The Tour Divide
8. Juni 2019 in Südafrika ⋅ 🌙 8 °C
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: "The Tour Divide is an annual mountain biking ride traversing the length of the Rocky Mountains, from Canada to the Mexican border. Following the 2,745-mileWeiterlesen
Home, the start of every adventure
8. Juni 2019 in Südafrika ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C
Got my local bike shop to pack the bike into a box. I'm using an old suitcase that I can throw away to carry all my bags. My electronics and some clothes in my backpack.
Waiting for my flight.
8. Juni 2019 in Südafrika ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C
Had a meal with Yolande and Kaylen. Got a pillow so that I don't have neck problems when I get there.
It quite cool that when people ask about my visa I just show them my American passport 😂
Dubai airport
8. Juni 2019 in den Vereinigten Arabischen Emiraten ⋅ 🌙 35 °C
Long layover. Had an uncomfortable flight with my neighbor not giving any consideration to his neighbors, even his blanket landed up on my side. Did watch 2 movies 😊
Calgary airport
9. Juni 2019 in Kanada ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C
Flying into Calgary was beautiful, first we had the mountains and the clouds, then the clouds cleared and we could see the plains leading to the mountain.
Through baggage collection and customs inWeiterlesen
Seattle airport
9. Juni 2019 in den USA ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C
Super rushed. And then I left my rucksack behind at the security counter. Then ran through airport to get a Sim card, which I couldn't register anyway.....
Banff
9. Juni 2019 in Kanada ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C
I'm staying at the Samesun Banff Hostel. I'm in a shared room of 8 people (mixed sex). In the bed to me is a Chinese girl who is exploring Banff and the area around it.
She asked "If you are fromWeiterlesen
Quick ride around Banff
11. Juni 2019 in Kanada ⋅ ⛅ 6 °C
Rode through Banff and followed the Tour Divide trail for about 8km. This part of the trail is really nice and smooth, think of it as a good dirt road just wide enough for two or three bikes. TheWeiterlesen
Lake Minnewanka
11. Juni 2019 in Kanada ⋅ ⛅ 9 °C
Nat and I went for a ride today. To start with, we rode from Banff to Lake Minnewanka. The whole area was truly spectacular. We stopped and took lots of photos all the way.
Part of the road was underWeiterlesen
Sunshine valley
11. Juni 2019 in Kanada ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C
From Lake Minnewanka we decided to try find some snow. We both thought it would be fun to try push our bikes through snow. We found a spot on the map that showed a restaurant at the top of a mountainWeiterlesen
Sunshine village ski slopes
11. Juni 2019 in Kanada ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C
We cycled to the top of the mountain. Unsurprisingly everything was closed as it's past ski season and not yet mountain bike season.
On the way up Nat chose to push her bike up a section while I rodeWeiterlesen
Buffalo Nations Museum
12. Juni 2019 in Kanada ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C
As the trackers had not yet arrived I decided to go be a tourist for the day. I chose to visit the Buffalo Nations Museum which looks at the life of the original inhabitants of the area.
The start of the Tour Divide
13. Juni 2019 in Kanada ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C
Finally the trackers arrived last night. This gives me about a 24 hour head start on the Grand Depart. I'm looking forward to seeing all the top riders coming past me. I'd love to get a chance to haveWeiterlesen
Boulton Creek Trading Post
13. Juni 2019 in Kanada ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C
One of the first things I saw while riding was bear poop! I had heard it was red but it still really surprised me.
Lots of fantastic views all day. The grandeur of the mountains and the beauty ofWeiterlesen
Crossing the Divide.
13. Juni 2019 in Kanada ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C
I'm standing at my first crossing of the continental divide. No sign though :(
I was expecting the Divide crossings to be on mountains, here it was just a small hill/rise
Day 1 comments
13. Juni 2019 in Kanada ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C
That was possibly the toughest day on a bike I have ever had!
In the early morning all was fine as I rode along the really nice bike path. But the further I got from Banff the more the pathWeiterlesen
Koko Claims
14. Juni 2019 in Kanada ⋅ ⛅ 5 °C
Koko claims is as difficult as I've heard. I pushed nearly the whole way up. And then pushed the whole way down.
The pictures look like a river bed but that's the road!
My original plan was to sleepWeiterlesen
Snow Valley Lodging
14. Juni 2019 in Kanada ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C
Free soup, bread and coffee for Tour Divide riders.
I booked into the hotel as I felt my commitment to spending money with places that support the Tour Divide was perfectly aligned to their free foodWeiterlesen
Day 2 Comments
14. Juni 2019 in Kanada ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C
After crossing the Koko Claims pass I reached some nice open roads along the river. I had Tuna wrap and coffee for lunch. Coming into Fernie I loved the signs saying "Mexico, this way =>".
Once IWeiterlesen
Gear Hub bike shop
15. Juni 2019 in Kanada ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C
As the bike shop only opened at 8 I took it nice and easy. On the way to the bike shop bought some groceries so I didn't need to waste time afterwards.
At the bike shop I asked them to look and cleanWeiterlesen
Day 3 comments
15. Juni 2019 in Kanada ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C
What a frustrating start to the day! This morning I went to bike shop to fix gears. They seemed fine when I left but soon starting playing up again. I rode back to fernie and the bike mechanic redidWeiterlesen
The Wall
16. Juni 2019 in Kanada ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C
I've heard so much about how tough The Wall is. In the end I was disappointed at how easy it was. On adventure races I've done much, much tougher hike-a-bike sections. The Wall felt only a shortWeiterlesen
My first Snow of the race :)
16. Juni 2019 in Kanada ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C
On Galton pass I found my first snow.
Into the USA
16. Juni 2019 in Kanada ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C
I crossed the border at Roosville. So into the USA I go.
Quite amazing how the Canadian side of the border is lots of trees, yet the USA, Montana side of the border is just open grasslands.
Chats with Yolande
17. Juni 2019 in Südafrika ⋅ ⛅ 6 °C
2019/06/17, 00:53 - Yolande Cairns: How are you feeling.
2019/06/17, 00:54 - Yolande Cairns: Are you enjoying the scenery?
2019/06/17, 00:54 - William: Feeling mentally good
2019/06/17, 00:54 -Weiterlesen
























































































