Introduction
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The American cycling Dream:
crossing the United States by bicycle. Many riders have
cycled the United States from East to West or the other
way around. Of course, a great achievement.
It is probably a bigger challenge to traverse the United
States from North to South over the dirt roads of the
Rocky Mountains, following the Continental Divide. The
divide of roughly 2,800 miles between Canada and Mexico
splits the North American Continent in two. Drops of
rain that fall on your left side flow into the Atlantic
or the Gulf of Mexico. Drops on your right side will
find their way to the Pacific. The drops of sweat from
your brow will evaporate in the thin air of the Rocky
Mountains or fall to the trail. This is the trail of
“The Great Divide” !!!
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In 1998, the Adventure Cycling Association developed and
published the world’s longest off-pavement cycling route
and called it “The Great Divide Mountain Bike Route”. The original route starts in
Banff, Canada, zigzags along the Continental Divide,
climbs over isolated passes and finishes in Antelope
Wells at the border of Mexico.
The Great Divide takes you through a wide variety of
terrain and geographic features. You cycle through
isolated river valleys, mountain forests, wide open
grasslands, high desert, alpine wilderness, and, at the
end of the ride, a section of the Chihuahuan Desert.
Along the way you can expect to meet cowboys who drive
their cattle across the prairie. You will cycle through
pristine woods full of deer and elk, and of course there
is always some trepidation that you may stand
face-to-face with a grizzly bear. Colorado's Indiana
Pass is the highest point on the route at 11,910 feet.
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We have included some well
deserved rest days to relax, but also to make site trips
to wonderful national parks like Glacier NP and of
course world’s first national park Yellow Stone.
It’s not without reason that National Geographic listed
the ride as one of the 100 best American adventures. The
magazine qualified The Great Divide as
“solitude that
frays the edges of your brain, and a sense of what the
country would look like if wilderness were the rule, not
the exception”.
The 6th edition of “The Great Divide” starts on
August 16th, 2022
in Canmore, Canada. The finish is 52 days later on
October 6th, 2022
on the Mexican border near Antelope Wells. In between
2,808 stunning miles in the remote wilderness of the
Rocky Mountains awaits you.
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We organize “The Great Divide”
as a fully supported tour which means that your luggage
is carried in one of the support vehicles; accommodation
is arranged; breakfast, lunch and dinner are prepared;
and one of our team is a bike mechanic to keep your bike
in good condition.
The entire route is basically dirt/forest road and you
can expect to cross one or more mountain passes each
day. Unpredictable mountain and desert weather
conditions can bring rain, snow, high winds, and
temperature extremes. So you must be prepared and bring
your mountain bike, rain gear and don’t forget your
bear-spray.
We have cyclists from all over the world on the “The
Great Divide” which creates an exceptional atmosphere
and camaraderie during as well as after the bike ride.
This is a bike expedition over the rooftop of the United
States. It will make a lasting impression propelling you
forward in your life with a great feeling of
achievement, with new friends from across the planet and
with a new sense of purpose – fit in body and mind! Rain
drops may fall on your left or on your right, but the
best drops will fall on the trail. Drops of sweat on the
trail of The Great Divide.
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