I was biking alone through a high valley and scattered showers on the climb up to Ute Pass in Colorado when car passed by with the passenger window down through which a middle-aged woman called “Congratulations!”
Congratulations? That gave me pause but I appreciated the sentiment. I think it meant “Good on you, but you must be a little off to be doing this.” I think people sell themselves a little short. The Great Divide Mountain Bike Ride is not for everyone but it’s hard to believe that the self-selected group of 2000 riders per year is the total number of folks who could do this ride. I tell people a couple things:
1. If you like or don’t mind being on a bike for 8-10 hours a day on hilly roads, and like biking and are reasonably fit, you could do this.
2. The physical demands are well-advertised and live up to the direction given in the guides. If you know that you have a 12,000 ft pass to ride over, then you are aware that it will be hard. The psychological demands anticipated in a very early post on this blog are probably less emphasized in the guides. The psychological and physical requirements are equally necessary to consider.
Other than that, more people could do this and not be scared away from the idea! So when you decide to gear up and do a ride like this, give me a call and I’d be glad to share more notes and thoughts, both technical and impressionistic.
The mapping and trail selection by Adventure Cycling Assoc gets some criticism from folks who think this should be strictly a mountain biking trail. In reality it is a linking of less-used road and trails that utilizes paved road connections when necessary. It is not a straight line, and doesn’t always seem logical. Even many experienced bikers avoid the single-track sections as being too demanding. I think it works very well since it is infeasible to create a new dedicated bicycle route up and over the Rocky Mountains. It does not go through major national parks intentionally; it does not bisect wilderness areas intentionally. It is a proven and well considered path. I would recommend this to anyone as a challenging route that gets you off the paved road, into less seen valleys and towns, follows the contours of the land, and provides a variety of roads and trails.
Paraphrasing Robert Frost, I took the road less-travelled and it has made all the difference.
Two days after the ride was complete upon arriving in Denver thanks to Andy, I started questioning whether I had really done the climbs, descents, passed through deserts and forests, worried about large mammals in the night, etc. For some reason, I already felt somewhat detached the minute my legs had little to do. Maybe I had just been focusing on the wedding celebration that was to come and compartmentalizing emotions. I expect that it may take months to fully appreciate the effort (congratulations!) but also the way in which every sense was alive to the changing environment whizzing by at bike speed.
It has been two weeks since I started walking again. Every night is full of dreams of biking: some are long uphills, some are technical with big rocks to negotiate, (even biking down an escalator in one dream) and some are long glides. Clearly, even if I feel detached in my waking hours, my subconscious is still out on the road, taking in as much as possible, anticipating the next climb, finding exquisite glory in the roll downhill.
Special Note on TJ Statt
Day 38 in the Great Basin. If you recall, TJ and I became separated that night after I had misinterpreted a “right-turn." TJ found the A&M Reservoir for water and I was down to ½ liter. For some crazy reason, we were able to text each other with an intermittent signal. When TJ realized I was out of water, he set out to find me in the dark, having no idea where I was. I texted him back that a man named Art had provided me with water for the night. Because of the spotty connection, TJ did not receive this message until he had gone 9-10 miles upon which he returned to his campsite. I found this out later and realized TJ hd biked 108 miles that day, adding on 20 to help this old guy he met in the desert. I would like to think I would have done the same but you don’t know until you have the chance. I’ll never forget this extreme act of kindness from a guy I met six days earlier. Thank you TJ.
Thanks to Molly
Most of these blog entries were tapped out on a phone in a dark tent each night and sent to Molly either when I had connectivity (reason for the gaps when we couldn't post) or by a satellite contraption. Pictures were sent in bunches. Thanks to Molly for making this blog “sing” with her editing skills: between formatting and editing text and typos (I have fat fingers) and inserting pics, each post took Molly about an hour. Huge commitment. Would not have happened without her talent and dedication.
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