Cycling groups plans trip on length of Route 66

The Adventure Cycling Association, which last spring published at set of Route 66 maps for those wanting to travel the Mother Road by bicycle, is planning a nearly two-month ride on more than 2,500 miles of Route 66 starting in April.

The association’s inaugural Route 66 tour begins April 18 on the Santa Monica Pier and heads east for 55 days (with eight rest days). It is scheduled to end at Buckingham Fountain in Chicago’s Grant Park on June 10. Average miles per day is 55.

Most of the overnight stays will be in campgrounds, with a motel every 10 days or so.

The ride, lead by cycling veteran Brian Managan, costs $3,699. It is for advanced riders. Only 14 slots are available.

The weekly itinerary is at the website, along with testimonials on other riders. Riders in the Route 66 journey must be association members, so you’d better sign up if you’re interested.

If you’re a cyclist who can’t make it on that ride, the association also plans another Route 66 ride from Sept. 11 to Nov. 4.

Not many have ridden Route 66 by bicycle, much less planned a tour. But the association researched its path for Route 66 very well when it made its maps. (My report on the maps may be read here.)

And the timing of both trips ought to avoid the soul-crushing heat often found in the Mojave Desert, Texas and Oklahoma during the summer.