Survey indicates how bicycle tourism may affect Route 66

The Adventure Cycling Association — which produced a fine map series on how to cycle on the Route 66 — recently released some findings of a biennial survey.

With some light editing, I decided to highlight data that’s most relevant to the Mother Road. My comments are in italics.

1. Boom in “adventure” and touring bikes: One of the hottest new categories in bicycle sales is “adventure” bikes, or multi-purpose bikes that can be used on paved roads, gravel, and for light touring. Such bicycles obviously would prove useful for primitive or old sections of Route 66.

2. Boom in bikepacking and gravel travel: Spurred by innovations in off-road bikes and bike travel gear, especially lighter and trimmer framebags and other packs, bikepacking on single track and unpaved roads has taken off. New groups are forming to promote and conserve bikepacking opportunities. There has also been a boom in gravel riding, and many states are touting their large networks of very-low-traffic gravel road networks. The 17-mile gravel stretch of Route 66 between Glenrio and San Jon, New Mexico comes to mind.

3. Continental and national bike route networks continue to grow:  The official US Bicycle Route System has grown in the last two years from 15 to 24 states and the District of Columbia, and from 6,790 miles to 11,243 miles (with a goal of reaching at least 50,000 miles in the network). More than 40 states are working on the project, and many are now signing segments of the system.

4. National and state tourism bureaus invest in promoting bike travel: Countries around the world are increasingly investing in becoming bike travel destinations. In the U.S., more states than ever are promoting bicycle tourism.

5. Regional networks and routes: Popular new long-distance and regional routes were released by Adventure Cycling in 2015 (Bicycle Route 66, from LA to Chicago).

6. More bikes on rails: One of the biggest stories in bike tourism this past year is Amtrak’s embrace of the bicycle. In 2013, Amtrak and Adventure Cycling launched a special task force to improve bicycle accommodation, and in the last two years, their efforts have borne fruit. Amtrak has also expanded another type of bike service – trainside checked – on all of its remaining national routes, which allows you to check your bike as baggage without having to deal with a bike box. Better accommodations for cyclists on trains could prove convenient in the desert Southwest, where Amtrak often shadows Route 66.

7. Parks get on the bike travel bandwagon: National, state and local parks are getting more involved than ever promoting and facilitating cycling to and through public lands. During the National Park Service’s centennial year, different national park units improved bike facilities. Such improvements obviously would be beneficial for cyclists wanting to explore the Petrified Forest National Park, Grand Canyon, Mojave Trails National Monument and more.

8. Bike overnights and day trips become more mainstream: As in Europe (where 80% of bike tourism activity revolved around day tours), the American market is morphing to include more bike overnights (one- to two-night bike trips) and day trips for tourism purposes. In 2016, bike overnights enjoyed the national spotlight with the first Bike Travel Weekend, which sparked more than 900 DIY bike trips all over North America and involved nearly 12,000 participants. The weekend will become an annual event and take place next year on June 2-4.

9. Cycling hospitality networks grow: Another global trend is the development of extensive hospitality networks to serve traveling cyclists. In North America, the closest equivalent is Velo Quebec’s Bienvenue Ciclistes. Globally, there is also a cycling hospitality non-profit called Warm Showers, through which members can make reciprocal lodging arrangements; the organization has grown to 99,000 members and is working to expand and upgrade its website.

10. North America cycling events thrive, expand: A mainstay of the bike tourism sector is the array of large multi-day bike events. These rides continue to attract hundreds of thousands of participants, many of them on their first multi-day bike ride, and generate hundreds of millions of dollars in economic impact and charitable contributions.

11. The boom in urban bike tourism broadens: Urban bike tours are becoming a more standard part of the American tourism scene, from cities like Los Angeles and New Orleans to Atlanta  and Washington, DC. Specialty tours combining history, beverages, and food are becoming more popular.

(Image of cyclists at the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge in St. Louis by Trailnet via Flickr)