Training…always training.
The Great Divide Mountain Bike Route (GDMBR)
From www.bikepacking.com:
The Great Divide Mountain Bike Route (GDMBR) is the most recognized and important off-pavement cycling route in the United States, if not the world. The route crisscrosses the Continental Divide from north to south starting in Banff, Alberta, Canada and finishing at the US/Mexico border in Antelope Wells, New Mexico.
The Great Divide Mountain Bike Route (GDMBR), developed and mapped in 1997 by the Adventure Cycling Association, is approximately 2,700 miles long and is considered by many to be the birthplace of bikepacking as a sport. The route follows the Continental Divide and is 90% off-pavement using high-quality dirt roads, gravel roads, trails, and a few short sections of unmaintained tracks. Bikepacking the GDMBR requires only intermediate off-road mountain biking skills, but it is a painstaking test of endurance based on the sheer scale of the route, with over 200,000 feet (60,960 meters) of elevation gain and loss.
The GDMBR is routed through a cross-section of the American West defined by spectacular scenery, a variety of landscapes, historic mountain towns, and boundless remote wilderness. Highlights include the Flathead Valley in Alberta, Grand Teton National Park, the Great Divide Basin in Wyoming, South Park, Boreas Pass in Colorado, Polvadera Mesa, and the Gila Wilderness in New Mexico. Colorado’s Indiana Pass, at 11,910 feet (3630 meters), is the highest point on the route. Throughout the route riders encounter wild river valleys, remote mountain wilderness, open grasslands, high desert, and towards the southern end of the route, an amazing span through the Chihuahuan Desert.
The route is best known for the Tour Divide, an annual self-supported race. In this event, the race clock runs 24 hours a day and riders are allowed no outside support other than access to public facilities such as stores, motels, and bike shops. The record time to complete the Tour Divide is 13 days, 22 hours and 51 minutes and was set in 2016 by Mike Hall (see Trail Notes for a full list of records). The Tour Divide has been raced and completed on both single speed bicycles and tandem bicycles. The race, which has neither entry fees nor prizes, usually starts in the second weekend of June.
Why?
Why not? That should be the question…
This is a once in a lifetime (maybe twice or thrice…?) chance to challenge ourselves, both mentally and physically.
Preparation
Physical preparation is just one of the really big steps in this process. Understanding our bikes, camping equipment, packs, navigation, and nutrition are just some of the things we will need to consider as we attempt this journey.
Plans
Logistics, logistics, logistics. Success or failure will depend on four things…preparation, logistics, logistics, and logistics. Failure to plan is planning to fail.
