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Great Divide Mountain Bike Route

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Great Divide Mountain Bike Route (GDMBR) is a continuous long 

distance cycling route from Banff, Alberta, Canada to Antelope Wells, 

New Mexico, USA. As of 2010, the route is 2745 miles (4417 KM) long; its 

length is likely to change over time as the GDMBR is continually being 

refined to improve it. 

The GDMBR was developed by the Adventure Cycling Association (ACA)

and was inaugurated in 1998.  A set of highly detailed route maps is 

available from the ACA. A guidebook has also been published.

Route description

Following the Continental Divide as closely as practicable and crossing it 30 

times, about 90% of the GDMBR is on unpaved roads and trails and requires 

basic off-pavement riding skills tocomplete. The unpaved portions of the route 

range from high quality dirt or gravel roads to a fewshort sections of 

unmaintained trails which may not be possible for most people to ride at all. 

The GDMBR has over 200,000 feet (60960 meters) of elevation gain and loss 

for the rider to contend with. While most of the GDMBR is off the pavement, 

the route does not requirehighly technical mountain bike riding skills. The route 

has been designed to provide a riding experience primarily on very low trafficked 

roads through mostly undeveloped areas of the Rocky Mountain west.

The GDMBR is routed through a variety of terrain and geographic features. 

Highlights include the Flathead Valley in Alberta, Grand Teton National Park 

and the Great Divide Basin in Wyoming, South Park, and Boreas Pass in Colorado, 

and Polvadera Mesa and the Gila Wilderness in New Mexico. Colorado's Indiana 

Pass, at 11,910 feet (3630 meters), is the highest point on the route. On route, 

the rider will encounter isolated river valleys, mountain forests, wide open 

grasslands, high desert, and, the end of the ride, a section of the 

Chihuahuan Desert. The GDMBR passes though some larger towns, including 

Helena and Butte, Montana, Pinedale and Rawlins, Wyoming, Steamboat Springs, 

Breckenridge, Salida, and Del Norte, Colorado, and Grants and 

Silver City, New Mexico. Otherwise, only extremely small towns will be encountered, 

limiting the variety of goods and services available to riders.

Riding the GDMBR

Logistical issues complicate completing the GDMBR as reliable food and water 

sources on some portions of the route are over 100 miles (160 KM) apart. 

Unpredictable mountain and desert weather can bring snow, rain, high winds, 

and temperature extremes at any time of year. Most people ride the route north 

to south. Southbound riders normally cannot start prior to mid June nor later the

end of September, however, due to the possibility of deep snow in the mountains 

and monsoon rains in New Mexico, careful attention to weather and climate is 

required to ensure the rider can complete the route without having to wait out 

impassible conditions. On portions of the route, rain can turn some sections of dirt 

roads into quagmires of adhesive mud; the only options for the rider to pass

these obstacles are to wait for the roads to dry or to carry their bike. 

As much of the route is not signposted, good navigation skills are also necessary. 

Riders should be self-sufficient and carry camping equipment as commercial lodging 

is not available for long stretches of the route. It is also helpful to be skilled in bike 

maintenance and repair. It is also not uncommon to encounter large mammals 

including Grizzly and Black Bear, Moose, and occasionally Mountain Lion.

For all the challenges, properly prepared and equipped riders can expect to have 

an enjoyable and adventurous experience. In 2010, National Geographic listed 

riding the GDMBR as number one of its top fifty best American adventures.[1]

A few people through-ride the GDMBR every year and trip reports written by 

some of these riders are available on the ACA website.^[2]Typical times to ride 

the entire route range from six to ten weeks.

There are also two entirely self supported races every year on the GDMBR. 

The Tour Divide ^[3] follows the entire route, while the Great Divide Race ^[4], 

which starts at the border in Roosville, Montana, follows the US portion only. 

In these events, the race clock runs 24 hours a day and the riders are allowed 

no outside support other than access to public facilities such as stores, motels, 

and bike shops. The record time to complete the Tour Divide in its 2010 routing

is 17 days, 23 hours and was set in 2009. The Tour Divide has been raced and 

completed on both single speed bicycles and on a tandem bicycle. There are 

neither entry fees nor prizes in either race.