Tour Divide

(from Wikipedia) The Tour Divide is an annual mountain biking ride traversing the length of the Rocky Mountains, from Canada to the Mexican border. Following the 2,745-mile (4,418 km) Great Divide Mountain Bike Route, it is an ultra-distance cycling ride that is an extreme test of endurance, self-reliance and mental toughness. The ride format is strictly self-supported, and it is not a stage race – the clock runs continuously from the start until riders cross the finish line, usually more than two weeks later.

The ride has a very low profile, and is entirely amateur. There are no entry fees, no sponsorship, and no prizes. Although “letters of intent” from likely starters are encouraged, any rider may turn up on the day to participate. Challenges along the route include mountains, great distances between resupply towns, risk of mechanical failure or injury, bears, poor weather, snowfall, and significant unrideable sections that require pushing the bike. Riders usually adopt a “bikepacking” style, carrying minimal equipment sufficient for camping or bivouacking, and only enough food and water to last until the next town. In this way, riders ride huge distances each day, the current ride record averaging over 174 miles (280 km) per day.

It usually starts on the second Friday in June – at an event called Grand Départ.[1] The ride can also be completed at any time as an individual time trial (ITT).

Due to the extreme distances, inaccessibility of the route, lack of television coverage and small number of participants, spectating is impractical. However, many riders carry SPOT Satellite Messenger tracking devices, allowing their progress to be continuously monitored on websites.

Route Profile – 1000 Miler 2018

Before embarking on an adventure I like learning the names of the towns and resupply points I am likely to travel through. I find I tend to learn the first half of the route quite easily and never remember the last half. So I have started creating route profiles of my route and putting them up on the wall behind my computer so I can lookup and learn a new part of the route.

Route Profile of the 2018 1000 Miler route with all the towns marked. (Right click and Save Image As to get the full sized image)