Planning and more planning.

A big part of what we view will make our Tour Divide attempt a success has nothing to do with riding a bike. Certainly we understand that we have to be physically and mentally prepared for racing 135+ miles a day on dirt roads and trails, and over mountain passes, but that is only a part of what we believe will make us successful. The other main components are preparation, planning and logistics.

Preparation, planning, and logistics are a daily thought and usually a daily conversation.

Having started well down the road on this attempt last year, one might mistakenly believe we are already fully prepared for the 2021 attempt. That said, it is simply not the case. We are still working on gear choices, outfitting our rides, deciding on tire selection, camping equipment, tweaking (or starting) our light set-up, power generation and charging, transportation to Banff, ON and ON!!!

That said, we are fully getting into our baseline training as well. Rides are starting to get longer, on the order of 5 hours, with 18-25 hours a week of riding and other types of training (running, hiking core work, etc.). If all goes according to plan, this will eventually become an almost 30-35 hours a week thing… every week. What’s is, and will continue to be, frightening is that our weekly miles right now (about 250) represents less than two days on the TD!! (Insert scared face here!!!)

Obviously this could not be done without the help, support, and understanding of our ladies, Lola and Lauren. It is such a great help having SOs that are also endurance athletes, and therefore understand the time commitment and demands needed to take on an adventure of this magnitude. (Thanks ladies!!!)

Stay Safe!

Shane and Ray