Ride report

Moteling the divide

Unlocked bike on Elkford main street overnight is probably the best solution. A stolen bike would be a legitimate reason to drop out and go home. Alternatively, stage an injury. But I was too much of a coward to make something sufficient. Simply dropping out was tempting but did not feel right. Soo many negative thoughts on the first day that I just could not shake. Riding at a slightly high pace and not eating enough. A little rain and some mud made me feel like being somewhere else, doing something totally different. Towards the end of the day I noticed that my GPS did not get any charge from the hub dynamo. Thought I had fixed that, but apparently not. Finally made it to Elkford as planned.

I find it easy to adhere to the advice that confirm what I think I already know, personal favourites beforehand were:

·           “You can do that race on any bike. But I would go for 8 or 9 speed” (Karlssons Cykel, Gothenburg). This made me feel that if I go for comfort and durability I can’t go wrong as I was not in-it-to-win-it.

I had spent a considerable amount of time preparing the bike. A frame geometry that should accommodate as much equipment/water as possible and still suite my riding. Tire clearance for peanut butter mud. A suspension fork yet front tire travel that would not limit the space for a handle bar bag. Components chosen for comfort, durability and availability for replacement.

·         “Resilience and grit is equally important as bike training” (Unknown). With the right mind-set, anything would be possible.

A lot of time was spent preparing my mind for the trip. Getting clear on why I wanted to ride the divide from Banff to Antelope Wells. Easy life, eat-ride-bike—repeat. Visualising different parts of the trip. Mentally re-entering the mind-set of long distance human powered travel. Being in control of things. If something needs to be done, knowing who had to do it. When things are getting done, get a measurable result. Every item needed is within arm’s reach.

·         “Big miles don’t make you any quicker…” (Mike Hall - http://bikepacker.com/mike-hall-tour-divide-champion/). I would try to get quality out of the limited time I put into physical training.

 A reasonable amount of time preparing my body for the trip.  Three sessions on the bike/trainer per week the last 6 months. Two of them more intense, one longer (3h+). Some core training. One half- to full-day bike session per month. A three-day tour as grand rehearsal 2 week prior to departure to Banff.

Despite all the preparations, entering Tour Divide a lot was uncertain. Living at sea level with limited ascents nearby altitude and ascents might be a problem. Then again, I like climbing on a mountain bike.

So, there I was, in Elkford after one day on the tour Divide. Pretty beaten down. I met Glen (Oregon) and we went for something to eat. Jeff & Denise (NZ) sat down next to us. Sage advice over dinner. “90 % mental the other half is physical” (-Yogi Berra recited by Glen). I knew that others probably had put more mileage into preparation, but I thought I had prepared the mental part? “Got to give this 7 days before making any decisions on whether to continue or not” (Jeff). Now that makes sense. A lot of effort, by me and my closest, had gone into getting me to the starting line. It would not be fair dropping out after just one day. This and reminding me why I was here. Well, better sleep on it.

Second day meant getting up to and over the crazy rocky ascent of “Koko Claims”. Having eaten and slept well made me feel surprisingly good. Passed some tents and bivouacs just by the trail. Realizing that others were struggling as well, made me feel a bit better. Choosing my own tempo I felt more in control. Second part of this day was a nice ride in good weather. Wanting to conserve this good feeling and opted for an early stop in Fernie. Checked in for my second motel on route. Ate, slept, ate some more and slept some more. Second day was the one on the tour I covered shortest distance. But it was this day that I adopted my tactics to make the tour as manageable as possible.

·         “Enjoy it, don’t lose sight of just how lucky you are to be there, and above all, manage your expectations.” (Mike Hall).

I adjusted my expectations for the tour to being a relay between motels. Aiming for night stops in towns meant being flexible in daily distances. But this would also gave access to good rest and available food/groceries. I had understood that one should preferably be out of New Mexico by 4^th of July to avoid rain/mud, so a certain tempo was required. Rest hard, ride hard-ish.

I tried to start early in the days/nights. I wanted to use the calm of the morning and make something useful of the jet-lag. Avoiding the heat of the afternoon was another benefit, especially at the southern parts. Yet another benefit was having margin in the light of the afternoon, rather than in the dark of the night.

From day two and on I started enjoying being out on the trail. The constant feeling of progress was a great companion. Being well rested after each night, starting each day in a positive mood.  I rode most miles on my own. When riding with, or meeting other riders at resupply and food stops, there was a strong feeling of comradery. If this was a competition, it was against oneself and the course, rather than each other. All locals I met along the race were very supportive. Both inn-keepers and restaurant owners found ways to accommodate dirty and smelly bike-packers.

The weather in general was great. Only one full day of rain and drizzles 3-4 other days. When riding on completely dry ground out of Lima there were deep mountain bike tracks in the dry mud. I realised that others might have had different experiences. Mentioning the great weather to RJ on day 14 he had a totally different view. He concluded that maybe he should be riding more with me. There was a drizzle at the moment so I had to beg to differ J. We aimed for RJ:s recommended burrito-restaurant in Silverthorne for  the day. None of us made it while it was still open, although RJ made it past Silverthorne for the night. 

Some of my fears prior to the race, aside the uncertainty of being able to complete, was guns, traffic and wild animals.

·          I did very little if any trespassing, saw one family with small children shooting road side. Apart from that no guns.

·          Traffic was seldom a problem as I rode early nights or in daylight. Riding into Silverthorne the shoulder was closed, but not for a long stretch.

·         When looking up from my GPS on Lodgepole Forest Rd there was something brown and furry getting off the road and into the ditch some 100 meters away. The closest I came to a bear sighting. I encountered 3 snakes, all on the same day. This was on the way out of Wamsutter. All of them were in a hurry of the road and did not pose a threat. Going through Vallecitos there was a bit of thunder so only two small dogs were out. They came close barking by my feet. I stopped the bike and talked to them, hence they lost interest. In Pueblo Pintado there were two dogs charging out from a ranch, dodging under a gate and setting after me. As I stopped, they also stopped and soon returned back to the ranch.

The moving time to complete Tour Divide is on average shy of 300 hours. The total time is the moving time plus the stop time you want and need. My tactic was to get one long stop period per 24 hours. I also had some stop periods to resupply, to cat-nap and to eat. I was not organized to eat while moving to the extent I wanted.

I had a great feeling when being picked up from Antelope Wells. Not totally relaxed as getting to Tuscon and a flight home still had to be sorted out. But very satisfied with the trips main part.

Author Details

Name as you would like it to appear in the book (yes, it can be a pseudonym!)	Karl Björklund
Rookie or Veteran (#)	Rookie	If you finished how many days/placing	22:02:50	19th
Brief 5-6 sentence biography	Biking since childhood. Minor bike-packing experience. Outdoors experience from backpacking and adventure racing with emphasis on adventure. Expedition travel: light mountaineering Aconcagua (2003) and “kayak-packing” the Swedish coastline (2300 km, 2005).
Country/State you identify with (if not live in):	Gothenburg, Sweden
Optional: URL of your blog/web site	http://kalletourdivide2017.blogspot.se/ (Swedish)
Optional: e-mail
Photo (especially at Antelope Wells!)