Great divide mountain bike route information exchange. You can also break the trail up into sections and do a section at a time. Cycling the great divide available for download and read online in other formats. He pedals on through beautiful scenery and meets up with other riders at the end of a long day. The great divide route is the worlds longest offpavement cycling route. It was the first time ever that the famous ride through the rocky mountains from banff to antelope wells was organized fully supported. Having done a couple double centuries on the road before, i knew that there was barely enough time to cover 200 miles on pavement and still get. The original route starts in banff, canada, zigzags along the continental divide, climbs over. Ive real all the cordillera series or at least the first 4, i dont think there is a 5th one out yet, as well as paul howards eat, sleep, ride, and have just started dividing the great by john metcalfe, but that is the last tour divide related book i know of. Stop in to try out a mountain bike for yourself of the kids and start tearing it up on the south hills trails today. Pdf cycling the great divide download full pdf book. Not to be confused with great dividing trail or great divide mountain bike route. In 1999, multitime iditabike and iditasport extreme wmner and mountain bike hall of fame member john stamstad rode the first individual time trial along the continental divide from mexico to canada in 18 days, 5 hours.
From canada to mexico on north americas premier longdistance mountain bike route, 2nd edition mccoy, michael, adventure cycling association on. Packing for a mountain bike tour on the great divide mountain bike route. If youre starting in jasper or banff, whitefish is a welcome respite. 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. Church ranch events ctr annual club council meeting. Great divide mountain bike route gdmbr description from wikipedia. Cycling the great divide moutain bike route by michiel kroese. Adventure cycling associations mission is to inspire people of all ages to travel by. From may to july 2010, i rode my bicycle 3,000 miles from antelope wells, nm to banff ab, canada following adventure cycling s great divide mountain bike route, then to jasper ab, canada.
The great divide mountain bike route american trails. Completed in 1997, the gdmbr was developed by adventure cycling association, who continue to maintain highly detailed route maps and a guidebook. 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. This is a pretty complete list of the clothing, cooking, camping and bike gear that we packed and carried on the great divide. A sanctioned colorado masters racing team, sponsored by great divide brewing company, bear creek distillery, excel sports, and rudy project. Youll find in douglas a bar to celebrate and a bed to relax, bounties badly absent in antelope wells.
The great divide bikedreams organized the great divide in 20. Total time includes snack and lunch breaks basically camp to camp. The entire route is basically dirtroad and mountainpass riding. Horse, and has been in the sport long enough to see competitive cycling tumble down his list of. The great divide mountain bike route gdmbr is the most recognized and important offpavement cycling route in the united states, if not the world. The trail of the great divide the adventure cycling association developed and published in 1998 worlds longest offpavement cycling route and called it the great divide. Please help improve this article by introducing citations to additional sources. The great divide trail gdt is a wilderness hiking trail in the. This is the legendary continental divide, also known as the great divide.
The great divide mountain bike route gdmbr is the most recognized and influential offpavement cycling route in the united states, if not the wor. It runs along the spine of the rocky mountains and links together 4962 kilometers 3083 miles of dirt roads and occasional singletrack. The entire route is basically dirtroad and mountainpass riding every day. This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. It is north americas premier longdistance mountain bike route. Scott morris has a free gdmbr gpx file on his website that takes most of the difficulty out of route planning. The great divide terrain is really hard on a tandem captain and stoker and, although there have been a few others to ride a tandem, it is not the cycle of choice. We feel the best bike for the route is a hardtail with front suspension or a drop bar adventure bike with wider tires. For ten days youll experience the most stunning landscapes our country has to offer, enjoying nights out under crisp starry skies or in fine lodges. This is a good place to spend the night, that also has some good food. The great divide mountain bike route gdmbr is a journey from banff, canada, to antelope wells, new mexico.
The great divide mountain bike route was put together by adventure cycling in the late nineties. The great divide mountain bike route gdmbr is adventure cyclings premier offpavement cycling route, crisscrossing the continental divide in southern canada and the u. He just returned from a gigantic loop of the western half of the u. 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. From canada to mexico on north americas premier longdistance mountain bike route, 2nd edition. Horse, and has been in the sport long enough to see competitive cycling tumble down his list of priorities behind father, husband and career. The great divide bike dreams organized the great divide in 20. Was thinking of cycling the great divide route from mid april until mid june taking it pretty easy with my wife on a hardtail mtb tandem with alfine 11 gears. The drops of sweat will evaporate in the thin air of the rocky mountains or fall on the trail. Biking the divide biking the great divide mountain bike. Bikemap is the worlds biggest bike route collection. I was so slow that marco was asleep by the time i got to our meeting point.
The route is highlighted by long dirt roads and jeep trails that wend their way through forgotten passes of the. This race began june 12, in banff, canada and goodman arrived in antelope wells, new mexico on july. It was tirelessly mapped over a 4 year span, and published in 1998 by adventure cycling association, north americas premiere bicycle travel organization. Before signing up for the great divide mountain bike race, i knew what i was getting into. The great barrier, a 1937 british film based on the novel the great divide along the great divide, a 1951 us western film directed by raoul walsh across the great divide film, a 1976 us film about an unlikely trio crossing the rocky mountains. Struggling with best option for downloading the gdmbr track to my computer and then to my etrex30.
The whole route is divided into 43 cycling days, which results in an average stage length of 104 kilometers 65 miles. Bikepacking the continental divide trail new mexico. From banff, canada to antelope wells, new mexico, the great divide mountain bike route is the longest continuous offpavement bike route. Learn more about the organization by visiting their website. If you ride a bicycle you dont use petrol or other fossil fuels, so you are not emitting carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and contributing to climate change. Continental divide adventure lessons learned aug 21, 20 view comments by brian shaney riding a motorcycle on a route that closely traces the continental divide by way of as little pavement as possible, while not unheard of, is definitely an undertaking. Downloads pdf cycling the great divide by mike mccoy. The great divide mountain bike route gdmbr is a 3,083. From canada to mexico on north americas premier longdistance. From banff canmore to steamboat springs from august 14 till september 11, 2019 introduction in 1998, the american adventure cycling association developed and published the worlds longest off pavement cycling route and called it the great divide mountain bike route. If you only had 4 to 5 days to experience this ride which part would you recommend. We followed the cycling the great divide books outline.
We did the divide in 2 trips taking about 6 weeks each. Mountain biking the great divide mountain biking the. Cycling the great divide recommended reading hit the road. This video is of my selfsupported first bikepacking trip along the great divide mountain bike route in memory of trevor starting in jasper, canada 4th. Sep 04, 2018 the route was first blazed by mountain bikers and detailed in 2000 in cycling the great divide by michael mccoy. Biking the great divide a womans point of view cycling. 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. Great divide mountain bike route adventure cycling route.
Bikemap your bike routes find your perfect bike route. Cycling association first mapped out the great divide mountain bike route. Traveling s to n on the great divide starting in mid june. 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. Its remoteness equates with spectacular terrain and scenery. Great divide trail mountain biking the great divide trail when i talked my husband into mountain biking the great divide mountain bike trail from canada to mexico, i knew the ride wouldnt be easy.
Worlds longest mountain bike route to get 400 more miles. Great divide beer, great food by buca di beppo, guest speakers slide show, trophies, and announcing by larry g. For several weeks during the fall of 2008 three friends cycled the 2,714mile great divide route from banff, alberta to mexico. The book contains maps and a description of the route, mile by mile, from.
The route is highlighted by long dirt roads and jeep trails that wend their way through forgotten passes of the continental divide. Through the years, theyve mapped routes down the west coast and several routes across the u. One cant practice isolation better than being miles away from the nearest other person for a month or three. Adventure cycling tracks and service points limited 3. This is a story about thruriding the continental divide trail. Your headquarters for the great divide mountain bike route.
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 americas premier long distance mountain bike route michael. The type of place we stay is in parenthesesfree means either we stealth camp along some back road in the national forest where things look lovely, or in an undeveloped campground where there are no fees. It parallels the gdmbr, and on occasion overlaps with it.
Ive posted about all aspects of my trip planning and preparation, the equipment i use, stories, photos, and video from the trail, as well as some random. Great divide is pueblos bicycle, map and xc ski experts with a large selection of trek and specialized. Remote and inspiring riding the great divide is truly a bucket list trip. Your headquarters for the great divide mountain bike. Jan 27, 2016 hi, i read cycling the great divide by michael mccoy and i was wondering. Great divide mountain biking route gdmbr bikemap deine. 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 adventure cycling association aca has the basic route note. Last updated in 2012, it includes the most recent rerouting on colorados gold dust trail and the. Ovando more dogs than people and home to the best sandwiches on the great divide trail. In the summer of 2012 i intend to ride a substantial portion of adventure cycling s great divide mountain bike route on a surly pugsley fat bike. The leading bike route planner and cycling navigation app. How a daughters epic adventure brought her clos er to her mother on the. The great divide mountain bike route is a mountain bikers version of the appalachian trail or the pacific crest trail.
Continental divide ride tour rawhyde adventures bmw off. We also offer expert repairs and fit services, sales and rentals of xc ski and snowshoes. But i saw a video of the county commissioner of some remote montana county appealing to riders not to come this year. Use these products with the paper maps of the adventure cycling route network to improve your navigation, both on and off the route. From canada to mexico on americas premier long distance mountain bike route michael mccoy on. The cdt is not the great divide mountain bike route. While traveling across north america you bike 2,774 miles on a. Back road riding all the way from canada to the mexican border. Id be interested to hear of any books published about the tour divide. My initial thought was that, if one could get there safely, this would be a great time to ride the gdmbr. The 10k gdmbr files provided above are an alternative to the adventure cycling waypoints. The geronimo trail is a more worthy finish than 45 boring miles on pavement between hachita and antelope wells.
In many ways douglasaz would be a much better terminus for the great divide mountain bike route than antelope wells. The great divide mountain bike route gdmbr is adventure cycling s premier offpavement cycling route, crisscrossing the continental divide in southern canada and the u. Paula and scotts 2004 gdmbr trip gps data, journal, photos. This blog will chronicle my philosophy of, preparations for, and completion of this goal. Cyclists dream of and plan for this lifelist trip that starts in banff, alberta. Mostly dirt roads, a little pavement, some single track, and 100% adventure await on the great divide mountain bike route from canada to mexico. By comparison, there is a great divide race the tour divide each year with the record being 15 days, 16 hours and 14 minutes to complete the entire route. The continental divide bike trial starts in canada, ends in mexico, and is 90% dirt roads.
T he great divide route, for the uninitiated, has been mapped by the adventure cycling association, a bicycle group based in missoula, montana. Biking the great divide 2,700 miles from mexico to canada. Adventure cycling offers gpx data you can download and use on a gps device, smartphone, or tablet. 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. Many riders have cycled the united states from east to west or the other way around. The gpx data are comprised of route tracks and service points. Great divide best gpx files to download to etrex30 for. Our daily mileage great divide mountain bike route. Mountain biking irresponsibly during the covid19 pandemic puts you and others at risk. Tips for riding the great divide mountain bike route. Cycling in the rain is not many peoples idea of a good time. Its organized by pannier location, because this will be a starting point for our packing for the next trip, with a few adjustments. For 31 days, these occurrences came to be typical for greg goodman as he conquered a 2,768.
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. Great divide mountain bike route adventure cycling association. Since all of the adventure cycling waypointsroutes cannot be stored on most of todays units, this file provides the advantage that in a single upload you can store the entire route by uploading the split point to the units saved tracks, or the entire. Find your perfect cycling route, create your own bike trails, and discover the most stunning cycling destinations. You can do as many or as few miles each day as you feel like. Great divide cyclery have a big focus on community, and helena is definitely a mountain biking town. The team must cross the great divide playing area of 40 feet or so without anyones feet losing contact with the feet of the players next to them. Other useful map options for the great divide trail ryan silks gdt map atlas ryan has developed a set of topographic maps for the entire great divide trail, and he is offering them for free thanks ryan. The adventure cycling association maintain and map the route. 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. Download pdf cycling the great divide book full free. Great divide mountain bike route is a 2,500mile long. I seemed to be standing in a bus queue by the side of a long, mean street. The great divide mountain bike route gdmbr is adventure cyclings premier offpavement cycling route, crisscrossing the continental divide in southern.
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