The great divide mountain bike route stretches from banff national park in canada to the southern border of the us. Heres 100 or so pictures from the first part of my trip going from columbus, nm frisco, co. Oct 25, 2015 riding the great divide mountain bike route. The divide of roughly 2,800 miles between canada and mexico splits the north american continent in two.
Premier longdistance mountain bike route, 2nd edition. Jul 21, 2017 saddle up and cycle from south to north up the great divide mountain bike route with amazing scenery and adventures. Im a more experienced road cyclist than anything else and am looking for a little reddit guidance. The waterproof maps provide topography, elevation profiles, food, camping, and bicycle services on and near the route. If youre starting in jasper or banff, whitefish is a welcome respite. Saddle up and cycle from south to north up the great divide mountain bike route with amazing scenery and adventures. Gunnison county has also already been hit hard by covid19. Highlights from the great divide mountain bike route youtube. The great divide mountain bike route was put together by adventure cycling in the late nineties. The route is approximately 2,700 miles long and follows the continental divide as closely as practicable, crossing it 30 times. Your headquarters for the great divide mountain bike.
Completed in 1997, the gdmbr was developed by adventure cycling association, who continue to maintain highlydetailed route maps and a guidebook. The entire route is basically dirtroad and mountainpass riding every day. Bikepacking the continental divide trail new mexico salsa. Biking the 2,800 mile great divide mountain bike route. The route crisscrosses the continental divide from north to south starting in banff, alberta, canada and finishing at the usmexico border in antelope wells, new mexico. Adventure cycling association cycling the great divide books. You buy a big steak here and cook it to your own liking at a grill in the middle of a large room. The great divide mountain bike route is a mountain bike route that parallels the continental divide trail. This multiday ride consists of dirt roads and steep mountain passes that cover over 200,000 feet in elevation gain.
In montana and colorado youll experience mountain wilderness, idaho and. Mostly dirt roads, a little pavement, some single track, and 100% adventure await on the great divide mountain bike route from canada to mexico. The tour divide roughly follows the great divide mountain bike route gdmbr is the most recognized and important offpavement cycling route in the united states, if not the world. From banff, canada to antelope wells, new mexico, the great divide mountain bike route is the longest continuous offpavement bike route in the world. The great divide route is the worlds longest offpavement cycling route. Oct 22, 20 from 1995 to 1997, adventure cycling association mapped the great divide mountain bike route, the longest offpavement mountain bike route in the world spanning 2,774 miles from canada to mexico. Offroad, months, great divide mountain bike route locales. The great divide mountain bike route was created and is maintained by the adventure cycling association, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiring and empowering people to travel by bicycle. From there we continued upstream, traveling roughly east with the colorado on our left. 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.
In canada, the great divide refers to the continental divide of north america, which is the divide between water that flows towards the east coast and the west coast. As if hiking the continental divide trail wasnt enough, great falls marty bannon decided to experience. The offpavement route is also the course for the toughest mountain bike race on earth. Cyclists dream of and plan for this lifelist trip that starts in banff, alberta and rolls through 2,745 miles of wild mountainous beauty all the way to antelope wells, new mexico. The great divide mountain bike route, mapped by the american cycling association stretches for 2766 miles from banff, alberta to the mexico border. A great book of you want to ride the divide, al little less interesting if youre. Trail magic this trip has stretched across the border and throughout the american west. Great divide mountain bike route montana 2020 all you. The great divide organised by bikeadventures llc po box 423 aspen. In what can only be called a roller coaster ride of an adventure, i completed the epic great divide mountain bike route from banff, alberta, canada to the mexican border at antelope springs, new mexico. Mountain biking irresponsibly during the covid19 pandemic puts you and others at risk. The cdt is not the great divide mountain bike route. Great divide mountain bike route gdmbr description from wikipedia.
This summer i solo toured the great divide mountain bike route using the aca maps. The worlds longest mountain bike route, pioneered by adventure cycling, traces the continental divide from canada to mexico on dirt roads, some pavement and some singletrack. Great divide mountain bike route adventure cycling association. I soon passed the final continental divide crossing, only known by the sign along the road.
Your headquarters for the great divide mountain bike route. The great divide mountain bike route is a continuous long distance bicycle touring route from banff, alberta, canada to antelope wells, new mexico, usa at the mexico border. Great divide mountain bike route adventure cycling. He pedals on through beautiful scenery and meets up with other riders at the end of a long day. Ill be going on a tour from banff, canada to antelope wells, new mexico in august on the great divide mountain bike route. Both wilderness ventures and our home town of jackson hole, wyoming have a strong historical, natural and cultural connection to. In 2018, for the 20th anniversary of the great divide mountain bike route, we completely redesigned the maps. They now feature shaded relief, consolidated narratives that may be cut off and carried separate from the maps, a utm and latlong grid, point to point mileages and the often requested south to. Worlds longest mountain bike route to get 400 more miles. It was along this stretch that we crossed paths with the greatest number of great divide riders. Many riders have cycled the united states from east to west or the other way around. Now, having a full suspension niner with a light load is a completely different story. Great divide mountain bike route booking unavailable on tripadvisor.
It parallels the gdmbr, and on occasion overlaps with it. Finally going back through all the pictures and thought i would share my adventure with you guys. I didnt actually go into this one, but both kevin and mark to other great divide riders raved about it. Colorado couple who rode great divide mountain bike route tells how to tackle the 2,800mile trail. My stomach bug was still holding on when i rolled into banff and honestly, the town is nothing like mountain town i expected it to be. For more information, please visit the adventure cycling association website. Updated information for the entire route, including an additional 254. Great divide mountain bike route adventure cycling route.
Bike the great divide mountain bike route, an offpavement route that crisscrosses the continental divide for 2,768 miles from banff, alberta to antelope wells, new mexico. I made it to lordsburg that afternoon and then the following day pushed on to silver city and pinos altos to link up with the great divide mountain bike route for the first time. It was mapped by the adventure cycling association with the continental divide in mind, staying within 50 miles of it whenever possible. Tour divide guide bikepacking one of seven project. Several people have asked me for a blowbyblow account of the great divide mountain bike route. Great divide mountain bicycle route great divide mountain. Some of us evolved from classic touring cyclist because of the allure of gravel roads, little traffic and the feeling of seeing just a few others each day.
Tips for riding the great divide mountain bike route. The great divide mountain bike route gdmbr is a 3,083. Advice on the great divide mountain bike route from a colorado. Glacier cyclery in whitefish makes for a perfect staging area for both northbound and southbound tours of the northern sections of the divide route. From canada to mexico on north americas premier longdistance mountain bike route, 2nd edition. Boo bicycles bikepacking the great divide boo bicycles. They now feature shaded relief, consolidated narratives that may be cut off and carried separate from the maps, a utm and latlong grid, point to point mileages and the often requested south to north narratives. Essential guide to riding the great divide mountain bike route gdmbr. Students on our beginnerfriendly great divide mountain bike adventure experience the routes most spectacular stretches through montana, idaho and wyoming. The great divide mountain bike route was conceived and brought to fruition by the adventure cycling association ac. Great divide mountain bike route a bike ride in banff, ab. The great divide mountain bike route is over 2,700 miles long, stretches from banff, in the canadian. Never in my wildest dreams would i have thought about riding off a curb with all that load.
Part 1 arizona and new mexico posted on october 25, 2015 november 28, 2016 by wandering by bicycle yes, i know the gdmbr technically doesnt start in arizona, but at least in my opinion it should. This is the off road cycling route that inspired many of us to be bikepackers. For anyone who questions the extent of goodness in humanity today here is a list of random acts of kindness or trail magic experienced in the past 5 weeks. This is a story about thruriding the continental divide trail. It follows the continental divide along the rocky mountains. This race began june 12, in banff, canada and goodman arrived in antelope wells, new mexico on july. Oct 14, 2014 the great divide mountain bike route, mapped by the american cycling association stretches for 2766 miles from banff, alberta to the mexico border. Not only is the great divide route a true classic, its primary track is pursued with consistency by td athletes so that year to year, finish times may always be compared directly to the record books. The great divide mountain bike route is adventure cyclings premier bikepacking route. Gunnison county is one of colorados popular rural tourism destinations including crested butte and sections of both the colorado trail and the great divide mountain bike route. Back road riding all the way from canada to the mexican border. As i climbed towards pinos altos, i started to feel a preexisting knee injury make its presence known, and i knew right away that my tour may be compromised. This is one of the cutest places to eat on the entire great divide trail.
Now, last year when i rode the divide bike route, i did it on a rigid mtb with 4 panniers and very heavily loaded. Great divide mountain bike route wandering by bicycle. Our plan was to bike through the gila national forests beaverhead work center to pie town, nm. Biking the great divide a womans point of view cycling. Great divide mountain bike route information exchange. The route took four years to map and was released by the adventure cycling. A portion of the route between south pass city and rawlins drops into the great divide basin, a conundrum of a region where falling precipitation drains neither east toward the atlantic ocean nor west to the pacific.
It has since become the definitive route for dirt road bikepacking. Riding injuries put unnecessary stress on medical systems that need all available resources to fight the virus, and group rides increase your chances of exposure. The route continued along the frontage road before turning south toward hachita and the end of the route 65 miles left couldnt tell whether that felt like a lot or a little. Great divide mountain biking route gdmbr your bike routes. This section of the great divide route crosses the continental divide at rawlins, traversing the wideopen spaces of southcentral wyoming. The route follows the continental divide and is 90% offpavement using highquality dirt roads, gravel roads, trails, and a few short sections of unmaintained tracks. This section of the great divide mountain bike route traverses the broad open spaces of southwest montana, a part of the state that could easily be responsible for the nickname big sky country. Since the route information is already well established and available online, this writeup will be the tale of my experience instead of route guidance information.
Occasionally they will intersect and share sections. For 31 days, these occurrences came to be typical for greg goodman as he conquered a 2,768. Great divide mountain bike route the worlds longest mountain bike route, pioneered by adventure cycling, traces the continental divide from canada to mexico on dirt roads, some pavement and some singletrack. The book also does a good job of pointing out sources of water and food planning ie. From canada to mexico on americas premier long distance mountain bike route michael mccoy on. Its remoteness equates with spectacular terrain and scenery. A quick guide to getting the right bike to tackle the rough conditions.
Great divide mountain bike route reflections and observations. We jogged north on highway 9at this point also the transamerica bike routeand quickly turned right onto the first county road we reached, just short of crossing the colorado river and entering the town of kremling. Tour divide challenges a fixed course annually called the great divide mountain bike route. Toured the great divide mountain bike route over the summer. If you havent read my previous posts, about the trip i took up the great divide mountain bike route, you can read them here. The great divide mountain bike route gdmbr is adventure cyclings premier offpavement cycling route, crisscrossing the continental divide in southern canada and the u. It is probably a bigger challenge to traverse the united states from north to south over the dirt roads of the rocky mountains, following the continental divide. Following the continental divide as closely as practicable and crossing it 30 times, about 90% of the gdmbr is on unpaved roads and trails and requires basic offpavement riding skills to complete. From 1995 to 1997, adventure cycling association mapped the great divide mountain bike route, the longest offpavement mountainbike route in the world spanning 2,774 miles from canada to mexico.
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