Page 8 - Cycling the Bitterroot, May 25, 2016
John Sieber
“I have heard many times how the stretch between Lolo and Missoula on US 93 is one of the worst bits cyclists have pedaled on their 4,000 plus mile TransAmerica Trail journey,” commented Jenn Milyko, routes and mapping assistant director for Adventure Cycling. “I am thrilled to have those comments coming to end with the opening of the trail from Lolo to Missoula on the newly finished Bitterroot Trail.” Following a study by the University of Montana’s Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research found that touring cyclists spend $75 to $103 per day and stay an average of eight or more nights in Montana, partners of the Montana Bicycle Celebration and the communities along the trail wanted to highlight the completed Bitterroot Trail as a tourism destination. A new website – BitterrootTrail.com – provides year-round resources about businesses and services along the trail and serves as the event website for the Montana Bicycle Celebration. One of the highlights of the Montana Bicycle
Celebration will be free, organized bike rides on the Bitterroot Trail with varying distances and optional shuttles (for a small fee) on Saturday, July 16. The bike rides will range from 10 to 100 miles, making the event inclusive to people of all ages and experience levels, from kids riding with training wheels to veteran cyclists who did Bikecentennial. Registration for the free ride and a full schedule of events is available at MontanaBikeCelebration.com. Thanks to partners Adventure Cycling Association, Destination Missoula, Bike Walk Bitterroot, Bike Walk Alliance for Missoula, Missoula Parks and Recreation, Missoula in Motion, Missoula County Parks and Trails, Travelers’ Rest State Park and Windfall, the Montana Bicycle Celebration has the potential to grow each year and become a Blooomsday on wheels. Visit MontanaBikeCelebration.com to view a schedule of Montana Bicycle Celebration events and to register for the Bitterroot Trail Bike Ride on Saturday, July 16.