Drop-in Rides Tracking
Dot watch riders on three epic routes all season long
Meet Our Ambassadors
Ryan Van Duzer
Route: Great Divide Mountain Bike Route
Approx. Start Date: June 21
Bike: Priority 600ADX
Favorite Trail Food: Refried Beans
Luxury Item: Butter Knife
Social: @duzer
Seeing the world on two wheels has been my favorite way to connect with the world since I was a little boy. I just love riding my bike! The GDMBR has been good to me in the past (I rode most of it in 2020) and I'm excited to discover new things about myself and about this country.
Trip Longer
Route: Great Divide Mountain Bike Route and Golden Gravel Trail
Approx. Start Date: June 1 (Mat's birthday)
Bike: Panorama Cycles Taïga EXP 3 (for both)
Favorite Trail Food:
Ali: Crushed pineapple in cottage cheese
Mat: Plain yogurt with frozen blueberries
Luxury Item:
Ali: Nail clippers
Mat: Bedrock Sandals
Social: @trip.longer and @thisisalibecker
We are Mat and Ali, Canadian adventure enthusiasts who love spending time outside. Over the last ten years, we've amassed over 100,000 km of travel by bicycle, and it's become one of our favorite ways to experience new places and people. The Drop In rides provide the opportunity to celebrate our love for bike travel by riding the most iconic bikepacking route (Great Divide) and one of the newest, the Golden Gravel Trail.
Meaghan Hackinen
Route: Golden Gravel Trail
Approx. Start Date: July 10
Bike: Cutthroat C Rival GX AXS Transmission SUS
Favorite Trail Food: Snickers!
Luxury Item: Toe spacers
Social: @meaghanhackinen
I’m an adventure cyclist, writer, and competitive bikepack racer. I’ve spent the past fifteen years chasing big routes across mountain ranges and continents, navigating my way from touring cyclist to randonneur to serious racer and back again. After racing two of ACA’s other significant routes, I’m excited to experience the new Golden Gravel route at a more relaxed, thoughtful pace. I’m dropping in not to ride fast, but to lean into curiosity—taking in the landscape, connecting with other riders and locals, and seeing how the route unfolds when there’s time to really be present.
Groups to Watch For
Priority Bicycles + Ryan Van Duzer
Approx. Start Date: July 21
Social: @ridepriority @duzer
Priority Bicycles and Ryan Van Duzer are bringing together the ultimate drop-in ride of riders to take on Section 5 of the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route — a stretch known for its long climbs, remote terrain, and classic Divide scenery. The ride is part of a broader effort to celebrate the Adventure Cycling Association’s 50th anniversary and create an opportunity for riders to experience a meaningful piece of the route alongside a great group. While Priority is helping coordinate transportation to and from the route, the ride itself stays true to the spirit of the Divide — fully self-supported, with riders responsible for navigating, camping, and covering the miles day by day. It’s equal parts challenge, community, and a chance to be part of something bigger on one of the most iconic bikepacking routes out there.
Smith5 – Braking Cycles
Approx. Start Date: May 27
Social: @Smith5.BrakingCycles
Family of five (ages 7, 9, working on 11, old and older) all first-time bicycle travelers, setting audacious goals, dreaming big, working hard and raising awareness for a local youth organization, Braking Cycles Northwest
The Golden Pedals
Approx. Start Date: May 25
Social: @gdogpdx @violetholah
Our group of two is composed of a Father and daughter. I have many years of cycling and bikepacking experience, and Violet is a new bikepacker who has a new passion for cycling. The new Golden Gravel route looks to be the perfect challenge for us. Though we do not intend to ride the complete route, we do have 60 days allotted for this adventure.
Whimsy Wheelers
Approx. Start Date: June 27
Social: @gdhdbikes
We met in Portland, Oregon in 2021, and started dating after we both moved to the East Coast (me to New Jersey, Grace to North Carolina). I have wanted to do another cross-country tour ever since I rode the Northern Tier with Bike and Build in 2019. We decided this year was the right time to take a break from work and do the tour, as we are moving from our current home in Portland, Maine, back to the West Coast. We were super excited to learn it is also ACA's 50th anniversary and hope to see lots of other folks out there this summer!
Dragon Riders
Approx. Start Date: August 2
We are group of old timers 60’s-70’s from NC, MA, and Italy, who all met online through ACA companions through various adds. We won’t meet in person until we start.
Loose Group
Approx. Start Date: October 1
This group started as a continuation of a Seattle, WA to Gloucester, MA, coast-to-coast trip in 2010. We have gotten together every year for a trip since the 2010 c2c trip. We chose the GGT Drop-in because we wanted to "test-ride" the GGT for a possible longer ride in 2027.
Quick Tips on How to Dot Watch
Following Adventure Cycling’s 50th Anniversary Drop-in Riders through an interactive GPS tracker map is a key part of any great ultra-distance cycling endeavor these days. It provides a visual glimpse of each rider on their route. It has all the drama of a sports broadcast, just ... slower, quieter, and somehow more suspenseful for it.
Each rider is represented by a dot or icon on the map. Looking at the map as a whole can give you a sense of everyone currently riding the route. A translucent, faded dot indicates the rider is stationary. Click on a rider’s dot to bring up information such as their position, overall distance, and the weather around them. Click Show to display their track across the route until that point.
A specific rider can be found through the details tab, with the list of all the riders with Drop-in Ride trackers.
- Click the Details tab and search for their name
- Hover over their name to center the map to their dot
- Click on their name to display their track and bring up key stats, such as current speed and distance covered
Huge thanks to Follow My Challenge providing for this awesome tracking map!
For more dot watching features, see the Follow My Challenge features page or their support page.
New to Drop-in Rides?
Drop-in Rides are a celebration by bike of Adventure Cycling’s 50th anniversary.
Ride one of three epic routes.
Self supported.
On your own timeline.
With friends, alone, or in a Drop-in group.
Discover more about Drop-in Rides.
