A news release Thursday about the Adventure Cycling Association‘s fiscal year contained this tidbit that will interest cyclists and Route 66 businesses alike:
Research for Adventure Cycling’s next long-distance route, Bicycle Route 66, was finished this year as well. The complete route will be approximately 2,500 miles, with maps will be available in late 2014.
The group announced its intention in November 2010 to map bicycle-friendly paths on or near Route 66. It initially announced the map would be available in 2014 or 2015. The fact ACA is committing to an earlier timeline indicates its data-gathering went well.
According to a news release at the time:
Lon Haldeman, an experienced Route 66 bike tour leader said, “This route can be done as a camping tour in roadside campgrounds, however there are many unique motels along the route which make this a good credit card tour type route. Eating in the old cafes and diners is part of the charm.”
Bicycle Route 66 will take in the historic highway’s iconic urban hubs, such as Chicago and St. Louis, marking the first time that Adventure Cycling’s routes, which generally keep cyclists on the outskirts of large urban areas, will mesh with the goals of the official U.S. Bicycle Route System (USBRS), which aims to connect rural and urban areas, from countryside to suburbs to city center. This will also be the first time that an Adventure Cycling route and an official U.S. Bicycle Route (USBR 66) will be developed in tandem.
The Sapulpa Daily Herald in Sapulpa, Okla., reported Wednesday the association and other cycling groups are soliciting support resolutions from the state, county, and city for the Route 66 Bicycle Trail.
Similar resolution requests to municipalities have been sprinkled up and down the Mother Road for weeks. But the most eyebrow-raising part of the Herald’s report was this:
Quebec Canada’s ‘La Route Verte’ 2,400 mile bicycle friendly scenic route accounts for $160 million in tourism dollars for the province annually.
The Canadian bicycle route is about the same distance as Route 66, and is lesser-known. The economic impact of an official Route 66 bicycle route could be huge.