 2012

A seven-year veteran (Jim) with our seven newest staff members (left to right): Jim Sayer, Nathan Taylor, Arlen Hall (in back), Melissa Thompson, Rachel Stevens, John Eikens, Alex Campbell, Alison Riley.


News you can use from the world of bicycle travel by Michael McCoy

WayPointsExpedition cyclist Juan menéndez Granados of Pravia, a community located in Spain’s Principality of Asturias, has visited some of the world’s most remote places via two wheels — and not necessarily during the tourist seasons. For instance, he made an ice cross-ing of Siberia’s lake baikal, for which he received the Spanish Geographic Society’s “Trip of the year 2010” award.

Juan launched his life of adventure at the age of 14, when he traveled El Camino de Santiago in his home country. later he became the youngest person to complete a solo bike crossing of the Amazon basin; finished what he calls his most demanding journey to date: a coast-to-coast crossing of Australia; and took a leisurely spin (not!) — along the Canadian western Arctic Ice road.

most recently, Juan com-pleted a 2011 journey over the Pamir mountains of Tajikistan (which borders Afghanistan to the north). The Pamirs are among the least visited

ranges in the world. riding approximately 480 miles in three weeks’ time, he reached a maximum altitude of 15,300 feet while enduring night-time temperatures as low as 5 degrees Fahrenheit, and daytime temps typically a few degrees above freezing, not to mention suffering a several-day bout of digestive problems.

Juan says his primary goal in making the Tajikistan trip was to complete an expedi-tion in preparation for more ambitious future challenges. Hie is currently preparing for a Greenland crossing, and is writing a new book about psy-chology in extreme conditions.For more visit juanmenendez granados.com.

cyclinG witH tHe starsThe index reads like a who’s who of Hollywood stars from yesteryear. From beuatiful chic women like Grace Kelly and lana Turner to tough guys like Humphrey bogart and robert mitchum, they’re all here. what a trip down memory lane, not only in terms of the stars but the bicycles too — old Schwinns, Heros, bSAs, Shelbys — just about every machine under the sun.

many of the photos were taken purely for publicity as bicycles were somehow involved in the film they were promoting, like the photo of w.C. Fields with golf clubs slung over his shoulder and sails attached heading toward the ocean, but many were taken of these famous people actually riding their bikes for enjoyment. It’s hard to pick favorites, but mine might be of Paul Newman and Joanna woodward filming a bicycle-race scene from the 1963 movie A New Kind of Love.

Hollywood Rides a Bike was written (and the photos were collected) by Stephen rea, and the book was nicely designed by Any Inouye, both seen on bicycles in their back-sleeve biographies.

If you have a soft spot for stars and bicycles of the past, check this book out. It’s avail-able from Angel City Press (angel citypress.com, 800-949-8039) and costs $20.

TOUR d’AFRIQUE TURNS 10A decade of Cairo to Cape Town

10: Celebrating Ten Years of the Tour d’Afrique Bicycle Race and Expedition is a gor-geous new coffeetable book from the Toronto-based orga-nizers of that epic 7,500-mile journey. with a foreword by lonely Planet co-founder Tony wheeler and an introduction by Tour d’Afrique founder Henry Gold, the 252-page volume is vicarious adventure at its best, and is a book worth savoring and slobbering over. Plus they do something really cool on the cover with a pair of bicycle wheels.

Alex Kerr, writing for New Zealand’s Endurance maga-

zine, describes it like this: “The challenges the riders face as they cross the African conti-nent on their often brutal, four-month journey are described in amusing, no-holds-barred detail. The reader spends half

their time wondering why on earth anyone would take on such a quest and the other half wanting to join the adventure.”

So far, according to wheeler’s foreword, 616 indi-viduals have completed the ride, apparently sometimes on fat tires and other times on skinny — depending on the riding surface du jour. Once cyclists around the world get their hands on this book that number is likely to grow faster than ever. Priced at $80, including shipping and han-dling, the book can be ordered via www.tourdafrique.com.

SOUTHERN SUCCESSCoast to coast, the short waylast November, waypoints received this missive and pho-tograph from life member ray Hanson of lander, wyoming. ray was the leader of the self-contained Adventure Cycling group that traversed the Southern Tier bicycle route, setting out from San Diego on September 18 and finishing in St. Augustine on November 21.

“Hi! we arrived at Anastasia State Park near St. Augustine in the early afternoon. with smiling faces and shouts of joy, we rolled our loaded bikes across a few hundred feet of sandy beach to access the waters of the Atlantic Ocean.

A goal that seemed so far away just 62 days ago is now a reality. we pedaled over 3,100 miles to reach our goal of bicycle touring across the Southern Tier states. Although some of us are pretty darn tired, we all know the meaning of accomplishment — that is, setting a goal and sticking with it to the end.

“we endured some difficult weather: heat in the deserts of California and Arizona and also cold temps — I would never have thought that Florida would give us frost on our panniers and tents three times! we’ll travel back to our families and friends over the

next few days and re-enter the lives that we essentially put on hold these last two months. The support of our friends and family members is what gave many of us the strength to endure the hardships of long days in the saddle and some less than adequate accommo-dations and food. being thrust into a group of strangers that became a team with the same individual goal of completing this adventure was a very posi-tive experience for me. Over the coming weeks, months, and years, I’ll reflect back on the Southern Tier tour as a really enjoyable experience.”

BarnstOrm-inG iOwa“In 1940, miriam Taylor, the recreation leadership instructor in Iowa’s women’s Physical Education Department, was promoting American youth Hosteling (AyH). A 200-mile circle out and back to Iowa City had been set up with sleeping accommodations pro-vided along the route.”

So begins a letter titled “biking Iowa byways” recently posted in the Alumni memories section of the website of the university of Iowa Alumni Association. The dispatch came from Ann Hinkle Chaney of Peachtree City, Georgia, a 1941 Iowa graduate in physi-cal education. She continues:

“my friend, bette Embick Anderson … and I set out with a high school friend, Christine lindall butterfield, then work-ing in Chicago. we pooled our money to come up with a total of $26.50 to fund our week’s trip. with a late start on Day 1, we arrived at the Amanas in time for a family-style meal at 40 cents each. The Homestead overnight with use of our sleeping sheets cost 25 cents each. A coiled rope was by the window of our second-floor room in case of fire.

“The second night we slept in a clean chicken coop equipped with cots.

“On the fourth day, we were descending a steep grade when our friend from Chicago hit the gravel and skidded across the road. She was covered with road rash. we had to put her in the hospital overnight, which cost a huge $6.00. bette and I stayed at a nice hostel in a barn.

“bette now lives in bradenton, Florida, with her husband, Jack. She is the women’s golf champ at her club, where she won by shoot-ing her age, 78. Christine recently died of cancer. Her husband never let her buy a bicycle. I’m also 78 and keep active with aerobics, tennis, golf, and also biking.”

SOLO EXTREMESpaniard cycles the globe as adventure continues

Members of Adventure Cycling’s Southern Tier group of 2011 pose with wheels dipped in the Atlantic Ocean.

cycle the mayan kingdom … before it’s too late!

story by cara coolbaugh photos by cass Gilbert


if there was ever a good reason to pack your bags and go bike touring before the end of this year, it might it be this: the world is ending. according to apocalyp-tic storytellers, our planet’s destruction is scheduled for december 21, 2012, to coincide with the end-date in the mayan long count calendar. even if you don’t buy into this doomsday prophecy, it’s high time to hurry south to the rough-cut gem of Guatemala. while you’re there, be sure to check in on its neighbor, the rugged mexican state of chiapas. once part of the same great mayan kingdom, these two

regions share an undeniable natural beauty, intricate architectural structures, and simi-larly rich indigenous culture. miles upon miles of low-traffic roads and an abundance of off-road options make for nearly endless adventurous and affordable cycle touring. The caveat? be sure your gears are in good working order because i can promise you’ll

be needing them.as even seasoned travelers sometimes

do, i landed in heaving, chaotic Guatemala city and promptly paid an inflated gringo price for a direct bus to calm and colonial antigua. in an effort to get my bike-tour legs under me, i purposefully selected an uber-budget hostel, only to be assaulted by an army of ravenous bedbugs sometime after midnight. Thankfully, my riding part-ner cass Gilbert arrived the next morning to scoop me out of my culture-shock daze and catapult us on one of his typically demanding cycling adventures. but, before our wheels could get rolling, i had to get some actual wheels. along his journey south from alaska, cass had enthusiastical-ly tapped in to local bike culture whenever possible. in Guatemala he connected with mayapedal, a non-profit organization that not only renovates donated bikes to sell back to the community but also dreams up bicycle-inspired machinery — bicimachinas — to assist off-the-grid households. The coolest example by far is the Bicilicuadora, a pedal-powered smoothie maker, ideal for the country’s incredibly cheap and healthy tropical fruit — piles of vibrant mangos, papayas, bananas, tomatoes, and avocados garnish tables at every town market.

arriving at the mayapedal workshop in the ramshackle mountain town of san andres de iztapa, i was awestruck by the sight of hundreds of bicycles, dozens of oily parts buckets, walls of well-used tools, a bank of homemade workbenches, and a handful of eccentric volunteers tinkering away like santa’s little elves. during his

time here, elf cass had uncovered a very special steed from among a pile of cheap huffys: a circa 1996 mongoose steel-framed mountain bike. it was simple, durable, in good condition, and the perfect size for me.

an avid cyclist, i normally won’t leave home without my bike. but the mongoose’s $100 asking price handily beat the cost of a round-trip airline ticket for my trusty companion. plus buying locally meant that i’d be riding a steed that could be easily repaired at any of the hole-in-the-wall cycle shops peppered throughout Guatemala’s hills. eager to test my new wheels, cass and i packed panniers, loaded up, and took off on a shake-down ride in the mighty volca-nic hills behind mayapedal. as ever, i was thrown in at the deep end. cass’s morning loop began with, and sustained, one of the steepest climbs my legs had ever ped-aled. Thankfully, my new little mongoose behaved impeccably, and its modest cost seemed more in keeping with our humble surroundings. Guatemalans toiling in ram-bling cornfields stopped to wave and shout encouraging words as we slowly but surely progressed uphill.

maybe cass selected this particular ride because he knew that it would give me a good feel for what was in store for us. more likely, knowing cass, his penchant for riding off the beaten track meant rid-ing where there’s barely a track at all. in any case, it was a smart move because that morning climb calibrated my expectations and prompted me to pare weight from my luggage and fit a bigger cassette to the

bike. with a month to explore the mayan kingdom, our plan was to make a clock-wise loop through Guatemala and south-ern mexico on quiet back roads, passing through remote indigenous villages and taking on the mountains in our path.

i did mention this part of the world was hilly, didn’t i? To get a sense of the torturous terrain, think of a piece of green construction paper crumpled tightly in a ball, then stretched out slightly to form a west-east band. That’s the profile of the Guatemalan highlands — all ups and downs in impossibly steep relief. crossing north

into mexico’s chiapas, it’s like the paper’s edges stretch outward to reveal wider val-leys and softer climbs. circling east into the Guatemalan lowlands of petén, the sun’s constant heat is like a flatiron, leveling and scorching the area into dusty submission. continuing south back to san andres de iztapa, the humidity returns and mother earth crinkles the paper once again, form-ing push-inducing vertical climbs among volcanic mounds and lush jungle. mayan culture is as varied as this terrain with over 25 different tribes in Guatemala and chiapas, each speaking a different dialect.

picking up on the variations in color and style of women’s dress — women wear traditional clothes more often than men — is an easy way to identify transitions into new tribal areas.

as if the hills weren’t enough, shortly after departing mayapedal and skirting around the stunning volcanically formed lago atitlán, we realized we were in the eye of hurricane season. a freezing, inces-sant, and remarkably punctual deluge burst from the sky daily at 2:00 pm, wash-ing away roads, crops, and our hopes of riding some of the less hard-packed tracks.

too much of a good thing. Steep climbs and fun descents near stunning Lago Atitlan.

River crossing. Central America is criss-crossed by many rivers, like the Usumacinta, so be prepared to load many a ferry.NA

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Yet it was too early in the tour to give up the scheme of riding the “back route” from san pedro to Quetzaltenango (helpfully nicknamed “xela”). so after 60 hard miles in three long days — carrying our bikes over landslides, forging through snake- infested jungles, and pushing for hours up the steepest climbs imaginable — we reached xela momentarily triumphant. we subsequently resolved to take an easier route north into mexico rather than repeat (quite so soon) a neck-tensing, back-break-ing, pushing ordeal on the Guatemalan side of the border.

crossing into mexico, i couldn’t help wondering why the Guatemalan roads were so ridiculously steep. when travel-ing abroad, i’m always amazed by what people think is or is not rideable and generally possible. historically, mayans had certainly not shied from a challenge. They were known for innovating calendar systems and developing the first writ-ten pre-columbian language. They also built complex and spectacular temples that remain the visible legacy of the mayan civilizations which spanned thousands of years before the spanish conquest in the 16th century. Guatemala also embodies the impossible. fragility and inequality are part of its shadow and light composition, especially evident during its 36 years of civil war (1960-1996), which forced many people under the poverty line. people continue to fight for passage to a better life in the u.s. over 10 percent of Guatemala’s Gdp comes from money remitted back from migrants hard at work in the states. were the short, painfully sharp roads symptom-atic of a lack of resources? in time, would economic progress spur the construction of easier roads with longer but shallower inclines? or were the iconic chicken buses — lavishly repainted ex-u.s. school buses enjoying second lives in the fast lane thanks to supercharged diesel engines and fearless drivers — the Guatemalan answer to extreme terrain? it’s not surprising that pushing up silly-steep roads gives you time to ponder such questions.

as for the question of what was and was not rideable, we were beginning to get a feel for the local barometer. To fine-tune our route, we exhaustively canvassed each and every person we met. some folks seemed to take a conservative and protective approach, assuming our bikes and gangly selves were not up to much snuff. This view partly reflected people’s own experiences with bikes — the home-

grown models were not made for bone-shaking downhills and gravity-defying climbs. Then there was the other sort of person. The hearty, cowboy-boot-wearing, teeth missing, farmer/road worker/rick-shaw driver who — after giving our steeds the once over — had an intrinsic belief that our same gangly selves were invincible. so when the crooked old man with a soli-tary tooth promised, despite the swarm of frowning naysayers encircling cass at the ramshackle taxi stand in ocosingo, that “si,

hay paso” — the road was passable — what did we do?

we rode on.we allowed the breakfast delights of the

bustling ocosingo mercado — fresh papaya licuados and piping hot tortillas with beans — to delay us only briefly before riding into uncertain territory ahead. outside the prosperous town boundaries, a differ-ent scene began to unfold. chiapas is one of mexico’s richest states in terms of raw resources — including gas, oil, corn, and

coffee — yet similar to Guatemala, indig-enous communities had been systemati-cally neglected and lacked access to basic services and opportunities. in this environ-ment, a leftist people’s movement took root, inspired by ernesto “che” Guevara, then given a voice by subcommandante marcos. calling themselves the zapatistas, the group hit international news in 1994 when they led a gutsy protest against mexico’s sign-ing of nafTa. as we cycled past junctions, bus stops, and cafes in chiapas, we noticed

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Rough roads. Cara wheels along blending with the other traffic near San Andres de Iztapa.

Local tours available. Cara in front of a typical colonial building in Xela that now hosts local tour operator Monte Verde Tours.


the enduring political banners, spirited murals, and ideological signs rallying peo-ple to stand up against unrepresentative government. meanwhile, a few lingering encampments were conspicuous reminders of the mexican army’s swift response to the zapatista uprising.

but the current atmosphere was calm, reconciled, and, despite the intermittent pockets of kids yelling “Gringo!!,” the zapatista heartland was friendly and wel-coming for tourists. in fact we encountered kindness from a stranger that very night. The day’s riding hadn’t been too strenuous, but the route was longer than it seemed on the map and darkness was rapidly closing in. as we stood at the roadside wonder-ing if we’d make the next village before nightfall, the only vehicle we’d seen all day pulled to a stop beside us. waving, smiling, and calling out in perfect english, emidgo invited us to his home in the next village, monte líbano. The fact that he wasn’t even going to be there didn’t seem to be an issue — he promised his wife would be just as happy to take us in. indeed, we had a wonderful evening eating, conversing, and finally sleeping on the roof of their fam-ily home, surrounded by silent stars and rustling jungle foliage. Muchisimas gracias, emidgo.

The next day we woke early, mentally and physically prepared to tackle a mas-sive climb and cycle into the unknown. our map gave up on detail right around monte líbano. it had a vague dotted path leading up to blue lakes at laguna naja and a weak squiggle onward to sibal. still, we felt confident in our solitary-toothed muse and began climbing on an empty dirt track into the lacandon jungle, where the last direct descendants of the ancient mayans purportedly reside. isolated and conserva-tive as they are, the lacandon tribe would

be impossible to miss in their ankle-length white robes and untamed, uncut, black locks. The climb proved shorter and easier than expected so we decided to enjoy a lei-surely lakeside picnic lunch. but mosquito swarms and thick jungle foiled this plan. by chance, the alternative — plastic chairs outside a tiny, sparsely stocked shop —

proved a great place to admire the simple gowns and flowing hair of the lacandon men passing by. we didn’t linger for long, knowing the remainder of the ride could be a toughie. The landslide -— which had reduced traffic to nothing — could prove totally impassable for us too. even as we cycled through the last village before the slide, people were shaking their heads and muttering about impossible conditions.

undeterred, we rode on. after all the anxious anticipation, when we finally reached the loose, muddy slope piled high on top of the road, it seemed relatively harmless. lifting bikes onto our shoulders, we clambered two feet up, slid one foot down, then over and over until reaching the top, much to the amazement of the

crowd of onlookers. That molehill sur-mounted, we made speedy progress along new pavement all the way to bonapak, our last stop in mexico. That night, we endured one final bone-soaking, camera-destroying, campsite-flooding, sudden deluge.

The next day, we bobbed across the usumacinta river in a rickety boat, and almost immediately after re-entering Guatemala, the daily rains gave way to sear-ing heat and the smooth tarmac crumbled into dusty, bumpy track. for the next 100 sweaty miles, we couldn’t possibly take in enough water, ice cream, licuados, and agua de Jamaica (thirst-quenching juice made from water and hibiscus flowers), guiltily buying out dozens of small shops along the way from bethel to flores.

now at the halfway point in our loop, feeling parched and exhausted, we decided it was time for a short break. el petén region was the perfect place to rejuvenate. for a week, we concentrated on little more than swimming and sunning at pris-tine lake petén itzá, gorging on delicious organic food at finca isabel in poptun and

detouring to the backpacker paradise at the wondrous limestone bridge near semuc champey. we also explored the temples and pyramids of one of the most notable ancient mayan cities — Tikal — built up over a period of more than 1,000 years. each of these sights truly deserved the guidebook hype, and our tired cycling legs certainly appreciated the well-timed respite. as expected, as soon as we crossed into the rugged coffee-covered hills of the alta Verapaz, the challenging climbs and cool stormy weather began to crank up.

it’s not that we sought the most demand-ing routes possible, but it didn’t take long riding with fast, belching traffic outside coban — a bustling and rapidly grow-ing coffee town — before we hunted for a detour from the main drag. we took a chance turn onto a perfectly empty stony track which led us through deep river crossings and over huge summits before rejoining the main road miles later. buoyed by this lucky find, we couldn’t resist the temptation of unraveling one last mystery. would the thin line on our map over Tres cruces prove to be a passable — or impos-sible — apex to the off-road finale back south to san andres de iztapa?

we cycled enthusiastically through a few villages until we reached the last, seemingly dead-end town and “decision” junction. when we inquired about the faint track disappearing into the sheer face of the mountain ahead of us, we received a string of negative responses, heads shaking ada-

mantly. as luck would have it, at the last minute two cyclists — local guys out for a weekend spin — rolled up to the junction.

us: was there a road to Tres cruces and beyond? Them: Yes, but it’s steep!

figuring we were well acquainted with steep, we rode on. after a deceptively

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no Sag here. Expedition touring requires you have your own tools and know how to use them.

When traveling abroad, I’m always amazed by what people think is or is not rideable and generally possible.

nuts & bolts: guatemalaWhen to go: There’s a rainy (may to October) and a dry (November to April) season. December through February has the best weather for cycling. Try to avoid peak tourist periods around Christmas and Easter, and expect an overall influx of eclectic travelers this year due to the 2012 hype.

don’t forget: bug spray, rain jacket, and a set of fleece/thermal top and bottoms. weather is variable — mountainous locales arechilly at night, while lowland areas are buggy and muggy.

bike and roads: main roads in Guatemala are well surfaced but heavy with traffic. back roads range from newly paved and quiet to brutally steep

4-wheel-drive tracks. unless you’re seeking singletrack, a sturdy hardtail with no suspension is perfect. you can travel light, as food and accommodation are plenti-ful and cheap, and make sure you have a full range of gears!

getting there and around: u.S. citizens don’t need visas for visits of 90 days or less. Fly from the u.S. to Guatemala City and catch a bus out of the capital. Nearby Antigua makes a better, safer place to start/finish given the wide selec-tion of restaurants and accommodations. For inter-nal travel, local ‘chicken’ busses are cheap and will take bikes, however travel agents (found near hotels/hostels in most tourist towns) offer reliable and

easier-to-use transport options.

Maps and guidebooks:Cycle Central America by Ian benford (The london Press, 2004) details neat ride options and ITmb’s Guatemala (2005) and Central America (2007) maps are great. A standard lonely Planet/rough Guide guidebook is useful for food and accommodation suggestions.

don’t miss: Tikal and Palenque temple ruins; limestone pools at Semuc Champey; Catholic-Shaman fusion church at San Juan Chamula; Spanish School for one or more week(s) in Quetzaltenango (for serious students) or lago Atitlan (for a relaxed atmosphere and kayaking).


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straightforward beginning led us farther uphill than the point of no return, we fell into a familiar pattern of pushing, and pushing, and pushing for hours. at least our pushing muscles were well honed from many previous steeper-than-steep roads, and our minds were attuned to the rhythm of footfalls instead of pedal strokes. The handful of people we passed along the track shook their heads in disbelief, but they reinforced with a casual wave of the hand that Tres cruces was “just over there.”

with darkness falling and the summit still nowhere in sight, cass snagged a timely camp spot — the only relatively flat piece of hillside around — and we let our ach-ing muscles rest. on big climbs like this, i think to myself: be patient for the top and stay focused on where you are; it’s not over until you can go nowhere but down. early the next day we reached that point, marked by the Tres cruces cell phone tower, and i felt equal measures of victory and hunger! we scarfed a couple of stale muffins to tide us over until pachalum, a busy town at the

bottom of the climb, where we found what turned out to be the best pizza shop in all of Guatemala. having spent years working in the u.s. (like so many Guatemalans), the shop owner eagerly chatted with us, prac-ticing his english, while we devoured his delicious thin-crust ham and cheese pies.

with the final Tres cruces mystery solved, we unwound our tight and aching muscles on easy but busier roads for the final stint back to san andres de iztapa. battling once more with Guatemala’s con-gested traffic and speeding chicken buses

Up, up, and away. Cara climbs one of the many steep, muddy tracks that she and Cass encountered on their Guatemala adventure.

was a good reminder that our efforts to head into such challenging backcountry had been well worth it. although i never look forward to the end of a bike tour, i have to admit that the final hill up to mayapedal came with a sense of relief and satisfaction. my trusty local bike had done me proud! we celebrated our return with one last spin on the bicilicuadora and savored the banana-papaya smoothie that came as our reward. if you’ve got strong legs, a love of fruit and tortillas, and a pen-chant for riding mountain roads, there is an abundance of route possibilities through-out the mayan kingdom in Guatemala and mexico. Just get there soon before time runs out!

Cara is an avid adventurer, inspired to work on ways to improve global human health and well-being — and plans to bring her bike along for the journey.

Cass Gilbert is freelance cycling journalist and photog-rapher who is currently cycling south from Alaska. You can read more about his adventure on his blog at whileoutriding.com.

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it’s a balmy mid-march evening in Tulum, mexico, and i’m relaxing at an outdoor table under a full moon with a group of other world travelers. i haven’t yet unpacked my gear or

checked my bike box to make sure every-thing has arrived safely. for now, i just want to enjoy the good conversation and the smooth agave tequila being passed around. This hotel marks the starting point of my 16-day, 450-mile, solo bicycle trek to the southwestern Yucatán, an area that contains the largest and most dense forest remaining

on the peninsula. but something is bother-ing me. it’s not that i anticipate this trip will be particularly dangerous or even that dif-ficult. i have, after all, survived two other bicycle trips on this peninsula. This one, though, promises to be significantly more ambitious and challenging. i’m heading further off the beaten path, into the remote interior of the calakmul biosphere reserve, about which my online research has yielded only marginal travel information.

as i look around at the young group of travelers before me, i realize that i’m proba-

bly about 100 years older than anyone else. it’s not so much the age difference as the realization that i have considerably more at stake than i did when i was in my reckless and rambling youth. were it not for meet-ing my wife 28 years ago and benefiting from her vastly superior judgment, my life could have been a bucket of sour grapes rather than the richly nuanced bordeaux that it is today. everyone back home is con-cerned for my safety. my oldest daughter thinks that i’m in over my head and is sure that i’ll be robbed, abducted, murdered, or

worse. what could possibly be worse?when the conversation turns toward

me and the details of my trip, i cover my uneasiness by joking that my spanish is so bad that i might just spend all of my time here at the hotel drinking tequila instead of cycling. bana, the oldest and most experi-enced traveler at the table, speaks up. “hey, man,” he says, “You just gotta put yourself out there. Your spanish will improve as you go along.” i appreciate his encouragement. after months of planning, poring over maps and online searching, it’s time to sad-

dle up, man up, cowboy up, or whatever.The following morning, i reassemble

my bike and distribute all the gear into the proper panniers. except for an empty fuel bottle that Tsa has deemed a potential flight hazard, everything else is in good shape. without the fuel bottle, the stove is useless so i store it in the bike box which i’ll reuse when i return. even without the stove, my bike is comically overloaded. The bulk of the burden comes in the form of my photo gear, which occupies one entire rear pannier and weighs in at a hefty 25

pounds. The rest of the gear consists of a few items of clothing camping gear, bicycle repair tools and necessities, spare batteries, a journal, a couple of guidebooks, energy bars, and, of course, lots of water. i know that i’m overpacked, but who knows what lies ahead?

later that morning, i roll my trusty steel steed out into the open courtyard to begin my southward journey. The small group of people from the night before gather around to wish me well and regard the amount of stuff i’ve managed to stack on the bike.

The wondrous Yucatánstory and photos by charles lynch


it’s almost like a mini press conference with clicking cameras and many questions. everyone seems to be genuinely excited. Then i wave goodbye and wobble off down the road, half expecting my tires to blow out or the bike frame to collapse under the weight of its rider and gear.

although i’ve managed to put about 200 miles on my new novara safari tour-ing bike, it hasn’t yet been tested under the weight of a full touring load. The flex of the chromoly steel frame actually alarms me. it’s a completely different feel than my aluminum hybrid frame. but, as i grow accustomed to the flex, i notice how it also absorbs shock from bumps and small holes in the road, leading to a much more comfortable ride. i’m so pumped up over these small but delightful discoveries and the prospect of finally being on the road to adventure that, despite a late start, i cover the full 100 kilometers to carillo puerto by the end of the first day. arriving at the cen-tral plaza at dusk, i try to locate the hotel my guidebook recommends and suddenly discover that it’s the same one my son max and i stayed in on a previous bike trip six years earlier. already i’m missing everyone.

next morning, while continuing south on highway 307, i come upon a large bat-talion of workers and equipment busily engaged in a chip-seal operation. each time i return to the Yucatán, i see more and more road improvements. There are signs posted every few kilometers reminding drivers to stay alert at the wheel, to obey the speed limit, to maintain a safe distance between vehicles, and to keep the highway safe and secure by not littering. in addition, there are large billboards celebrating the region’s rich

mayan heritage and the prosperity it brings to mexico‘s citizens. Viva major! a better life! with all the signage and the robust, eight-foot-wide, paved shoulder for pedes-trians and cyclists, i feel completely safe. considering that this is the only highway between cancun to the north and chetumal to the south, traffic is surprisingly light and sporadic. often i ride in complete silence for several minutes at a time.

in the late afternoon, i reach the small town of los limones. There doesn’t appear to be any lodging in town so i ask the pro-prietor of a tienda (a small, locally owned general store found in even the smallest towns) if he knows of a place where i can spend the night. he calls across the street to a woman who leads me to a plain single-story building with weathered wooden doors and shutters. it’s muy basico (very basic) but clean and answers my simple

needs of bed, toilet, and shower. cost, $15. in the evening, i stroll over to a brightly lit steel structure where a group of adolescents are engaged in a lively pick-up game of soc-cer. i see many of these structures along the route, and, judging by their similar appear-ance, they seem to have been designed and constructed with government funds for the benefit of the community.

The next morning, i yearn to take the turn off east that leads to the secluded coastal fishing villages of majahual and xcalak. They’re located just south of punta allen, where i ended my last bike trip back in 2008. so many roads to explore but so little time to indulge in side trips. in the town of laguna bacalar, the site of the second largest freshwater lake in mexico, a refreshing light rain descends. i just make it inside the door of an internet café before the tempest strikes in full force. after assuring my anxious family that i’m still alive, i hop back on the bike in search of botadero san pastor, a rustic retreat men-tioned in my rough Guide book (i prefer this guidebook because it’s small enough to fit neatly into my panniers and it’s packed with essential travel details). it takes a few tries but i finally spot the small, hand-painted wooden sign that points down a narrow dirt road in the forest. when i break free of the trees, i am stunned by the sight of the sparkling turquoise and mauve waters. if it weren’t for the absence of white sand, i’d swear that i was somewhere along the ocean of the mayan riviera. i’ve never seen a freshwater lake bursting with so much color and natural beauty!

my screened wooden bungalow is only $7.50 a night. because the owner, armando, is on his way to town, i hand him $20 and ask if he would be kind enough to bring back some dinner and a six pack of beer. That evening, armando, his girlfriend maria, and his part-time helper Jagger, and i sit down to dinner. The conversation is in rapid español and it’s difficult to hold onto the basic thread — something about maria having the same astrological sign as liz Taylor and how the hurricane of 2008 destroyed many buildings along the lake but magically passed over this very site. Just outside the range of light that radiates from the lone candle on our table, an inky blackness blocks out the rest of the world, containing us in a separate time and space. it’s one of those magical moments that i instinctively realize will be one of the high-lights of this trip.

after taking some photographs along

the lakeshore the next morning, i sit down to talk with Jagger. he is young and pas-sionate about his music, earnestly explain-ing how the quiet solitude of this part of the lagoon inspires his acoustic guitar playing. i laugh out loud at a phrase he often repeats when describing the city and the life his friends and family always urge him to lead. “i don’t need! i don’t want! i don’t like!” he says with marked determi-nation. after two days of talking spanish with him, i feel the language barrier slowly beginning to lift. without the distraction of electricity or noisy generators, laguana bacalar is truly a captivating place. but, i must move on.

by late morning the next day, i reach the junction of highway 186 and head inland (west), away from the city of chetumal and the caribbean coast. almost immediately, the humidity and heat begin to press in. There is still a light ocean wind at my back, but the scorching sun is relentless and the heat is intensified by the blacktop. up ahead, a small family is selling fresh pineapple juice alongside the road, and i gratefully gulp down two large bottles. it is absolutely the most refreshing and thirst-quenching liquid i find on the entire trip. it seems, though, that i am now passing out of the rich agricultural area i first entered in los limones, and that change brings a halt to the fresh-squeezed juices.

in francisco Villa, i’m offered a free room by a woman who operates a small restaurant in town. i’m genuinely touched by her kind gesture, but the sleeping arrangements seem a little awkward. for the time being, i opt to bike down a side road to the ruins of kohunlich, a mayan city most famous for its surviving stucco masks. The guards here, while friendly enough, are unusually strict and won’t even allow a tripod or more than one cam-

era or lens, but they all get a big laugh out of my fivefingers footwear. late that afternoon, on the way back from the ruins, i stumble upon the all-inclusive, luxury resort of explorean kohunlich. after five days of hard riding and basic accommoda-tions, the thought of a big, clean, comfort-able bed, sumptuous food, and an open bar creates an avalanche of free-falling capitu-lation that i’m helpless to overcome. The irony of passing up a free room in town to spend $200 on a luxury resort isn’t lost on me. still trying to rationalize the expense while riding the next day, a whacked-out looney Tunes character pops into my mind. “humans is the cwaziest peoples!” he wildly exclaims. couldn’t have said it better myself.

now that i’m almost completely drained of cash, i am determined to reach the aTm in xpujil 60 kilometers west by nightfall the next day. in this part of the trip, i’m uncer-tain if i can find enough water and food to

sustain me until i can reach a large town. but small villages with formal-sounding names such as emiliano zapata and Jesus Gonzalez ortega keep turning up, enabling me to replenish liquids and snack on packaged goodies. i peddle onward into the rising heat, the old man and the bike, taking long breaks in the shade of the concrete bus shel-ters scattered along the way. Traffic is even lighter here than in the north. The few cars that whoosh past appear to be rentals from chetumal, heading toward the complex of ruins surrounding xpujil. There is a lot of strenuous up-and-down climbing now as i move out of the state of Quintana roo and enter campeche. The seven to eight liters of liquids i consume each day never seem to be quite enough.

That evening, after passing through a military checkpoint (be sure to leave your weapons and drugs at home, kids), i hear my right toe-clip scraping against the road. as i pull over to fix it, i get my first flat. it’s pitch

Standing on the shoulders of giants. Charles admires the ruins of Kohunlich.

“i don’t need, i don’t want, i don’t like.” Caretaker/musician Jagger strums his guitar.

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nuts & bolts: the YucatánSee: adventurecycling.org/mag/nandb


black now. The only light i can detect is from the town of xpujil, another five miles to the west. of course, now that i’m immobilized and in total darkness, i nervously recall a couple of bandito stories casually told by the travelers in the hotel back in Tulum. Trying to ignore my paranoia and the sinister figures lurking in the shadows of my imagination, i fumble for my headlamp and get busy finish-ing the repairs.

in xpujil, i’d like nothing better than to visit all of the dozen or so ruin sites but must limit myself to seeing only becán and chicanná in order to have enough time left to complete the rest of the trip. it’s one thing to read about these ruins and quite

another to stand among them. You can’t help but imagine the power and mystical appeal these massive structures once held over the general populace. This was a high-ly principled and structured society with strong religious beliefs, rich cultural tradi-tions, and complicated political alliances. it’s mind-boggling to contemplate the pos-sible circumstances that forced people of such a highly organized society to abandon these imposing sites and scatter into the surrounding forest.

on day 9, i’m back on the road again, heading west toward the town of conhuas. scores of black and yellow butterflies from the surrounding forest share the highway

with me. i’m now within the boundaries of the calakmul biosphere reserve, a huge swathe of land protected under federal law. i’m not sure what technicalities separate a forest from a jungle but the vegetation and deciduous trees here are more reminiscent of what i would describe as a forest. it’s steaming hot (mid-90s, i suspect), and i’m probably sweating out as much liquid as i can put in. The cold, sweet sodas and juices i find along the way are lifesavers.

after dinner in conhuas, i follow some hand-painted signs to some newly built palapas (thatch-roofed huts with stucco walls and cement floors) in the backyard of a local family. it’s so hot and humid that even with the room fan going full blast, i can’t sleep. off in the east are flickers of lightning and the faint rumble of thunder. finally, the storm’s cooling breezes and refreshing moisture bring relief and much needed sleep.

i’m now in striking range of the calakmul ruins, the crown jewel of the mexican mayan empire and my final des-tination. i locate the Yaax che campground listed in the rough Guide the following morning and set up a base. There is no elec-tricity here but there are primitive toilet and shower facilities, and the proprietors offer simple meals cooked over open fires. it’s still another 57 kilometers to the ruins, and there are no services or natural water-ing holes beyond this point.

a raucous family of howler monkeys sounds the campground alarm early the next morning. leaving some of my gear at the tent site, i point my bike south down the thin ribbon of paved road that cuts through the thick forest. by the time i reach the ruins, it’s mid-afternoon. i’m tired and nearly out of water but satisfied to have officially reached the ending point of the bicycle journey. walking around in the late-afternoon light, i spot howler and spider monkeys, ocellated turkeys, a group of five or six collared peccaries, and, on the way back to the campground, i have an improbable sighting of señor de la selva himself — jaguar, lord of the jungle! i snap a quick photo just before he slips away into the deep shade of the forest. even though he appears as only a speck in my viewfind-er, enough physical detail exists to prove to everyone back home that i haven’t just taken a picture of someone’s pet dog.

That evening, new visitors enter the campground, a mother and son from russia who speak almost perfect english. as we become acquainted, they graciously offer

to drive me to the ruins in their rental car the following morning. sergey, the son, is an archeologist working at a mayan site near oaxaca. calakmul just happens to be his area of study. he’s a wealth of knowl-edge, explaining the significance of mayan

names and dates and pointing out architec-tural details. The site, though, is so enor-mous and imposing, the flora and fauna so rich, and my body and mind so worn out from the long journey that i’m content to just wander in this incredible place.

i spend my last day hiking around the trails near the campground, climbing a 30-meter wooden tower that overlooks the forest canopy, and turning over rocks looking for scorpions, spiders, and snakes — things i did as a kid growing up in the woods of new Jersey. Then, all too soon, it’s time to bike back into xpujil where i will board a bus for Tulum and the long-awaited reunion with my wife, ursula. we have a romantic rendezvous scheduled along the sandy, white beaches of the riviera maya.

There’s no doubt that this bicycle adven-ture has been physically demanding (i’ve shed over 10 pounds!), but my mind is clear and my spirits buoyed. each return visit to this peaceful peninsula brings renewed appreciation for its amazing natural beauty and rich archeological heritage, which is why i continue to be perplexed by the absence of bicycle tourists. in my three vis-its here, i have met only one other cyclist. in ending this journey, i feel as if i have planted the seeds for another.

Charles Lynch lives in Fort Collins, Colorado. The semi-retired father of six is a published writer/photographer and adventure cyclist. For more information about cycling the Yucatán, you can email him at rimrock [email protected].

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Rule the airwaves. Watching wrestling, fútbol, or soaps is popular at village tiendas.

time travel. Charles rides past the ruins of Chicanna, where he was allowed to ride his bike.

it’s early July in the no man’s land between kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, and we’re trying — without success —

to outrun a snowstorm. This is what they mean when they say weather can change quickly in the mountains. an australian, i’m horrified and try to persuade my hus-band marcin to hide under a bridge until summer begins in earnest. he is polish and commands me to ride on.

it’s the beginning of one of the most arduous and spectacular sections of a trip from Japan to poland, which is now into its eleventh month. unfortunately, we have also not been able to cycle for the last six weeks due to mechanical problems (a bro-ken rim) and the exigencies of the central asian visa process.

so we are setting out in a snowstorm, carried by four spindly underworked legs, to take on the pamir plateau. we are con-cerned about our ability to manage the altitude after getting sick on a 4,280-meter pass in china, and we have just passed the point of no return — the kyrgyz border post is behind us, and a 20-kilometer climb awaits us before we cross the kizil art pass (4,280 meters, again) and enter Tajikistan proper.

we have been obsessively researching the pamirs for months, peculiarly deter-mined to ride here after reading a number of accounts of the suffering it entails. we are under no illusions that we will enjoy something that has caused others great pain. we expect it to be one of the jewels of our journey, and we expect to enjoy it most in retrospect.

This beginning then is more or less con-gruent with our expectations. i take a grim satisfaction in this as we pitch the tent in a sheep pen 10 kilometers before the pass for an extra night of acclimatizing. Tomorrow we will be on the pamir plateau, and because we will not descend much below 4,000 meters for the next week, we are erring on the side of caution. rather i am taking on the role of acclimatization nazi

Tajikistan is for Cyclistsby Rose Moore


and demanding that we stop after only 35 kilometers of riding. it’s also my birthday so i’m exercising my rights.

it snows off and on throughout the afternoon, interspersed with periods of blazing sun. sometimes both occur simulta-neously. marcin cleans my chain for me as a birthday present, and we eat a birthday meal of canned luncheon meat boiled up with potatoes in a yoghurt sauce. it con-tinues to snow throughout the night. we scare each other by speculating that the car that has been stopped on the road below our camp for several hours belongs to a gang of ruthless drug smugglers. Tajikistan, thanks to its long and porous border with afghanistan, is one of the world’s major opium conduits. This is not acknowledged among the people in Tajikistan themselves — we will later hear somebody claiming in all seriousness that the glut of luxury cars on the streets of dushanbe is due to the fortunes that are made selling Tajik water-melons in the russian port of murmansk.

in the morning, it snows more. i grind my teeth — enough is enough. but then it suddenly clears to a bright blue morning, and we’re on our way to the pass. as we leave our camp, a battered lada passes us, leaning crazily to one side on the decrepit road, the driver peering through a shat-

tered windscreen. it’s a moment worth noting because we won’t see another car all day — the recent upheaval in osh, a large city in southern kyrgyzstan means that this remote highway is being used even less than usual.

it takes us almost two hours to ride to the pass on a sticky red road that is washed out in many places. it gets harder and hard-er to get enough oxygen, but having expe-rienced the pounding headaches and queer sensations that indicate real problems with altitude, we are relieved to find that we are only gasping like a pair of emphysemics.

after border formalities, (our details are written in three ledgers and we are asked

belligerently what we want by an old man doing a crossword under a sleeping bag in a shipping container, who is presumably one of the border guards), we are finally in Tajikistan. There is a great mingling of trep-idation and excitement as we bump down

a wide, dry valley on a washboard road, enveloped in desert silence. we are heading for the town of karakul on the shores of a lake created by a meteor impact millennia ago, but there’s another 4,200-meter pass to cross before we get there.

it’s a perfect afternoon for riding — the sun shines, and the wind (which will tor-ment us ceaselessly in the coming days) is giving us a friendly push from behind. There is no traffic whatsoever and no sign of human habitation. it’s just us under a huge sky with snowcapped peaks in all directions. it’s awe inspiring and not a little terrifying, and we feel a slight relief when we meet a group of four cyclists coming in the other direction.

This will become the norm for us as we are heading the wrong way, and Tajikistan’s growing popularity with european touring cyclists guarantees a steady flow heading east from early summer onward. many of these cyclists are swiss, thanks to the strong development links between the two coun-tries that exist partly because the aga khan (the supreme leader of ismaili muslims, which has a strong foothold in the pamirs) was born and raised in switzerland.

but this is the first of many encoun-ters with fellow riders, and we exchange information with gusto. in an inversion of the desire to shoot the messenger, we feel especially fond of them when they tell us that we are more or less on the second pass for the day. it turns out that we have descended so little, or climbed so gradually, that we are almost at 4,200 meters again. soon after leaving them, we crest the uy bulak pass and see the heart-stopping blue

nuts & bolts: tajikistantime of year to go: Summer! between early July and late September is best — outside these times, be prepared for bitter cold.

Special equipment to bring:This is not a trip to take lightly. Proper preparation and research is crucial. windproof, waterproof and warm clothing is essential, even in summer, as is camping equipment, including a stove and some way of purifying water . bring anything which may be needed to repair your bike- spokes and a Pamir hyper-cracker deserve particular men-tion on rough roads. If you run into mechanical difficulty and have to abort your ride, you may wait some time for a vehicle to pass, and chances are it will be packed to the rafters when it does.

visas and permits: To travel in the Pamirs you will need a Tajik visa and a permit to travel to the Gorno-badakhshan region of the country (GbAO permit). A tourist visa can be received at the airport when arriving in Dushanbe by plane, though some nationalities need a letter of Invitation to make use of this service. There is also a Tajik embassy in New york. Some embassies issue the GbAO

permit with the visa, otherwise it can be obtained from vari-ous travel agencies online or in Dushanbe. many travellers rec-ommend Stantours (stantours.com) for their prompt responses to email queries and their impar-tial advice. Note that if you are entering from Kyrgyzstan by land, you need to have all this documentation in advance in order to enter the country.

getting there and away: From Europe, the cheapest air-line is Air baltic (airbaltic.com) which flies from most major capitals to Dushanbe via riga. There are no direct flights from North America. round trip flight with Klm and Air baltica via Amsterdam and riga from New york will cost about $2,900.

Route: From the the Tajik/Kyrgyz border to langar on the Afghan/Tajik border.

Maps: The favourite is the marcus Hauser map of the Pamirs, available in Khorog and murghab, or online from gecko maps.com.

accommodations: At a pinch and with some research you might do this route without a tent, but bear in mind that the Pamir Plateau is very sparsely

populated and prone to extreme weather. If you need shelter in a hurry, only your own tent can guarantee it. There are no hotels in the Pamirs — paid accomoda-tions take the form of home-stays, which on our route can be found in Karakul, murghab, mamazair, Alichur, and langar.

food: Food in the Pamirs is very basic and you would be wise to carry several days’ worth for most of this route. The lonely Planet comments that food is ‘unlikely to be a high-light’ of your trip to Central Asia and the Pamirs are a perfect example of this. Expect to find the sight of a vegetable a rare and lovely thing. If you are com-ing specially to ride the Pamirs, it would not be excessive to bring some dehydrated meals from home with you. The bazaar in murghab provides an oppor-tunity to restock — you can find staples like pasta and canned fish, as well as some fresh food and snacks. There are shops in langar and Alichur, with a lim-ited selection of foodstuffs.

Water: Easy to find, especially early in the summer when the snow melts. However, there are sheep and other animals (besides humans) on the pla-teau and you will need to carry

either a filter or iodine for puri-fication unless you fancy end-less boiling or the possibility of explosive diarrhea.

transportation: To get to the Pamirs, unless you fancy the long route from China or Kyrgyzstan, the best start is by jeep from Dushanbe to Khorog. (you can also ride this section in 5-10 days). From here you can begin to ride either on the Pamir Highway or up the wakhan valley. Transport from Khorog further east is patchy and depends on the vehicle being full — the other option is to hire your own car and driver to take you to wherever you want to start your ride.

Web: rose has written exten-sively about her journeys at cra-zyguyonabike.com/search/?query=rose+moore&type=all

the travelling two: An excellent resource for people interested in bicycle travel, they focused their “10 Questions” segment on the Pamir Highway at travellingtwo.com/resources/10questions/pamir- highway.

glorious gateway. Rose poses before a small ramshackle village in Tajikistan.

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into the pamir river Valley on the afghan border, will become much more difficult. we also have to stock up at the bazaar as we expect to find no food for at least two days after alichur, where we will turn off the pamir highway and onto the remote

jeep track that leads over the pass. buying food in the bazaar (an assortment of ship-ping containers strung out along the river) and finding some petrol for our stove takes us most of the afternoon. The petrol sta-tion doesn’t sell fuel because it has all been

stockpiled by the locals, so we end up buy-ing some from our homestay family.

in the morning, we ride off in the direction of alichur, battling a headwind that has by now become constant. we ride all day, stopping only to refuel at

®PLANO/POWER HYBRID EYEWEAR

expanse of karakul beneath us. it has been a worthy first day of cycling in Tajikistan.

over the next few days, we fall into a rhythm. we get hungry, we get tired, we get sunburned, and hot and cold. There is a lot of heavy breathing of a non-erotic vari-ety. we cook up meals on our camp stove, which we would not touch under other circumstances, and eat them with gusto. we learn that lentils will not cook at 4,300 meters ( the boiling temperature of water is too low). we cannot stop marveling at the high-altitude light, the mountains, and the

wide expanse of sky. we sleep like stones.after a day’s ride from karakul — part

of it a long and gradual climb on an awful road into a raging headwind — we camp at the foot of the ak-baital pass. This is the highest pass on the pamir highway, and it marks both a mental and physical watershed for us. we both secretly think

that it will be all downhill from here to poland. it’s obviously a moronic idea, but it cheers us up. neither of us will confess to it until later.

in the morning, we climb the pass, a short stiff climb, wheezing as usual. on top, marcin wants to stop and “soak up the atmosphere” of this significant location. we hide behind a rock to avoid the wind and find a desiccating turd in our mystical haven.

my brake mounts are broken after suf-fering a mysterious blow and the brake

pads shift around in an unnerving manner, so i try to brake gingerly when necessary and not at all when possible. in this man-ner, we enjoy a fine descent from the pass toward murghab and a rest day. it is here that my left brake mount gives way entirely and falls off the bike. luckily i’m not rid-ing it at the time and even more luckily,

the son of the family who runs our home-stay finds the missing piece of the mount, which has fallen off in the barn. he man-ages to screw it back on with a long screw he has lying around.

it’s a stressful way to spend our day off because without front brakes, our next stage over the karghush pass and down

all downhill to Poland. Marcin descends one of the many long passes the couple rode over in Central Asia.

It’s a perfect afternoon for riding — the sun shines and the wind is giving us a friendly push from behind.


a rest. as it turns out, this day will be one of the most beautiful rides we have ever had, sandy road notwithstanding. we have spectacular views of the pamir river and, later in the day, the hindu kush. we stop again and again to take photos, and a number of times tourists in jeeps poke their cameras out the window and photograph us. it provokes a private glee as we pedal along insouciantly, pretending it’s easy.

it’s only when the forgotten smell of grow-ing things pervades our nostrils that we real-ize how barren the landscape has been since we first climbed above the tree line almost two weeks ago. we are off the plateau and by the time we finish our day, we will be below 3,000 meters for the first time since arriv-ing in Tajikistan. as we descend toward the haven of langar on a bed of fist-sized rocks, the green banks of the pyanj river beckon-ing, we declare ourselves satisfied with the eastern pamir and look forward to follow-ing the river west (and downhill, of course) toward poland.

Rose Moore is an Australian who currently lives with her husband in Warsaw. The trip through Tajikistan described in this article was part of a longer trip from Tokyo to Warsaw. More can be read about that trip at crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=1&doc_id=5756&v=18K.

the mamazair homestay where we are fed potatoes and macaroni with a bowl of yak cream as a side dish. The owner of the homestay lives here year round (it’s about 4,000 meters above sea level and right in the path of a whistling wind), and it’s his job to keep the nayzaytash pass open. he

keeps a herd of yaks and has a number of windburned offspring who make them-selves useful cooking bread (the girls) and taking care of the animals (the boys.) we try, and fail, to imagine what it would be like to pass a winter here — temperatures down to -40 degrees celsius and that inces-

sant wind.The incessant wind, we will be remind-

ed, is not only a feature of the winter months. it hits us in the face as we cross the nayzaytash pass and start to ride down the alichur Valley. knowing the road was good, we had hoped to make it all the way to alichur, but we eventually give up after 87 kilometers and set up camp on a yurt site that is still not inhabited. in the morning, we meet the owner of the not-yet-erected yurt, who has spied us from afar and come to invite us for a cup of tea. he is setting out to walk to alichur, another 20 kilometers down the road.

we aren’t far from the beautiful akbalyk spring, and in the morning we stop off at the tiny restaurant there for some fried fish. we fill all our water bottles and our water bags from the spring. we have heard there is no water between alichur and the pass.

The wind mercifully has not picked up, and as we turn for karghush, we find that we are somewhat sheltered. we’re heading south through a valley on a road that — we are gratified to find — is every bit as horrible as we have been led to believe. it is not only corrugated but also very sandy, and as the afternoon proceeds, it becomes steep as well. we stop for lunch at a salt lake populated by birds and some sort of red shrimp. when the wind blows, a putrid smell drifts toward us. and this is not even “stinky lake,” which we have already passed on the highway.

as the afternoon wears on, we climb and climb on the bad road. The pass is at 4,344 meters, and we don’t reach it until late in the day. it has been one of the hard-est rides so far — we have estimated 21 kilometers from highway to pass from our map, and when it turns out to be 22, the final kilometer seems eternal. but then a view of the magnificent koh-i-pamir range in afghanistan opens up before us and we are rocketing downhill to the police checkpoint at karghush in beautiful late-afternoon light. we are slightly apprehen-sive, having heard that the soldiers here have a reputation for robbing people, but we pass the checkpoint without even stop-ping and ride on until we are out of sight before pitching camp beside the pamir river. afghanistan is on the other side, and afghan dogs bark all night.

in the morning, it’s hard to move. i am tired enough to cry because i drop our spoon in the sand and can’t find it. on the other hand, we are only 60 kilometers from langar and have promised ourselves

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+PHOTO: COLIN MEAGHER

not your koa. A stone wall on a high pass provides just enough refuge for the campers.

The air is cold and scented with pine.

we exhale visible puffs of vapor. The road is steep, steep enough that we wish the engineers had put in a few more switchbacks instead of angling straight up the mountain pass.

we summit, breathing, no, wheezing heavily, our hearts thumping in our chests.

The view takes the rest of our breath away — jagged peaks above and a road winding down through a perfectly formed u-shaped glacier valley.

we bundle up and glide for the next 15 kilo-meters. flanked by sheer rock walls to our right and the glacial zêzere river to our left.

our faces are numb from the decent, making smiling

difficult, but we manage.our effortless descent is

interrupted by a traffic jam of sheep and goats. They are prod-

ded forward by an energetic shep-herd and the mellowest sheep dog

we’ve ever encountered. his master is doing all the work. he’s not just call-

ing and yelling. he whistles, he chirps, he mimics the bleats of goats, the baas of

sheep, the sharp call of a hawk. These are sounds we are certain he learned from his

father, passed on from his great-grandfather.we slowly pass through the flocks and continue

down the winding road. The tinkling bells on the necks of the animals, like a thousand distant ice cream carts, slowly fade away.

This is my vision of portugal, for now. Tomorrow it will change, as it will the next day.

for a small country about the size of the state of indiana, portugal packs in an incredible array of travel wonders — glacial valleys, meandering rivers, stately vineyards, olive groves, ancient for-

tresses, charming cities, coastal cliffs, and sandy beaches. it’s as if you took an entire continent and squeezed it with an enormous vise.

because of its small size, portugal is often an afterthought, an add-on to a larger european bike tour. You could pedal across it, from west to east, in a couple of days and be onto your next european country if you wished. if you resist that temptation and linger, portugal will reward you for it.

small can be an incredible advantage. imagine if, in the midst of a bike journey across the u.s. (let’s say you’re in south dakota), you turned to your travel partner and suggested you head back to the west coast because the weekend weather report looked favorable. Your partner would most certainly suggest that you have your head examined.

and yet that is entirely logical in portugal. weather looking bad up in the mountains where you are pedaling near the spanish border? Just head west, you’ll be at the coast in no time. You could soak up some sun on the beach and then pedal back up into the mountains.

if you glanced at the map of our route through portugal, you’d swear we were in a constant drunken stupor or that we just couldn’t make up our minds. in two and a half months, we crossed portugal no less than six times as we meandered our way from north to south.

my partner kat and i began our journey in madrid, spain, and entered portugal’s northeastern border on september 19.

i’m not sure if it’s because we are getting older, or wiser, or older and wiser, but we are slowing down. it takes an entire day to travel 40 or 50 miles when you linger over a bottle of wine for lunch or get invited to join the local work party.

west of the city of bragança, after stopping to feast on some ripe figs hanging over the narrow two-lane road, we came upon a group harvesting grapes. The owner, we assumed, a young man with frosted hair and clean hands, was overseeing the picking. he seemed uninterested in the traveling cyclists. but the moment we asked him about his land, he came to life and was delighted to answer our questions.

The workers, about 20 men and women ranging in age from 18 to 50, were hunched over with hand pruners, chatting and laughing as they clipped bunches of grapes. They filled smaller plastic bas-kets that were dumped into larger baskets, where the burliest men then hoisted and dumped them

POrTuGAl - wIllIE wEIr - 1

Wine of the People: Pedaling northern Portugal

by Willie Weir


into the metal containers on an old tractor trailer.

The owner filled one of our water bot-tles with last year’s wine. These grapes wouldn’t make it into a bottle with a label at the market or wine store. This was wine of the people, stored in huge glass bottles protected by a woven plastic mesh.

“do you want to try?” the owner asked. he handed me a pair of clippers.

why not? for the next 15 minutes, i clipped away. he said i was very good, very fast. of course, everyone around me had already been working for seven hours.

each worker would be paid 14 euros for a full day’s work.

The tractor driver, a ruddy-faced, bar-rel-chested man with a beaming smile, pointed to a crate of grapes and insisted that we take them all. i’m not sure how he expected us to pack 25 pounds of grapes onto our bikes.

we thanked the landowner and the workers for their time and gifts. i reached up to shake the hand of one of the men on top of the large metal containers heaped with grapes. his hands being dirty, he offered me his elbow.

i shook my head and grabbed his hand. it

was sticky with a mixture of soil, sweat, and grape juice. he laughed and squeezed hard.

The wine of the people that we drank

from our water bottle was not subtle or refined or worthy of a rating. it was tangy and a bit sour. but it was wine with a story and a handshake, and we loved it.

This was our first western european bike trip, and we were concerned that we would blow through our budget. portugal is surprisingly affordable, and wild camp-ing is a breeze. outside of the major tourist areas, if there isn’t a fence around it, you can camp there.

we camped near vineyards and under eucalyptus forests. we pitched our tent in meadows and woke to the sounds of herds of sheep and friendly shepherds. when we wanted a shower, we camped at one of the many municipal campgrounds for 5 to 10 euros. They were clean and virtually empty because we were cycling outside the peak season. and when wild camp-ing or campgrounds weren’t available, we knocked on a door and asked if we could camp on a farmer’s property or in a family’s garden.

The money we saved allowed us to splurge on hotels. portugal’s main cities are easy to access by bicycle. we pedaled into and out of all of them. The northern-most coastal city of porto was a breeze.

our coastal road turned into a bike path, which connected to a grand pedestrian and bicycle boulevard.

we grabbed a cute little room the size of a small ship’s cabin near one of the main squares. There wasn’t a place for our bicy-cles in the room, but the proprietors were more than happy to allow us to lock our bikes to the banister of the staircase leading up to the front desk.

This allowed us to set off on foot along the cobblestone streets and explore the main boulevards and back alleys. we strolled through art galleries and gardens, walked along the waterfront, and stopped more than occasionally in the pastry shops. The university was just beginning its fall classes, and large groups of students in traditional black capes paraded around the city, often stopping to sing or chant (all part of the initiation for the incoming class).

we walked over the bridge across the rio douro and explored the wine lodg-es on the opposite bank. we tasted the bright ruby ports and the aged and earthy tawny ports, all made from grapes grown in demarcated vineyards far up the douro.

after four glorious days in porto, it only

seemed appropriate to pedal up to those vineyards and see where our port wine had begun.

The road winds its way upriver, some-times near the edge of the bank of the douro and sometimes leaving it for long climbs to scenic vistas.

but we hit the first cold rains of the season and hunkered down in our tent for 36 hours, during which time we celebrated

kat’s birthday (timing is everything!).but the following morning brought clear,

cold blue skies and we pedaled through the peak of fall color, traversing endless miles of vineyards that dripped with fruit. we were surrounded by screaming red and yellow leaves.

as the sun approached that low angle in the sky and we begin to scan for a place to camp, a voice called out. it was hard to find C

AS

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NE

See: adventurecycling.org/mag/nandb

nuts & bolts: Portugal


the person attached to it among the vast rows of grapes. a cap, a smile, and a wave drew our attention to an old man peeking above huge rows of grapevines.

within minutes he had clipped off bunches of no less than seven varieties of grapes and displayed them for us to try. he was giddy with excitement over sharing his harvest with two cycling strangers. we tasted tiny, almost clear grapes; light green grapes the size of your thumb; and others the color of a rose petal.

They were all sweet and delicious, but one dark-blue/purple grape was the single best grape i’ve ever tasted. it was earthy, robust, and complex. it didn’t need to be made into wine. it had already achieved greatness.

we camped next to those grapevines and watched the sunrise light up thou-sands of acres of vineyards in the douro Valley. This was wine country’s version of a new england fall.

we coasted down toward the douro river on a magical ribbon of road. not a single vehicle passed us.

our time in northern portugal was spent on over a thousand miles of beautiful low-trafficked roads that were eerily quiet at times. so were many of the small villages we passed through. at times we wondered whether entire villages had decided to go on holiday together. where were the peo-ple? especially the younger people?

Then i remembered one of the first con-versations i’d had in portugal.

it was in miranda do douro, just across the border from spain. hotels were run-ning for 30 to 50 euro; the municipal camp-ground was five.

but this wasn’t your average municipal campground. This one sported a stunning view of the town’s cathedral. it was only a 10 minute walk from the town center.

The young woman who checked us into the campground quickly switched to english when she found out we didn’t speak portuguese.

i went back to the office after i’d set up our tent. i wanted to know her story.

her father, like most of the men of his generation, didn’t go to school beyond the fourth grade. he had to work in the fields. sometimes the family had to travel beyond portugal to find work.

she, on the other hand, had graduated from high school and gone on to get her masters in zoology and animal science. The future looked so much brighter for her generation.

Then the economic crisis hit — and it hit hard in portugal. Job opportunities disappeared as fast as the buyers for all the new homes now sitting vacant across the country.

she’d heard there was possible work in angola, and she thought of going there. but she’d rather not leave portugal to look for work. a twist of fate found her in the same position her father was in, except she had an advanced degree and the debt that went with it.

she tries not to dream too big these days. it only depresses her. life goes on, and you hope things will change, she said. an entire generation’s hopes and dreams have been put on hold.

she’d love to make enough money to travel the world, but you can’t do that behind the desk of a municipal camp-ground.

“do you know how fortunate you are to be traveling the way you do?” she asked.

i changed the subject.we chatted some more, and i had to

apologize for my entire country when she mentioned a recent report in which an embarrassing percentage of americans identified portugal as a city in spain.

“americans don’t get out much,” i joked.Then it was time for me to go. she

needed to check in a french couple in a camper trailer.

i walked back to our tent. kat and i gazed at the cathedral up on the hill bathed in the orange glow of the sunset and won-dered if we’d ever truly understand just how fortunate we are.

Willie and Kat’s adventure will pick up in Lisbon and head south in the July issue of adventure cyclist.

www.co-motion.com • (866) 282-6336

Dreaming of Summer?We are too...


GEArED uP - 1

Geared Up

cyclinG stuff fOr sprinGby Mike Deme

Lazer Sphere ($99, lazersport.com)

ever since i changed my photo on the letter from the editor page, i’ve been getting emails asking me what kind of helmet i was wearing when it was taken. most of the inquiries are made because people like the slim profile of the bucket. it’s happened so often it got me thinking that i should find some helmets that are similar in shape. The lazer sphere comes pretty close but is a bit larger, which some may like (i’ve been scolded for wearing a helmet that clearly, according

to some readers,

won’t help when i wipe out.) it’s got 21 vents, weighs just a bit over

9 ounces (260 grams), and incorporates beefy, color-coded, user-friendly straps. unique to upper-end lazer helmets is the rollsys retention system which is activated by a scroll wheel on top of the helmet and snugs the rigid internal brace system nicely to your skull. The sphere also accepts the optional lazer

aeroshell ($20), a snap-on cover that protects you from rain, snow, and wind. Granted, to some degree, this cover defeats the purpose of the many vents, but when it’s 10 degrees out or it’s pouring rain, the advantage of the shield may appeal to some. in addition you can a add win-ter padding kit ($20) and an insect net ($20).

Louis garneau hRS-80 ($109, louisgarneau.com/ca-en/prod

uct/ 305568/1487094/View_all/Terra_VenT _shoes)

if you’re in the mar-ket for a good sum-

mer touring shoe, check out the

Terre Vent hrs-80. it’s a hybrid shoe that offers plenty of ventilation

(including a vent in the sole) to keep your

feet from overheating,

something that many people don’t even realize causes a lot of discomfort when riding long miles. You know what they say, if you’re head and feet are happy, so are you.

The hrs-80 offers a lot of nice features besides ventilation including pull tabs on the tongue and at the back of the shoe, a stiff sole that can accommodate spd cleats

— or not (my preference), reflective material incorporated through-out the shoe’s features, an eVa (ethylene Vinyl acetate) and ultralight rubber out-sole, a lace closure mechanism (no tying), and velcro closures over the laces and at the rear of the shoe. and the hrs-80 is quite light, weighing in at around 12 ounces (340 grams). and like most cycling shoes, walking is pretty comfortable with-out cleats, a bit less so with them.

Sigma Lightster ($35, sigmasport.com, 630-761-1106)

if you’re interested in a simpler, less costly lighting option that still meets the German stVzo standard, you should check out the sigma lightster. it only offers one option — on — and it burns for 20 hours. This sure makes it simple to operate when you’re wearing gloves. it doesn’t have an integrated battery but is powered by four double aa bat-teries (rechargeables are included). The light emitted is like nothing i’ve seen before in bicycle lighting. The best way to describe it is this: two rectangles, one on top of the other. The top rectangle is smaller, brighter, whiter, and is cen-tered over the bottom rectangle. it’s very efficient and precise, and i find it very adequate when riding where there is no

other artificial light. it also features two side windows that emit light to provide visibility from the side and a click mount that fits handlebars of 22 to 32 millimeters in diameter.

S’well bottle ($35, swellbottle.com)

$35 for a water bottle! i know, you’re thinking i’ve finally and completely lost my mind. maybe you’re right, but hear me out. Think about it, you probably spend that much on gourmet, handcrafted cof-fee in 10 days. and if you’re the type who uses the magical brown bean at every turn to keep yourself in perpetual motion, the 17-ounce stainless steel s’well bottle will keep your precious energy-providing liquid hot for anywhere between 6 to 12 hours, depending on conditions. similarly, it will keep your cold liquids cold within a range of 16 to 24 hours.

how does it do it? Thermas’well tech-nology, that’s how (check the website for details). it works pretty well, and there’s

no bpa involved, includ-

ing the vacuum seal of the cap. on top of that, you can get the s’well in

a variety of col-ors and it fits in a standard bicycle water-bottle cage.

of course, you can’t squeeze a steel bottle,

but they make great backup bottles and store nicely in panniers. if you’re trav-els take you through extremely hot or cold climates, the insulating qualities of the s’well bottle will come in handy.

if you’re socially conscious, it’ll warm your insides to know that s’well donates 10 percent of sales to wateraid, an organization dedicated to providing safe drinking water around the world.

so, the s’well bottle gives you a whole bunch of technology and makes you feel good at the same time, and that,

as the mastercard commercials remind us, is priceless.

Rideout carbon comfort Saddle ($85, rideouttech.com, 208-899-7609)

Throughout the entire existence of the bicycle, inventors have been try-ing to devise a comfortable platform on which to sit when operating one of the many varieties of upright machines. it seems a central focus has been the elimination of the nose of the saddle. it doesn’t take much imagination to realize that a saddle without a nose might crack

the comfort code but there’s a problem — the nose isn’t so useless as to be cast aside cavalierly. Quite to the contrary, the nose provides a steering and stabiliz-


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ing device that can be quite useful to the skilled rider. some might argue differently, but i’ll defend the saddle nose as some-thing to hang on to.

in the interest of our readers, i’ve tried many alternative saddles since 1994. The verdict on each has varied from accept-able to downright laughable. The rideout carbon comfort approaches the problem of discomfort differently, and, finally, i’m sold on a non-standard saddle. much of the reason is because the carbon comfort actually has a nose. it may be reduced in size and less prominent than on a standard saddle, but it’s there. significantly, though, the reduced size does eliminate much of the numbness caused by stan-dard-length saddle noses. but’s this is not the only reason the carbon comfort is so effective. equally important are the dimensions of the saddle. at 7.5 inches long and 8.75 inches wide, the platform provides excellent area on which your weight can spread, alleviating pressure on the perineal nerve, which is often the cause of discomfort and numbness (and some say sexual dysfunction) when rid-ing. in addition each side of the comfort carbon is raised allowing even less pres-sure on the perineal nerve while allowing air flow, which also adds a degree of com-

fort on long rides. admittedly, it took a bit of getting used

to, but, after a week or so of using the carbon comfort, i’ve decided to leave it on my touring bike.

at 13.4 ounces (380 grams), and with a kevlar reinforced cover, the carbon comfort offers an excellent option for those who might like to try something a bit different to sit on when riding a stan-dard upright bike.

Scicon Micro tools hipo 550 ($60, sciconbags.com/index.php/en/component/djcatalog2/items/13-micro-tools-bags)

for those with spartan tastes who like to keep things simple, the hipo 550 is a spare little bag that weighs only 5 ounces (137 grams), attaches to the rails on your saddle, and consists of a single pocket that zips open and closed. The singular feature that makes the bag intriguing is the attachment system. once the hardware is assembled and connected to the saddle rails, the bag itself simply snaps into place by twisting clockwise onto the locking device and is held in place when the red slider mechanism is engaged. it just as easily comes off by disengaging the slider and twisting counterclockwise. no tools are required for any of the steps, including installation.

scicon throws in a micro tool and 2 tire levers to make the bag more attractive to those looking for a way to carry a few important items along on their rides.

Motorex bicycle Products (prices vary, motorexbicycle.com, 763-417-1377)

swiss company motorex has been in the business of providing quality lubricat-ing products for over 90 years and they provide a full bicycle line that includes bike clean degreaser ($15), wet and dry lube ($9), bike shine ($17), and more.

one of the reasons i like motorex, in addition to the fact that the products are top notch and work very well, is that they don’t sponsor professional cyclists or any other athletes. in other words, they believe in their product enough to skip that method of promotion, allowing the performance of their merchandise to speak for itself — certainly rare in these days (although they do have a facebook page and a Twitter account — yippie! — in case you want to follow their every excit-ing move.)

motorex also considers it important to be environmentally conscious in regard to the biodegradability and cre-ation of their products. for more about this, you can visit motorex.com/index.cfm?oid=1153&lang=en.

Revelate feedbag ($39, revelatedesigns.com, 907-301-6678)

revelate designs makes a variety of products designed for off-road ultralight bikepacking. many of these can be used

by road cyclists as well but they typically work best on mountain bike frames. The feedbag is a good example of this. The 3.6-ounce bag attaches to your bike at 3 points by a 1.5-inch velcro handlebar strap, a .75-inch velcro stem strap, and a tension strap that wraps around your fork crown. This 3-point attachment system provides excellent stability and, because all 3 points move together, steering your bike is not affected. if your road bike has a fork crown, you might be in luck, but it’s not the bike the feedbag is designed for.

The feedback can hold a wide range of items you’d like have handy including

bottles up to 9.5 inches around, which is about the size of standard water bottle.

all revelate products are designed to take a beating and are hand sewn in alaska by eric parsons, and many, including the feedbag, are available through adventure cycling’s Cyclosource catalog and online store (adventure cycling.org/store). You can see more revealing photos of the feedbag at revelatedesigns.

com/blog/index.cfm/2011/05/31/new-mountain-feed-bags.

ortlieb Micro ($26, ortliebusa.com/cartGenie/prod-225.htm or ortlieb.com, 800-649-1763)

if you’re looking for a light-weight waterproof saddlebag, look no further than the ortlieb micro. This single-pocket, 4.9-ounce pu-coated nylon bag holds 36.5 cubic inches of stuff and keeps them dry. it attaches to your saddle rails by a 2-screw mount. once attached, the bag clips on and off easily. it has a

waterproof roll closure which is secured by 2 tabbed elastic pull cords that attach to mounts on each side of the bag. beneath the mount mechanism on the micro is a stiffener which provides support and structure. it comes in orange, lime green,

and black and features a reflective patch for additional visibility. The ortlieb micro is available through adventure cycling’s Cyclosource catalog and online store (adventure cycling.org/store).

In 2011, Adventure Cycling Association saw record levels of donations, press coverage, and social media participation, along with high numbers of maps sold, tour participants, and visitors to our Missoula, Montana, headquarters. It was a banner year!

Adventure Cycling life member Bill Montigny has cycled across America 14 times. He always stops by our office when Missoula is on his route, and Greg Siple always takes a picture. This photo of photos within photos took more than 20 years to compose. The first photo is from 1989 and the last is from his 2011 crossing.

Adventure Cycling Association

2011 Annual Report

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Dear Adventure Cycling Members, 2011 — 35 years since the launch of Bikecentennial — was one of Adventure Cycling’s best years, thanks to you, our members, staff, and volunteers. Because of your loyalty and generosity, we created new routes, made cycling history, improved cycling conditions, and provided lots of inspiration! New Routes: After finishing the Sierra Cascades Bicycle Route, our cartographers completed the Underground Railroad Detroit Alternate. We researched the first half of Bicycle Route 66, and revamped dozens of existing routes and maps. Because of dramatic increases in truck traffic, we also re-routed the Northern Tier and Lewis & Clark routes to improve safety on these routes. Making History: Enormous efforts by staff and volunteers resulted in the first new official U.S. Bicycle Route approval in nearly 30 years — and we have now engaged 40 states in planning for new U.S. Bicycle Routes! Improving Cycling Conditions: With other national groups, we won a major battle to rewrite national technical guidance on the use of rumble strips to emphasize cyclists’ needs. We successfully helped oppose efforts to undercut federal funding and policy support for cycling. And, we’re building new partnerships with the National Park Service, state departments of transportation, and tourism bureaus to promote and improve the bicycle-travel experience. Providing Inspiration: Our staff continues to do what you love best, which is to share expertise and stories about bicycle travel. We published (and won a national award for) Adventure Cyclist magazine. We expanded and improved our website, forums, blog, and social media sites, and added two new websites: one brings together hundreds of bike-travel blogs (BicycleTravelBloggers.org), and another promotes short 1-2 night bike trips (BikeOvernights.org), the “gateway drug” to bike touring. Through it all, you inspired and supported us. Some of you (1,100!) cycled to our office and many of you shared beautiful stories and pictures. More than ever, you joined, renewed, made donations, and bought maps. We now have more than 1,600 life members, and our Life Member Fund made the down payment to expand our Missoula headquarters. By this summer, we’ll have new space for our outstanding staff and volunteers to help you fulfill your bicycle-travel dreams.

Thanks so much for your support and enthusiasm — and for making 2011 one of the best years ever for Adventure Cycling and bicycle travel!

Carol York President Adventure Cycling Board of Directors

Most of Adventure Cycling’s staff in a moment of silliness inside our headquaters in Missoula, MT.

Adventure Cycling Association continues to pursue our three strategic initiatives:

• Creating Bike Routes for the Nation

• Getting More People Traveling by Bicycle

• Supporting Bicycling Communities

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Membership•AdventureCyclingisthelargestnonprofitbicyclingorganizationintheU.Swith43,552members.5,868newmembersjoinedtheorganizationin2011.

•Membersresidein52differentcountriesaroundtheworld,themajorityliveintheU.S.butadventurecyclistsalsoresideinKenya,Liechtenstein,QatarandSwaziland.IntheUnitedStates,NorthDakotahasthefewestmembers(69)andCaliforniahasthemost(5,122).

•Wewelcomed48newlifemembersintothefoldthisyearforatotalof1,627.Life-membershipdollarssupportlong-termprojectsatAdventureCyclingand

inthepastthisfundhashelpeduspurchaseourbuilding,creatingapermanenthomefortheorganizationandagreatplaceforvisitingcyclists.

•Weprovidedover13,000cyclistswithtrip-planninginformationthroughourprintedmaterialsandreachedmanythousandsmorethroughthevastresourcesonourwebsite.Alsoin2011,wehadover248membershops,andour137memberclubsservedmorethan66,000individualcyclists.

Outreach and Education•VolunteerambassadorspresentedAdventureCyclinginformationatnumerouspublicgatheringsandstaffmadepresentationsandconnectionsatconferencesincludingtheNationalBikeSummit,bikesummitsin

GeTTING MoRe PeoPle TRavelING By BICyCle

New Routes and MapsIn2011,AdventureCycling’sRoutesandMappingDepartmentpublishedthenew518-mileUndergroundRailroadDetroitAlternateBicycleRoute,whichincludesthe175-mileWindsorOption.This2-sectionmapsetwascreatedusingGIS(GeographicInformationSystems)software.Withthepublicationofthenewroute,ourtotalnumberofmappedmilesnowtotals41,399—thelargestmappednetworkofbike-friendlyroutesintheworld.Wealsobeganon-the-groundresearchforournextlong-distancecyclingroute,BicycleRoute66,whichisscheduledforreleasein2014.

Existing RoutesWhilecreatingnewroutes,wedidn’tforgettokeepourotherroutesup-to-date.Ourroutesandmappingteamrevisedandreprinted37mapsections(outof94totalsections).SixofthosereprintedmapsectionswereconvertedtoGIS.WereceivedreportsfromcyclistsaboutpoorshouldersandheavytrucktrafficfromexpandingoilandgasactivitybetweenWillistonandMinot,NorthDakotaontheNorthernTierRouteandLewis&ClarkTrail.Inresponsetothesesafetyissues,webeganresearchingnewroutingthroughthestate.Wealsobeganre-brandingourmapcoverswithuniqueroutedecalsthisyear.

CReaTING BIke RouTeS foR The NaTIoN

California,Michigan,NewEngland,Ontario,andSouthDakota,theMid-AmericaTrailsandGreenwayConference,theAASHTOSpecialCommiteeonU.S.RouteNumberingmeeting,andthePaulS.SarbanesTransitinParkspeergroupmeeting.WealsoheldmanyregionalgatheringswithourmembersfromCaliforniaandIndianatoColoradoandVirginia.

•Forour2011AwardsProgramwereceivedatotalof45nominations.Wepresentedourfournationalbike-travelawardstotheJim’sBicycleShopinCincinnati,OH;KevinCashman&ApogeeAdventuresin,Brunswick,ME;DonnOlson&theBicycleBunkhouseinDalbo,MN;andLeslieWillsofGrandHaven,MI.

Publications•Wepublished9issuesofAdventure Cyclistmagazine,thehighlightbeingtwo64-pageissuesinMarchandApril.TheAprilissuewasoursecondCyclists’ Travel Guide,athemedissuewithafocusonhow-tobike-travelinformationandmore.WecontinuetobeproudoftheMayhistoryissue,whichfeaturesstoriesandphotographsaboutthehardypioneersofcyclingwhotraveledbybikewhenitwasn’taseasyasitistoday.Andforthosereaderswhowouldratherriderecumbents,tandems,fold-ups,oranyothernonstandardtwo-wheeler,weweregladtopublishourJuneissue,focusingonalternativecycles.

•OurexcellentpublicationsdesigncrewteamedupwiththeAdventureCyclingtoursandsalesteamstocreatetop-notchpublicationstohelpthempromoteorganizedtours,bike-travelgear,andourone-of-a-kindbike-travelmaps.

Media•In2011,weworkedwithmanynational,regional,andlocalnewsoutletstotellthestoryofbicycletravelandpublicizeourresourcesfortouringcyclists.AdventureCycling’sroutesandrelatedactivitieswerefeaturedintheNew York Times,Men’s Journal,Sacramento Bee,San Francisco Weekly,Chicago Tribune,Houston Chronicle,Des Moines Register,Albuquerque Journal,andSan Jose Mercury News,alsonettingheadlinesacrossthecountryinpublicationsandwebsitessuchastheBrattleboro Reformer,Portland Press Herald,East Hampton Star,Memphis Flyer,Missouri Life,Athens Banner-Herald,Boise Weekly,The Spokesman-Review,Bicycling,MotherNatureNetwork,AdventureJournal,andBikePortlandamongmanyothers.

•WemadeanicesplashinradiowithExecutiveDirectorJimSayerappearingonNationalPublicRadio’sdailynewsmagazine,Here & Now.Jimandotherstaffalsomadeappearancesonpublicradio’s“TheEnvironmentReport,”MontanaPublicRadio,Ohio’sWJCU,Seattle’sKUOW,BicycleRadio,andmore.

•TheU.S.BicycleRouteSystem(USBRS)garnerednationalandregionalheadlinesastheworktocreateanofficialnetworkofbikeroutesgainedmomentum.InMay2011,AASHTOapprovedthefirstnewU.S.BikeRoutesinmorethan30years.TransportationSecretaryRayLaHoodwroteawidelydistributedblogpostaboutthenewroutesandgrowthoftheprojectonhispopularFastLaneblog.TheUSBRSalsoreceivedcoveragefromMother Earth News,Good Magazine,One Earth Magazine,The Car Connection,Public Works Magazine,Cycling Mobility,Crain’s Detroit Business,AASHTOJournal,StreetsBlogCapitolHill,DiscoveryChannel.com,TheCityFix,BikeRadar,Baraboo News Republic,Bicycle Paper,andBicycle Retailer & Industry News (BRAIN).WeappreciatedBicycle Retailer & Industry News’extensivecoverageofourworkin2011,includingtwoguesteditorialsfromExecutiveDirectorJimSayer.ThiscoveragekeptbicycletravelandAdventureCycling’sprogramscenterstageinthecyclingindustry.

•WeampedupourlocalMontananewscoveragein2011,enjoyingmultiplefeaturearticlesandothercoverageinourcommunity’sdailypaper,theMissoulian,snaggingaspotasTheTrail103.3’sfeaturednonprofitduringNationalBikeMonth,appearingintheMissoula Independent,Helena Independent Record,aswellasMontana QuarterlyandMontana Headwallmagazines,amongotherMontana-basedmediaoutlets.

•Wepublished24editionsofourpopulare-newsletter,BikeBits,whichnowreachesmorethan43,955subscribers—upnearly4,000subscribersoverlastyear.

Social Media •AdventureCycling’sblog(blog.adventurecycling.org)attractedover156,000visitorsand,alongwithourothersocialmediachannels,referredover1,200newvisitorstoourwebsite(adventurecycling.org)eachmonth.•DuringNationalBikeMonth,weraisedover$32,000viaoursocialmediachannelsfortheU.S.BicycleRouteSystem.•OurThirdAnnualBicycleTravelPhotoContestattractedmorethan500submissionsfromover100photographers.•AdventureCycling’ssocialmediacommunitiescontinuedtoexpand.OurFacebookcommunitygrewtoover33,000fans.OurYouTubevideoswereviewedmorethan68,000times,Twitterfollowerstopped4,000,andourFlickrphotoswereviewedmorethan414,000times!

Adventure Cycling Association is North America’s largest nonprofit bicycling membership organization. Our mission is to inspire people of all ages to travel by bicycle for fitness, fun, and self-discovery. We enrich lives and connect communities by creating state-of-the-art bike routes and maps, leading unique bike tours, publishing the award-winning Adventure Cyclist magazine, working on the U.S. Bicycle Route System, reaching out to young people, testing and selling bike-travel gear, and providing bicycle-travel information. The proceeds from our tours, sales, memberships, and fundraising efforts are used for our nonprofit initiatives to promote and improve cycling and bicycle travel in the U.S. and beyond.

Cyclists featured in black & white portraits visited our office in Missoula, MT during 2011. Photography by Greg Siple.

Missoula was the starting point for David, Monique, Benjamin, and Will Scharlotte for their ride on the TransAm Trail to Jackson, WY. This was their second visit with us. In 2008, they tandemed to Missoula from Oregon.

Each year, we anxiously await the flow of visitng cyclists to start rolling in to our headquarters. On May 6, 2011, our first rider of the year, Eric W. Schmidgall, stopped by on his way to graduate school in Fairbanks, AK.

Xiao Toa and Zhou Tong visited America for the first time to ride from Seattle, WA to Bar Harbor, ME. The pair said they had done many long trips in their home country, China, but cycling in the States was a dream checked off their list.

Bethany Hoffman was inspired to ride by Bikecentennial but, unfortunately, couldn’t make it happen in 1976. Now, she feels very lucky to be able to go on long trips (this one was from Seattle, WA to Grand Junction, CO) with her husband, Dave.

Emily Porter, Nicky Theaume, Steph Daly, Leigh Eubank, and Annalee Harris rode from Boston, MA to Portland, OR. Leigh said that she was amazed by the beauty of this country. “I find myself zooming downhill, whooping and hollering and laughing out loud at just how beautiful everything is and how good life is!”

adveNTuRe CyClING doNoRS (JaNuaRy 1 - deCeMBeR 31, 2011)

Leaders $500-$999 Hewes Agnew · Melanie Alexander · Robert Allen · Jim Alsup · American Center for Philanthropy · Chris Anderson · Peter Backman · BikeQuest Bicycle Touring Co · Leslie Bohm, Catalyst Communication · Douglas Booth · James Cavanaugh · CFC of North Central Texas · Suanne Davendonis · Hilary Davis · Marc de Venoge Family · John Dohner · Phyllis Duncan · Kristin Dyer and Eric Lechner · Karl Eggers · Morris Erickson · Paul Erikson · Fannie E Rippel Foundation · Pamela Fischer and Scott Spaulding · Tom Fortmann · David Frankel · Michael Freed · Clay Frick · Johnny Gooch · Google Matching Gifts Program · Sean and Suzanne Gordon · John and Christine Graff · B Charles Graham · Bucky Green · Ray Hanson · Michael Held · Karen Herold · Jim and Wendy Homerosky · Max Horn · Carol Horner · Robert Huizenga · Andy Huppert Family · Christopher and Anne James · Peter Janick · Don Jenkins · Matthew and Donna Johnson · Walter Jung · T.S. Kelso · Clark Kemble · Brendan Kirby Family · Jacob Kirkman · Edward Kleinbard Family · Bill Lurton · MacArthur Foundation · William McCusker Family · Jeffrey Miller · Missoulians on Bicycles · Billie Moore Family · Mary and Bruce Moreira · Mountain Man Events · Narragansett Bay Wheelmen · National Philanthropic Trust · Tim Oberle · Peter O’Keeffe · Ortlieb and Tubus · Dania Otero-Perez · Daniel Peterson · PG & E Corporation · Charles and Patricia Pint · Richard Piper · Myrna Rafalovich · Red Arrow Group · Terry and Nancy Reed · Christopher and Kathy Robertson · Janet SeGall · Brian Shunamon · Brian Sindt and Barbara Hays · Laurie and Ed Stalling · Brent Studler · Sean and Sandra Sweeney · Team Skunk · Wayne Teumer · Guy Tiphane · VT Community Foundation/Backman & Christopher Fund · Walk and Roll Cleveland · Roy Weil and Mary Shaw · Tanya Weiss · Bruce Wickert · Bob and Susan Wislow · Nancy Wright · Carol York and Pete Fotheringham

Freewheelers $250-$499Anonymous (3) · Ken and Vickie Adams · Apogee Adventures · Arkansas Bicycle Club · Arlington Heights Bicycle Club · Russ and Carol Atha · Karen and Jim Badgley · Randall Barker · Arthur Bartlett · Mark Battey · Harry Belin · Bicycle Sport Shop · Michael Borck · Leslie Boswell and PJ McGuire · Brandywine Bicycle Club · William Branstrup Jr · Michael Brown · Harry Brull and Myra Barrett · Jan and Ron Brunk · James Caldwell · Thomas Callahan · Timothy Carey · Walter Carr Family · John Carter · CFC NorCal · CFC of Greater Arkansas · John & Roxanne Chapman · Chesapeake Bay Area CFC · Kenneth Chisholm Jr. · John Ciecko · Alan Cole · Mark Cotovsky and Jefferson Rogers · Robin Cotton Family · Stephen Cross · Joseph DeBrohun · Delaware Valley Bicycle Club · Sid Dillon · John Dingman Family · Robert Dreeke Family · Michael Dreiling · Michael Dubrow · Michael Eells Family · ExperiencePlus! Bicycle Tours · David and Anne Fege · Warren Fellingham · Gregory Forrester · Lee Francis and Michelle Gittler · Gwendolyn Fuehring · Philip Gash · Gateway CFC · GE Foundation · Anna Ginn · Gordon Construction · Diane Haltigan Family · Steve Hammett · John & Kathy Hannon · Sheila & Reid Hansen · Paul Hanson · Peter Harkness · Heartland Velo Show · Lee Herman · Kathy Herson · Houston Bicycle Club Inc · Cammie Howard Family · Julie Huck and Ron Uchytil · Greg Kaiser · Cap Kane · Elizabeth Kasper Garrett and James Garrett · Carole Kirk · Lynn Klanchar & Chip Coutts · Tosha Knight · Scott Korn Family · Jonathan Krall · Amy Kristoff · Laird Norton Company LLC · Randy Landau · Owen and Cynthia Lavin · Nick Lenzmeier · Carol Linden · Adam Lobert III · Thomas Lopez · Tim Love · Anne Maker · Shelia Martin Family · McConnell Foundation · Bob McCoy · Sandy McCuaig · Tim McGowen · Miami Valley (Greater Dayton UW) CFC · Paul Millar · Matthew Miller and Janet Kaseda · Minneapolis Foundation · Frank & Deena Mitchell · Bill and Suki Molina · Albert Moore · Owen Moore Jr. · Larry Moormeier · Norm Moyer

Web/IT•In2011,AdventureCyclingAssociationlaunchedtwonewwebsitestohelpspreadthewordaboutbicycletravel.BikeOvernights.orgisdedicatedtoinspiringcycliststotakeshortovernightbicycletrips.Thesiteispackedwithtripnarrativesfromcyclistsacrosstheglobeandwe’readdingmorehow-toinformationandotherfuncontentmonthly.Thesecondsite,BicycleTravelBloggers.org,isaclearinghouseofbicycle-travelrelatedblogssubmittedbybloggersfromaroundtheworld.CyclistscancheckthesiteorsubscribetotheRSSfeedtogetadailydoseofinspirationfromotherswhoareouttheretravelingbybike.WealsoupgradedouronlineforumsandmadePDFfilesofAdventure Cyclistmagazineavailabletomembersthroughthewebsite.

•Internally,wehavemovedourorganizationalemail,contacts,andcalendarstoGoogleAppsNonProfitEditiontohelplowerinfrastructurecosts.Wealsohaveupdatedournetworkwithnewworkstations,anewfirewall,andanewfileserverinthepastfiscalyear.

Marketing•WecompletedthefourthannualmembershipsurveyandthePublicationsDepartmentsentoutan Adventure Cyclist readershipsurvey.

•Forour2011SharetheJoypromotion,whichpromptedmemberstogettheirfriendstojoin,wepartneredwithNovara/REIandproductmanufacturerssuchasCanari,Cannondale,OldManMountain,Ortlieb,Arkel,Detours,andBOBTrailers.

•Wesentoutmorethan200,000shopdisplaycardsto2,200bikeshops,universityrecreationcenters,andREIstoresacrossthecountrytopromotebicycletravel.

•Over2,500brandeddecalsweredistributedonthreeroutes:TransAmericaTrail,NorthernTier,andPacificCoast.DecaldesignsfortheGreatParksandWesternExpresswascompleted.

•Oursuccessin2011dependedinpartonstrongrelationships.Locally,wepartneredwithMissoulainMotion,theUniversityofMontana,MissoulaFreeCycles,andSundayStreetsMissoula.Onthenationallevel,weworkedwithmanygroupssuchasBicycleTouringPro.com,AdventurersandScientistsforConservation,IntabaInc,4KforCancer,andArkel.Thesepartnershipsallowedustoreachnewcyclistsandintroducethemtotheworldofbiketravel.

Tours•933ridersparticipatedin43AdventureCyclingtoursandclasses.Inadditiontoourclassictours,weofferedfivebrandnewtoursandfivevariationsofexistingtours.NewtourlocationsincludedtheFloridaKeys,PhiladelphiatoWashington(ourFreedomFlyertour),theCascadeMountains,AtlanticCoast,andKatyTrail.

Sales•AdventureCycling’spopularbicycle-touringmapsareavailableonlineandthroughCyclosource.In2011,thesalesdepartmentsawamodest2.2%increaseinoverallmapsales,sellingmorethan32,400mapsfortheyear.Howevernon-membersalesrevenuejumped14%over2010,with70%ofthatgrowthstemmingfrommapsales.Totalsalesrevenueincreased7%in2011,withtheaverageordersizeup4%over2010.

•Inthelastdecade,AdventureCycling’smapsaleshavegrown48%,andtotalsalesrevenuehasgrown66%.

2011wasanhistoricyearinAdventureCycling’scampaigntocreatebetterconditionsforcyclingandbicycletravelacrossAmericau.S. Bicycle Route SystemProgressontheU.S.BicycleRouteSystem(USBRS)focusedonthreemajorareas:buildinggreaterpublicawarenessandcommunicatingthebenefitsofthesystem,trainingandworkingwithourpartnerstosupportroutedevelopment,anddevelopingtoolsandresourcestosupportrouteimplementation.

WebuiltawarenessabouttheUSBRSthroughacombinationofsocialmediaandtraditionalchannels—blogposts,articles,anonlinefundraisingevent,andbothonlineandin-personmeetingsandconferences.Outcomesworthnoting:theUSBRSFacebookpagegrewtomorethan19,000fans.Excitingnationalpartnershipsbegandeveloping,beginningwithanoffertoserveonthePaulS.SarbanesTransitinParkspeergroup.TheTransitinParksprogramsupportsactiveandtransittransportationprojectsonfederallandsandthepeergroupismadeupoffederallandmanagersthatareactivelyseekinginnovativesolutionstomakepubliclandsmoreaccessibletocyclists,pedestrians,andtransitusers.

StaffspokeatnumerousconferencesabouttheUSBRSandheldregionalandstatemeetingswithadvocacygroups,volunteers,andagencyofficialsthatyieldedpartnershipstosupportroutedevelopment.Throughtheseexperiences,AdventureCyclingdevelopedimplementationmodels,tools,andresourcesthatwillaidfutureefforts.Astate-by-statestatusreportisavailableatadventurecycling.org/usbrs.Thebottomline:40statesarenowplanningorimplementingU.S.BicycleRoutes!

National advocacyAdventureCyclingenjoyedsomeimportantsuccessesforbetterbicycling.Withournationalpartners,wehelpedstaveoffunprecedentedattacksonbikefundingandpoliciesatthefederallevel.Justasimportant,wehelpedwinamajorre-writeofthekeynationaltechnicalguidanceforrumble-stripapplication,toensurethatbicyclists’needsareamajorconsideration.Wealsoworkedwithnumerouslocalandstategroupstoprotectcyclists’accesstokeyroadwaysliketheBlueRidgeParkway.Finally,wecontinuedourrecentinitiativetoengagetheglobalandnationaltravelindustryinpromotingandsupportingbicycletravel.

SuPPoRTING BICyClING CoMMuNITIeS

Titanium: Quality Bicycle Products · Salsa · Surly

Gold: Adventure Center · AdventureCORPS Inc. · BikeFlights.com · BikeToursDirect · BOB Trailer · Celestron · Co-Motion Cycles · Klean Kanteen · Osprey Packs Inc. · Rawland Cycles · REI · Renaissance Bicycles LLC · Sun Bicycles - J&B Importers, Inc. · TeamEstrogen.com · Woman Tours

Silver: Cascade Huts · ClubExpress · CycloCamping · Cygolite - Lighting Systems · ExperiencePlus! Bicycle Tours · Hiawatha Cyclery · Jacob North Companies · Keen Inc · National Bicycle Dealers Association · Planet Bike · Razoo Foundation · Red Arrow Group · Rentabikenow.com · Stan’s No Tubes

Bronze: 3G Mobility · Alphagraphics Missoula · Anderson ZurMuehlen & Co. PC · BikeQuest Bicycle Touring Co. · Hike and Bike Italy · Colorado Backcountry Biker · ESRI · First Interstate Bank · Lorain County Visitors Bureau · Ortlieb and Tubus · Penn Trails LLC · Rocky Mtn Business Products · Silver Bike Tours/ROW Adventures · Urban Bicycle Outfitters

CoRPoRaTe MeMBeRS

Channel Islands Bicycle Club · SRAM · Surdna Foundation Inc. · Tawani Foundation · The Lazar Foundation

GRaNTS

Crunchy Frog Fund · Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund · William and Leola Hanna · Susan and Stephen Immelt · James Pritzker · Razoo Foundation · Steve Seay / Stephen M. Seay Foundation, Inc.

SPeCIal ReCoGNITIoN $10,000 +

AASHTO’s Center for Environmental Excellence · Donna Sakson and Jonathan Mark · Schwab Charitable Fund · Sid Voss · Tom Blanck · CFC of the National Capital Area · Ron Gutfleish · Robert Hughes · Robert Wood Johnson Foundation-Matching Gifts · Ron and Stacey Gutfleish Foundation · Jon Spallino · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · Steven and Carolyn Vonderfecht · Wally Werner · Steven Whalen

ThoMaS STeveNS SoCIeTy $2,500 to $9,999

Almaden Cycle Touring Club · Amgen Foundation · Sarah & David Apple / Apple Foundation Inc. · Jody Auldridge · BikeFlights.com · Peter Bower · David Bowman · Randy Brodersen · Alan Cannon Family · Joyce Casey · David Childers · Nard Claar · Marc Clark · Matthew Cohn · Co-Motion Cycles · Marc Currie · Lloyd Davis · Davis Family Memorial Trust · Jacques Devaud · John Emory Jr. · Evanston Bicycle Club · John Gardner, Amishland & Lakes · Todd Gardner · Andrew Gilligan · Joe Golden · Richard & Renee Goldman · Wayne Goodman · Robert Gubler · Paul Jakus · Michael Johnson & Carol Bessey · Clyde Kessel · Steven Koch · AdventureCORPS Inc. · Sam Leffler & Cynthia Livingston · Nels & Liz Leutwiler · Joshua Levy & Pam Magnuson · Bryan Lorber · Patrick Mantyh · Veronica Massey Family · Arthur McMurdie · Howard Metzenberg · Melissa & David Norton · Overseas CFC (Global Impact) · Pacific Northwest CFC · Timothy Petersen · Pikes Peak Community Foundation · Christopher Puin · QBP - Salsa · Charles Siple · Stan’s No Tubes · John Swanson · Pierre Swick · TeamEstrogen.com · Paul Watkins & Ruth Runeborg · Todd Whitehouse · Joseph Willman Family · Keith Winkle Family · Fillmore & Sharon Wood · Malcolm Wright · Jerry Zebrack

ThoMaS STeveNS SoCIeTy $1,000 to $2,499

In2011,weraised$464,760fromdonors.$85,000ingrantsupportcamefromtheTawaniFoundation,SRAMCyclingFund,theSurdnaFoundation,andTheLazarFoundation.WeconductedoursecondsocialmediafundraisingcampaigntosupporttheU.S.BicycleRouteSystemraisedmorethan$32,000aswellasengagingthousandsofnewcyclistsinthisprojectthroughFacebook,Twitter,andRazoo.Publicsupportofthisprojectiskeytothestate-by-stateimplementationofanofficialnationalbicycleroutesystem.Wealsoheldourfirstholidaycampaignandraisedfundstomatchatotalof$68,000inchallengegiftsfrommajordonors.

Donationsfromindividuals,foundations,andbusinessessupportadvocacyandeducationprojectsincludingdevelopmentoftheU.S.BicycleRouteSystem,creationofnewbikeroutessuchasBicycleRoute66,maintenanceofmapinformationforourestablishedroutes,distributionofyouthbike-travelresources,andeffortsatthefederalleveltosecurebetterbicyclingpoliciesandresources.

ouR GeNeRouS SuPPoRTeRS

Just when we think we’ve seen it all, we have riders like Jonas Winn of Moline, IL show up. He built his “tall bike” for his ride from Seattle, WA to Washington, DC.

Adventure Cycling Association Statement of Revenues and expenses

Revenues fy2011 fy2010 Merchandise Net Sales $257,417 $245,013 Membership $1,180,293 $1,133,882 Tours $1,373,930 $1,441,064 Donations/Grants $583,988 $469,219 Advertising $225,953 $210,029 Other $7,775 $5,960 Net Operating Revenue $3,629,356 $3,505,167 Expenses Support Services $395,107 $362,188 Program Services Routes & Mapping $377,111 $344,974 Outreach $52,867 $51,240 Publications $757,990 $711,266 Tours $1,234,764 $1,253,358 Membership Services $490,766 $485,570 Total Program Services $2,913,498 $2,846,408 Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets $320,752 $296,571

Adventure Cycling Association Balance Sheet

Assets fy2011 fy2010 Current Assets $1,170,670 $650,243 Long-term Assets $ 473,759 $485,295 Total Assets $1,644,429 $1,135,538

liabilities Current Liabilities $656,144 $534,593 Long-term Liabilities $95,136 $28,548 Total Liabilities $751,280 $563,141

Net assets Total Fund Balance $893,149 $572,397 Total Liabilities and Net Assets $1,644,429 $1,135,538

Adventure Cycling Association is a nonprofit charitable organization as qualified under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. A copy of the annual audit is available at www.adventurecycling.org/audit or by calling (800) 755-2453.

Marianne Mulrey and John Lacy · Barbara Murock and Carl Fertman · Lyman Orton · John Osborne · Bill Pakenas · Gerard Pallotta · David Pancost · James Parris · Claudia Perry · Jim Pietrick · Ann Pokora · Carol Prahinski · Bob and Linda Railey · REI Charitable Action Campaign · Charles Reller · Scott Reynolds · Dan Rogalla · Richard Rogers & Julie Caswell · Bobbie Rothen Family · William & Catherine Ruhling · Mike Samuelson · San Antonio Area CFC · Debi Sanchez and Kurt Jorgensen · Santa Fe Century & Trail Comm · John Schaffers · Matt Schuerger · John Scibek · John Settlage · Joshua Short · Richard Slaymaker · Kent Smith · Sheila Snyder · South Jersey CFC · St Mary’s Clinic · Leonard Stegman · Pamela Stewart · Tracy & Mary Stollberg · Robert Sutherland · Pete Trenham Family · Paul Turek · A Tor Ueland Family · United Way of Ventura County · Jonathan Van Haste · Hans Van Naerssen · Steven Wallaert · Polly and Phil Walsh · Big Sky CFC · Mark Wilcox · Michael Williams · Richard and Janice Witt · Hilary Woodward

New Life MembersKevin Anglin · Vernon Begalke · James & Holly Bogin · Jim Brown · Dawn Callahan · Jim Calvert · Sheary Clough Suiter · Dave Coleman · Dick Combs · Andrea Commaker · Lee Cooper · Mike Cruz · Chris Davenport · Brian DeSousa · John Enzweiler · Pamela Fischer & Scott Spaulding · Michael & Nancy Fortney · Jerry French · Cono Fusco · Orival Greenfield · Harvey & Sue Griggs · Arlen Hall & Shawn Decareaux · Fred Harris · Liam Healy · Bradley Herman · Henry Heyburn Jr. · Betsy Hunter Family · Susan & Stephen Immelt · Elizabeth Labadie · Daniel Lehmann · Steve Leibman · John Maier · Phillip Martin · Veronica Massey Family · John Scott McCrary · Kathleen McHugh & Ernest Cole · David Miller · Kevin Morgan · Katherine Nelson · Rod Nisi & Debra Litzelman · Steven Powell · Jill & Del Rasmussen · Terry & Nancy Reed · Rich & Michelle Scott · Gregg Singer · Timothy Smith · MPJ Squier · Susan Sterner-Howe · Tracy & Mary Stollberg

· Gregory & Leslie Stone · Porter & Gail Storey · Brent Studler · Ray Swartz · Steve Tolle · Richard Voss · Tom Wolfe Family · Chris Wood

Benefactor MembersBetsy Adams · Larsen Anderson Family · Cara Barnes Family · Bob Bauer · Maurice Belanger · Harald Borrmann · Gary Botto · Caroline & Tom Britven · Robert Burpee · Allison Burson · James Carota · John Cibinic · Jeff Collins · William Cook · David Cummings · Stephen Davis · James DeVoe · Kathy Douglas · Ken Duex · Travis Dye and Megan Ashton · Scott Eddy Family · Sarah Epstein · Mary Jane Evans · Mary Ferrari · John Fey · James Fischer · Hank and Sandra Gentry · Bettina George Family · Richard & Renee Goldman · John & Christine Graff · Greg Hansen · Peter Harkness · Michelle and Dale Harris · Nancy Helm Family · Laura Herman · Jim Holland · Peter Horan · Robert Huizenga · Meg Hummon · Terry Hunley · Kim Hynek · Michael Kaiser · Clark Kemble · Jane Kitchel · Joshua Levy and Pam Magnuson · Richard Licht · Roy Lopez · Bill Lurton · Ian Marquand · Kenneth Martin · Nancy Mazzoli · Dean Mcclayland · Brian McCrodden Family · Dan McDonald · Charles McGinley · Robert Mendelson · Michael Miller · Norm Moyer · Christine Newman · North Country Anesthesia · Donna O’Neal & Linda Alexionok · Charlie O’Reilly · John Overton Jr. · David Pariseau Family · Richard Pasiwit · Rohe Pennington · Stu Rachlin · Rebecca Reno · Bruce Richbourg · Leon Robert · Richard Rogers and Julie Caswell · Kenneth Rose · John Schneider · Diane Sharrock · Jerry and Lily Siegel · Jane Sierk · Marsha Stanton · Harold Tarry Family · Mike Thompson and Karen Whitten · A Tor Ueland Family · Catherine Walker and David Fuqua · George Wendel · Anne Winkes · Loretta and Tom Witt · Dick Wright Family · Troy and Kimberly Zeleznik

We also want to thank the numerous members who gave spe-cial donations up to $250. Thank you very much!

2011 fISCal SuMMaRy

Revenues and Expenses: This diagram illustrates where Adventure Cycling’s revenues come from and how the money is spent. In FY2011, we were able to allocate 90% of our expenses directly toward our mission of inspiring people of all ages to travel by bicycle.

advertising 5%

donations/Grants 14%

Tours 33%

Membership 28%

Merchandise Sales 20%

fundraising 6%

administration 4%

Program Services 90%

Revenues Expenses

“4000 Miles, 2 Wheels, 1 Cause.” Young cyclists with the organization, Illini 4000 for Cancer, are all smiles when they stop by our headquarters during their ride from New York City, NY to San Francisco, CA.

Riders from the Fuller Center for Housing ham it up after finishing their ice cream in Adventure Cycling’s foyer while Teri Maloughney, Sales and Marketing Director, snaps their photograph for our “Wall of Fame.”

Cross country cyclists John Shade and Rachel Siciliano react when their tandem weighs in at 150 lbs. Greg Siple, who initiated the weigh-ins last summer as a part of his visitor portrait photography project, looks on. The new service turned out to be as popular as the free ice cream we stock for our cycling visitors.

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national park. i am sorry to say you won’t get a chance to enjoy the views.”

with little fanfare, i was loaded and airborne. They had placed painkillers in my iV by now. i became groggy, blurry, and disconnected. i remember peeking at the snow-capped mountains briefly. alas, i would not get to enjoy my $11,000 taxi ride to kalispell. a plastic surgeon went to work on my meat tenderized face.

“i will try to stitch you to minimize the scarring, however, there will be some scarring no matter what.” all in all, 20 stitches were applied to my eyebrows and right cheek. when she was done she asked. “would you like to see my work in a mirror?”

“sure!” i steadied myself for the view. holy crap! i was staring at a mini-version of frankenstein.

Then it was time to get past the cos-metics. a large neurosurgeon with a stoic bedside manner approached me. “we won’t be operating on you. with all of your breaks, we wouldn’t even know where to start. Your spinal column is intact and not being impinged upon. we will place you in icu and monitor your x-rays. we’ll hope there are no radical changes or shifts in your column.”

“one question, please. what is my long-term prognosis?” i asked.

“we don’t know. we don’t see many patients like you.”

“why is that?”“because they’re usually dead.”i whispered a lame, “oh!”The next few days on the morphine

drip were a haze of dreaming and snip-pets of reality thrown in. concerned friends and family members phoned me. i had no recollections of the conversa-tions. what i did recall was the nursing staff getting me up and out of bed. i even walked up a flight of steps under their watchful eye. best of all, my older brother mike arrived from new York city to take care of his “baby” brother. i wept shamelessly as he entered the room. he went on to prove once again, why he is the best brother in the world.

four days after the impact, i was discharged from the hospital. my post-discharge orders were terse. “do not remove the brace!” it looked like sponge baths and partial shampoos would be my method of hygiene for awhile.

mike and i began a 1,000-mile jour-ney south to my old hometown of fort collins, colorado. he drove, i sat and navigated. The plan was for me to get a second opinion from another neurosur-geon and to convalesce in familiar sur-roundings. i told mike a few times, “i always wanted to take a road trip with you, but this isn’t what i had in mind.”

eight days after the accident, mike and i were listening to neurosurgeon number two, a no-nonsense, no sugar-coating doctor who calls it like he sees it.

“Your vertebrae fractures are mild. You definitely have a broken sternum. i believe you will heal okay. we’ll take another set of x-rays in a few weeks to see if there are any changes. i doubt if there will be, but i’ll see you again in three weeks.”

in my former life, i worked for 28 years as a fire fighter/emT for the city of fort collins. in emergency services, the term “mechanism of injury” is ban-died about to predict the outcome of an accident. a small 138-pound man being struck from behind by a sedan traveling at over 50 mph is an obvious assault upon the body. humans are not wired to sur-

vive such an ordeal. in my career, i was on call for three similar bicycle accidents. for those unfortunate victims, there was no tomorrow. The one and only thing that differentiated me from them, i believe, is that i was wearing a bicycle helmet.

during my time in fort collins, impor-tant people from my past come to visit. i smile grandly as i hug them. if the hug lingers long enough, i usually score a life affirming squeeze at the end. i make sure to pay that squeeze back in kind.

after all that’s happened, i real-ize how lucky i am to be alive. second chances in life are precious and i do not wish to squander mine. more bicycling awaits, just around the next corner.

Jeff Sambur’s few worldly possessions live in Tucson, Arizona. He pays them a visit for a few months each winter. The rest of the time he is on the road in Barley, a customized Ford van. Barley is fitted out with three backpacks, two bicycles, one laptop, maps, a comfort-able bed, books, and plenty of cold beer. He’s the author of destroying demons on the diagonal (a firefighter’s san diego to maine bicycle ride into retirement) which can be found at Amazon.com.

final mile

secOnd cHanceSometimes it takes a serious scare to help us realize it’s great to be alive

by Jeff Sambur

no sound. no brakes screeching. no thud of my inert body smashing the sedan’s windshield. no noise as i went somersaulting, rolling, and tumbling across 25 feet of asphalt and gravel. when i awoke in a ditch, there was a good samaritan applying spinal traction to my neck. The peripheral vision from my left eye saw the drop, drop, drop of blood oozing from my nose. my right eye was swollen shut.

“what happened?” i asked weakly.

“You got rear-ended by a car. don’t move!” she answered. “he’s coming around. i’ll need some help here.” i esti-mated that i had checked out of planet earth for about two to four minutes. civilian-clad first responders assisted me as they poked and prodded my body tak-ing a primary and secondary survey of my injuries.

“can you move your feet? can you wiggle them? squeeze my hands. are you having trouble breathing?” The questions came fast and furious. i had passed the tests with flying colors. my spinal col-umn was intact and not severed.

“was it you who hit me?” “Yes. i was sightseeing and looking at

the mountains and drifted into you.”at this time, i might have said a few

choice words to him. i don’t recall. i don’t remember much, though i remem-ber he never said he was sorry.

an ambulance from browning,

montana, arrived and placed me onto an unforgiving backboard and cervical col-lar. we raced the the emergency room, careening down the pass and through a construction zone. a paramedic attempt-ed to get an iV into me. Twice he failed.

“please don’t stick me again,” i said. “i hurt enough already. They can do that in the er under better conditions. i promise i won’t die before then.”

upon our arrival, a doctor made her orders known. “he’ll need a caT-scan. Get a set of x-rays for his neck and spine. set him up with an iV asap. we’ll need to monitor his vital signs.”

The nurses and technicians efficiently carried out her orders. i was then in the hurry up and wait mode of emergency medicine. a nursing student gently dabbed the grit, grime, and dried blood from my many facial wounds and mul-tiple areas of road rash. i even had road rash on the tops of my feet. apparently, the force of the impact literally knocked me out of my shoes.

The compassionate doctor came to my side to survey the carnage to my face. she held my hand as she said, “Those lac-erations will need the care of a plastic surgeon. i can stitch them for you, but they can do a better job.” with that sad news, i knew my hollywood contract as George clooney’s double would surely be terminated.

“we’ll arrange it. The caT-scan of your head and brain

came out negative. That’s a good thing. we are waiting now for the radiologist to evaluate your neck and spine x-rays.”

“Thanks for all the help,” i said. a few minutes later, the doctor came

back. once again she held my hand. “i have bad news. The radiologist found 11 fractures in your first 11 vertebrae. You have a broken sternum too. There will also be a neurosurgeon waiting for you in kalispell.”

“what? how can that be? i can move all of my parts. are you sure those were my x-rays?” i said in disbelief.

“Yes. Those were your x-rays. You will get the best of care in kalispell. i have a special place in my heart for bicycle riders. my son was killed by a driver 20 years ago when he was riding a bike. we will take care of you.”

no wonder she was holding my hand.The helicopter flight crew came and

checked me out. “Jeff, we are going to give you a scenic ride over Glacier

late lunch? bonus miles in Glacier national park? early happy hour? These were some of my random thoughts as i huffed up the final pull toward the summit of marias pass. i was en route from west Glacier to east Glacier, montana, on a mellow seven- to 10-day cir-cumnavigation of Glacier/waterton national park. i was a mere half hour from completing these decisions when i was thrust into a cave. Total darkness.

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The evolution of bicycle safety.

BETTER BICYCLE PRODUCTS FOR A BETTER WORLD

Superflash Turbo

planetbike.com


a fLUid SitUationPhotograph by Greg Siple

scenes from the saddle

on day 5, the weather had been perfect. at mile 25, the adventure cycling group had climbed up and over the continental divide (6,700 feet). This was followed by a long descent to the fairmont hot springs resort lunch stop at mile 40. it was here that adventure cycling board member George

mendes slipped into the camp store to purchase extra refreshment for the remaining 25 miles.

Share the Joy

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titaniUM

colorado backcountry biker

first interstate bank

Penn trails

adventure Cycling Corporate MembersAdventure Cycling’s business partners play a significant role in the success of our nonprofit organization. Our Corporate Membership Program is designed to spotlight these key support-ers. Corporate Members are companies that believe in what we do and wish to provide additional assistance through a higher

level of support. These corporate membership funds go toward special projects and the creation of new programs. To learn more about how your business can become a corporate supporter of Adventure Cycling, go to www.adventurecycling.org/corporate or call (800) 755-2453.

Spread the joy of cycling and get a chance to win cool prizes

n For each cyclist you refer to Adventure Cycling, you will get one chance to win a Giant Rapid 1* valued at over

$1,250. The winner will be drawn from all eligible members in January of 2013.

n Each month, we’ll draw a mini-prize winner who will receive gifts from companies like Old Man Mountain, Arkel, Ortlieb, and others.

n The more new members you sign up, the more chances you have to win!

Adventure Cycling Association adventurecycling.org/joy

* bicycle model may change with release of new or updated models.

get a chance to Win

Silver bike tours/RoW adventures

SiLveR

all the organizational news that will fit. online: adventurecycling.org

RidingSweep edited by Michael McCoy

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custOm frame The construction for adventure cycling’s office expansion is on schedule. The basic steel (not aluminum or carbon fiber) frame is in place and ready for components. by late may the building will be finished and the grounds restored so that we can properly accommodate our cycling visitors as we did this PUSH America – Journey of Hope group (inset) before the building work began.

Oil BOOm fOrces rOute cHanGeswe’ve been receiving alarm-ing reports from cyclists rid-ing between williston and minot, North Dakota — on both the Northern Tier route and lewis & Clark Trail — about extremely heavy truck traffic and poor shoulder conditions. The business of oil extrac-tion in the bakken Formation region is booming and it’s predicted to continue affecting the area for the next 20 years. North Dakota has no immedi-ate plans to widen shoulders where necessary to make cycling safer.

Consequently, we are planning to change the route extensively in North Dakota. For both the Northern Tier and the lewis & Clark Trail, the new routing will follow much of the I-94 corridor. On the Northern Tier route, the eastern third of Section 3 and all of Section 4 are being re-routed. Heading east, the new routing begins in wolf Point, montana, and rejoins the route at Fargo, North Dakota. On the lewis & Clark Trail, the western third of Section 3 and the eastern third of Section 4 are being re-routed. Heading west, the new routing begins at Stanton, North Dakota, and rejoins the existing route at Circle, montana.

New Northern Tier and lewis & Clark maps will be available by late may.

In mid-February, Adventure Cycling released the final map section for its new 518-mile underground railroad Detroit Alternate bicycle route. The new route provides alternate routing from the main underground railroad route, and a host of new historic sites, for cyclists traveling between Oberlin, Ohio, and Owen Sound, Ontario.

Departing from the main route in Oberlin, the Detroit Alternate guides cyclists through Toledo, Ohio, and Detroit, michigan, around lake St. Clair, tracing the shoreline of lake Huron before heading to Owen Sound. The maps also provide a ferry option across lake Erie from Sandusky, Ohio, through windsor, Ontario.

According to Jennifer milyko, Adventure Cycling car-tographer, the Detroit Alternate links to other Adventure Cycling routes such as the

lake Erie Connector and the Northern Tier, “These new connections create numerous new possibilities for wonder-ful one- and two-week loop rides.” maps are now available through Adventure Cycling’s Cyclosource catalog and online store (adventure cycling.org/store).

Adventure Cycling’s members and donors supported the creation of the Detroit Alternate, as did a generous $20,000 grant from rEI (recreational Equipment, Inc.), a retail co-op pro-viding quality outdoor gear and clothing.

more informa-tion about the Detroit

Alternate and the underground railroad bicycle route can be found at adventurecycling.org/ugrr.

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Adventure Cycling’s Annual bicycle Travel Awards recog-nize individuals, organizations, and businesses that have helped to improve conditions for bicycle travelers or have inspired and accommodated traveling cyclists in some way. “These winners make America a better, friendlier, and more connected country,” said Amy Corbin, awards committee chair.

• Donn Olson, recipient of the 2011 June Curry Trail Angel Award, was “really shocked

and thrilled to get the award.” Donn created the “bicycle bunkhouse” in Palbo, minnesota, just off of the Northern Tier after a chance encounter with some cyclists in 2005. “It makes me feel good to do something for the folks out on the road,” said Olson. Indeed. This past summer, Donn hooked up his trailer to rescue a group of cyclists stranded by a nasty thunderstorm.

• Kevin Cashman of Apogee Adventures was awarded the 2011 Pacesetter Award. Founded over a decade

ago with the goal of creat-ing engaging and challeng-

ing tours for high school aged kids, the company

now offers dozens of tours that teach kids the importance

of hard work, persistence,

and dedica-tion. “The point-to-point, goal-

oriented nature of

a bicycling trip lends itself well to

building confidence and character in our stu-

dents,” said Cashman. “Our hope

is to inspire a love of bicycling, adventure, and travel that stays with them for the rest of their lives.”

• Jim Peters and Jim’s bicycle Shop in Cincinnati, Ohio, clinched the 2011 Sam Braxton Bike Shop Award. Jim and his staff make it a priority to encourage their customers to become bicycle tourists by providing guidance and train-ing. They also maintain a bank of loaner travel cases and go to great lengths to accommodate special logistical requests. One nominator emphasized that the staff at Jim’s bicycle Shop truly go out of their way “to help someone have a great touring experience.”

• The 2011 Volunteer of the Year Award went to leslie wills of Grand Haven, michigan. leslie’s tireless effort made it possible to gain all of the necessary support for the designation of u.S. bike route 35 in michigan. Adventure Cycling’s Special Projects Director Ginny Sullivan said, “we would not have been able to complete the work in this timeframe without leslie’s time, energy, and clear devo-tion to Adventure Cycling and the goals of the u.S. bicycle route System project.”

learn more about the Annual bicycle Travel Awards at adventurecycling.org/awards.

AWARDS ARE THE REWARD2011 winners are revealed

sHare tHe JOy winnersThis program encourages members to share Adventure Cycling with their friends and cycling buddies, awarding priz-es throughout the year. while there are monthly drawings and winners, the big ticket items were a Novara verita, a reynolds 520 steel classic roadster, and a $500 gift cer-tificate to Cyclosource.

The winners or the verita were richard levy and Sarah westendorf, five-year mem-bers from Steamboat Springs, Colorado. They have a family membership and so got to duke it out over who would get the new Novara verita, donated by rEI.

Family members Ivan Napel and Aiko Hanyu won the shop-ping spree. The 11-year mem-bers from Houston, Texas, won a $500 gift certificate to the Cyclosource catalog and online store (adventurecycling.org/store). This prize is award-ed to the person who attracts the most new members to Adventure Cycling.

Congratulations to these lucky members and to all of our monthly winners as well!

If you want to get in on the action in 2012, visit the con-test page (page 54) to learn about all of the ways that you can enter to win. This year’s prizes include an Ortlieb travel set, a burley Travoy, an Old man mountain Sherpa rear rack, and more. The grand prize is a rapid 1 bicycle from Giant.

All of our prizes were gen-erously donated by these busi-

nesses because they believe in the mission of Adventure Cycling and support the work that we do. Please consider supporting these great sponsors as you gear up for the 2012 touring season. many of these brands

can be found in Adventure Cycling’s Cyclosource catalog and online store.

IN HOuSE IN HOuSE - lOGOS - SHArE THE JOy?

a dV e n T u r e c Y c l i s T ma rc h 2 0 156 a dV e n T u r e c Y c l i s T ma rc h 2 0 1 2 a dV e n T u r e c Y c l i n G. o r G 57


Bicycle touring GearthetoURingStoRe.coM — buy expedition Quality panniers, racks, & bicycle Touring Gear at Great prices! see ortlieb, Tubus, lone peak, and more! Questions? call wayne Toll free at (800) 747-0588, email us at: [email protected], or visit us at www.TheTouringstore.com.

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bikebagShoP.coM — The largest selection of bike bags & bike racks - by ortlieb, Vaude, lone peak, Tubus, old man mountain & more! bikeTrailershop.com — The largest selection of bike cargo Trailers — by bob, burley, extrawheel, wandertec & more! 1-800-717-2596.

cYcLocaMPing.coM — saVe on bicycle Touring Gear & camping equipment. 50+ Top Quality brands - ranked in the Top 1% at resellerratings.com - fasT shipping + free shipping on orders >$120 - enjoy our forum, daily articles and our experts corner at www.cyclocamping.com.

Bike shopsRecUMbentS, tandeMS, tRikeS — rans, easy racer, sun, cycle Genius, bacchetta recumbents - khs, schwinn, raleigh Tandems - Greenspeed, hp VeloTechnik Trikes - electra Touring. Jay’s pedal power, 512 e. Girard ave., philadelphia, pa 19125; (215) 425-5111, Toll-free (888) 777-JaYs, Visit our website at: www.jayspedalpower.com.

aRRiving bY bike — eugene, oregon’s urban cycling outfitters. Gear, guidance and enthusiasm to support your life-bik-ing. basil, ortlieb, Tubus, detours, showers pass, ibex and endura plus loads of fenders, lights, reflectives, tools and brooks saddles. xtracycles! 2705 willamette st., 541.484.5410, [email protected].

tandeMS eaSt — road, mountain and Travel Tandems. over 60 in stock. wheel build-ing, child conversions, repairs, parts catalog, test rides. back-stocking conti and schwalbe touring tires. 86 Gwynwood dr, pittsgrove, nJ 08318. phone: (856) 451-5104, fax: (856) 453-8626. email: [email protected] or visit our website at: www.tandemseast.com.

Help wantedjoin the cYcLe aMeRica SUMMeR Staff — spend an adventuresome summer travel-ing while sharing ride and work respon-sibilities. positions include: Tour support Volunteers, bike mechanics, massage Therapists, picnic and route coordinators. 800-716-4426. www.cycleamerica.com.

international toursPedaL and Sea adventUReS — we’re a personable travel company offering cre-ative cycling and multi-sport adventures in many of the world’s best places, including nova scotia, newfoundland, p.e.i., croatia, italy, Greece, norway, and ireland. Guided and self-guided. Van-supported. friendly guides. charming inns. custom groups anytime. over 70% return clientele since 2005! Toll free phone: 877-777-5699. please email us at [email protected] or visit our website: www.pedalandsea adventures.com.

eURoPe — 200 RoUteS in 30 coUntRieS — bike Tours direct - Guided and self-guid-ed tours with european bike tour companies. weekly and daily departures. Tours from $600. from familiar - loire Valley, provence, danube, Tuscany, bavaria, ireland - to exotic - croatia, Greece, Turkey, slovenia, adriatic island-hopping. 877-462-2423 www.bike toursdirect.com. [email protected].

bike itaLY With SicicLando! — spring cycling is spectacular! wildflowers! peaceful paths! colors and flavors of the season! Join us in april for a tour of sicily or bicycle the quieter places of Tuscany on our maremma tour beginning June 24. consider a bike & boat tour of amalfi or sicily in June. www.siciclando.com or call 1-800-881-0484.

bavaRia and noRtheRn itaLY — a blend of bicycling, culture and history. first class hotels and fine regional cuisine. individual pace, optional distances, support van. our 39th year! Gerhard’s bicYcle odYsseYs. (800) 966.2402. www.since1974.com.

bicYcLe toURS - PaRiS to PoMPei — since 1983. choose from luxurious guided tours on 3 continents or from over 60 self guided tours in 20 countries with mechani-cal backup and luggage transfer. enjoy quiet scenic bike paths, fabulous vineyards with winetastings, authentic local cuisine, beach-es, mountaintop views, seaside rides, ferry crossings, hot air ballooning, danube river cruising. from $650/wk. experience it all at www.world-ventures.com. (800) 800-1775 [email protected].

cReate YoUR oWn cYcLing toUR of PRovence — what a concept! You choose dates, type of accommodation, restaurants, routes, distances, sites to explore. all you need is help from linksbikeTours.com.

toPbicYcLe toURS in centRaL eURoPe — 7 to 10-day self-guided and guided cycling vacations. we are a specialist for bike tours in central europe since 1996. we concentrate only on the countries where we live: czech republic, slovakia, austria, hungary, Germany, and poland. Visit and ride between the beautiful cities of Vienna, prague, budapest, krakow, salzburg, dresden, and passau. carefully planned self-guided tours. small guided groups with local knowl-edgeable guides. we can customize our tours according to your wishes. Quality bike rental available. www.topbicycle.com. info@top bicycle.com.

fReeWheeLing adventUReS. gUided & SeLf-gUided — small groups and private trips for 25 years. famous and unusual rides in canada, iceland, europe, israel, central america. Go your own pace. choose hills and distances or flat and relaxed. 800- 672-0775; www.freewheeling.ca; bicycle@ freewheel ing.ca.

north american tours & eventstiMbeRLine adventUReS — fully sup-ported bicycling & hiking adventure vaca-tions with an organization whose sole focus for 26 years is extraordinary adventure throughout western u.s. & canada. website: www.timbertours.com email: timber@earth net.net phone: 800-417-2453.

join chaRLeSton bicYcLe toURS — discover southern low country history and charm with local owners/licensed tour guides. cycle on paved roads to plantations, quaint towns, coastal islands and wildlife areas. Three and six day tours at four star hotels and inns. excellent local cuisine, small groups, fun time. (800) 408-1830. www.charlestonbicycletours.com.

cRoSSRoadS cYcLing adventUReS — celebrating 16 years of excellence! come ride with Tracy leiner - owner, cyclist and tour director. Tracy travels with every group, everyday managing daily logistics, driving support vans and pedaling with her cyclists. small groups, personal attention, superior accommodations and meals. extensive pre-trip support including training plan and tele-phone consultations. rider reference list avail-able. (800) 971-2453 www.crossroadscycling.com.

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aLL RideS aRe not cReated eQUaL — challenge yourself riding 400+ miles and climbing 30,000’ through the scenic byways and national parks of the west. 714-267-4591 www.cyclingescapes.com.

aLaSka bicYcLe toURS — with sockeye cycle, since 1988. offering guided trips throughout our breathtaking region. experience the beauty of alaska and the Yukon with local guides and gourmet cui-sine. 877-292-4154 www.cyclealaska.com.

MaSS bikePike toUR august 2-5, 2011 — This year it’s back to the berkshires with 2 all new routes each day. spectacular views, chal-lenging arrowed routes, quaint towns, muse-ums, history and local culture. most meals, saG, refreshment stops, maps & cue sheets. www.massbikepike.org or 617-710-1832.

coaSt 2 coaSt — hassle free closely fol-lowing southern Tier averaging 63 miles per day. fully supported including freshly- pre-pared great-tasting meals, and a mechanic. You dip your rear wheel into the pacific and your front wheel into the atlantic, i will do everything in between. march 8 – april 29, 2013. bubbaspamperedpedalers.com or [email protected].

cYcLe canada! — affordable supported Tours Quebec, ontario, nova scotia’s cabot Trail from the organizers of Tour du canada call 800-214-7798 or visit www.cyclecanada.com discovering canada by bike since 1988.

Ride tWo StateS-tWo coUntRieS — bike the international selkirk loop, north america’s only two-nation scenic byway through washington, idaho, canada. pick your pace for 280 miles of incredible self-supported riding! www.selkirkloop.org.

aMeRica bY bicYcLe, inc. — Your full service bicycle touring leader. chose from 38 tours ranging from 5 to 52 days. let us take you on your dream ride — coast to coast! abbike.com. 888-797-7057 free caTaloG.

hiStoRicaL tRaiLS cYcLing — oRegon tRaiL toUR 2012 — ride through the history of ruts, wagons, forts, cowboys and indians on america’s mother road. fully supported, affordable, camping tour. friendly experienced staff and delicious meals. 402-499-0874, website: www.histor icaltrailscycling.com.

bike the fLoRida keYS — The ultimate bicycle Vacation. bike the entire key sys-tem, down and back. fully-supported includ-ing breakfasts and most dinners. beautiful sunsets. swim with the dolphins. snorkel. dive. The seven mile bridge just might be the most beautiful seven miles you will ever bike. november 3-10, 2012. details from bubbaspamperedpedalers.com or [email protected]. it’s just not a bicycle tour, it’s a keys experience … it’s all Good !!

aLabaMa RecUMbent toURS — fully-supported, all-inclusive tours. we provide the recumbent bike and helmet. our tours are in alabama, mississippi, Georgia, Tennessee, and florida. 3- to 7-day tours. www.recum benttours.com.

vacation bicYcLing — “after taking more than 90 bicycle tours, Vacation bicycling is one of our top 10 experiences!” we provide beautiful 7-day tours from $1099, includ-ing hotels, food & saG through martha’s Vineyard/cape cod, nc outer banks, maui, arizona’s sonoran desert, florida keys and canada’s prince edward island. come join us! 800-490-2173 www.Vacationbicycling.com.

cYcLe aMeRica® coaSt-to-coaSt — enjoy a fully supported cycling Vacation this summer. explore north america’s treasures on an epic coast-to-coast tour from seattle to boston. choose one or ride several cross state segments. Good friends, Great routes and first-rate support! let us help you plan your next fun and affordable cycling adventure. 800-245-3263. www.cycleamerica.com.

gReat fReedoM adventUReS — inspired bike tours in iconic locales: martha’s Vineyard, Vermont, cape ann, newport, islands of ri, maritime massachusetts, hudson Valley, nh … Gorgeous routes, indulgent itineraries, unsurpassed cycling. (877) 545-1864, www.greatfreedomadven tures.com.

cLaSSic adventUReS Since 1979 neW!! coaSt to coaSt 2012 — fully supported, hotels, guides. also austria, lake constance, france, Greece/crete, Germany, Quebec, Vermont, mississippi-natchez Trace, Texas hill country, n.Y. finger lakes, historic erie canal. full support services, expert guides, outstanding cuisine. (800) 777-8090, www.classicadventures.com.

heLPing Make good RideRS betteR Since 1981 — Join Transcontinental record holders lon haldeman & susan notorangelo for your cycling adventures from 7 to 30 days. specializing in Training camps, historic route 66, rural wisconsin, eastern mountains, peru and over 80 cross country events. pac Tour, www.pactour.com, 262-736-2453.

WoMen onLY bike toURS — for all ages and abilities. fully supported, inn-to-inn, bike path & road tours. cross-country, national parks, europe & more. bicycle work-shops, wine tasting, yoga. call for free cata-log. 800-247-1444, www.womantours.com.

the gReat aLLeghenY PaSSage and c&o canaL — 334.5 continuous trail miles from pittsburgh to dc; custom or group tours; includes b&bs, inns, excellent meals, luggage shuttle, full sag support, vehicle or people and gear shuttle; attractions including frank lloyd wright’s fallingwaer, antietam battlefield plus so much more... call Trail Gail at 301-722-4887 240-727-7039 or www.moun tainsidebiketours.net You pedal, we pamper.”

Ride tWo StateS - tWo coUntRieS — six day, 350-mile fully-supported rotary ride september 17-22, 2012 on the international selkirk loop, incredible scenic byway through washington, canada, idaho. www.wacanid.org or 888-823-2626. registration opens mar. 1 – limited to 100 riders.

veSta veLo cYcLing toURS foR WoMen — come cycle and be pampered in the majestic white mountains of new hampshire. we offer two- and five-day tours with exceptional rides & equally excep-tional accommodations and cuisine. July-september. www.vestavelo.com.

cYcLe noRth caRoLina SPRing Ride — (april 13-15, 2012) washington, nc – enjoy unique waterfront camping and cycling on scenic country roads in coastal north carolina. register for 1, 2, or 3 days. Various mileage options for all skill levels from easy family to challenging century. additional lodging options are available. fully supported with saG support and rest stops. [email protected] www.ncsports.org.

cYcLe noRth caRoLina faLL Ride — 13th annual “mountains to the coast” (september 29 – october 6) — cycle 450 plus miles while experiencing the north carolina countryside on scenic back roads amidst beautiful fall colors. explore quaint towns, visit famous state parks, historic sites, win-eries, and more. fully supported with saG support and rest stops. Various registra-tion options available. [email protected] www.ncsports.org.

aRoUnd WiSconSin bicYcLe toURS — flavors of wisconsin July 9-14. ride bike, eat cheese, taste microbrews. northern woods and water. august 20-25. cycle paved forest roads. stay in historic lakefront lodges. canoe and swim in quiet lakes. www.aroundwis bike.com 920-427-6086.

caRoLina taiLWindS bicYcLe vacationS — easy, flat terrain tours include: south carolina’s lowcountry, north carolina’s outer banks, and maryland’s eastern shore. more challenging, mountainous tours include: Virginia’s shenandoah Valley and north carolina’s blue ridge mountains. all tours include intimate group size, cozy country inns, and outstanding cuisine. www.carolinatailwinds.com; 888-251-3206.

bicYcLe Ride acRoSS geoRgia (bRag) — spring Tune-up ride, april 20-22, 2012, madison, Ga. 33rd annual bicycle ride across Georgia, June 2-9, 2012. Great fun for families and groups. Various mileage options. 770-498-5153, [email protected], www.brag.org.

2012 Santa fe tRaiL bicYcLe tRek — 18th Year. limit 50 riders. www.santafeTrailbicycleTrek.com contact: willard chilcott [email protected].

classifiedadsrate: $115 for the first 30 words, $2 for each additional word. for more information, please contact rick bruner at phone/fax: (509) 493-4930, email: [email protected].

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marketplace marketplace ads start at $195 per issue. for rate information, please please contact rick bruner. phone/fax: (509) 493-4930, email: [email protected].

Bicycl e coal it ion of Maine

Maine

Rockland, MaineSaturday

July 21st, 2012Maine’s most scenic and tasty bike rides

16, 30, 50 and 100 mile rides to choose from and a fresh lobster

roll dinner at the finish

207-623-4511 www.BikeMaine.org

lobsterveRMontReaL 2012 — experience vine-yards, villages, and la route Verte on this pedal into the heart of montreal. 3- and 4-day options departing 5/31 & 6/1. most meals, professional guides, saG, lifetime memories. www.localmotion.org/vermont real; 802-861-2700.

2012 veRMont bike and bReWeRY chaLLenge — cycle through the Green mountains and taste some of the best beer in the country, visiting half the breweries in the state. coming this June. more at mount major.com.

toURing Ride in RURaL indiana® (tRiRi®) bicYcLe RaLLieS — June 10-13, 2012. loop rides with a theme from a single indiana state park, with camping or inn accommodations and six catered meals. contact: 812-333-8176; [email protected]; or www.triri.org.

RainStoRM™ — July 16-21, 2012. need coast-to-coast preparation? Try five centu-ries over five days, with a 160-mile ride on day six. inn or motel accommodations, air conditioning, free wifi, seven catered meals. contact: 812-333-8176; [email protected]; or www.triri.org.

SePteMbeR eScaPade™ tRiRi® — september 16-21, 2012. scenic, historic tour of southeastern indiana with inn or camping overnights at indiana state parks, two layover days, and ten catered meals. contact: 812-333-8176; [email protected]; or www.triri.org.

oRegon MeMoRieS — when it comes to dazzling combinations of show-stopping landscapes and world class cycling, it’s hard to beat oregon. whether you’re looking for the magnificent volcanic vistas and deep for-est of the cascade region which can be found on our cascadian Traverse or you’re looking for the craggy coastlines and sandy beaches of our oregon coastal odyssey, we have the perfect oregon tour for you. www.adventure-cycling.org/tours (800) 755-2453.

SeLf-contained adventURe aWaitS — Just getting in to self-contained touring? or maybe you’d like a laid-back week in the saddle? spend a week biking and basking in the warmth of the sun along the atlantic ocean shoreline on our cape cod pilgrimage, enjoy the wonderful display of greenery on michigan’s upper peninsula with our Great lakes tour, or take in the heart of new York’s finger lakes regions on our finger lakes tour; all amazing, first-timer approved self-contained tours! www.adventurecycling.org/tours (800) 755-2453.

classifiedadscontinued


open road Gallery

“Travel is fateful to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness … Broad, wholesome views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.” - mark Twain

martine bedard and andy holmes are artists from rossland, british columbia, and are in no danger of letting themselves or their daughters vegetate. sylvie is now nine and lily is seven, but their first bicycle trip was a canada to mexico tour in trailers when they were two and one. on this first trip, martine’s bike was carrying weight poorly in the front so on the second day andy rode all the way back home and exchanged it for another. “That gesture,” says martine, “illustrates true love.”

now that the girls are a little older, they can have even larger adventures. This photo was taken on the first leg of a 10-month trip. The family rode from their homes in rossland to Tucson, arizona — the girls did their part by pedaling their unique recumbent trailers. They flew next to costa rica where they stowed their bikes to travel by bus and foot. next, they visited nicaragua, where they explored by kayak, horseback, and zipline. The almost year-long tour will conclude with a bicycle jaunt around cuba. “The girls really love to travel and don´t complain much,” says martine. “They loved the bike trips and we were constantly surprised at their keenness and resiliency. even on the odd long day they just kept trucking.”

“but how do they afford to take a whole year off?” you might wonder. martine is a teacher, and every year she allows her school to keep 20 percent of her pay. That way, after 4 years, she’s able to take a year off at 80 percent salary. The couple is also having several art shows during their year on the road. You can view their charming and colorful work at artforpeople.ca.

*Greenland the stuffed bear does not help pedal but he pulls his weight by looking cute at all times and being undiscerningly snuggly.

From Adventure Cycling’s National Bicycle Touring Portrait Collection. © 2012 Adventure Cycling Association.

Greenland GOes tO cuBaby Sarah Raz Photograph by Greg Siple

Pacific coast RouteThe stunningly beautiful vistas are a cyclists dream as you travel along the Washington, Oregon, and California coasts.

$200John chapman, malibu, ca edd cochran, oklahoma city, ok Tom Granvold, santa clara, ca Thom pence, friday harbor, wa ellen shapiro, san francisco, ca brian shunamon, boulder, co bruce Tiebout, shoreline, wa Terry Toland, Vancouver, wa

$800-$2,500anonymous (1)Jody auldridge, Ventura, ca steven whalen, amston, cT fillmore wood, corona del mar, ca

great divide Mountain bike RouteSince its inception, the Great Divide has brought a sense of accomplishment and adventure to thousands of cyclists who have explored the dirt roads that trace the continental divide from Canada to Mexico.

$150-$200Jody auldridge, Ventura, ca dan domes, prince George, bc mary mccoy, arvada, co wanda roach, abiquiu, nm brian shunamon, boulder, co al slavin, leadville, co

Lewis & clark trailThis route was created to celebrate the anni-versary of the Corps of Discovery’s 1804-1806 historic journey across the continent. It offers cyclists the opportunity to follow the path of the intrepid explorers while creating their own adventures by bicycle.

$100-$250anonymous (1) Tom duquette, Virginia beach, Va barbara kletzke, waukesha, wi Gerard pallotta, boston, ma brandon sitzmann, washington, dc

transamerica trailThe route that started it all! The TransAm Trail was established for our celebration of the U.S. Bicentennial in 1976 and launched our organization as Bikecentennial.

$200-$500anonymous (1)peter bower, phoenix, az michael brown, allentown, pa Timothy carey, philadelphia, pa eric chael, albuquerque, nm eric Gananian, atherton, ca Johnny Gooch, bemidji, mn Jim leake, waynesboro, Va daniel bryant morris, alexandria, Va maria elena price, fort collins, co brian shunamon, boulder, co

mile supporters of adventure cycling’s route network

tHanK yOu!adventure cycling would like to thank those who have sponsored miles or panels on the Great divide mountain bike route, the lewis & clark Trail, the pacific coast route, and the route that started it all — the Transamerica Trail.

cyclists who sponsor miles and panels support the development and maintenance of the adventure cycling route network and play an important role in establishing new cycling routes like the recently cre-ated underground railroad alternate, the northern Tier north dakota re-route, and the upcoming bicycle route 66 maps.

as a nonprofit organization, we depend on your financial donations. The price of a map covers only a portion of the total cost

of researching, designing, and printing adventure cycling produced maps. Your tax-deductible gift ensures that we can continue to research new routes, update existing maps, and provide our resources for all cyclists into the future.

please consider supporting these amaz-ing bicycle routes. $200 will support a mile of the Great divide route, the lewis & clark Trail, the pacific coast route or the Transamerica Trail. You can sponsor a mile online at www.adventurecycling.org/buyamile

The donors listed below sponsored miles or panels between february 1, 2011 through January 31, 2012.

Hand-Built in England since 1926

The Pashley “Country” Clubman reflects on the era when one bike would be used for many purposes - touring, club races and riding to work in between. With generous clearances under its centrepull brakes, this Clubman is equipped with modern derailleur gears for ease of use, whilst retaining the classic direct-acting down tube shifters.

Construction

The Clubman Era has returned

For more information please visit BritishBicycle.com

Adventure Cycling AssociationP.O. Box 8308Missoula, Montana 59807-8308

Non-profitU.S. POSTAGE

PAIDAdventure Cycling

Association

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adventurecycling.org/toursinfofully supported tours with

Texas hill Country • New Braunfels, TX • April 7-13

Blue Ridge Bliss • Front Royal, VA • June 2-8

Cycle utah • St George, UT • June 9-15

Cycle Montana • Missoula, MT • June 23-29

Cycle Washington II • Redmond, WA • July 16-23

Cycle divide Montana • Whitefish, MT • July 14-20

Wild flowers & Rivers • Silverthorne, CO • Aug 11-17

Oregon Coastal Odyssey • Eugene, OR • Aug 18-24

Great lakes Relaxed • Mackinaw City, MI • Sept 8-15

freedom flyer • Philadelphia, PA • Sept 8-16

Wine & harvest • Sausalito, CA • Sept 16-23

C&o Canal/GaP • Arlington, VA • Sept 29-Oct 6

luggage transport, catered meals, camping & motel options.

old Roads, expanding horizons, New friends

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