Tracing the Divide - a documentary for your winter doldrums

[Bicycle Belle Ding Ding!]

Who is having winter and is missing riding season? Would you like to live vicariously through these two fools who decide to ride the Great Divide? Yes, you would. You would like that very much, I just know it. Ok, if you have Amazon Prime, off you go. Here’s the trailer:

https://youtu.be/IP9BS49-l2w

Leah

[Richard Rose]

Oh I am all about watching this! And wishing I were 20 years younger.:)

Sent from my iPhone

On Jan 11, 2026, at 8:08 PM, Bicycle Belle Ding Ding! <jonasa...@gmail.com> wrote:



Who is having winter and is missing riding season? Would you like to live vicariously through these two fools who decide to ride the Great Divide? Yes, you would. You would like that very much, I just know it. Ok, if you have Amazon Prime, off you go. Here’s the trailer:

https://youtu.be/IP9BS49-l2w

Leah

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[Jason Fuller]

The Tour Divide route has been on my bucket list since 2012, but I haven't got much closer to actually doing it in that time - although a few bikes that I've built up over the years had the route in mind!  Right now I've got a Stooge that would be good for it. I think it would take me 5 to 6 weeks, so it's quite a time commitment. There is a similarly rugged, but "only" 1000km route across BC here that I would probably do first .. who knows, maybe this is the year! 

I haven't watched this video yet but it's queued up! I've enjoyed Lael Wilcox and Lachlan Morton's documentaries on the route, and read the book "Eat Sleep Ride" which is about the race.

This is good use of the off-season, getting motivated for some goals and aspirations for the year!  

[John Rinker]

Thanks for this, Leah! Good fun!

rmrose, 

I'm not sure how old you are, but unless you have some physical constraints, the ride is entirely doable to anyone who can ride a bike on rough roads and sleep under an open sky. I rode the Divide in 2018 and meandered along for a glorious 65 days. I swam in every river, stream, and lake, and stopped at every brew pub. I was 53 at the time and met riders much older than myself. One 76-year-old woman riding solo crashed in Montana, broke her arm, recovered, and then carried on. 

As Jason mentioned, the biggest challenge is carving out the time to make it happen. For that, I recommend reading Walden as a 'kick in the pants.'

Cheers, John

[Richard Rose]

This is awesome - thanks. I am 70 & as great as that sounds the carving out the time part is insurmountable. For now anyway. But, it ain’t over ‘till it’s over!

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On Jan 12, 2026, at 9:30 PM, John Rinker <jwri...@gmail.com> wrote:

Thanks for this, Leah! Good fun!

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[Armand Kizirian]

For those who want to ride it but can't commit the time, you can do it in sections! A friendly reminder. 

I rode it in 2013 on my Salsa Vaya with 45mm tires. I bailed around Durango because I had a late start in early July and ended up in monsoon season. With no mud clearance whatsoever, and pinky to ring finger going progressively numb at the end of my latter days (road bike on a mtb trail, etc.) I told myself I'd go back and finish the New Mexico portion. Have yet to do it, some day though. Maybe with a future Atlantis? Who knows. 

[Leah Peterson]

Armand, wow, you did that with 45s?!? I’m way impressed because that’s not what those men in the film were riding. Their tires were HUGE and still could not always get the job done. 

Has anyone done this on a Rivendell?

I pictured myself on one of my outrageous technicolor Platypi, tootling along with way too much stuff in the bags and quickly dismissed the idea. Those men were out there snapping CHAINS and stuff. Eating dehydrated food. No coffee shops in sight! Where are the bathrooms? They brought ONE OUTFIT! I am not going. But I would love to hear from anyone who is/did. Because it is a really great adventure, but not one Leah Peterson will be having.

L

On Jan 13, 2026, at 10:46 PM, Armand Kizirian <kiziria...@gmail.com> wrote:

For those who want to ride it but can't commit the time, you can do it in sections! A friendly reminder. 

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[matt miller]

"Because it is a really great adventure, but not one Leah Peterson will be having."

That is, unless her son expressed interest! Then she's booking flights and finding out the best food to rehydrate.

(Thanks for sharing, it was well-paced and the subjects were vulnerable enough to keep it interesting._

Matt in STL

[Leah Peterson]

MATT! You’re right! A terrifying thought - we must never, ever let my son find out about this trail. He would think nothing at all of hardships in the wild. He nearly died 3 different ways on his solo backpacking adventure last summer and even that did not dissuade him. He will go right back to it when time allows. That kid would not know how to fix a broken bike, however, so this will likely keep him from dragging us to the Rockies. He has no time to learn bike repair with his current demanding college classes, so I might be in the clear.

Was anyone else freaked out when the guys camped squarely in grizzly country? I don’t think they were at a designated campground, either. I would not get any sleep. Nope. Not going.

L

On Jan 14, 2026, at 10:07 AM, matt miller <mmille...@gmail.com> wrote:

"Because it is a really great adventure, but not one Leah Peterson will be having."

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/4fd60a5c-84c3-43ad-8c23-98ab6a86b88dn%40googlegroups.com.

[John Rinker]

Armand makes a valid point when he suggests riding the Divide in sections. There are several sections I've considered returning to, and in 2021, I did go back and ride the Flathead River Valley in BC. This is where the grizzleys have their 'teddy-bear picnics', Leah, and camping out here certainly raises one's awareness of the surroundings. A good rule of thumb here is to avoid riding or sleeping with bacon in your pockets.

I rode this on my Hunqapillar and found it a wonderful way to cover some ground, but also to sit up and enjoy the spectacular views all along the way. Here's the set-up I rode:

Cheers,

John

[Bill Schairer]

I will also suggest doing it in sections.  I have done 3 one week sections.

First was in 2018 at 65 from Banff to Whitefish with ACA.

o 

In 2019 from Helena to Whitefish with two others I met on the 2018 trip.  We encountered a woman riding her Atlantis going southbound. She was not a happy camper with her Atlantis but I can't remember why at the moment.  I think maybe she was not satisfied with her tires.

Third was in 2025 at 72 from Jackson, WY to Rawlins.  We started as 3, one from the 2018 and 2019 trips, and another I met on the ACA North Star in 2022. Two of us were going to take 4 weeks to ride to Salida but I bailed after a week when we had already done half the planned distance.  Aside from being six years older than my last trip on GDMBR (and the other two riders), I had no time to acclimate to the much higher altitudes and the longer distances we were riding.  I had flown in from San Diego - sea level.

All three trips were on my Atlantis with the same 50mm Schwalbe (Mondial?) tires each time.  When I quit this past summer, I felt quite defeated and thought I was too old and done with this but, when I got  home and realized we had done more mileage, more climbing at much higher altitudes than on my previous rides I again hold hope of doing another section yet. Two of us are talking about it.  On our third day we rode 55 miles with over 5k ft of climbing on washboarded gravel at over 8k feet, peaking over 9.6k ft.  I did a lot of pushing that day, saw some of the most beautiful country I have ever seen, and experienced a level of exhaustion I have never before experienced.  I was literally panting for air while descending.

One will encounter many other riders of many ages from all over the world on the GDMBR.  This past year we encountered two women from New Zealand who were riding the whole thing together from South to North.  We were also passed by many of the riders in the race.  Naturally, they were traveling much lighter than we were.

As far as bears are concerned, we rode with bear spray and tried to practice safe practices in camp.  On the ACA trip, a grizzly with two cubs wandered through the camp ground.  It was unnerving but nothing bad happened.  Perhaps more alarming was when one guy noticed in his rear view mirror something following him.  He stopped to see what it was - a mountain lion. Another came up behind the lion and, sandwiched, it decided to leave the scene. The other trips were uneventful with respect to wildlife, which is not to say we weren't cautioned of recent activity. I think I've heard that south of Rawlins, Grizzlies are not a threat.

Bill S 

San Diego

[WilletM]

Hi Leah,

To answer your question about whether someone has gone down the Divide on a Riv, below is a pic and copy/paste of info from an earlier thread that references the Protovelo/Bombadil that I bought from another forum member a few years back.  Of course, I don't think the Divide trail was an official "thing" back around 2010-ish or exactly whenever it was that Daniel went for his ride-about.

Willet M.

It's built for resilience and singletrack adventuring. Before I rebuilt it from the repainted frame, a raw clearcoated it rolled down the continental divide with Daniel from Tumbleweed Bikes. Some scratches, but cared for in my travels with it and riding like new. I can equip it with Albatross or Raw Bullmoose bars. Right now it has albatross bars. Paul Cantis, Paul Levers, Paul Thumbies. 3 Bottle Cages. Hands on wheels, shimano hubs, heavy rims (I think cliffhangers) front and rear. Will include a set of knobbies. Also happy to include a porteur rack up front if you want it.

On Wednesday, January 14, 2026 at 5:57:10 AM UTC-6 Bicycle Belle Ding Ding! wrote:

[Jeffrey Arita]

A kind and gentle piece of advice: never say never.  

Around 2009 or so after an exhausting week of work we sat down after supper and turned on the TV.  Up popped a documentary called "Ride The Divide."  As we watched this I sadly thought to myself "I would never be able to do that" even though I desperately wanted to try......

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7MqAiPOF8c

Forgot that documentary and got caught up yet again in the work-life cycle.........

Fast-forward to July 2017 and we (my wife and I) embarked from Puerto Palomas, Mexico (an alternate start point) and headed northbound to Banff.  It ended up taking us two seasons to complete the trek.  The first season (2017) we made it to Butte, MT when it started snowing (mid-September).  We hit the pause button and returned to Butte in July 2018.  Zero spoilers but it could very well be an adventure that changes your life (among many others out there searching for the meaning of life).  All one is concerned with are water, food and shelter.  Life takes on a whole different meaning.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqCYE-Smqf4

We would encourage anyone to at least consider embracing and embarking on such a journey.  You may never be the same.

All the Best,

Jeff & Lori

Claremont, CA

[ascpgh]

Leah, thanks for the reminder about that documentary. I caught it a while back, but it brings the same responses whenever I see it.

Jeff's story touches on why I continue to ride to work year-round: Maslow's Hierarchy. I love the more frequent adjustment of what's important than vacations provide. Those end up being used to catch up on delayed stewardship responsibilities. Lots to be said for being grounded by regular exposure to environmental and situational circumstances you have no control over, and how you overcome them to go about your day. 

Reminds me of this Venn diagram:

Andy Cheatham

Pittsburgh

[Mike Godwin]

Hi Jeff

What choices did you have that had you start in Mexico and go "uphill" on your first leg of the GD ride? Uphill, south to north :)

Mike SLO CA

[Jeffrey Arita]

Hi Mike,

We reside in Southern California and, for us, it was logistics.  For this trek we rode Amtrak out of LA Union Station (bikes stored in baggage car).  At that time we were able to get off at El Paso, TX [one needs to constantly check Amtrak's schedule; sometimes they stop but don't allow access to the baggage car).  We then rode west to Columbus, NM (Sister City to Puerto Palomas).  We rode south to the border, turned around and headed back to Columbus.  We then rode west to Hachita, NM, rejoining the 'route' NoBo.  Riding NoBo was somewhat novel as we encountered all the SoBo riders (and remaining racers).  We could exchange info on water, food, etc., along with chit-chat.  The other kinda important thing (at least for us) was finishing in a stunningly gorgeous area ~ Banff.

The 'primary' southern terminus is Antelope Wells, NM and there isn't much there other than a border crossing.

Interesting aside: Columbus, NM is a tiny town and we weren't expecting much.  However, there were many fellow Americans staying overnight, from all over the country.  They had medical and dental appointments in Puerto Palomas, across the border.  Apparently the costs were/are fractions of what they are in the U.S.  This was in 2017.

Best regards,

Jeff

[Mike Godwin]

Thanks Jeff

After I wrote the question, I also realized that similar to the PCT, perhaps the availability of water may have been a consideration too. Earlier in the season, more water in streams.  And yes, easy peasy to jump on a train and not have to disassemble and pack two bikes.

Mike 

[Jeffrey Arita]

Mike,

Yes, you are accurate and correct: water sources in NM, in places, can be a challenge, depending upon rainfall, snowpack, etc.  Thankfully there were some trail angels along the way, with bottled water AND snacks!  They just happened to be in places where water was a bit scarce.

This adventure also clearly illustrated how little water one can live (and I argue) and thrive on.

Later,

Jeff

[George Schick]

Reading this thread makes me wish I was 40 years younger.  Then again, given some of the things going on in contemporary culture I'm not sure I'd want to re-live those 40 years.