Adventure Cycling Association

You can expect:

• Connecting with your ACA friends and fellow members.
• Celebrating ACA’s history, including honoring ACA’s founders and the intrepid Bikecentennial riders from 1976, as well as all those who have adventured with ACA over the past 50 years
• Looking forward to ACA’s next 50 years
• A chance to support ACA’s next 50 years

Events are still being finalized, but will be held on Saturday, October 24. We anticipate that there will be a more formal gathering on Saturday evening that brings together the whole group. This evening event will include a celebratory program and dinner. During the day, we are planning a variety of smaller group activities that will cover a variety of options. Think story sharing, learning opportunities, tours of the ACA headquarters, and more. If you have an idea for what kind of programming would be meaningful to you, make sure to fill out the interest form.

Support from donors and members is critical to ensuring ACA’s future, and the event will include opportunities to make a donation to support ACA’s work. (Honestly, we’d be remiss if we didn’t, based on how many people at the Jubilee in the Desert in January asked us about this very thing!) While we will be asking participants to consider making a donation, you are welcome to attend whether or not a donation makes sense for you, and we promise that the focus will be on celebrating ACA’s past and future.

The event will be held in Missoula, MT, home of ACA headquarters. We’re expecting a crowd larger than can be held in the ACA building, and the exact venue(s) are still being finalized, but we’ll have plenty of scheduled opportunities for participants to visit and enjoy the ACA headquarters building.

Final details are still being confirmed, including the total event capacity. The final event size will be based in part on responses to the interest form, so make sure to fill it out if you’re definitely coming, maybe coming, or still figuring it out! Registration will be required, and details will be posted here as soon as they are available. There will be a cost to attend; the planning committee is mindful to keep costs reasonable. We anticipate having support available to ensure that cost is not the thing that keeps anyone from attending. Details on how to request ticket support will be shared when registration opens. If you’d be interested in supporting the event to help keep it accessible, please contact development@adventurecycling.org or visit https://support.adventurecycling.org/msla50

The 40th celebration was amazing, and this celebration will be too, but this will not be a repeat or re-creation of 2016. This celebration will lean more heavily into looking forward so that we can ensure ACA’s next 50 years are just as – if not even more – impactful than the first 50! If you were at the 40th, you can expect a more intimate crowd (while final event size is being finalized, we anticipate it will be smaller scale than in 2016); October weather (Missoula in October can vary widely, and programming will reflect that); and a balance of both celebrating the past and present and looking toward the future.

Soon! We’re finalizing many details and are aiming for mid-summer to open registration. We will get registration open as soon as possible, especially since we know a lot of people will be traveling from out of state and will want to make travel arrangements. If you want to make sure you know as soon as possible, make sure to fill out the interest form.

Missoula in October is a bit of a wildcard when it comes to weather. The average climate is cooler (highs in the 40s and 50s and lows below freezing). It’s possible we’ll see sunny days, but we’re planning events that will ensure we have a great time even if it’s cold and rainy (or even snowy). We’re still working on event specifics, but a chance to get on two wheels is part of the conversation! (Sledding is unlikely.)

You bet! We’re still working on details, but there will absolutely be a need for volunteers to help the event go smoothly. If you’d like to get on the volunteer list, make sure to fill out the early interest form and we’ll let you know specifics as soon as they’re available.

We know there are still a lot of questions to be answered, and we’ll get that information up here as soon as possible. In the meantime, make sure to fill out the interest form and we’ll be in touch soon.

This page reflects the latest and best information! If you have additional questions, please fill out the interest form. Filling out the form is not a commitment to come, and we welcome your feedback and questions via the form whether you’re sure you want to come or are still thinking! We read every question left in the interest form and will use them to build out our next round of FAQs.

Make sure to fill out this interest form! While we can’t reply individually to every idea right now, your input is directly shaping the event.

We had a great time in Arizona in January, and this event is meant to continue the celebration through the end of our 50th anniversary year. The October celebration is going to be held where it all began, Missoula, MT, and will dig deeply into our 50-year history, while also looking forward toward our next 50 years. We’d love to see you in October whether we saw you in January or not!

There is not a Facebook group specifically for this event, but we encourage you to check out the Bikecentennial 76 & Adventure Cycling’s 50th Anniversary Celebrations Facebook group. Please note that this Facebook group is entirely run by a non-staff volunteer; be patient and kind! Official announcements and information will come via ACA directly, not the Facebook group.