Behind the Golden Gravel Girls
It was a late Tuesday evening in sunny Isla Vista, California. Meg and Sarah, housemates at the time, were having their nightly kitchen-chat with a cup of tea. A very popular occurrence amongst their college town.
“Meg,“ Sarah said. “Did you know there is a bike path that goes all the way from Oregon to Virginia?” Sarah had first heard about this cross-country bike route from the Adventure Cycling Association.
“I’m down” Meg said immediately; no questions asked. This was often Meg’s immediate reaction to ideas, something Sarah always admired and had hoped would be the case.
Another fellow housemate, Anne, gave a reaction that wasn’t too different. With a third committed adventurer, the plan to bike across the United States of America came to life.
The Golden Gravel Trail is a mostly unpaved route that travels through Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Colorado, Kansas and Missouri. It is a new bike route released by the Adventure Cycling Association in 2026. Follow along as we learn more about biking, this country, and ourselves!
Who We Are
Meg Bach
Meg accidentally fell in love with cycling while working summers in Denali National Park, and hasn’t looked back since. Since bouncing between seasonal work and travel the past two years, Meg is seeking out more meaningful way to roam around. She’s super pumped for the group’s collaboration with CCIJ! Meg loves these two chickadees soooooo much and is wayyy stoked to take on this trip with Sarah and Anne!!
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Sarah Lorenz
Sarah doesn’t really know how to write a description of herself, but she loves to do watercolors inspired by nature (stay tuned for a post card service!) and gets really excited about birds. While relatively new to bikepacking (and cycling in general) she is always down for an adventure and can’t wait to cycle across the country with two of her best friends! :)
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she/her/hersAnne Geldmeyer
Anne started getting into biking due to a history of knee issues, something that has been with her since 2017. This past August, she underwent another ACL/meniscus reconstruction and is taking this challenge on as an endeavor and attestation of what she’s physically and mentally capable of. Anne is so excited and grateful to be able to explore this country with two of her closest friends <3
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