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8.05.2024

Ride the Divide

Oh hello! Yes, I have been absent for a little while!! The reason for this is that I decided to do a mountain biking race and I did not have time to post and/or comment so I decided to just take a bit of a sabbatical. 

Peter Lougheed Provincial Park, BC

What is this race, you ask? Well, there is a cycling route that goes from Banff, Alberta to the border of Mexico at Antelope Wells, NM and is 70% on dirt. Of course, when I found this out a couple of years ago, I told myself that I was going to ride it one day. Then I found out that you can actually race it. Coming from an ultra racing background where you often suffer endlessly, I asked myself why not, and I signed up for this race. It started on June 14th. 

Grand Teton National Park, WY

The race, or the Tour Divide, as it is called, is a very non-organized affair. This is because if it were organized, then permits would have to be procured, insurance and other things would be an issue and someone would be liable. In this case, we are all just cyclists riding the same route, at basically the same time. However, let me give you some facts. 

Total mileage of ~2,700 depending on weather, reroutes etc. and ~ 150,000 feet of climbing. 
Fastest Known Time (FKT): males Laughlin Morton (2023) 12:12:24, supported (not official). Justinas Leveika (2024) 13:02:06 unsupported/official, female Lael Wilcox (2023) 16:20:17 official. Yes, this is over 200 miles per day in some cases!

The route goes through Alberta, BC, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico. The full route map from 2024 with elevation details and points of interest can be found here. The race is fully self supported. This means you cannot book anything in advance and there are no aid stations. When you are hungry, you must find food; you must carry everything you need on the bike with you. You cannot ride in a group; you cannot have supporters along the route. If it is something that every rider has equal opportunity to use (i.e. motel, trail magic, gas station, restaurant) you can use it, but you are not supposed to have an advantage over any other racer. If you get a mechanical, you can get a ride to the nearest town but you must get back to the same place and start riding again. Only about 40% of the people who start normally finish. 



How did it go? Well, it was hard! I ended up averaging about 73 miles per day with my highest being over 100 miles. However, this was not the hardest part. The hardest part was that there were lots of hills, some of the dirt roads were in very poor condition, the weather did not always cooperate, and there were mechanical issues from time to time. Here are some stats. 

Boreas Pass, CO (11,500 ft)

Most beautiful province/state: British Columbia, due to endless views of glacial rivers and snowy peaks
Hardest province/state: New Mexico due to heat, thunderstorms, dust, fatigue, dogs off leash
Best roads: Colorado or Montana
Worst roads: New Mexico
Favorite province/state: Colorado due to good roads, gradual climbs, mostly good weather and nice people
Random act of kindness: In New Mexico a family let me camp in their yard and then they also let me use their shower and they fed me! 

A few highlights
  • In Canada, I got snowed and/or rained on almost every day, and they had the worst mud and steepest and longest one climb of the entire race. I also had my first trip to the bike shop on day two in Fernie, BC. 
  • In Montana, a snowstorm came in and luckily I am slower, as the elites got stuck in the storm at the passes. I started later and got minimally snowed on. Two days after that, it was about 100 degrees and I spent most of the day going from shade patch to shade patch trying to stay cool. 
  • In Idaho, they had the best section on nice forested roads with rivers and creeks nearby, but it was the shortest at only around 60 miles total. 
  • In Wyoming, I saw three badgers and wild horses as I crossed the basin, which is a 100 mile stretch in 90 degree heat with no trees or water and a horrible cross/headwind. I had my second trip to the bike shop and now my amount of money spent on repairs for this trip has exceeded the original cost of my bike. 
  • In Colorado, I climbed to almost 12,000 feet, saw a bear and a rattlesnake, went through Steamboat Springs on the (4th of July) holiday weekend, went swimming and camped in the yard at a firehouse. 
  • In New Mexico, I rode on the singletrack of the Continental Divide Trail three times, saw tarantulas, stayed at the Toaster House in Pie Town and stayed in the yard of a Navajo family (see above). 
  • Overall, I ended up finishing in 37:06:xx, had six punctures, replaced my chain and cassette twice, and replaced my bottom bracket, crank, pedals, handlebar grips, derailer, shifter and shifter cables. 
Red Mountain, CO (San Juans)

The best part is that I got to see parts of the country that I had never seen before, met a ton of people racing who were so inspiring and was impressed with the kindness of the people I met along the road who offered me conversation, water, food and a place to lay my head. Would I do this again? Maybe, but I would probably want to do a different route next time, just because there are so many places to go and things to see. If you want to do it, or part of it, you don't have to race through it; you can definitely do it slower and spend more time eating ice cream! Here is the official route on the Adventure Cycling Association website

Finished! (Antelope Wells, NM)

Have you ever attempted to tackle something that was way out of your league? Have you ever heard of the Tour Divide? Catch me up: what have you been up to this summer!? 

30 comments:

  1. I had never heard of this until hearing about it from you but I am not one to know about these endurance type of events, nor are they something I would ever tackle as I am just not NEARLY as hearty as you are! I don't know that I have ever tackled something that was super out of my league. I've been challenged a lot in my career at different points but was usually able to rise to the challenge.

    You know all about our summer after spending the last several days with us! It's been full of travel, managing my RA, and keeping our kids entertained outside of the house as much as possible so they don't resort to WWE type of wrestling.

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    1. Haha! Maybe you should give them some body padding and let them go to town.

      I think a challenge at work definitely fits the bill. You are really good at assessing the situation and acting according, even when presented with a big challenge. I actually think you would do good at something like the TD as it is more challenging mentally than physically, believe it or not!

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  2. This is not even remotely appealing to me! Sleeping in random people's yards, tarantulas! But I'm so impressed that you did it! And now I brag about you to all of my cyclist friends!

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    1. I guess I am always up for a challenge! I try to try new things as often as possible as it is so easy to get stuck in a rut and then I feel like I would get bored easy. It doesn't always have to be this intense, but I do like pushing myself.

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  3. Holy crap, Kyria (and I apologize for swearing, but this warrants it). YOU'RE BADASS. I am no surprised you'd be signing up for something like this though. You are very adventurous! Congratulations for finishing this epic ride (how many people can say that!).

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    1. It was definitely hard San! However, you would know what I am talking about, as you do all of those pelo-fondo things all the time! I am looking forward to the next leg of the journey, but I am also looking forward to being done and going home to see my family and friends!

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  4. This is epic. I'm with Lisa in that I have no desire to do something like this, but enjoy experiencing it vicariously through someone that is much grittier than I am. I'm also with Engie in that I would NOT want to rough it outside, and the thought of sleeping on a stranger's lawn - eeks.

    This summer has been filled with ups and downs, but mostly ups now and some big things have happened that should help life finally settle down a bit after three chaotic years? That's the hope at least ;)

    So glad you got to spend the weekend with Lisa. Wishing I was there <3

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    1. I hope that the ups keep coming and the downs are fewer and farther between!! I know you've been struggling with neighborhood stuff for a while and I hope that is what you are talking about!

      The weekend with Lisa has been great and I am sad to be leaving today for sure!!

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  5. This is awesome! My longest bike ride to date is the 16 miler that I did on Pelee Island last year, so I'm quite a bit under your level. I'm jealous of all of the sites that you got to see from the bike,

    It's great to have you back in the blogging world! I highly approve of taking bloggy breaks - both from posting and from commenting.

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    1. Definitely! I think that we sometimes feel obligated to keep posting and/or commenting even when life is busy. I know I do like a regular routine and can sometimes let that guide my life too much!!

      I am happy that you are biking, and it doesn't have to be far! You can still get a new perspective from the seat of a bike, no matter what!

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  6. As you know, I loved following you every step of the way from the comfort of my chairs at home and in camp. You are as badass as they say. Thanks for doing this so that we can experience it, too.

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    1. I know, you are my biggest fan. I appreciate the support and love that you were interested in following me!

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  7. Wow! This is an incredible adventure. Good for you tackling and completing it! I have such great memories of Banff and Lake Louise, both gorgeous places in Alberta (but I certainly didn't see them the way you did).

    It's too bad you had to incur so many expensive repairs to your bike. How often did you have to walk your bike to the bike shop because it wasn't able to be ridden? That would be tough.

    It's good to see you back here again and great to know that you've been able to meet up with blog friends along the way.

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    1. Nance, I actually never had to walk my bike but I did have to ride it as a single speed due to my shifter not working so that was fun! I think when you out thousands of miles on a bike, it is inevitable that you will have to do a lot of repairs. For example, did you know you are supposed to change your chain out every ~ 1000 miles?? This means I should have had six of them by now!

      I'm still hoping to see some more people on the way! It's up in the air right now re Ohio, but you never know, I may be near you at some point!

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    2. Nance, I actually never had to walk my bike but I did have to ride it as a single speed due to my shifter not working so that was fun! I think when you out thousands of miles on a bike, it is inevitable that you will have to do a lot of repairs. For example, did you know you are supposed to change your chain out every ~ 1000 miles?? This means I should have had six of them by now!

      I'm still hoping to see some more people on the way! It's up in the air right now re Ohio, but you never know, I may be near you at some point!

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  8. If there's anyone I know who would be up for a challenge like this, it's definitely you! What an insanely cool experience. Although I can't believe you've had so many repairs for Bob that they've exceeded the cost of the bike. Whew. I hope Bob appreciates all the work you put into him. ;)

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    1. I think Bob is ambivalent. However, one thing I am learning is that bikes can be expensive, especially it you put thousands of miles on them. Going from a commuter bike, which I probably rode about 500-800 miles a year, and only had to tune up once per year, to a bike that I am beating the heck out of, is an eyeopener for me, that's for sure!!!

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  9. congrats! that's a massage and long race! I am so amazed that you just sign up like that. wooo!!! What's your plan after North America? are you coming to Asia? @coco

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    1. Hi Coco! I am going to keep riding and then probably go home for a bit at the end of the year. Then in December or January I will start traveling internationally, but the location is TBD. I will definitely get to Asia, but I don't know if that will be first on my list. Since I have a bit of flexibility I may just go with what has a good price on flights!

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  10. Wow, Kyria, you are amazing! Congratulations on making it through your race! I enjoyed reading about it and I admire you for it - but I could never do it! I'm sorry the Montana drivers were so crazy. I get sick of them too! It didn't used to be that way, so it makes me sad. I can't wait to hear what you decide to do next!

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    1. So, after my original post on IG, the drivers got better!! I must had had one or two bad ones early on. Also I noticed that city drivers, or maybe tourists are worse than rural ones. I got honked at right outside of Whitefish and I was as far over on the shoulder as I could get. However, having said that, I am in MN now and they are very courteous!

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  11. Congratulations!!! I remember you talking about this. So happy you got to ride it and have such a great experience!

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    1. It really was a great experience, although at times, it was not fun!! I had to change a tire in the dark while getting swarmed my mosquitos and let me tell you, I was quite annoyed at the time.

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  12. Oh wow! This is a bucket list race for Andy and a bucket list ride for me and I am SO EXCITED that you did it! Amazing. I think we will end up doing it on ebikes in retirement but hey-ho, I will live vicariously through people like you until then :-)

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    1. It was fun, but if you have limited time, I say at least do the Colorado section or the Canada section! Some of the NM stuff was a bit of a slog. Also if you end up doing the entire thing, I think starting in the south in April or May and going north makes more sense, weather-wise. For us, NM was hot, there was not a lot of water, and it was monsoon season!

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  13. Wow this sounds COOL!!! And, the perfect time for you to do it. I can see why you wouldn't want to do this exact same route again though. There are too many other things to see. And... tarantulas? Shudder!

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    1. The tarantulas were cool and were just doing their thing! However I am glad that my tent has a mesh enclosure! There are so many interesting things in this world that I want to see, so this one need not be repeated for a while or maybe never!

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  14. Basically, what everyone else said. Wow, Kyria. This is so you - and, honestly, so not me. I can camp - and have in the past. I'd love to try it again in the (near) future. But I strongly suspect it will be a) nearby, and b) involve some kind of car camping. (I'm trying to figure out how to sleep in my car, given my small size and lack of, well, a tent...). There are resources out there, I just need to put it all together. Not this year. :) Thank you for the inspiration and for sharing your amazing journey.

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    1. I had a Hyundai Accent and I could sleep in it so I am sure you could make your car work! All you need is a sleeping mat or maybe one of those eggshell pads so that any lumps in the car get smoothed out and you should be good to go!!

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