Adventure Cycling Association

Founded in 1976, ACA’s claim to fame is the TransAmerica Bicycle Trail, a 4,000mile route created to celebrate the country’s 200th birthday. But that route — and more than 50,000 others the organization has mapped — have historically appealed mostly to an older, white male demographic. The Montana-based organization aims to change its complexion with the Short Trips Initiative. “We want to make bike travel more accessible,” says project manager Eva Dunn-Froebig. “So we’re focusing on routes around cities, plus resources to help people travel by bike.”

The program begins this summer in eight metro areas, accompanied by educational materials and stipends to help BIPOC Ambassadors and riders pedal off on overnight trips across the country. To form authentic connections, ACA is hiring consultants like Devin Cowens, an Atlanta-based advocate for QTIBIPOC (Queer, Trans, Intersex, Black and Indigenous People of Color) in biking. “They’re putting money behind it, which is great,” Cowens says. “It’s nice to have these conversations even though they are uncomfortable. BIPOC folks have been saying stuff for a long time, but it’s white folks who can move the needle.”

TOP Rodgers hopes to add an actuator to his bike’s crank arm to hold his pedal flat so that he can “get a little sendier” on downhills.

BOTTOM ACA’s efforts to reach a wider audience kick off June 4–6 with Bike Travel Weekend. Cowens (left, in orange shirt) is stoked to help make it happen.