Bike quest: Missoula-based organization, Adventure Cycling Association maps routes for road riders

Brian Becker was cruising about 30 mph down a dirt road on his mountain bike when he took a tumble on a turn.

"The front tire gave out," he recalled in a telephone interview. "I went into an S turn and couldn’t hold it.

"I just drilled into the ground, hitting my shoulder and then my head. I was still in the pedals.

"It split my helmet like a coconut and blew up my shoulder," he said, breaking his collarbone and severing two shoulder ligaments.

That was three years ago just outside of Seeley Lake, a small town in northwestern Montana. Becker was six days into a 75-day ride known as the Great Divide Route, a 2,490 mile trek on back roads from Montana’s border with Canada to Antelope, N.M. The route crosses the Continental Divide 30 times, hence the name.

After three years of recovery, Becker said he’s ready to give the dirt ride another try in August.

The Great Divide Route is one of many outlined and mapped by a Missoula-based nonprofit bicycle touring group – Adventure Cycling Association http://www.adventurecycling.org/ . Becker, 47, of Buffalo, N.Y., is one of 41,000 association members.

Navigating the back roads of America is Adventure Cycling’s area of expertise. Founded in 1973, the group’s mission has been to "inspire people of all ages to travel by bicycle" and to "help cyclists explore the landscapes and history of America for fitness, fun and self-discovery."

By BRETT FRENCH
Gazette Outdoor Writer

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