Great Divide Mountain Bike Route

Completed in 37 Days

On June 17, 2023, we set out from Banff, Alberta to take on the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route — a 4,350 km off-road adventure all the way to Antelope Wells, New Mexico at the U.S.–Mexico border. With over 45,000 meters of elevation gain, it’s one of the toughest bikepacking routes in the world: https://bikepacking.com/routes/great-divide-mountain-bike-route-gdmbr/

Fully Self-Supported. 4,350 Kilometers. One Wild Ride.

We carried everything on our bikes — tents, sleeping bags, cooking gear, and emergency supplies. From the Rockies to the desert, we faced it all: remote stretches with no services, mechanical breakdowns, thunderstorms, heat waves, and long climbs that felt never-ending.

Our days often started at sunrise and ended by headlamp, averaging 100–140 km per day, with just enough time to pitch a tent, cook a meal, and recover before doing it all over again.

As our first or five continents, it was physically demanding and emotionally raw — but also stunningly beautiful. We crossed remote mountain passes, rolled through ghost towns, and everything in between.

This ride tested our resilience and reminded us of the deep why behind Cycle 5 to Survive.


The Great Divide / Continental Divide Bike Route Challenge

PL and Kristin invite you to join the Continental Divide Bike Route Challenge and tackle the 4300 km virtual route from Banff to Mexico by cycling, walking, or running in your local area. Dive into this adventure knowing that 100% of your registration fee directly supports five incredible charities!

Learn more and register

Postcard


2023 Continental Divide

The Great Divide, or Continental Divide, is a spectacular off-road route stretching across both Canada and the United States of America. Starting in the picturesque town of Banff, Alberta and finishing at Antelope, New Mexico at the Mexico/US border, this 5000 KM long route holds over 45,000 meters of elevation gains over its entirety (equal to summiting Mount Everest from sea level 5 times).

We plan to take on this challenge June 17, 2023 with self-supported bike packing  – meaning all necessary supplies such as a tent, sleeping bag, cooking stove and emergency items must be carried on our bikes as we go. Taking on such a difficult journey requires extra precautions against possible mechanicals or unexpected weather conditions where we may need to find alternative transportation or shelter. We must also plan considering the remoteness of many of the hidden parts of this trip: food and water availability along the route must be considered before we embark!

We have done everything to make sure our upcoming ride remains enjoyable and safe. We have taken a wilderness survival first aid course and created an emergency plan that we can draw from should any of us become injured or sick along the way. Along with this, the distance we aim to cover each day – about 100 km – should give us sufficient time to capture the beautiful scenes, take pictures and post updates through blogs for all those supporting us. Our days on the road will be long as we also need some extra time at each stop to pitch the tent and cook our meals, but with all these precautionary measures in place, we are confident of experiencing a great adventure.

 

North America Route - Great Divide

Learn more about the route

Week One

Week Two

Week Three

Week Four

Week Five

Week 6

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