Event Info
The Great American Ride is a virtual team ride from Washington State to Washington, D.C.—and everywhere in between! Assemble your crew of up to 4, 8, or 12 people, and chip away at the 3,700-mile journey. An online map will track each group’s virtual progress across the country and a leaderboard will display the standings each day. Your team has until June 7 to complete the trek.
And you can make your achievement mean something even more by donating and helping raise funds for Rails to Trails Conservancy (RTC), our official race charity.
Our experienced race organizers will be with you every step of the way! We’ll set up ways for you to stay connected with your team, highlight noteworthy portions of the virtual routes you are completing, and keep track of all the results at the end of each day. Who knew that social distancing could be so much fun!
Cost Per Team Member 
The cost is $50/person and the fee includes:
- Event Shirt
- Finisher Medal
- Virtual finisher’s badge
- Pre-mapped 3,700-mile course across the country
- Leaderboard and Online Map with real time standings
- Virtual travel experience through fun facts and photos of things you would see along the route
- Exclusive access to the Great American Ride Facebook Group
- Opportunity to earn Virtual Badges (think of these as mini-goals on your way to the finish line)
Registration closes on May 1 at 11:59 p.m. Entries are non-refundable, non-transferable and cannot be deferred to another year.
Team Info
A team consists of up to 4, 8, or 12 members . You do not have to have the maximum number in each division to be part of the challenge. For example, if you are a team of 6, then you would compete in the 8-person category and a team of 9 would compete in the 12-person team category.
You will register as an individual. You should assign one team captain to set-up your team and then they will be able to share the team name and password (optional) for others to register and join. You will also be able to search for a team during registration and choose to join the team then. For more information, visit our Team Captain Info page.
Looking to join a team?
Join our Great American Ride Facebook Group to find teams looking for members!
How the ride works
The Great American Ride kicks off on April 6.
You should track your ride using one of the many GPS-enabled tracking systems (e.g., Strava, Map My Run, Garmin, Wahoo, etc.). From there you will self-report the time and distance of your ride based on your GPS tracking, which will update the leaderboard and move your team’s dot across the course map. Entries without GPS will be permitted but are not encouraged for the sake of validation. If you are in the running to be in the top 10 in your division, you should be prepared to validate your mileage.
The first team in each division to reach Washington, D.C. will win. Teams have until June 7 to complete the 3,700-mile trek. A 4-person team starting on April 6 can accumulate as few as 60 miles per day in order to finish by the end of May.
Refer your friends & family and be rewarded!
The only thing better than the Great American Ride experience is sharing it with friends and family! Invite others to join you on your journey and earn the following rewards:
- 5 referrals: Great American Ride Water Bottle
- 10 referrals: Great American Ride Hat
All you need to do is share your unique referral link (found in your registration confirmation email)! You can email, share on social media, or text your friends the link.
Questions
Need more info? Contact us at [email protected] or visit our FAQ page.