Cross-country bicycle race to pass through southwest Montana

It’s all part of the ninth running of the Trans-Am Bike Race, a fully self-supported cycling race across the country. Competitors will encounter the first big mountainous challenges of the 4,176-mile race in southwestern Montana. 

A few days into their multi-week odyssey to the East Coast, they’ll enter into Montana at Lolo Pass on U.S. Highway 12, southwest of Missoula. With top riders averaging as much as 250 miles per day, the leaders could enter the state as early as Tuesday afternoon or evening, with most of the others a day or two behind. Many will pass through around Wednesday. 

The race follows the TransAmerica Trail of roads mapped out by the Missoula-based Adventure Cycling Association. The route was first developed as part of the Bikecentennial ride in 1976 that led to the ACA’s formation. Parts of the course involve roads where motorists are unaccustomed to seeing bicyclists, and Trans-Am racers may be riding through at unusual hours or in the dark. 

They’ll cruise down Highway 12 from Lolo Pass to Lolo, then head south on U.S. Highway 93 and ride the length of the Bitterroot Valley. They’ll race up to the top of Lost Trail Pass, then head over Chief Joseph Pass and down State Highway 43 to the Big Hole and Wisdom.

From Wisdom, they’ll pedal through Jackson on Highway 278 as they make their way to Dillon. Then it’s off to Twin Bridges, down to Alder, up and over the mountains through Virginia City, and down to Ennis. From Ennis, they’ll take U.S. Highway 287 south to West Yellowstone, where they cross into Wyoming on their voyage east. 

All the while, racers are prohibited from taking outside support. They must rely only on what they bring with them and what they can purchase from commercial sources available to everyone, such as stores along the way. The clock doesn’t stop until racers reach Yorktown, Virginia so each must manage their pace, nutrition and sleep to cover as much ground as they can without burning out. 

Eventually, anywhere from the record 16 days to more than a month after leaving Astoria, racers will arrive in Yorktown, where the York River flows into the Chesapeake Bay. Live tracking of racers is available at transambikerace.com.

As of Friday, some had already arrived in Astoria and activated their GPS trackers. By Wednesday, the dots on the map will be strung across Montana.