Video: Bikepacking The 4,962km Great Divide Route In 29 days
The Ride
The Great Divide Mountain Bike Route (GDMBR) is a 4,962km bike packing route between Jasper, Alberta, Canada, and Antelope Wells, New Mexico, USA. The trail follows closely along The Continental Divide and is 90% off-road with over 60,000m of elevation gain and loss. Bikepacking along the GDMBR, riders will go through incredible scenery, including Flathead Valley in Montana; Grand Teton National Park and the Great Divide Basin in Wyoming; the Boreas Pass in Colorado; and the Gila Wilderness in New Mexico.
This all sounds pretty amazing, and you can see how we sold ourselves on the adventure; however, this was the first time we had ever been bike-packing, nor had we had any idea in the slightest what it involved. So here is 29 days of 4 lads from the UK quickly learning how to ride across the US with only what our bikes can carry.
This all sounds pretty amazing, and you can see how we sold ourselves on the adventure; however, this was the first time we had ever been bike-packing, nor had we had any idea in the slightest what it involved. So here is 29 days of 4 lads from the UK quickly learning how to ride across the US with only what our bikes can carry.
Callum Hayes
Wesley Bruney
Alasdair Stevenson
Andrew Horan
Elk Valley
US/Mexico Border
Sprey Valley
The Learning
We all have mountain biking backgrounds, so we were used to big days on a bike. However, there were a few things we underestimated, to put it lightly; the weight of the bikes fully packed, the difference in terrain as we headed south and the time it takes on gravel compared to road, the temperature, how to securely pack our bikes, how much food and water to carry and the loosely planned destination and distance of each day.
To show how organised we were from the start, Andy's bike arrived two weeks before the trip, and Ali's bike arrived a few days before. As for myself, I stripped my mountain bike of its parts and flew from New Zealand to Canada, ready to build my new frame waiting for me in Whistler the day before we left. Not to mention Cranworx was on too. SO of course, after building my bike and packing our bags, we stored our bikes at Bike Co. and went for some beers. This turned into a 4am bedtime with a 6:30am wake-up to drive to Vancouver to catch our 9am bus to Banff. 12 hours later, we arrived and had to unpack our bikes and build them up on the side of the road before we could ride to the hotel. We had the luxury of starting our trip in the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel, ready for a month of roughing it.
After faffing around all day, It was about 4:00pm by the time we actually set off onto the trail. We didn't think much of it at the time, but in hindsight, it was a stupid idea. After about 30km, my body wanted to give up. It had fully shut down, and I had no energy at all. Turns out, I had caught some bug from all the traveling the days before starting off, which put a damper on my morale before we could even start. It was a challenging start to the first day, and my legs couldn't physically climb any of the hills. At one point, I had Andy and Wes behind me with their hands on my back, pushing me up what I thought was a hill, but it was just flat ground. We got in around 2:30am, after almost 100k and 1200m of riding, then set up camp, and fell asleep just after 3am. The first day was an eye-opener. We got woken up at 6am by the park ranger shaking Ali's tent and asking for money. We forgot to pay the station when we rolled in so late.
The first few days were a learning curve. Within the first 350km, we snapped bottle cages, lost water bottles, and our bags bounced off on every descent. Still working out how or what to eat. Our pack-up times in the morning took much longer than they should have, and riding off 5 hours of sleep each night was pretty tough. The excitement of what we will see each day kept us pushing through and laughing at all our mistakes.
The Generosity
Day 4: Rolling out of Canada and into the US, our first full day in Montana turned into one of the biggest rides of the trip, 100km in; we rode past a lake after pedaling for 9.5 hours, so of course, we had a quick dip to ice the legs. After a long 160km and 2000m of climbing, we arrived in Whitefish and walked straight into the first pub we saw. We chatted with a local outside, and he kindly bought us a round of beer and introduced us to the bar owner, who then offered us to camp in the beer garden for the night. We got another round of beers in and ordered four huge pizzas to fulfill our hunger. Another family then offered to pay part of our bill after hearing about our journey. We've been here an hour and have already been helped out by the locals on three occasions.
Day 6: The second night we arrived at Holland Lake in complete darkness, only to find out the utter beauty of this spot the following morning. As we were about to leave, a family came over asking us about the trip and offered to make us some lunch. With the lack of food and energy, we couldn't decline their offer. We sat around their RV and chatted, had a beer and a sandwich, and just before we left, they handed Wes a note. We set off to the next town to realise it was a $100 bill. Thank you Kim, Tim & Tony, your kindness was genuinely unforgettable.
Day 7: We made our way to a llama ranch we heard about from some other bikepackers we met along the way. We finally arrived there by 8:00pm, the earliest time we'd finished. The ranch owners greeted us and offered us cabins to sleep in, a shower, and toilets; they even provided sandwiches and beers. All they ask for is for you to go out and help someone else. It was a real treat to stay here, and it made us really appreciate the small, kind gestures from people we met along the way.
Day 8: Almost 1000km in and we passed through the small town of Basin (population 1,400). People were out on the streets drinking and dancing with live music playing. We got flagged down by some locals who wanted to know our story. At this point my voice had gone and I had to nod and smile as the boys got chatting. They all welcomed us to free food and beer and to enjoy their town as they celebrated the last weekend of summer. It was a pretty crazy feeling having everyone intriguingly ask us about our journey; we felt super welcomed into this small-town community. Unfortunately, we couldn't stick around as it was almost 7pm and we still had another 50km to go. So we munched down a chili dog and drank our beers and off we went very appreciative.
Lincoln
Holland Lake
Ovando
Seeley Lake
Whitefish
Lima
Ovando
Poliris
The Close Calls
Day 9: After taking in the warm orange glow of the sunset, we saw a massive flash in the distance; thunder and lightning had started. The closer we got to camp, the louder the thunder became, and once we found our spot, it was a race to get our tents up before the storm hit us. The panic we felt trying to set up camp and sort our bags, clothes, and food was a bit of a rush. We all got sorted and jumped into our tents just as the rain hit. We sat silently for 30 minutes, listening to the rumble getting louder and our tents lighting up with the brightest flashes. We waited out the storm, got back outside, and cooked dinner; it was close. It felt peaceful going to sleep as the thunder faded in the distance.
Day 10: We arrived in Polaris at around 6pm the next day and found a small store where we could stock up. However, they only took cash, which we didn't have. We were low on food and headed across the way to a bed and breakfast; it was closed for the season. We were screwed. The rain came in again, so we ducked under their front porch for cover. The owner saw us hiding and kindly let us sit inside while it passed. She also let us camp in the front garden and said we could help ourselves to some snack bars and cereal they had leftover from the season for breakfast. This was lucky as there are no shops for another 130km. This place was a ghost town as most people only came here for the winter for skiing and sledding.
Day 11: After a full day in the heat with no shade and little food, we're all tired, hungry, sunburned, and ready for bed. We rocked up to Lima after 165km and 1400m of climbing at around 8:30pm and headed to the only pub in town; it was closed for the one night we were there. Four lads couldn't look any more defeated. We grabbed some microwave burgers and a 12-pack of beers from the petrol station and munched it on the floor outside; who needs a pub anyway. We soon learned to stop expecting something at the end of every ride because 8 times out of 10, it was either closed or didn't exist! We teased ourselves with the idea of a downhill ride to a cooked meal in town every evening. At least the idea got us through some tiring kilometers.
Llama Ranch
Holland Lake
Polaris
The Teton Range
Day 14: At 5:30am, the alarm goes off, and it couldn't be harder to get out of bed, especially after running out of oats and only having instant mashed potatoes left in my stash. 160km until the next camp spot, and after about 20km, we came out into the open to our first sighting of the Teton Range; there they were, about 100km in the distance, and even from afar, we stood amazed at the size of the towering peaks. This fuelled the excitement for the day ahead of us. We had about 70km of undulating forest roads until we reached Jackson lake. Fortunately, there was a gas station at the head of the lake, so we managed to get stocked up and had about 20km until we reached Calter Bay. Finally, an open bar, and we got our burger and beer; what a great feeling! 100km in and now well fed, we went down to the lake to shoot some photos of the epic view before setting off the rest of the way. A huge storm rolled in as we were about to leave, so we decided to go back to the bar and grab another beer while we waited for it to pass. Obviously, one beer turns to many, and we end up crashing at the campground across the way.
Wyoming Basin
Wyoming Basin
Wyoming Basin
The Great Basin
Day 17: Riding through the dry, dusty desert in 40-degree heat with nothing as far as the eye can see. 100km In and still in the basin - pretty crazy experience riding the undulating planes with nothing but a rolling dirt road and no shade or water for 100s of kilometers in every direction. Eventually, we get to the highway and find a rest area where we can have snacks in a shaded area. 7:45pm, we set off again, heading towards Atlantic City (population 54) to find a camp spot as the sun set behind the hills giving off a warm glow. By far one of the most epic sunsets I've seen, orange and pink gradient sky and not a cloud in sight with a crescent moon overlooking the valley. We jump back onto the dirt road and off the highway. Suddenly, a pack of wild antelope starts running beside us, turning into a silhouette against the sky in the distance. Best evening ride yet as the sky went into complete darkness, and we rode under the Milky Way. In Times like this, you forget how hard the day was, and you remember why you're doing this.
Day 18: The second day riding back in the basin means another long hot day. This will be our last day in Wyoming before heading to Colorado tomorrow. Riding through the Great Basin was a truly tough day on the bike. Still feeling the wrath of my sickness, it was like swallowing knives every time I had a drink. The hot air and dust were a killer. Every time I opened my mouth to talk, nothing would come out. My voice had gone entirely, and I wanted the day to end. Carrying only 6 liters of water was less than ideal for a 10-hour ride through the desert. The heat made it taste like bath water. We decided not to stop and make lunch as we would have just baked in the sun, so we snacked our way through the day, hoping for something at the end. We had no idea what the next stop would give us, but we just hoped for a decent meal. It's a mental battle when all you can see is the gravel road you're riding along; go off into the distance, and all you have is your mind telling your legs to keep spinning for 10 hours straight. There was a 20km section of riding through sand, almost washing out on every little hill, 4:30pm, 115km in, and it's got to be the most challenging day I've ever had on a bike.
We came over the last brow after around 160km to see a petrol station sign in the distance; we looked at each other and smiled; we all got a sudden burst of energy and used it to get there as quickly as possible. Even better, as we got closer, we saw a Subway sign, finally got there, and ordered the largest meal on the menu; we drank a giant cup of ice-cold Fanta, which couldn't taste any better after drinking hot water all day. We found a motel across the street and treated ourselves to a bed and shower for the night. This wasn't the motel you would like to stay at either. The stale cigarette smell in the room overpowered the scent of us after four days of riding in the heat. There were stains on the bed sheets, and surrounding buildings were all boarded up. espite all this, we were too tired to even care. The boys brought in a 6 pack of beer, and we finally felt relaxed after two savage days of riding. We are all happy to never ride in the Wyoming basins ever again.
Day 18: The second day riding back in the basin means another long hot day. This will be our last day in Wyoming before heading to Colorado tomorrow. Riding through the Great Basin was a truly tough day on the bike. Still feeling the wrath of my sickness, it was like swallowing knives every time I had a drink. The hot air and dust were a killer. Every time I opened my mouth to talk, nothing would come out. My voice had gone entirely, and I wanted the day to end. Carrying only 6 liters of water was less than ideal for a 10-hour ride through the desert. The heat made it taste like bath water. We decided not to stop and make lunch as we would have just baked in the sun, so we snacked our way through the day, hoping for something at the end. We had no idea what the next stop would give us, but we just hoped for a decent meal. It's a mental battle when all you can see is the gravel road you're riding along; go off into the distance, and all you have is your mind telling your legs to keep spinning for 10 hours straight. There was a 20km section of riding through sand, almost washing out on every little hill, 4:30pm, 115km in, and it's got to be the most challenging day I've ever had on a bike.
We came over the last brow after around 160km to see a petrol station sign in the distance; we looked at each other and smiled; we all got a sudden burst of energy and used it to get there as quickly as possible. Even better, as we got closer, we saw a Subway sign, finally got there, and ordered the largest meal on the menu; we drank a giant cup of ice-cold Fanta, which couldn't taste any better after drinking hot water all day. We found a motel across the street and treated ourselves to a bed and shower for the night. This wasn't the motel you would like to stay at either. The stale cigarette smell in the room overpowered the scent of us after four days of riding in the heat. There were stains on the bed sheets, and surrounding buildings were all boarded up. espite all this, we were too tired to even care. The boys brought in a 6 pack of beer, and we finally felt relaxed after two savage days of riding. We are all happy to never ride in the Wyoming basins ever again.
Wamsutter
Savery
Lava Mountain Lodge
Calter Bay
Calter Bay
Del Norte
Kirsten - Brush Mountain Lodge
Mimosa Canyon
Mimosa Canyon
Saguache
La Garita
Solida
The People
Day 19: After taking the boys 20km uphill in the wrong direction, we were running late to get to our accommodation for the night. The last slog was a little tough, but once again, we got to ride under the pink sky with the Colorado hillsides glowing orange. Looking around at the countryside helped remove the leg pain for the last slog. 8km away, Kirsten from Bush Mountain Lodge drove down the road to come and find us as she thought we may have gotten lost. She pulled up beside us, gave us all a beer, and offered us a lift the rest of the way; of course, we couldn't decline. We arrived at Brush mountain lodge, and it was a vibe; the fire pit was roaring, chairs around a table on the deck with fairy lights, and the pizza oven was on. Kirsten showed us around and let us settle before making our pizza and giving us more beers. We sat around talking and having a good time; it felt like heaven after the last few days of the desert. The lodge was closed for the season, but she kindly stayed open one more night to let us stay. Brush Mountain Lodge accommodates bike packers during the summer and hunters for the rest of the year. The pizza, beer, and accommodation were all free of charge; all they took was donations to help run the place. We had a shower, took our sleeping bags inside, and slept on the sofa; it was a perfect end to the night.
Day 21: We arrived at Steamboat Springs, we pulled up alongside a brewery and went straight inside. As we stood by the bar, we got chatting to a local who turned out to be Rob Peterson from Big Agnes, whom I emailed months back and who helped us out with our camping gear. It was a pretty crazy coincidence, so he bought us a round of beer and offered to give us a tour of their factory in the morning. We sat in the beer garden in the sun with a beer and pizza. This was the first town we've come through where things were going on, just a small cool bustling ski town. First impressions of Colorado are exactly how we imagined. With super cool, laid-back people, really friendly, and loving the outdoors. We finished our beers and headed into town for another one. We couldn't find a camp but met someone outside the bar who let us stay in their back garden; we got lucky again! The following evening, however, we weren't so fortunate. After arriving in Breckenridge, we got food from a local bar. Then we decided not to bother riding uphill to the campsite out of town. Instead, we found the darkest corner of an empty car park, got the mats and sleeping bags out, and slept under the stars instead. It was comfy as hell once we lay down and we passed out in seconds.
Day 23: 500km into Colorado and one more day until we get our rest day. Legs felt tired and energy levels were low for the last 30km, but we finally made it at about 8:30pm and met up with Ali's friend Callum. He showed us a spot to camp and opened up a cool box full of snacks and beers; it was a great moment. We set up tents in the open, so we were under the stars again, cracked open the beers and snacks, and sat around chatting into the night. Got into my tent and into my sleeping bag with music in, and it's probably one of the comfiest I've felt. Not sure if it's because I'm so tired or because I know we have a chill day tomorrow, but either way, I'm happy to be in my bed.
Brush Mountain Lodge
Steamboat Springs
Marshall Pass
Slater
Oak Creek
Jefferson
The Decision
Day 27: Woke up at 6:30am on a park stage; it's a pretty chilly morning, but nice being under shelter and dry. We got on the road by 8am and had a 50km uphill climb to start with. The body is definitely feeling fatigued. By 12:30pm, we made it to the summit, which was 3700m; this was the highest pass in the ride, with a crazy view of the alpine. We ate our subway at the summit and had a little lay down. We finished the day with over 2000m of climbing and passed through the bright red stone of Mimosa Canyon.
Day 28: We went into the little village to see if there was a shop, but it was closed. We were screwed once again, we all had little food, and there wasn't another shop for a long while. It was the first time all four of us didn't have enough to proceed. We decided to get off the trail and onto the highway to the next town. With barely any food, we got the first pass out of the way by 10:30am, then headed off the trail and onto the highway to Chama to try and find some food. We crossed the border to New Mexico, got to Chama at 12pm, and didn't know what to expect. Tiny run-down Mexican town with a few cafes and a bar. We managed to find a dollar shop that looked like it had its windows shot in. Felt like a pretty sketchy area, but we got some fizzy drinks and sat in the shade, deciding what to do. We carried on down the road and found a subway; not sure what a subway is doing in a place like this, but we were very thankful. It's a pretty derelict town but a cool change of scenery. It's super hot, and we're all exhausted; we sat silently as we ate. We were far off the trail but decided to press on to the next town. At about 3:30pm, we still have another 100km to go.
As it got dark, the clouds came in, and we headed into another rainstorm. We saw a guy walking a dog and asked him where the campsite was; however, it had closed down. We weren't sure what to do as we stood in the rain in the pitch black. The guy kindly offered to let us sleep in his garden/under his porch, where it was dry. We got undercover, cooked food, and laid our beds under the back porch; it was a lifesaver.
Day 28: We went into the little village to see if there was a shop, but it was closed. We were screwed once again, we all had little food, and there wasn't another shop for a long while. It was the first time all four of us didn't have enough to proceed. We decided to get off the trail and onto the highway to the next town. With barely any food, we got the first pass out of the way by 10:30am, then headed off the trail and onto the highway to Chama to try and find some food. We crossed the border to New Mexico, got to Chama at 12pm, and didn't know what to expect. Tiny run-down Mexican town with a few cafes and a bar. We managed to find a dollar shop that looked like it had its windows shot in. Felt like a pretty sketchy area, but we got some fizzy drinks and sat in the shade, deciding what to do. We carried on down the road and found a subway; not sure what a subway is doing in a place like this, but we were very thankful. It's a pretty derelict town but a cool change of scenery. It's super hot, and we're all exhausted; we sat silently as we ate. We were far off the trail but decided to press on to the next town. At about 3:30pm, we still have another 100km to go.
As it got dark, the clouds came in, and we headed into another rainstorm. We saw a guy walking a dog and asked him where the campsite was; however, it had closed down. We weren't sure what to do as we stood in the rain in the pitch black. The guy kindly offered to let us sleep in his garden/under his porch, where it was dry. We got undercover, cooked food, and laid our beds under the back porch; it was a lifesaver.
Santa Fe
Abiquiu
The Finish
Day 29: Early wake up and eventually arrived in Espanol after the three of us had flat tires along the way. Fixing a flat tire outside McDonald's when the owner came over and chatted to us and wanted to hear our story; she then kindly offered to buy us all our lunch. We sat at Mcdonald's while we ate and sorted out our next plan. Santa Fe is only 40km away, which we all decided would be our final destination. The Last 20km was probably the worst section of the entire ride; we got 10 flat tires along with headwind and uphill the whole time, couldn't have been more ready for it to be over. We ran out of spare tubes and patches and had no way of fixing more flats. We saw a police truck parked up along the side of the highway, so Ali kindly asked if he could get a lift to a bike shop in town. The policeman kindly said yes and took Ali the rest of the way. We Got to Santa Fe and met at the bike shop; they gave us 3 new tubes and fixed Ali's flat. We headed to a brewery and celebrated! Got a big feed and a couple of pitchers as we sat slightly puzzled at the thought of it being over. With the ride ending sooner than expected, we had a few days to relax before catching the next flight to Vancouver.
We can't thank everyone enough who helped us along the way and for the support from Mons Royale, we couldn't be more grateful for the merino apparel during the 26 days of 30+ degree heat. Along with Gibbons Whistler, Bike Co. Whistler, Big Agnes & Pace Cycles. We are so fortunate to have met many locals along the way and people passing by would give us a wave or thumbs up. Whenever we stopped anywhere, passers would intriguingly come and chat with us and ask what we were doing, where we'd come from, or if they could help us with anything. Conversations and gestures like these gave us that extra stoke during the day. We completed the ride in 29 days with about 3 days of rain, 7 new water bottles, a few broken straps, big smiles, and despite being sick for most of the ride and eating out of gas stations it was an unbelievable experience.
Del Norte
Cebolla
Abiquiu
Echo Amphitheatre
Author Info:
Member since Mar 30, 2018
Must Read This Week
How to Watch the 2024 Mountain Bike World Cup [Update: Staylive Offering Access in New Zealand, South Africa & More]
60168 views
60168 views
[UPDATED] Final Elite XC Results & Overall Standings from the Mairiporã XC World Cup 2024
41127 views
41127 views
Sign Up for the Pinkbike Newsletter - All the Biggest, Most Interesting Stories in your Inbox
PB Newsletter Signup
Do you have a website with any more info on the route? I'm definately going to take this on in 2024.
www.adventurecycling.org/routes-and-maps/adventure-cycling-route-network/great-divide-mountain-bike-route
And good overview here:
bikepacking.com/routes/great-divide-mountain-bike-route-gdmbr
My only quibble with the text is that there is no "Tiny run-down Mexican town" in New Mexico. There are plenty of tiny run-down towns in New Mexico, tho.
Dont worry, in a few years the stravadouches will have moved on to a new marketing hype term altogether.
The tire size and tread will be a tiny bit different, a different bend in the handlebar, a website will pop up with "Top 10 tips on ____biking, people will start working the new term unnaturally into conversations and bumper stickers, and all the look-at-me types will downvote you for pointing out the emperor has clothes, but theyre the same as always.
It's good to see some alternative content to the usual racing/performance stuff.
One question though - you're all on hardtails, carrying a shit-tonne of luggage. Would a pannier rack or two not have been a good idea?
Anyone who has spent time on a route like this knows there is a HUGE difference between averaging 70 miles a day and 100 miles on a day-in, day-out basis. Its also obvious as one begins reading the article that this group, with its (relatively speaking) lack of experience / preparedness was neither intending to, or capable of, a 100+ mile per day average. So the incongruous title and narrative sticks out like a sore thumb to experienced GDMBR riders.
Callum's explanation -- that Pinkbike inserts their own titles -- makes total sense. But the fact remains that the title implies a race-pace story while the story itself is a touring pace.
And for clarity, I'm not criticizing Callum's pace. Just highlighting the grossly inaccurate title that Pinkbike editors chose.
P.S. tl..dr...
Pretty cool stuff!