I’m riding my bike from Canada to Mexico!
It's official, I'm absolutely crazy! I've told a few people my secret plan but it's time I make it official (no backing out now), in June of 2022 I will set out to ride my bike from Canada to Mexico along the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route (GDMBR). The GDMBR is the World's longest unpaved trail spanning 3,087 miles with over 200,000 feet of elevation gain. Yes, you read those numbers correctly. Did I mention that this is a bikepacking trip? What is bike bikepacking you ask, it's just like backpacking except on a bike. Correct, I'll have to carry everything I need for the trip in bags attached to my bike and I’ll be camping out every night. Since the route is a mountain bike trail, for the majority of the trip I'll be away from civilization in the backcountry, yes! I anticipate this journey will take somewhere around six to eight weeks to complete depending on weather and how many rest days I take. To get a visual sense of how grand the route is, below is a map of the GDMBR, it's a long trip.
GDMBR Map, Courtesy of Adventure Cycling Association
Why? I've tried to come up with a complicated thought provoking or whimsical answer to this question but honestly my answer is simple, because I want to and currently I can. I've long dreamed of embarking on an epic (I hate using that word but it fits for here) trip that would test my mental and physical boundaries but for one reason or another it hasn't happened, yet. As a child I would flip through National Geographic magazines and dream of traveling to the amazing places I saw on those pages. While my life so far has not allowed me to experience one of these trips, the time has come for that to change. I'm 42 years old in good health and in pretty good shape, so I want to do a trip like this before I can't or it would be much harder on my mind and body. I'll get more into this while on the ride, when I'm broken down and feel more vulnerable.
The bike I’ll be riding on this trip, still needs a few more items but it’s almost ready.
Why a bike trip? Ever since I was little I've had a fascination with riding bikes, my brother and I would ride bikes as much as we could. We grew up in the generation where our mom had to force us to come inside at night. I've carried that fascination for two wheels into adulthood almost into an obsession. I'm a firm believer that Life is Better on Two Wheels!!! Being out in nature while on a bike is my absolute happy place, where I feel a sense of ease and let the stress melt away while churning out miles. Going for rides on my mountain bike or my gravel bike really help keep me sane and a smile on my face. One day while browsing Youtube I came across a video about the GDMBR and mentioned to my wife, Maeve, how amazing it would be to do, she looked at me and said "then you should do it". I tried to come up with a hundred reasons why I couldn't do something crazy like this that would take me away for so long, she had an answer for each of those reasons of why I could do it. She has done a few crazy things in life and understands the importance of testing yourself and getting out of your comfort zone. Maeve is my biggest fan in everything i do including this trip. She had one stipulation, I couldn't do this ride solo, so my friend Dave will be joining me. I'll introduce Dave later.
Elevation Gain Chart, thanks OneofSeven
I plan on documenting the journey so that I can take you all with me and share the experience. Stay tuned for more information, planning updates, shake out rides and more. If you want to virtually follow me on my trip, I’ve set up my satellite messenger so that you can see where I am based on the GPS of my device, https://maps.findmespot.com/s/6Z1H. (The link won’t show any data until I depart for the trip).
I'm like a little kid before Christmas, I'm so excited and can’t wait for June to get here!
If you wish to help me out on my journeys by donating a few bucks to buy a snack bar, beer or gas in my tank, I appreciate it.
Thank you as always for following along on my journeys, I appreciate your support more than you can imagine. If you have any comments, questions or just want to say hi, drop me a line.
Andrew
