Imagine seeing America from sea to shining sea, the wind whipping through your hair, a cool breeze, the smell of the salt-water, and the crisp mountains. Seeing every inch of this gorgeous country, glide by as you pedal past. Small mom and pop shops. Restaurants are serving authentic foods.

For Greg and June Siple, this dream started when they laid eyes upon the Golden Gate Bridge in 1972. Avid cyclist the Siple’s wondered what it would be like if they organized a bike ride across the United States.

Could they interest enough people? Greg Siple imagined young and old alike arriving at the Golden Gate Bridge and then everyone merely taking off at once on a grand adventure.

It took four years to plan and market. June Siple called the ride the Bikecentennial because she saw the number 1776.2 on the pedometer of her bike, they planned the trip on the 200th birthday of America.

The first event began with 2000 cyclist leaving from Oregon, then joining them along the way was another 2500 cyclist.

Bikecentennial started as a celebration of the birth of a nation. In 1972, four cyclists had the idea for a bike ride across America. Greg Siple founded the Adventures in Cycling Association and with the help of his wife June, and their good friends and fellow cyclist Dan and Lys Burden. Lys is the architect of the Trans-America Bike Trail.

The original ride started in Oregon and followed a path across the country to Virginia the Siple’s company Adventures Cycling Association anticipates that anywhere between 20,000 and 40,000 cyclist riding this year.

More recently organizers have started the Trans-America Bike Race, which begins on June 4th at 8:00 am in Yorktown Virginia and Astoria, Oregon. Racers will be riding side by side with the cyclists. The race is in its fifth year; race organizers are already seeing large numbers of cyclists entering the race. A cyclist who wishes to ride can line up with racers in either Astoria or Yorktown.

Racers have separate rules from the other cyclists and should consult race organizers if they are interested in joining in the fun.

Ten years ago for the thirtieth anniversary, Dan D’Ambrosio wrote a stunning article that looked at the founding of the Trans-America Bike Trail. The struggles that the Siple’s and the Burden’s went through. With Dan Burden contracting Hepatitis and having to do his part of the planning by phone and mail from the Burden’s home in Columbus Ohio.

While biking from Alaska to Argentina, The Siple’s, and the Burden’s came up with the idea for a bike trail that led through the heart of the United States.

Although Greg gets a great deal of credit as the founder of the trail, it was a group effort, thought up, in part while the group was in Mexico. They then created a flyer “Bikecentennial ’76. The 76-day 3,000-mile Bicycle Birthday Party” to test the waters and see if any other cyclists would be interested.

This party would turn into a 4250-mile ride across the nation, stirring up emotions along the way and creating memories that last a lifetime. Forty years later people still talk about that first ride and annually the numbers grow as more and more cyclist join in the fun and journey across the nation.

The first leg of the ride starts in Astoria Oregon to Coburg Oregon and is 234 miles, along the Pacific Ocean.

Leg two of the journey from Coburg Oregon to Baker City is 333 miles, from Baker City Oregon; riders begin the third leg of their trip into Missoula Montana and the home of the Adventure Cycling Association.

From Missoula riders will travel further east to West Yellowstone Montana a trip that is 328 miles, leg five of the tour takes cyclists from West Yellowstone to Rawlins Wyoming a 350-mile journey.Part of this journey will allow cyclist the opportunity to see Yellowstone National Park.

Leg six of the ride is between Rawlins and Pueblo Colorado a 387-mile journey through the Rocky Mountains.While the trip takes place in the summer, Adventure Cycling Association warns that cyclist could still see snow in the mountainous range in Colorado.

From Pueblo, riders go to Alexander Kansas, and from Alexander, they then ride to Girard, which will bring them to the ninth leg of their journey.

The ninth leg of the Trans American Bike Trail goes from Girard, Kansas, to Murphysboro Illinois a 408.5-mile journey through the heart of the Ozarks. Including, Marshfield the county seat of Webster County sits on historic Route 66.

While Marshfield is famous for having the oldest Independence Day parade in Missouri the Trans-America Bike ride is a favorite of the locals as it gives them an opportunity to show off their beautiful community to people from all around the country.

Missouri is a nice change for the Cyclist; the hilly terrain is a pleasant diversion from the flatlands of southern Colorado and Kansas. While Golden City Missouri has that wonderful restaurant for the cyclists to try, there is also a lot of history and heritage along the bike path for the cyclist to explore.

The record set for the route from Oregon to Virginia is 16.5 days, the Adventure Cycling Association suggests that the longer the cyclists take, the more they can enjoy the journey. Many restaurants, hotels, motels, and campgrounds along the bike trail have historical documents previous rides, to share with cyclists.

Journal entries of the prior cyclist share the thoughts and aspirations of why so many people have chosen to make this journey.

Missouri has a lot to offer cyclists as they travel through the beautiful scenery. The openness of the people and warm hospitality that abounds will bring more people back year after year. They come to see the waterways and national parks that make Missouri so memorable, and they return because of the warm welcome they receive from the people.
After leaving Missouri, cyclist continues the tenth leg of the journey from Murphysboro Illinois to Berea Kentucky a 405-mile journey.

The 11th leg of the journey will take the cyclist from Berea Kentucky to Christiansburg Virginia on the 11th leg of the journey. The 12th and final leg will take them 368 miles from Christiansburg to Yorktown Virginia.

The Siple's and the Burden's had a simple dream; to share cycling and a love of this country with others. Forty years later their dream has grown into one of the most famous bike trails. It continues to grow as more and more people discover a love of cycling and the beauty that is the Trans-America Bike Trail.

Just as in 1976, organizers now hope that this journey through the country will bring together cyclist of all ages as they get to see just how beautiful America is. Missourians can hope to showcase what makes their state so unique, not only the rolling hills and beautiful landscape but also the beauty that lies in the hearts and souls of the community.