Hello adventurers,
Aaron here. Well, it appears more than a year has passed since we've posted an update on our Great Divide preparations. Now, lest you assume that our plans to tackle the GDMBR have been cast aside by work, so-called adult obligations, or other such silly ideas, let me respond to that with an emphatic "NO!"
2014 - The Year That Was
2014 was an interesting one in terms of GDMBR prep. It lacked the new car smell of 2013, what with the gleaming pair of Salsa Fargo Ti's shimmering in our garage and the initial burst of excitement that comes with any foolhardy idea. The GDMBR was still out there, but very much in the back of our minds rather than the forefront, and to be perfectly honest, we did not prioritize any multi-night, or even overnight, bike trips.
I think we prioritized cycling in other ways. In April, we took a trip to America's self proclaimed "Bicycle Capital." We simply had to compare.
Much biking was had.
We watched some football.
Beers and donuts were also consumed:
So let's be real here - we did pretty much the same things on a weekend in Portlandia as we would in a weekend in MPLS. Is the bike infrastructure impressive? Sure, it is - gotta give credit where credit is due. Is it superior to that in Minneapolis? I think that's debatable.
On my end, I had a job change in midsummer, and my new office's location in downtown Minneapolis has made it incredibly easy to more fully commit to commuting by bicycle. I'm pretty proud to say that over the first two months, I only drove my car once or twice - the rest is by bike. Along with commuting, I tried to be more intentional about using my bike as a vehicle, and to prioritize trips around the city by bike.
 |
 |
| If you have to paint it on a building, isn't there some insecurity here? |
We watched some football.
 |
| Go Thorns! |
 |
| Futbal, not football. |
Beers and donuts were also consumed:
 |
| Voodoo. |
 |
| Blue Star |
 |
| Deschutes Taproom. |
On my end, I had a job change in midsummer, and my new office's location in downtown Minneapolis has made it incredibly easy to more fully commit to commuting by bicycle. I'm pretty proud to say that over the first two months, I only drove my car once or twice - the rest is by bike. Along with commuting, I tried to be more intentional about using my bike as a vehicle, and to prioritize trips around the city by bike.
 |
| Clearly, the work commute demands a more stylish helmet. |
At that same time, I lost a little in terms of riding for the sheer sake of riding. While I did partake in the 100 mile Fulton Gran Fondo last May, that was my only significant ride of the year.
 |
| Sold my Trek road bike this year, so the Space Horse is doing double duty. |
I did some mountain biking in Lebanon Hills in June, and as is my wont, traveled much faster than I probably should have on a level of trail I probably shouldn't have been on. The highlight would probably be the fleeting moment of flight that I experienced hurtling through the air, untethered from both earth and machine, before landing in a bed of thistles. Unfortunately for public decency, the scene proved rather macabre, and more than one frightened onlooker glanced at me in horror as I biked back to my car with my left shin consisting of a pulsating mush of torn skin, dirt, and thick red blood. Oh, you wanted to see the scar - sure thing!
 |
| Tis' but a flesh wound. |
I eventually got back on the bike, and spent a great afternoon exploring the MN River Bottoms:
 |
| I got dirty - trust me. |
 |
| Just need to keep breaking it in. |
Kate and I met my good friend Benjamin and his spouse for some Nordic-festing and bike riding around Decorah and along the Root River Trail in southern Minnesota.
 |
| Fun! |
I bought a fatbike. I'm not going to apologize about it. I love this thing.
 |
| In the River Bottoms, below Cedar Ave. |
 |
| Thug life. |
 |
| Ride down frozen Minnehaha Creek. |
The fatbike also lets you catch winter sunsets such as this:
Here's the thing about the fatty - it has opened doors for me to types of riding I would never have done otherwise. Commute in the snow? No problem. Singletrack mountain biking? No problem. Riding over those logs, rocks, curbs, small children, just because you can? No problem. It's slow as hell, kind of awkward to handle, super heavy, and you can't wipe the grin off your face pedaling it.
For her part, I think Kate wished she would have spent more time astride the saddle. Instead, she focused much more on her running activities, and as I understand it, was quite pleased with herself. At the same time, Kate is MILITANTLY opposed to driving of any sort, so it was fairly predictable which way she would go when I suggested we either (a) bike or (b) she drives.
2015 - The Year That Is And Shall Be
2016 = GDMBR
2015 = Now
2016-2015 = one year
As the calendar turned to 2015, its slowly been dawning on us that the time is nigh to get real. Next summer, we're riding 2,700 miles from Canada to Mexico. We better figure our shit out, fast.
So that's what we're doing! The highlight is most assuredly going to be our weeklong tour of the Idaho Hot Springs Mountain Bike Route in September! Maps have been purchased, dates have been set, methods for shipping bikes investigated, and we're stoked to do some serious Divide prep. We're treating the IHSMBR as the proving grounds, in effect, for our Divide trip in 2016. Similar terrain, similar altitude, and the goal is to take the same bike setup out to Idaho that we will set out with from Banff a year hence. We're going to see what works, what doesn't work, how far we can bike per day, if we don't kill each other, etc. Plus, the IHSMBR has the benefit of crossing multitudes of hot springs and some of the best trout streams in the country. So yes, a fly rod will be in my kit!
What else has been going on? Both of us are committed to more long distance riding. I am signed up for the Fulton Gran Fondo for the second consecutive year. Kate and I are planning to do the Almanzo in May, which is a 100 mile self supported gravel ride through southern Minnesota near Spring Grove. And, in a moment of "better me!" styled new year hysteria, I signed up for the Lutsen 99er, which is (you guessed it) a 99 mile mountain bike race through and around Lutsen, MN. If you can't ski, you may as well bike, right?
We've also been stocking up on gear and pimping out our bikes. We bought a SPOT tracker device, which is a GPS beacon to help folks back home track our progress, and also can be used to call for help in case of an emergency.
We're investigating different gear setups, and deciding what other sort of bags we may need. I think the two of us are planing on upgrading certain components on our bikes - for example, upgrading to carbon bikepacking forks and going to a tubeless tire setup. Kate got a Salsa Anything Cage HD for Christmas, so she's totally set!
We're investigating different gear setups, and deciding what other sort of bags we may need. I think the two of us are planing on upgrading certain components on our bikes - for example, upgrading to carbon bikepacking forks and going to a tubeless tire setup. Kate got a Salsa Anything Cage HD for Christmas, so she's totally set!
Basically, our plan is to get all Xzibit on this and PIMP OUR BIKES!!
The Ride
The Divide is still out there, approaching ever closer. One thing that has been helpful is to read accounts of others who have done the GDMBR, either racing the Tour Divide or otherwise. A few books we've enjoyed thus far:
- Eat, Sleep, Ride by Paul Howard
- Be Brave, Be Strong: A Journey Across the Great Divide by Jill Homer
- Dividing the Great by John Metcalfe
- Cycling the Great Divide: From Canada to Mexico on North America's Premier Long-Distance Mountain Bike Route by Mike McCoy
It's helpful to read how other people deal with and react to the Divide and its many challenges, but ultimately, this journey is our own. I am excited to see where 2015 takes us.
