The Bike Loud ‘26 grand depart is on June 14 and begins at the beach in San Francisco with rear bicycle wheels dipped in the Pacific Ocean. The self-supported journey commences across the Golden Gate Bridge, through the Napa Valley and to Lake Tahoe. Several days will be spent traversing Nevada on Route 50, known as the loneliest road in America. Once in Utah the route dips south towards Zion National Park and along the border of Bryce Canyon. June 25 will be a particularly challenging day; the 125 mile stretch from Hanksville to Blanding, UT includes 10,000 feet of climbing with the only water source being the Colorado River. In Colorado the route will go by Telluride and over the continental divide at Monarch Pass - elevation 11,312 feet. After a completely straight stretch through Kansas (hopefully with a tailwind), the route goes off-road in Missouri onto the Katy Rail Trail, a 240 mile rail trail along an abandoned section of the Union Pacific railroad that stretches all the way to St Louis. At that point, the route turns southeast and heads through Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia, ultimately arriving approximately 38 days later with a front tire dip into the Atlantic Ocean just past Savannah, GA at Tybee Island on the afternoon of July 21.

Key Stats:

3,546 miles in 34 riding days (plus 4 rest days) at approximately 105 miles per day.
Total elevation gain: 153,873 feet

Highest elevation: 11,312 feet at Monarch Pass