January 22, 2025
by Tom Ewing
Newspaper profiles of Bikecentennial riders were a regular feature in 1976, as journalists wrote human interest stories connected to the celebration of America’s 200th birthday. On February 23, 1976, The Item published a front page story under the headline: “Pedal Power: Sumter Bike Joins Bicentennial Trek.” A senior of Sumter (South Carolina) High School, the article reported, Rick Bradham planned to celebrate his graduation with an 82 day ride across the United States as part of the Bikecentennial. Building on several years of serious cycling, including experience bikecamping the previous summer, Bradham was planning to serve as “assistant group leader, mechanic, and general expert for a team of about 12 fellow riders.” Bradham expressed the same aspirations that motivated the organizers of the Bikecentennial and other cycling enthusiasts of the 1970s: “Biking is a fun sport and good for your body. You’re not all closed up like you are in a car. It eases up your tensions, and it saves a lot of gas. It’s good for the environment. The wind in your face really wakes you up.” The Bikecentennial’s purpose, according to Bradham, was “to show that the bicycle is about the best way to get around.” A photoigraph published on the front page showed Bradham, with toe clips but no helmet, poised to pedal off on his ten speed bicycle.
On June 1, 1976, The Item published a photograph of Bradham with his friend Jody Brown, “Fresh from Sumter High graduation,” ready to drive to Yorktown, VA, to begin riding the Bikecentennial. On July 14, the same newspaper published a report from Bradham’s father that his son had reached Pueblo, Colorado, halfway across the country, where they were preparing to climb through the Rocky Mountains on their way to Astoria, Oregon. One of the worst experiences of the trip, Bradham reported, involved speeding coal trucks in West Virginia, where black coal dust penetrated their clothes and skin, whers the best experiences came from welcoming families along the route who provided home-cooked meals and “native friendliness.” The newspaper does not appear to have reported on the completion of the ride in late summer, but an article one year later about Ann Bradham stated that her son Ricky had completed the cross-country Bikecentennial a year earlier. The article stated that Ann and Ricky “share a common hobby — bicycling,” although the former’s job and family meant that “she doesn’t have much time for that anymore.”
The Downtown Asheville Racing Club has a photograph and profile for member Richard Bradham who completed the Bikecentennial Ride in 1976. The love for cycling that the Bikecentennial organizers hoped to promote clearly lasted a lifetime for some who participated in this unique celebration of America’s 200th birthday.
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