OllieBray.com

Across Scotland by Mountain Bike (in winter?!?!)

Like all great plans this one started in the Winton Arms, my local pub in Pencaitland, East Lothian. Over the years lots of maps and guidebooks have been studied here and some of the ideas have even turned into reality, although there are many more that remain ‘things to get round to one day!’ or just ‘stupid ideas!’.

Previous adventures hatched here have included both across Scotland open canoe trips and even the epic Great Divide Cycle ride was originally planned (well thought about!) here.

Anyway, the plan was to try and go away for a few days, do a journey, see a bit more of Scotland and get some exercise. Initially, Ian Robertson and I chatted over an Open Canoe trip (perhaps cross-Scotland three?). In the end we decided that a mountain bike expedition might be better but we would stick with the cross Scotland theme.

We thought we would travel light, carrying everything that we needed but we would stay in hostels so we wouldn’t have to carry camping gear. Looking at the maps and guidebook we thought we might like to attempt the fairly well documented route from Fort William (on the West of Scotand) to Montrose (on the East).

As always there were however a few logistical problems these included:

• How would we get to and from the start and finish?
• It was the middle of winter, with more snow than Scotland has seen in years and this was pretty much a summer route
• I didn’t have a mountain bike (I had given my away on the USA / Mexico boarder in the summer!)

After some more thought, another pint of Black Sheep and pickled egg each we had managed to get round / ignore most of the problems by:

• I ordered a bike on-line with my phone (there is nothing like impulse buying!)
• We decided that we would cycle from home to the local train station (5 miles) and get the train to the start and then the train back home again (it seemed like a great idea at the time!)
• We decided the weather was bound to get better and forecast was obviously wrong.

So a plan was hatched...

Day one - After work on Friday we cycled from Pencaitland to Longniddry Train Station. Ian arrived in plenty of time I was still answering emails when he left my house to cycle the 5 miles. As a result I arrived at Longniddry as the train arrived at Longniddry (almost the end of the trip). From Longniddry we got the train to Edinburgh. From Edinburgh to Glasgow and from Glasgow to Fort William.

The Fort William Train is meant to be beautiful – which is one of the reasons that we went when it was dark!

From Fort William it was then a very cold and dark 35 mile cycle along the Caledonian Cannel to Fort Augustus, on the shore of Loch Ness. Here we stayed for the night in a great hostel (Morag’s Lodge) – we arrived just in time for whiskey tasting.

Day two - On the Saturday morning we left Fort Augustus and followed General Wades old military road (built in 1731) up and over the Corrieyairick Pass.

We were able to cycle for most of the morning but there was a massive amount of snow on the top and we spend a couple of hours pushing our bikes up and over the pass until it was safe and possible to cycle again.

The scenery was spectacular and the detail was really brought out by the snow and light. It was also amazing to see so many frozen Lochs.

On the other side of the pass we cycled down to Lagan and spent the night in the Monadhliath Hotel. This again was another great place to stay – we were very well looked after and they even have a ruined chapel in their grounds.

We planned for a shorter day on day three and mainly took the road and national cycle network to Loch Inch where we stayed for the night and caught up on what was happening with the winter Olympics. Ian was coming down with the flu and my legs needed the rest!

We had to make a couple of difficult decisions on day four. Ian decided to get the train back home as he was not getting any better, the weather was due to get worse and the route over to Braemar (through Glen Feshie) was going to be tough in the snow.

We sorted out our gear and I decided to go and have a look at the Glen – thinking I could always get a later train home if things looked impossible.

The first part of the day went well and despite having to push a bit I made pretty good progress to the Glen Feshie Bothy. I have many happy memories of this place from my time a Dunbar Grammar School when we used to take the first year students camp outside the bothy and give many of them their first wilderness experience.

One of the other great features of the glen is this deserted chimney stack – you used to be able to have fires in the stack but now the estate warm people that this is unsafe (and they are probably right!).

From the bothy things got a lot harder and even though I was able to cylce a bit the landrover track was full of snow and I ended up pushing most of the day. The navigation was particularly hard at the watershed mainly due to the lack of visibility and the fact that it is very hard to pace or follow a compass bearing while pushing a bike!

I eventually arrived at Braemar at 18.30h – it had been a long, cold 11 hours day and I was thankful of the warm bunkhouse at the Braemar Lodge Hotel.

My original plan was to get to Montrose via Mt Keen. But I decided that probably would be at least another 6 – 7 hour push plus the cycling either side. So instead I decided I would take the road to Stonhaven. Stonhaven was 55 miles away and as it was on the coast as well it would still be a Cross-Scotland cycle trip.

So, on Day five I opened the bunkhouse door to be faced by a blizzard and I did actually think for a moment about going back to bed as got dressed in the bunkhouse drying room.

Considering the weather and the darkness for the first couple of hours I made pretty good progress down the road. It was very cold and large icicles formed on my cycle helmet! But as the sun came up and I dropped in altitude the weather did get gradually better. Apart from when a snow plough went passed covering me in a Tsunami of so much snow, I had to stop to try and get it out of jacket, rucksack and ears!

It was a nice ride to Stonehaven. I’m sure the road would have been a lot busier if the weather hadn’t been so bad – but I pretty much had the whole route to myself all of the day.

When I got to Stonehaven I cycled right down to the sea for a final photograph before heading to the train station to get a ticket. The attendent checked me on and it was luck that the train terminated in Edinburgh – because that’s where I woke up!

From Edinburgh I got the train to Longniddy and then it was five mile ride up the hill back to Pencaitand. I cycled via the Winton Arms deciding that it would be best to end this adventure in exactly the same place that it had started only a few days before!

I have embedded a Google Map of the route below:

View Cross Scotland by Mountain Bike (in winter?!?!) in a larger map

Alistair Humpreys - a quest for adventure...

I recently met Alistair Humpreys at the Expedition Seminar at the Royal Geographical Society. I’ve been following him on Twitter for a while and have read all of his books.

He has done lots of self financed exciting things and I have to admit being a little envious of his achievements.

In no particular order Al has:

• Cycled round the world (using his student loans!)
• Canoed down the Yukon (to avoid a forest fire)
• Walked the length of the Holy Kaveri River in India (for £500 including flights!)
• Run the Marathon des Sables (that’s 6 marathons in 6 days across the Sahara desert!)

Alistair has a cracking sense of humor and is one the most down to earth and modest guys I have ever met. I really enjoyed the banter during the short time that we spent together.

One of the interesting things about Al's story is that when he got back from cycling around the world he wrote a book about his journey. But he couldn’t get a publisher to take it on. Alistair’s theory was that this was because he wasn’t famous enough.

Then he discovered print on demand and used this to get his first book out there on Amazon and they have been a success ever since. He has now written three and has another two that are on the way to the printers. The first two are great stories which massive potential for classroom use.

Alistair was recently speaking at a PechaKucha Night in London. We sometimes use PechaKucha as a format for Teachmeet but if you don’t know what it is. Basically your presentation is limited to 20 slides that automatically advance every 20 seconds. When the slides reach the end of their cycle you presenation is over.

If you have seven spare minutes its worth having a look at Alistair’s recent PechaKucha presentation – its down to earth, funny and inspiring!

My favorite quotes were:

“There is beauty and adventure everywhere you just need to take the time to grab it”

“To have an adventure you just need to go somewhere you have never been, do something you have never done before or do it in a different way and just see things with fresh eyes – adventures are all around us”

I hope to work more with Alistair in the new year.

Photo Credits: www.alistairhumpreys.com (all rights reserved)

See also: Alistair on Flickr.

Reflections from the Great Divide Mountain Bike Trail (8 of 10) –Improvised Camp in Gila National Forest, New Mexico – Antelope Wells, Mexican Border

This is the eighth of a series of ten posts about my recent trip to Mountain Bike the Continental Divide between Banff, Canada to Antelope Wells, New Mexico. Further information about the expedition can be found at www.bikingthegreatdivide.com

Day 28: Improvised Camp in Gila National Forest – Rocky Canyon Campground (75 miles)

I slept through my alarm for the first time on the whole trip and was surprised to wake up at 06.00. I sat under my tree and made my breakfast. Bruce cycled past and we chatted for a bit – it turned out he had camped about 5 miles down the road.

I was slow to get moving from my improvised campsite under a tree and eventually got away at about 07.30h. The tracks were of typical New Mexico quality as I cycled up towards the continental divide. There was a small reservoir marked on the map about 5 miles into my day but I couldn’t find it (it had probably dried up).

Water was pretty sparse on this section of the trail and we thought that we would be able to get some from windmills. But during my whole time in New Mexico I only ever saw a coupe of working windmills. In fact apart from the torrential rain storms – this was a very dry state.

The day got hotter and hotter and I was starting to get low on water. 40 mile into the route I came to the Beverhead Work Centre, where I new water might be available. Bruce has also just arrived and had found a hose by one of the offices. We filled our water bottles and drank and drank and drank. Strangely there was also a coke machine outside the office and we unpacked out bags to find as many quarters as we could so we could get some cold juice!

Bruce headed off and I rested for another ten minutes before following him down the track. It started raining heavily and the tracks quickly became muddy. My back break had completely gone and I was now reliant on what was left of my front break which was down to the metal of my break pads (not a great noise!).

Progress was slow and I caught Bruce on one of the hills before the decent to Wall Lake. We were both struggling with the wet and sandy tracks. Initially, I had hoped I might get to Silver City today but because of the poor progress that I was making this seemed unlikely. I just decided to try and get as far as I could.

Things started to quite literally ‘hot up’ after Wall Lake as I cycled right into a forest fire. The track was still fairly safe but the air was very smoky and the forest to the west was smouldering away. If it had been windy I would have been a very different story as the fire would have quickly gained strength and flames.

Eventually I seemed to cycle through the fire and I reached Upper and Lower Black Canyon Campgrounds. There was a stream here and I filtered water, filling up all my bottles (10 litres worth). This was one of the best decisions that I made during the whole trip (you will find out why in a minute!).

Bruce passed me as I was filtering. I told him my plan to reach Rocky Canyon Campground (10 miles up-hill) by that evening. It was 7pm and it was going to be a real struggle to get there before it got dark.

I headed up the track I was determined not to stop for the first two miles and the main steep section. I passed Bruce who was having problems with his knee, ‘I’ll see you at the campsite I said.’ ‘I might not make it tonight,’ he said, ‘but good luck.’

After another six miles I reached the top of the climb – It was downhill from here to the campsite. A 4by4 (the first one I had seen all day) was coming in the other direction and stopped. I chatted to the ranch owner for while and he gave me more water and for one of the first times in my life I turned down the offer of a beer.

Before setting off on the downhill. I put my headtorch on. It was getting dark and although I didn’t need it yet I thought I might need to turn it on during the decent.

The track was awful, loose and wet. I was going to be pleased to get to the campsite and I was thinking to myself, ‘I actually going to make this. I’m actually going to get to Mexico in 30 days.’

Then everything changed

I was negotiating a steep section. The next thing I remember was thinking, ‘I’m going to crash’. I saw stars as my head hit the ground…

…I got up and walked the three or four steps back to my bike. I turned my head torch on to examine my bike. I was sore all over, my head hurt, blood running down my arm and leg, ripped clothing down my left side. The adrenaline was pumping I got back on my bike and free wheeled the mile to the camp site.

I was a state. I just sat a bench. I was hoping that Bruce might catch up with me and offer some advice, tell me what to do or just look after me. But he didn’t catch up with me that night. I was in a daze - after a while I took my cycle helmet off. It was cracked right through in three places – thank goodness I was wearing it. Had I knocked myself out? I couldn’t really remember the crash? Not a good thing when your by yourself in the middle of nowhere.

There was no water at Rocky Canyon Campground. But I used some of my spare water to wash my arm. Things did not look good. I bandaged it the best I could and tired to remove my cycling clothing. It was stuck to me – my whole left side was in pieces and I shouted out as I peeled off my shirt and shorts. I didn’t feel like eating, but I new I had to – everything was a struggle and I tried to prepare some food and set up my bivi.

Time slipped away and it was midnight before I got to lie down. I thought it was all over – there was no way I would be in a fit state to make the last 175 miles. It was going to be a struggle to make the next settlement. I had come so far and I honestly thought it was game over. I didn’t even know if I would be able to get back on my bike the next morning.

Sleep was near impossible I couldn’t lie on my left side because of my elbow and I couldn’t lay on my right side because of right knee and leg. Everything hurt and I was worried about my head.

Eventually I drifted off…

 

Day 29: Rocky Canyon Campground – Silver City (46 miles)

It had been an awful nights sleep (if you can call it sleep). A combination of a battered left elbow and a battered right knee had made it almost impossible to get comfortable in my sleeping bag.

The next challenge was trying to get up – everything hurt and I shouted loudly as I tried to pull my sleeping bag off my knee where the blood had fused it nicely to during the night. I was feeling sorry for myself, my elbow was not looking good and my elbow hurt like crazy – I dared not take off the dressing which was a bloody mess and I decided to wait until I got to Silver City or at least the next town.

Breakfast and packing up was a slow process that took about two hours. Then I got onto the bike and started the 2 mile climb to the top of the Continental Divide for the 30^th time since leaving Banff.

I had no idea if I would be able to cycle and I had prepared myself for the worst. Actually it was easier to cycle than to walk. I had to grip the left handle bar very loosely and at times I just rode using my right arm. Any vibrations were incredibly painful on my left arm and elbow. My right leg was sore, but it only seemed like surface damage – if I ignored it and got into a rhythm I could actually make good progress.

I eventually reached the top of the divide. Things weren’t great, but if I could cycle 2 miles I could cycle a 175 more – I had come too far to back down and give up now. Things just might take a little more time.

From the divide I thought it would be flat and downhill until Mimbress but the rain from the day before had turned the track into an un-navigable mud bath. Again I got back into the mode of taking the trailer off pushing it for a bit and going back for the bike. With my sore leg this seemed to take forever. After repeating the process several times the track got better and I got back on the bike headed downhill towards Mimbress and the village store in what was now blistering heat.

I must have looked a state as I walked into the store. The first thing the lady behind the desk said to me was, ‘are you all right?’. She offered to look at my elbow and even said I could use the shower if I wanted to. I declined on both saying that I was going to get myself sorted out when I got to Silver City or I was in danger of never getting there! She smiled and gave me a free cup of coffee. This was another great example of how kind people were to me during my time away.

The next 35 miles were hard, hot and slow but I eventually made it to Silver City and booked into a motel. I hadn’t realised quite how bad I looked the first thing the motel receptionist said to me was, ‘can I get you a doctor!,’ I replied, ‘no just a room, please.’ The motel manager came out as I was re-telling my tail, ‘give him a discount,’ she said.

After I got cleaned up I was feeling a lot better and headed into the town to the bike shop. My request was simple. I just needed the bike to get me 125 miles. But for this I would need a new chain and at least one working break. I had a good laugh with the boys from the shop as they removed what was left of my break pads.

We laughed even more when Mark Beaumont’s mum, Una, rang the shop while I was there. I’ve spoken to Una on the phone a number of times and she was booking Mark’s bike into the shop for a service when Mark arrived in Silver City as part of his Cycling America’s Tour. It’s a small world and Mark and I laughed as we exchanged a few tweets that night. 

After a couple of hours my bike was fixed and running better than it had done for the past two weeks. I pushed it back up the hill to the motel (I just couldn’t face getting back on it!).

I had arranged a shuttle from the Mexican border for 12noon. But because I wasn’t sure how fast I would be able to go I managed to change the pick up time to 14.00h. As it would happen I wouldn’t actually get to the border until 16.00h. My plan was to start cycling at 03.00h and just go for it.

Day 30: Silver City to Antelope Wells (122 miles)

My alarm went off. This was it, my last day.

Make it or not this would be my last day on the bike if I was to stand any hope of getting back to Phoenix and home in time for work on Tuesday morning.

It was also the first day in the last month that I would be riding without a BOB Trailer. As I would be being shuttled back to Silver City at the end of the day I decided to leave the BOB in my motel room and attempt the final push as light weight as possible. The only things that I carried were a few bike spares, some food, my waterproof jacket and lots of water. I also strapped additional water bottles to the frame of my bike (thank goodness I did!).

I had 125 miles to cycle and I was out the motel door at 03.30 – I couldn’t eat anything before I left and I felt incredibly sore from the crash a couple of day previously. My body was in need of a rest but it still had one day left to go. The first few rotations of the legs were agony but I gradually got into it.

Much of the route was on the pavement today apart from a 30 mile stretch down the Separ Desert Road. At 04.30 it started raining heavily – I couldn’t believe it. The rain could make the Separ road impassable, which would mean a 30 mile push or a 65 mile diversion. It was still raining heavily when I reached the start of the Separ Road – I decided to risk it. The first few miles were hard in the wet but the rain stopped as the sun came up. The sun quickly dried the road and I started to make fast progress (with the exception of a couple of sand traps) towards the settlement of Separ.

At Separ I turned East into a strong headwind – again I couldn’t believe it – it was as if the route wanted to make me give up. First with the rain and then with the wind I was barely making 8mph on the flat as I struggled along the gravel. I caught up with Bruce on this section who was as tired as me and we rode together for a few miles.

Turning South towards Hachita the wind turned with me and although the road improved to tarmac I was still only just making 12 mph.

There was a small shop at Hachita where I bought some juice and re-filled my water bottles. It was getting very hot and I still had nearly 50 miles to go. I was exhausted and really suffering from my knee and elbow. I couldn’t grip my left handlebar properly as the vibrations were so painful. I actually considered trying to get a lift 20 miles down the road to help me – but apart from the store keeper the town was deserted.

As I progressed south along the road towards the border it got hotter and hotter and I got slower and slower. At 13.30h I heard a car pull up behind me and friendly voice shouted, ‘are you Ollie,’ It was Mike. If Mike had offered to pick me up I think I would have said yes. But instead he said, ‘I’ll see you at the end – take your time’ then he sped off.

There were 17 miles to go – it was the longest 17 miles of my life into the wind in the boiling hot. At 10 miles to go I got off my bike and pushed for a mile. Then I ate all my food, drank the rest of my water and put my head down and just tried to keep my legs moving.

I reached the border at 15.57. Mike was there smiling with an outstretched hand as we took some photos and then wasted no time in getting back to Silver City. As we drove back up the road towards Hachita we passed Bruce who was still peddling towards the end – at 55 I hope I am at least half as active as Bruce!

Back in Silver City Mike took me to buy some Fat Tire Beers and then dropped me back off in my motel. The hotel staff greeted me at the door and I celebrated for 20 minutes drinking ice cold beer in the hotel reception with a complete group of strangers who for some reason had become gripped with my story. I headed back to my room but didn’t even make it to the shower before I fell asleep and I slept for 12 long hours.

I had made it to the end and achieved a 12 month old dream.

In my next post I’ll talk more about the logistics of the route, advice and possible route variations.

Reflections from the Great Divide Mountain Bike Trail (7 of 10) – Horca, Colorado and my Improvised Camp in Gila National Forest, New Mexico.

This is the seventh of a series of ten posts about my recent trip to Mountain Bike the Continental Divide between Banff, Canada to Antelope Wells, New Mexico. Further information about the expedition can be found at www.bikingthegreatdivide.com

Day 24: Horca – Abiquiu (122 miles)

Although the days all seem to merge into one. Physically I think this was one of the hardest days of the trip and made me realise that New Mexico was going to be tough!

The temperature had been getting noticeably warmer as I travelled South and I was pleased that I started the day hydrated and got an early start from Horca. I was on the road by 04.30 and getting used route finding by head torch.

Initially, the route climbed the road up and over La Manga Pass before turning a lot more primitive but continuing to climb over the next 20 miles. The road was poor, rocky at times and very steep in places. I found myself pushing a lot as I entered New Mexico but I was pleased with my progress and was rewarded with some nice views over the Cruces Basin Wilderness.

I hadn’t seen anyone all day and then suddenly a number of 4by4’s went past all at once. During the time I was away most drivers that I had come across had been kind and courteous. But these guys were crazy. They didn’t break, were far to close and shot past and a ridiculous speed.  The second to last vehicle was so close I had a major wobble and nearly ended up in front of the last vehicle – I was absolutely shaken up. To be eaten by a bear is one thing but to be run over by a truck would have ruined my whole day!

Anyway, the route continued through a fantastic and very varied landscape and kept going up and down, up and down, up and down. To complicate things the sensor on my front tire that helps calculate your speed and distance for your bike computer kept twisting round. But the time I noticed I had gone a number of miles without any readings. In fact, to be honest, for the majority of the day I found it quite difficult to actually work out how far I had got until I reached the next big landmark.

It got unbelievably hot in the afternoon and I was glad of the extra water that I was carrying as the surface water was pretty non-existent. I should have stopped for a bit of a rest in El Rito but a storm was brewing and I was keen to get to Abiquiu but as a result of my haste I found the last few miles after the downhill hard work and I still got caught in the storm.

The storm was like a monsoon and I was so pleased that I had got up early and really forced myself to progress along the route. Some of the roads would have simply been impassable with the amount of rain falling from the sky. As it was the tarmac road that I was now on was more like a river and little gullies to the side of the road were filling with water.

I was expecting to find a campsite at Abiquiu but after cycling up the road to the service station / store I couldn’t find one anywhere and the lady in the shop said there wasn’t one. Soaked through, and with the rain still pouring, I backtracked down the road to the Abiquiu Inn where I managed to get a room for the night and a much needed shower.

 

After dinner it was still pouring outside and I asked one of the Inn staff about my route ahead. He told me it was a non-starter in wet conditions and that sometimes 4by4’s struggle to make it along some of the tracks I was proposing to take.

My plan was to start along the route and if it was to muddy I would backtrack and take a route further to the north along a tarmac road. I was tired from the day and I desperately wanted to avoid a situation similar to the route to Rawlings all those days before. I also thought that if it was another hot day the tracks might start to dry out a bit.

 

Day 25: Abiquiu – Cuba (80 miles)

I got another early start and thank goodness it had stopped raining. But the problem was because of my early start to avoid the heat the tracks were still wet. I struggled up the first ten miles and then the map reads, ‘Enter Santa Fe National Forest; FR 27 deteriorates. Surfacing ends; muddy when wet.’ The map did not lie! the road was awful I progressed for maybe a mile which seemed to take forever and then made up my mind to backtrack to the road.

In hindsight, maybe I should have persevered or waited until the road had dried out. But from what I have read of this section since I think this part of the journey to Cuba would have taken me at least two days. Possibly more if it had started raining again.

The road on the other hand was easy but also quiet and pretty. Initially there was a fairly steep climb up to the Abiquiu Reservoir before I tuned west onto Highway 96 and passed through Toungsville, Coyote, Regina, La Jara and then I finally arrived in Cuba just after 5pm (an early finish for me).

 

There was a lot to look at along the road and it’s where I had my first real snake encounter. Now, I had seen a few small snakes in Canada and Wyoming but for some reason I hadn’t even thought about the types of snakes that would be in the desert. My first sighting was one that had been hit by a car – but it was huge! at least 2 feet long and I think it was probably a Bull Snake.

The second Bull snake I came across was about the same size as the first and had been hit by a mountain bike – my mountain bike! I ran straight over it.  It hissed, I screamed and I didn’t take my eyes off the road all the way to Cuba!

That evening I enjoyed some great Mexican Food at El’ Brunos Restaurant and for the first time actually started to think that I might be able to make it to Antelope Wells within my 30 days.

 

Day 26: Cuba – Grants (119 miles)

I felt well rested and re-fuelled after my reasonably easy day from the day before. This morning I was on the road at 04.00h as I was just finding the afternoons to hot and draining. Between Cuba and Grants the route goes two ways I took the Chaco Alternative Route which is slightly longer, has two continental divide crossings but on the tarmac through the desert.

The desert was a pretty barren place and the scenery wasn’t that exciting until the second half of the day when things started to get a little more varied. I didn’t pass any open services during the whole day and there was no surface water, everything was bone dry.

As the day progressed and I plodded along the road I was close to finishing my five litres of water. According to the map there was a pub between the 509 and 605 road junction. I was about five miles from the junction and then it was another 18 miles to Grants. I decided to drink the rest of my water and keep my fingers cross that the pub was open.

About half a mile later I got a puncture – the first one since the dreaded Day 13! I had a real nightmare changing my tire and for some reason I struggled to get the air to go in. The whole process took me over 45mins in the blistering heat. As a cycled the rest of the distance to the junction I never before had craved to get to a bar so badly.

Luckily for me it was open. All the locals seemed to be drinking a bottle of beer with a tequila chaser. I stuck with a can of coke and an iced water chaser. I had several rounds before continuing to Grants.

I didn’t feel comfortable in Grants and I thought a lot of the town was pretty run down. In the end I booked myself into a Holiday Inn Express (the most expensive motel of the entire tour) but at least I felt safe.

 

Day 27: Grants – Improvised Camp in Gila National Forest (128 miles)

Again on the road by 04.00h and made good progress over the 40 miles through the El Malpais National Conservation Area. Spectacular scenery (you could see why it’s a conservation area!) my favourite part being a huge natural arch in the desert canyon.

After 40 miles I turned almost due south and headed towards the next settlement, Pie Town (guess what it’s famous for?). I had been imagining getting to Pie Town for weeks. First of all it’s famous for its pies and secondly it marked the start of the last Great Divide Route Map (there are seven in total).

Normally I think the road to Pie Town would have just been like any other New Mexico road – hard. But I found the road was being groomed. Unfortunately this grooming meant that the road was being broken up and there were large deposits of sand all over the place.

As a result this meant the road was almost impossible to cycle along and the wheels of my bike and BOB trailer kept getting caught in sand traps. I had no choice but to push and I pushed for just over five miles in just over two hours.

Eventually I came across the grooming vehicle parked by the side of the road. The change in road surface was incredible – although the road was now more bumpy at least it was compact and it was actually a joy to get back on the bike.

About 10 miles from Pie Town I came across another cyclist going in the opposite direction. He told me about the ‘Toaster House’ a cyclists bunkhouse in Pie Town that is not marked on the map. He also let me know that I could get water from there if the Pie shop was shut.

Luckily when I arrived in Pie Town the Pie Shop wasn’t shut and as well as a cheese burger I sampled some of the peach and then a piece of blueberry pie. I also ran into Bruce, the last Tour Divide rider who was completing the same route as me. Bruce and I would pass each other several times over the final few days of the trail. At 55 years old he was as fit as a fiddle!

Before leaving Pie Town I filled all my water bottles and spare bottles. In total I was carrying 10 litres of water as I new the next part of the route was going to be very dry.

I wasn’t quite sure how far I would cycle after Pie Town. But for some reason I just kept going and going and going. I cycled through another storm, but thankfully the track wasn’t to bad I crossed the continental divide a further three times and the overcast cast sky protected me from the heat. I stopped for the night 60 miles from Pie Town just inside the Gila National Forest.

I made camp under a tree just to the side of the road. I was tired but feeling incredibly proud at what I had achieved so far on my journey. It turned out to be a lovely evening, its pitch black in the desert but the stars were out and filling the sky. I stayed up quite late drinking herbal tea, hydrating and studying the map for the final few days.

In my next post in this series I will describe the route between my Improvised Camp in Gila National Forest, New Mexico and Antelope Wells on the Mexico Border.

Reflections from the Great Divide Mountain Bike Trail (6 of 10) – Green Mountain Reservoir (near Silverthorn), Colorado – Horca, Colorado

This is the sixth of a series of ten posts about my recent trip to Mountain Bike the Continental Divide between Banff, Canada to Antelope Wells, New Mexico. Further information about the expedition can be found at www.bikingthegreatdivide.com

Day 20: Green Mountain Reservoir - Salida (112 miles)

I had a feeling that today could be a long day! I was planning at least 100 miles and I needed to get a bike repair.

I left the campside at 05.00 and re-joined the main route at the junction of the TransAmerica Trail where I then make quick progress down towards Silverthorn. As it was still to early for the Silverthorn Bike shop to be open I continued on the past Frisco to Breckenridge. Where the boys in the shop fixed my bike in record time.

The climb up and over to Hartsel was a hard one and a strange one not least because after the divide crossing and then again after Hartsel you cycle through an massive expanse of land with mile after mile of deserted gravel roads laid out at right angels to the main track. According to the guidebook these are ‘subdivision’ roads but for what ever reason although the planning and building of a settlement had started there are hardly and houses along the route. The whole thing was quite eerie as many of the roads (going absolutely nowhere) had roadsigns. I couldn’t help wondering if the whole place had just been forgotten about by state planners?

I met another cyclist (Russell) in Hartsel. He was doing the TransAmerica Bicycle Trail (a future project perhaps?) and we cycled for a bit before our routes separated and I headed south. Like me he was cycling solo and it was also his first big cycle tour. We swapped a few stories and laughs about our individual routes.

The journey between Hartsel and Salida went well. There was a lot to look at as the route climbed up into the San Isabel National Forest towards the Watershed Divide. At the top it was starting to get quite late but I remember feeling remarkably good for such a long and varied day. The early morning visit to the bike shop seemed a distant memory.

As it was starting to get late and I wanted to be in Salida before the supermarket shut, I started down the decent fast. I really started to build up speed and then coming around a corner I was face-to-face with another bear just to the side of the track. In a split decision I decided that by putting the breaks on I would probably stop right next to it so in a panic I just peddled faster and faster speeding past it completely out of control. I stopped after five minutes and tried to stop shaking – my heart was racing (and not because of the exercise!).

Arriving in Salida at about 9.30pm. Most of the restaurants were shut – however, I managed to get the guy from Pizza Hut to deliver to the campsite! Only in America!

 

Day 21: Salida – Cochetopa Pass Campsite (90 miles)

My good friend Mark Salmon had warned me about Marshall Pass from his previous mountain bike adventures in Colorado. In fact there was a great deal of twitter banter in the build up to my assent of the pass.

I left Salia at 04.30h and started the 25 miles of uphill. I was expecting the accent to take me most of the day but actually the track was of good quality and a steady gradient and as a result I averaged about 6mph to the top. I was glad I had left early as by the time I got to the top at about 11.30 it was already starting to get hot.

The decent down the other side of the pass to Sargents was great fun and I stopped in the café for some lunch (another cheeseburger) and sat with some other cyclists who were doing the same route in the other direction.

One of the things that I had noticed bout traveling by myself was that I purposely started to go out of my way to meet and introduce myself to other people. Otherwise I think it could have been a bit of a lonely experience.

After lunch I set out again. My target was the campsite just after the Cochetopa Pass Continental Divide Crossing. It was pretty ambitious considering it was 45 miles away (up hill) and I had already had a pretty long day.

Anyway, off I went and passed through some fantastic scenery that was further enhanced by the rain showers which had also started. When I got to the Upper Dome Reservoir I considered stopping there. It was another ten miles to my proposed camping spot and starting to get late. In the end I pressed on until my legs felt so tired I got off my bike and started pushing up towards the divide crossing.

From behind me I could hear a vehicle approaching. An old camper van stopped by the side of me, ‘this is for you’ the passenger said and handed me a can of Pepsi! I said, ‘thank you’, but they had already driven off. It was one of the most surreal moments of the whole trip as I just sat by the track drinking a cold can of juice!

I got to the divide crossing at about 21.00h and cycled the two miles downhill to the campsite. It was only then that I realised that the campsite had no good water supply. In the end I found a boggy stream (luckily it was raining) and managed to filter a few litres to try and re-hydrate and cook dinner.

I don’t know if it was because I was exhausted, dehydrated or because of the noises in the forest. But for the first night on the whole trip I did not sleep well at all?

 

Day 22: Cochtopa Pass Campsite – Del Norte (64 miles)

I was not feeling at all sharp when I got up (mainly due to the lack of sleep). I started the day by filtering more water from the boggy stream and tried to hydrate as much as possible. I was slow to get moving and didn’t get going until 07.30h.

I had planned today as a short day and was only aiming to get to Del Norte. But the 64miles seemed to take forever and I pushed most of the way up the Carnero Pass. There was no doubt about it I was exhausted and in need of a bit of a rest.

I kept going and as it started to get very hot I turned onto Old Woman’s Creek Road and once again started to pedal up hill. Eventually I got to the turning for the 665 the map read ‘very primitive road’ – it was more like single track. The funny thing about it was when I looked at it I thought to myself, ‘not more uphill’. But a soon as I got onto it I realised it was downhill for a couple of mile and I actually found the riding quite technical and very painful on my saddle sores! 

 

Eventually the downhill ended and feeling tired I pushed my bike up towards, ‘Bandlands Gap’. The first part of the decent down from the Gap down towards Del Norte was awful. The track was full of sand and various things that had been shot by local people for target practice. This included washing machines, road signs and sofas.

I was pleased to get into Del Norte at a decent time (about 4pm) and I headed to the campsite to find that there was a motor bike rally on. I amused myself during the evening by drinking some beers with some of the Harley Davidson bikers who seemed quite amazed with what I was doing. Unfortunately, no matter how much beer they drank I still couldn’t convince any of them to swap bikes!

Despite the noise from the motor bike rally at the campsite with the help of a set of ear plugs I was in bed and asleep by 8pm – and I slept like a baby!

 

Day 23: Del Norte – Horca (74 miles)

I had breakfast at a local café in Del Norte and managed to get on the road by 07.30h. The sleep and the fairly restful afternoon had done me some good and I felt recharged and ready to tackle Indiana Pass.

Indiana Pass represented one of the longest climbs and the highest point on the route. I made slow by steady progress to the top stopping for a few rests but I’m proud to say that I didn’t push. I was so determined in my head to cycle all the way to the top.

One of the problems with the route today was the lack of water. There was a lot of it but it was all (according to the maps and guidebooks) regarded as contaminated. The recommendation was not to drink any of the water even if it had been filtered. As a result and because of the heat I strapped an extra 2 litres of water to my BOB Trailer and I was really pleased that I did.

Much of the contamination comes from the previous mining operations in the area. I could really see the extent of the industrial landscape when I arrived at Summitville as the mine and the visual pollution there was huge. At Summitville there was also a group from the United Sates Geological Survey and the geologist let me listen in on his talk as I was eating my lunch. I didn’t admit that I was a geography teacher in case he asked my any difficult questions!

From Summitvile it seemed to take ages to get to Platoro. As the crow flies the distance is quite small (less than five miles) but there were lots of uphill and downhill switchbacks over the actual 20+ miles. Before my final decent to Platoro I spent a some time talking to a local ranger who was stopped in his truck. He was really encouraging of what I was doing and told me the café in Platoro was worth a visit.

The café was great. In fact if I wasn’t keen to push on with another few miles I think I would have stayed there for a night. The food was excellent, the staff were fantastic and it had the best cahirs of the whole trip. In the café there was leaderboard of the Tour Divide riders who had passed through earlier in the month. I also noticed that the last rider to pass through was not that far ahead of me.

After a great meal I carried on the 22 miles down the Trail to Horca where I rewarded myself with a couple of bottles of Fat Tire Beer and ate some dinner with a family from Texas. After dinner I cycled to two miles to the Elk Creek Campground where the campsite warden took one look at me and said, ‘are you going north or south?’. ‘South,’ I replied. ‘Then your almost there,’ he said smiling and patted me on the back.

We chatted for a while over a drink by his trailer before I set up my standard National Forest Service Bivi (on top of the picnic table!) and headed to bed.

In my next post in this series I will describe the route between Horca, Colorado and my Improvised Camp in the Gila National Forest, New Mexico.

Reflections from the Great Divide Mountain Bike Trail (5 of 10) – Sweetwater River, Wyoming – Green Mountain Reservoir (near Silverthorn), Colorado.

This is the fifth of a series of ten posts about my recent trip to Mountain Bike the Continental Divide between Banff, Canada to Antelope Wells, New Mexico. Further information about the expedition can be found at www.bikingthegreatdivide.com

Day 17 - Improvised Camp by the Sweetwater River to Rawlings (120 miles)

Thankfully when I woke up the rain has stopped - in fact as the sun came up it turned into a really nice day.

After a breakfast of tinned fruit (bought at Atlantic City) and porridge I was on the road by 05.00 and pushing by 05.03. I couldn't believe it, there had been so much rain the road was a mud bath that jammed up my bike wheels and BOB trailer. Given good conditions the next 100 miles should have been relatively easy (mostly flat or downhill) but the mud was zapping the energy out of me and this was a section with no real water source. I persevered for over sixty miles sometimes making fast progress mostly on the higher ground with good drainage and then sometimes having to take my trailer off carry it for 200m and then go back for my bike.

By late afternoon it started to rain again, the track was getting worse and I was running out of water. Looking at the map a realised there was a recommended escape route going directly East from the A and M Reservoir and joining the 287 Highway further north than the original route. I didn't think twice about taking it. If it carried on raining and the road didn't improve I might have to push and carry my bike all the way to the highway. It did carry on raining but the reservoir road was of better quality and I quickly made it to the Highway and Lamont. I filled up my water bottles at a house at Lamont (thanks Joe) and headed south towards Rawlings eventually arriving at the town at about 10pm and booking into the first motel that I could find. I was exhausted!

Rawlings was the first place in a few days that I had an Internet connection and I was able to check on the progress of Simon and Marco. I also got a text explaining that they were heading back up Moran Junction to join back onto the official route and I could see from the SPOT that they had now dones this and were making good time towards Pinedale. This being the case it was unlikely that they would catch me and it was time for me to change the rules.

My aim was always to complete the route in 30 day – that was all the time I had. When I left the UK, I didn’t really expect to be able to do this. But the last few 100 mile+ days had given me a lot of confidence. I realized I might be able to make the distance. But as I wasn’t very fast I would need to make the most of every possible moment in the day. This would mean long hard days.

Also, to use a climbing analogy, I realised that I was trying to do a route in Alpine time but with expedition gear. I needed to drastically loose weight from my trailer and I felt a lot more comfortable doing this now I was by myself. So, in my room there was a gear amnesty. I took a controlled risk here as a probably posted over half of my stuff back to the UK.

This included:

• All spare clothing and spare cycling gear (I just kept one set, a top and my lightweight jacket)
• The half tent
• Most of my cooking stuff (I just kept one small pot and my Pocket Rocket Stove)
• Most of my first aid kit
• The maps I had used
• The pages I had used out of the guidebook
• My reading book
• All spare batteries
• My sandals
• Other miscellaneous items
• And I even deleted the my unwanted songs from my iPod (anything to save weight)

The girl behind the desk at the motel helped me weigh the package and we worked out how much it would cost to post. I gave her the dollars to post it as I wanted to get an early start. To my surprise it was waiting for me when I got home (thanks Jenny).

I got to bed just after 12 determined that the new routine would start the next morning.

 

Day 18: Rawlings – Steamboat Lake (108 miles)

My alarm woke me at 4 and I decided on another hour’s sleep (and on the new routine starting the next morning!). In the end I was away by 05.30h.

The first part of the route was along the concrete road and then up a good gravel track to the Millwood Hill Continental Divide Crossing (the #14^th time I had crossed the divide since starting in Banff). From the top of Millwood Hill the road ‘roller coastered’ along for a number of miles until I was eventually grateful to reach the shade of the Medicine Bow National Forest.

The Medicine Bow Forest Forest provided a welcome change of scenery and I really enjoyed cycling through ‘Aspen Ally’.

As I reached the tarmac road on the other side of the forest it started to rain heavily and then it started to hail. I had never seen hail like it. As I continued along the road it built up on my clothing and I started to get really cold (particularly my hands). Luckily, it only lasted 20 minuets and then the sun came out and warmed me up.

Just before Slater there is an option of two routes. I took the route that went via Columbine – it was remote and beautiful. I stopped near Three Forks Ranch just after the Colorado State border to fill my water bottles and chatted for a while to a friendly ranch worker who was driving a 4by4 and drinking a beer!

The journey from Three Forks Ranch was hard. But I made progress uphill and reached the top at about 21.30h. The forest was pitch black and I was feeling quite spooked as I made my way down the rough track towards the Steamboat Lake Campground. The rain started again at about 10.00h as I pulled up next to the Ranger Station and Visitors centre at Steamboat Lake. Stupidly, not realizing it, I had cycled past the campsite.

Desperate to get to bed I decided to just sleep down by the reservoir but as I cycled down the road I came face-to-face with a small bear. I don’t know who was more scared! But he helped me make the decision that it would be better to cycle the 2 miles back up the road to the official campsite.

Eventually I got to the campsite at about 10.45 and a nice lady made me a hot chocolate as I made my dinner and climbed quickly climbed into my bivi on top of a picnic bench!

Day 19: Steamboat Lake – Green Mountain Reservoir (109 miles)

I should have felt really tired when I woke up. But I didn’t, it was a lovely morning and breakfast, packing up and getting on the bike all went quickly. I was away just after 5am and heading down the road towards Steamboat Springs. Where I stopped for a second breakfast!

It was a lovely day but starting to get really warm as a picked my way up towards the Morrison Divide. The next seven miles to Lynx pass seemed to take forever and I stopped for a long rest at the top. The rest seemed to pay off and I seemed to make fairly good progress down towards Radium.

I decided to push on from Radium and just see how far I would get. I was tired going up towards Inspiration Point and my gears were stuck on the front middle cog. My left gear leaver had completely jammed – it was another bike problem I didn’t have a clue how to fix! As a result I ended up pushing most of the way until the downhill.

The next bike shop on the map was Silverthorn. But with only limited gears it was going to take me a while to get there. When I reached Highway 9 I flagged down a car, explained what happened and asked for a lift down the road. The guy smiled and said, ‘Sure I’ll give you a lift to Silverthorn, but if you want a bike shop that’s closer then just go to Kremmling’.

The bike shop in Kremmling is not marked on the map. But the guy gave me directions and it was less than a mile to the north of where I was. Obviously, the shop was shut when I arrived, but the owner was still working and for $10 he managed to dislodge a large stone from my gears which seemed to mostly solve the problem! But the advice was that my back derailleur really needed to be replaced. It had taken a bit of a hammering over the past two days resulting in it being warn, bent and was in danger of snapping.

The problem was the bike shop in Kremmling was small and didn’t have a replacement. I was however, pretty confident that I would be able to get one in one of the next big towns but I needed to avoid any impact on my derailleur until then.

Taking some advice from the shop owner. I got on my bike (it was great to have gears again) and headed down Highway 9 where thanks to the man in the bike shop I found a beautiful bivi spot by the Green Mountain Reservoir.

In my next post in this series I will describe the route between theGreen Mountain Reservoir (near Silverthorn), Colorado - Horca, Colorado.

Reflections from the Great Divide Mountain Bike Trail (4 of 10) – Elkhorn Springs Campground, Montana to the Sweetwater River, Wyoming.

This is the forth of a series of ten posts about my recent trip to Mountain Bike the Continental Divide between Banff, Canada to Antelope Wells, New Mexico. Further information about the expedition can be found at www.bikingthegreatdivide.com

Day 12: Elkhorn Hot Springs Campground – Lima (104 miles)

This was a tough day! You will find out why in a minute!

Having been late to bed we woke up early and decided not cook porridge but to cycle the 35 miles down hill to Grant. Most of the first part of the day was on the pavement or along jeep track. We made good time for the first 10 minutes until we ran into100+ cattle being herded up the road by a bunch of cowboys and cowgirls.

Having negotiated this first obstacle of the day we made pretty good progress down toward Grant through a really spectacular landscape. However, as we approached the settlement we were all in need of some breakfast. Marco, thinking he could smell the bacon, biked ahead to reserve us a good spot in the café and he managed to get a great table outside. Unfortunately, it was the only table as the café looked like it had been shut for at least a couple of years! We were absolutely mortified as I wandered off to try and get some water from one of the locals to cook our porridge on the café balcony.

After breakfast we carried on with the route towards Lima. The guidebook read, ‘the next 47 miles are very remote’. It was also very hot and there was no real shade on the route. We pressed on making good progress and survived on Simons ‘Nutty Butter’ biscuits.

Before the climb up to the Sheep Creek Divide we thought about stopping for some noodles (the last of our food) but I was keen to keep going. In the end Marco and Simon just had some trail mix rather than stopping to cook. In hindsight this was probably a bad move as the trail mix didn’t seem to agree with Simon and made him violently ill.

The next thing we had to avoid was a big storm. We had already missed one storm but this had made the mud tracks difficult to negotiate and it was our first real encounter with using the Bobs in really muddy conditions. The back wheels jammed a couple of times and we had to get off to clear the mud out. To make matters worse, a second storm was on the way and we were getting low on water. I gave Marco my spare bottle as he was out.

The road to Lima was a long hard Cycle. Marco went ahead and Simon and I took our time down the muddy tracks. We passed some fascinating limestone scenery, but we were both to tired to get our cameras out and really appreciate it. Then I got a puncture – it was just a slow flat and I decided to pump it up every 30mins rather than change the tube.

Eventually Simon and I made it to the road. Lima was only seven miles away. But it was a long seven miles into the wind, up hill, we were zapped of energy and out of water. When we caught with Marco in the Café at Lima. I did the thing I am most ashamed of during the whole trip. In the absence of decent beer… I drank a Budweiser (something I am not proud of and may never live down in real ale circles that I often frequent).

After dinner we went across to the campsite to book in. The guidebook has a note in it saying that the Lima campsite no longer did a cyclist discount. To be honest I’m not surprised as for the three of use to stay the total price was only just over $5!

That evening Simon and Marco decided to have breakfast in the café the next morning and then leave. I couldn’t make up my mind whether to wait and have breakfast with them or to leave early to try and avoid the heat (I’m not great in the heat). In the end I decided it was too much hassle to leave early, split the lunch stuff etc.. In hindsight this was good thing – little did I realise that Day 13 would be even more adventurous than day 12!

 

Day 13: Lima – Aston (140miles inc: 20-25ish? by truck)

This was a major turning point in the trip.

Considering our two long days I felt surprisingly good and was glad that I had stayed for breakfast. Simon joked about the fact that we had both ordered item 13 off the menu and that it was day 13. I couldn’t believe that we had been riding for nearly two weeks.

After breakfast we set off and things seemed to be going well. I stopped to take a picture and then raced after the boys. Coming over a bump I landed heavily – heard a massive pop and realised that my back tire had completely blown out. I shouted and blew my whistle to attract the attention of the others, but the wind prevented them hearing.

As I took my wheel off I noticed that in the blow out my tire had ripped in a place that would be impossible to fix. I should point out that I rubbish at anything to do with bike repairs so I just stuck some gaffer tape on the tire, replaced the tube and kept my fingers crossed.

By the time I had got things fixed and been eaten by several thousand mosquitoes (the others had the DEET) I was feeling frustrated and really worried about my tire. I plodded on for couple of miles and Simon cycled back to see if I was alright and I explained the story as we cycled to catch up with Marco.

When we caught up with Marco (who is very good at bike mechanics… and most things actually!) he suggested that I swap my tires over. Which is what we did, he also shared my concern that my tire might not last the day and then I would be stuck in the wilderness with a long push ahead of me. I made the decision that if a 4 by 4 went past I would flag it down and try to get a lift to a town where I might be able to get my bike fixed. 40 miles later a vehicle went past.

As I clambered into the back of Forrest’s truck and waved goodbye to the guys. Simon asked if I wanted the other half of the tent, ‘just keep it for now I replied’. Little did I realise that that would be the last I saw of Simon and Marco for this trip and it seems like the last time they will ever speak to me again as well :-).

Anyway on with the story. Forest (the owner of the 4by4) was able to give me a lift 20 or so miles up the road to the Lakeview Ranger Centre where I was dropped off and started peddling again. I cycled the next ten miles carefully in the hope that another vehicle might come by – then I got fed up and just went for it. The track was not great but I started to make reasonable progress as I crossed Red Rock Pass into Idaho. Eventually I reached the main road and tarmac (where I felt a lot more confident about my tire). From here I broke off from the route as I headed to the settlement of Macks Inn to ask for some advice about my bike.

In the garage one of the locals said that he was pretty sure there was a bike shop in Ashton. Ashton was 35 miles away and off route. The big advantage was I could take the road and was pretty confident that if my tire gave in I could flag down a lift. So off I went.

NOTE: During the month away I went off route a few times. I’ll go over my route variations in post 9 of 10 with the other logistics.

One of the interesting things about going off route is that the maps have no contours lines! While on route you rely on the map profiles to let you know if you have to go up and down hill – but when you’re off route you haven’t got a clue!

The hill before Ashton seemed huge but I was also tired after a long and stressful day. Eventually, I arrived in Ashton to find out that the towns sports shop had shut a number of years ago!

That evening I booked myself into the town motel. I needed a plan and I was pleased I had my iPhone! I did my best to fix my wheel. Some advice on Twitter and Facebook was to stuff the tire with grass, so that’s what I did. I found out that Simon and Marco were 35 miles to the north. But Simon was not feeling great again and had started to get ill. I found out that the next nearest bike shop was Jackson Hole (112 miles away). I picked up a few supplies at the local shop to see me through the next couple of day and decided that I would do my best to make Jackson Hole in one big push.

My plan was a simple one. Leave early (4am), cycle about 20 miles along the road and flag down the first 4 by 4 that passed me to get a lift through the 40 miles of the Targhee National Forest and John D. Rockefeller Jr Memorial Parkway as I crossed from Idaho to Wyoming. After the wilderness the route was on the road all the way to Jackson Hole. Where my plan was to cycle again unless my tire completely gave up and I needed to flag down a lift (which would be easier on the main road).

So that was the plan and I eventually got to bed just before 12.

 

Day 14: Ashton – Jackson Hole (112 miles)

The alarm woke me sharply at 4am and I was out the door by 04.30h. I was tired, but my legs felt remarkably good. It was great cycling in the cool morning air with just my headtorch lighting up the road in front of me.

I had reached the boundary to the wilderness and the gravel by 06.30 and I started to climb up towards the Wyoming State border. Now, according to the plan I would be picked up any time soon. But as it happened the only vehicle I saw before Flagg Ranch, Wyoming and the other side of the National Forrest was coming in the other direction. We stopped for a five minute chat and they sparred me a few squirts of their mosquito repellent!

I was really pleased to make Flagg Ranch and I stopped there for some lunch. I was now confident that even if I had to hitch I could make Jackson by the end of the day. As I headed down the road the first obstacle were a set of roadwork where you have a compulsory shuttle – to my delight it was all uphill!

The next 60+ miles along the road were just beautiful and I loved the road along to Jackson Hole with great views of the Tetons – this section was a real highlight for me. This is interesting as Jackson Hole is 40 miles off the official Great Divide Route. Marco had been keen to take an extra day off route to bike this section but I hadn’t been keen as I was tight for time. In hindsight, I’m quite glad I was forced to take it as the journey was absolutely spectacular. 

Typically, I arrived at Jackson Hole just after the bike shop had shut and decided to seek refuge in the local brew bar to gather my thoughts, get some pasta, use their wifi and to make a plan.

As I was sat working my way through the range of local ales the guy next to me said, ‘ you look like you have been cycling’. I told them what I was doing and they smiled. As it turned out I had sat down next to Jay and Tracey Petervary who had just finished the Tour Divide Race on a tandem mountain bike. They had cycled the whole of the Continental Divide Mountain Bike Route in just over 17 days (setting a new record) and had just flown back from the Mexican border. It was great chatting to the couple and swapping stories about our individual adventures.

It was during this conversation that I started to talk about my plans. Jay asked if I intended to cycle back up to Moran Junction to re-join the official route or if I would cut down towards Pinedale as I had already cycled 40miles the wrong way! I asked them about both routes and in the end decided that I would head straight to Pinedale.

This decision presented a number of questions, problems and as it turns out a lot of bad feeling on the part of my much respected team mates. Anyway, here’s the thought process / information I had and went through:

• I could see from the SPOT the location of Simon and Marco and I had a text message from Simon saying that he was feeling better but they were going to stop at Squirrel Creek Elk Ranch (Idaho) that evening.

• I also new that they needed to get to the bike shop or I could pick up the spares for them and cycle the 40 miles back up the road to meet them (in total that would be 80 extra miles).
• Given their current location I new that they would be able to make Jackson the next day. I was by far the slowest and had covered more distance than they had to do with a dodgy tire.
• I new that there was a mobile signal at Flagg Ranch so I could get a message to them. This meant even if Simon was a bit tired Marco would be able to get to the bike shop on time.
• I had already mentioned leaving the guys at Moran Junction if they decided to take the extra days to visit Jackson and Yellowstone. They had more time than me and I was quite happy for them to do this.
• When they arrived at Jackson if Simon was still felling ill he might decide to take the same route as me directly to Pinedale. On the other hand (more likely) due to the desire to follow the route as closely as possible and due to the lack of time constrains. They might decide to cycle back up to Moran Junction and continue along the ‘official’ route. In the end this is what they did.
• So, if they went straight to Pinedale (I would know from the SPOT) I was quite confident they would catch me in a couple of days or I could do shorter days until they did. But, if they went back up to Moran Junction it would be a lot more unlikely that they would catch me and I would just get my head down, go for it and see how far I could get in the next two weeks.
• If they did go back up to Moran Junction there might be some issues with kit. But actually we were almost already split into two self sufficient teams. Marco had a two man tent so Simon and he would be OK. In fact in Ovando on day 8 when I was considering moving on I had suggested Simon took the rest of the tent but he refused as they didn’t want to be carrying two, 2 person tents. The problem was I didn’t have a tent, but I did have my GORE-TEX bivi bag. So just decided to bivi rather than camp. If it looked like the guys would not catch up because of their route choice – I would just post the rest of my tent back to the UK. The only other thing that I was short of was fuel for my MSR Pocket Rocket (I got this at the local shop). Marco had a good stove, so again they would be alright.

So this was the knowledge that I based my decision on as I decided to head towards Pinedale. I’m not saying it was the right decision and I’m not saying there were  not things that I didn’t think about. But it’s what I did and I stick by the decision that I made. Also, to be honest, I was pretty sure Marco and Simon wouldn’t be too bothered to see the back of me, my humour and lack of bike fitness having had to tolerate all three of these things for nearly two weeks.

Day 15 - Jackson to Improvised Camp on Big Sandy-Elkhorn Road (101 miles)

As the bike shop opened at 10am I had a bit of a lay in (until 7am!) for the first time in two weeks. Then I headed to the post office posted a couple of things back to the UK. I was keen to get the weight down in my BOB Trailer.

I decided that I would go even lighter if it was unlikely that I would be reunited with Simon and Marco in the next few days. But for the time being I kept my half of the tent – at least I could crawl under it if the rain got really heavy!

Next I headed to the Fitzgerald’s Bike Shop and the mechanics fitted two new tyres and a new chain. I also picked up some other supplies including some chain lube, spare inner tubes and a large tube of Chamois BUTT'r.

At Midday my bike was serviced and I started along the 85 mile stretch to Pinedale, The route was a National Scenic Road and really nice to cycle along. I made good time along the road despite the first 50 miles being uphill!

At Pinedale I checked on the guys on the SPOT and I headed on to Boulder where I stopped to get something to eat at a cafe at the back of a petrol station.

Leaving the Cafe at 7.30pm. I had intended to cycle about another 10 miles of the route and then bivi by the side of the road and continue in the morning. But when I came out of the petrol station a storm was brewing and it had got really windy.

Luckily, the wind was behind me and I made rapid progress along the road. Until after 25 minutes and nine miles I realized I was on the wrong road! The nine miles back to the cafe took an hour and a half! I found the right road, strapped on my head torch and headed up into the mountains. At 11.30 I couldn't cycle any further so I set my bivi up just off the road, climbed in and quickly fell asleep as the rain and wind blew around me.

I had a funny feeling that the boys might be enjoying the Jackson Hole Brew Pub!

Day 16 - Improvised Camp on Big-Sandy Elkhorn Road - Improvised Camp by the Sweetwater River

I remember my alarm going off at 4am but I quickly fell back to sleep waking again at 6am to a remarkably nice day. As I was short of water I just ate a cereal bar and got going, but my legs felt they had not really recovered from the previous long day on the trail. After about ten miles I stopped at the Big Sandy River where I filtered water and ate more cereal bars. The rest of the day’s route followed a remote gravel road described as a ‘roller coaster ‘of ups and downs as the route meandered east crossing the continental divide two times and also followed the divide for a great ten mile section with fantastic views into the Bridger Wilderness to the North.

After 33 miles the route joined the main road for a few miles crossing the continental divide for a third time before a hard hill to South Pass City. South Pass City is historic mining town where part of the town is preserved as a museum. I bought and ice cream and some juice at the shop and then tackled the killed hill out of South Pass towards Atlantic City - I was pushing within 5 mins! I stopped at the Cafe at Atlantic City that was in full celebration for the 4th July, all of the ladies in the cafe were dressed up and we exchanged a good bit of banter as I ate my cheese burger.

 

The hill out of Atlantic City was another killer and I pushed the mile to the top. But from there it was downhill to where I was thinking of biving on the shore of the Sweetwater River river. The Sweetwater River would be my last definite water source for over 50 miles.

As I headed down the road it started to rain heavily (really heavily) and before long the bike, the Bob and I were covered in mud. Arriving at the camp the first thing I did during a break in the rain was take the bike and the Bob into the river and try to wash as much of the mud off as possible. Then it was my turn, I lay in the river fully clothed and tried to get as much of the mud off me as possible.

The rain soon started again and I quickly cooked some Ramen Noodles and climbed into my Bivi as the light faded and the temperature quickly plummeted. I smiled to myself as I sealed myself into my Gore Tex Bag as the label on the zip reads 'To avoid suffocation do not seal completely - leave at least six inches of air space'.

I shut the zip deciding to risk suffocation rather than get any wetter!

 

In my next post in this series I will describe the route between the Sweetwater River, Wyoming to Silverthorne, Colorado.

 

Reflections from the Great Divide Mountain Bike Trail (3 of 10) – Eureka, Montana – Elkhorn Springs Campground, Montana

This is the third of a series of ten posts about my recent trip to Mountain Bike the Continental Divide between Banff, Canada to Antelope Wells, New Mexico. Further information about the expedition can be found at www.bikingthegreatdivide.com

Day 5: Eureka – Upper Whitefish Lake (68 miles)

Day five was a significant turning point for me. I felt healthy, fit and my stomach was felling a lot better.

The first part of today’s route was on pavement and we made fairly quick progress over the first 20 miles before the real climbing began. As we progressed upwards towards the Whitefish Divide I took it slowly but chose to keep going rather than stop for short breaks. As a result I was the first to arrive at the top of the divide and sat watching a bear high up on the hill as I waited for the others.

The decent from the Whitefish Divide was fantastic and we made swift progress down towards the Ford Work Center before starting the next big climb up towards Red Meadow Lake. By the time we arrived at Red Meadow we were all pretty tired and Simon was keen to camp there for the night. In the end we dropped the five miles back through the snowline to Upper Whitefish Lake and found a fantastic campspot.

 

Day 6: Upper Whitefish Lake - Swan Lake (96 miles)

I was a cold start to the morning with frost on the ground as we ate our porridge before heading down the trail to the town of Whitefish (a very cool little town!).

We arrived at Whitefish at 10am and found the only open Café in town where we enjoyed some fresh coffee and breakfast Burrito’s. I left the guys in the café and headed to the Whitefish Glacier Cyclery – I had been having problems with my gears for the last few days and Ron (the shop owner) did a great job of getting my bike working properly again. I also picked up some extra supplies at the shop including a full set of Great Divide Mountain Bike Route Maps (I had been concerned that we had only one set between the three of us), a new pump and some spare inner tubes.

We finally got away from Whitefish at midday and then stopped briefly in Columbia Falls to pick up some supplies before heading on to the Swan River. The locals at Columbia Falls seemed were very friendly and interested in what we were doing – we even got a 10% discount at the supermarket!

After Swan River we were faced with another steep uphill climb and we reached the summit at about 8pm. The mosquitoes were out and we made swift progress down the hill to the Swan River National Wildlife Refuge. From here we biked four miles off route to the campsite (and pub) at Swan Lake where we spent the rest of the evening eating burgers and entertaining the locals! 

Day 7: Swan Lake – Seeley Lake (88 miles)

We were slow to get moving the next morning but after a couple of free cups of coffee at the post office we got moving towards our next destination, Seeley Lake - almost 90 miles away.

Considering the terrain was mainly up-hill we made pretty good progress during the day although I couldn’t understand why the boys seemed insistent on eating all the lunch when we had at least another eight hours of cycling to go? We had some differing philosophies here and I much preferred to ‘graze’ on any food that I had during the day rather than stop and eat it all at once.

Anyway, at Clearwater Lake it was quite clear that we were all pretty tired and we still had to get up and over Richmond Pass if we were going to make our target of Seeley Lake for that evening. I was the last to leave Clearwater Lake, having finished my lunch and filtered some water. Then I started to make slow but steady progress up Richmond Pass.

Simon and Marco were waiting for me at the top of the pass and we had some amazing views over the Mission Mountains Tribal Wilderness to the West.

The decent from Richmond was not easy. It was getting dark and on single track. We had to constantly get on and off our bikes to negotiate patches of snow and fallen trees. It seemed to take for ever for us to get to the forestry road which was full of sand and didn’t really help our progress.

We eventually got to Seeley Lake at 22.00h and everything was shut. We made some pasta before falling quickly asleep.

 

Day 8: Seeley Lake – Lincoln (64 miles)

My alarm went off at 7am and I got up. Simon didn’t seem keen to move, so I left him in the tent and started to pack my stuff. I eventually lured Marco out of his tent with the promise of breakfast and fresh orange juice and we headed off to the café (in fact we got a lift!). Simon joined us in the café and he was looking a little bit jaded but at least he had stopped talking about giving up!

After breakfast we packed our stuff and although it was not getting late we biked the 28 miles to the town of Ovando where we had some of the best sandwiches in the world for lunch at the Stray Bullet Cafe. Over lunch Simon decided to take the road to Lincoln in order to save a bit of time and get some rest. For a while I considered joining him – I was getting frustrated by the late starts in the morning and was conscious that I would never make the route in 30 days unless we started to pick up the pace a bit.

In the end Marco talked some sense into me and we both set off up and over Huckleberry Pass before descending to join Simon in Lincoln. I enjoyed Huckleberry Pass and although I was a lot slower than Marco (AKA: The Mountain Goat) I felt fit really pleased to be taking part in such a fantastic adventure through the states. 

That evening in Lincoln we managed to find a laundry to wash out cycling gear for the first time in over a week, a local bought us a pitcher of beer and we decided that we would start getting up at 05.30h. A good result all round!

Day 9: Lincoln –Helena (67 miles)

It was lucky we had the early start on day nine as the route the Helena included three Continental Divide crossings. The first up Stemple Pass was definitely the hardest and I found myself pushing my bike for the majority of the way. There were also a number of stream crossing that had to be done – which involved several near soakings! 

After Stemple Pass we lost several thousand feet in height and then started climbing again up towards the second divide crossing in the Helena National Forest before loosing another thousand feet of height and heading up towards the third divide crossing at Priest Pass.

From Priest Pass it was all downhill to Helena but it was important that we also got to the Bike shop in Helena before it shut. Simon and Marco needed to break pads for their back breaks and I had lost one of my SPD clips which was making the cycling harder.

We raced to Helena and arrived at the Great Divide Cyclery 30 minutes after it had shut! Looking at the map we found that there was another bike shop (Big Sky Cyclery) and we raced across the city to try and get there. They were also shut – but the owner was still in the shop and opened it up for us to buy what we needed. Unfortunately, they didn’t have any break pads but I was able to buy my SPD clips and new pair of cycling shoes.

That evening we treated ourselves to motel room and enjoyed some pasta and Fat Tire beer at a local restaurant.

Day 10: Helena – Butte (67 miles)

Again we got a good start away from Helena of what was going to be a mainly hot and uphill day.

The first part of the day went well and we made steady progress up the steep gravel tracks and passed some interesting old kilns from Helena's industrial past.

The middle part of the day was not do good! The description in the guidebook said ‘very steep’ it was more like vertical! Simon and I began the long and difficult push to the top. At the top we began the long and difficult push to the bottom – it was far to steep to ride (apart from for Marco!).

 

Eventually we made it to Basin and started a flatter section parallel to the road and then along an old railway track (complete with a tunnel) before the Elk Park Pass Continental Divide crossing and a flying decent into Butte.

Butte is a mining town famous for three things mining, Evel Knievel (it was where he was born) and pasties!

 

Day 11: Butte – Elkhorn Hot Springs Campground

Today we split the team up. Simon and I headed off early while Marco waited behind in Butte for the bike shop to open to see if he could pick up the break pads that we needed. He would then catch us up later.

Simon and I made good progress and we were rewarded with beautiful views of the Pioneer Mountains 25 miles into our morning ride.

The decent on the other hand was another matter. The first ten miles were fine but then due to maintenance on the gravel the last five miles were just loose unpacked soil and sand. It was difficult to control the bike and the trailer. Simon took a fall but luckily he wasn’t going that fast and he just ended up with a few scrapes.

At Divide Creek Road we made the decision to take a recommended route alternative rather than go up the northern shoulder of Mt. Fleecer and across the Fleecer Ridge. If we had done this it would have just meant a push up, over and down the other side. Instead the recommended alternative took us on a beautiful route along the side of the Divide Creek and then the Wise River to the town of Wise

River. Here we stopped to get something to eat and re-stock out supplies for the next couple of days.

Again, we found ourselves checking Marco’s progress on the SPOT and when we were confident that he had made it over the Fleecer Ridge we left a note in the café and started the forty miles towards Elkhorn Hot Springs.

Despite being along the road the road to Elkhorn Hot Springs was hard – particularly the last 10 miles up through Crystal Park. To make matters worse if your speed dropped any less than seven miles per hour you were devoured by a swarm of blood sucking mosquitoes! Simon, frustrated by the swarm, ripped open his BOB bag in anger to cover himself in DEET mosquito repellent. He shared some with me at out next stop – it was strong stuff as it melted my bike gloves, the grips of my handlebars and a hole in my cycle shorts!

Finally, after about 150 mosquito bites each we reached the turn off to Elkhorn Hot Springs and as if by magic Marco caught up and we headed to the restaurant for something to eat.

After a good meal and a number of laughs as we swapped stories from the day we headed in the dark the two miles down the road to the campsite where we quickly got the tents up and got some rest.

In my next post in this series I will describe the route between Elkhorn Springs Campground, Montana to the Sweetwater River, Wyoming.

£230,000 to get Scottish Schoolgirls Cycling

I was pleased to read of this latest initiative where transport charity Sustrans has been awarded £230,000 to get girls aged 9 to 16 cycling to school at least once a week.

Sustrans are also quick to point out,

"Although the project will focus on girls, it does not mean that boys will be marginalised. In fact, they will also benefit from the various bike loan schemes and cycle storage and lockers that this funding will bring about."

My biggest concern is that £230, 000 is not a lot of money for a national initiative like this if it’s going to have any real impact. One of the things that I think make young people reluctant to cycle to school at the moment are the lack of facilities (storage, security, CCTV) at schools and also the lack of safe routes to schools (cycle pathways etc…). To build, modify and to fund facilities like this can potentially cost a huge amount of money.

One of the other ways that I think we can encourage more young people to start cycling is to start including more cycling and mountain biking in school PE and extra-curricular activities. I know of some recent initiatives (for example North Berwick High School in East Lothian) where the schools has successfully been able to buy a set of Mountain Bikes through Big Lottery funding and now has a thriving mountain bike club for staff and students.

Let’s hope the scheme is a success and gets more young people (both boys and girls) outside and active.

Reflections from the Great Divide Mountain Bike Trail (2 of 10) – Canada: Banff, AL - Eureka, MO

This is the second of a series of ten posts about my recent trip to Mountain Bike the Continental Divide between Banff, Canada to Antelope Wells, New Mexico. Further information about the expedition can be found at www.bikingthegreatdivide.com

I arrived late in Banff having got the airport shuttle from Calgary and in hindsight I should have had a days rest and preparation before heading out on the trail. Instead, after I arrived I stayed up late and with the help of the Simon and Marco put my bike and trailer together and sorted out our equipment.

Day 1:Banff - Chester Lake Trailhead (43 miles)

Before starting the route I posted my bike bag and a few things that I didn’t need on to Phoenix, Arizona. As with previous trip I posted my stuff to the Greyhound Bus Terminal in Phoenix. Quite often people don’t know that you can do this but actually as long as you are not in hurry for your package to arrive, Greyhound is a pretty reliable service for parcels and they specialise in taking oversized and overweight packages (like bike bags).

We eventually got started at 10am – the first day did not go well for me. I was exhausted from work, the trans-Atlantic flight and the sudden change of routine. I think my traveling companions were annoyed with me, perhaps thinking that I was un-fit and unprepared rather than just tired from travel. This aside the scenery was varied an beautiful and I new that we were going to be in for a real treat over the next month.

We stopped at about 7pm – I was happy to go on further but I was only going at 6mph and I could sense the frustration of my slowness on Simon and Marco. In any case we stopped, we ate, we hydrated and we slept – I slept really well, catching up on vital hours of rest.

Day 2: Chester Lake Trailhead - Elkford (66 miles)

Waking the next morning I felt a lot better and although I felt stronger as I cycled out of the campsite this didn’t last long as I had a puncture within about 15 minutes. Luckily the slime in my tires sealed the hole and I was able to fix it relatively quickly.

The days riding was mainly on gravel backcountry roads and also included our first Continental Divide Crossing as we ascended Elk Pass. I’m not sure if it was because it was the first divide crossing but in my head Elk Pass still rates as one of the hardest crossings of the continental divide that we completed during our month away.

 

During the decent from Elk Pass I got a blow out on my front tire which sent me over my handlebars and crashing to the ground. Stupidly I had my hands on my t-grips rather than my breaks during the decent but luckily apart from a few minor scratches both my bike and I were relatively unharmed. 

My luck continued to plummet as during the next decent both my water bottles came flying out of my bottle cages and I didn’t notice until I had got to the base of the hill. There was no way that I was going up to retrieve them as I didn’t have a clue at which part of the two mile decent they had decided to leave me.

I was also developing some sort of stomach bug and the saddle sores were starting to get pretty big!

That evening we camped at the Elkford Lions Club Camp Ground and had pizza at a small café over the road. We made plans for the next day as the route had changed. We decided that Marco (the mountain goat) would take the new route. The new route (developed in 2009) involved a mountain pass crossing and a section of hike-a-bike where as Simon and I would stick to the original route and maps.

Back at the campsite we had a bit of gear sort to make sure that the two teams could be self-sufficient over the next 48 hours.

Day 3: Elkford – Baynes Lake (78 miles)

There was no doubt about it I was feeling stronger and almost completely recovered from the jet-lag, but I still really suffering from my stomach bug which at times was incredibly painful.

Much of today’s route was on paved roads and gravel track. The best news however was that apart from the 2 mile steep ‘killer’ climb out of Elkford most of the route was downhill!

After a couple of hours we stopped at the town of Sparwood for a bite to eat. Sparwood was a mining town and at the centre of the town was ‘Titan’ the worlds biggest truck that would have been used at some point to extract coal from under the ground. Sparwood was also the location where Marco headed off on the new route for 24 hours. He didn’t complete the route due to poor weather and has written an account of his experience here – which reassures me that I made the right decision not to go with him!

Simon and I continued to Fernie – where we had another sandwich. On the way Simon got a flat tire in his BOB trailer and changed it by the side of the road. Little did we know that this would only be the start of the problems with the BOB and the pump!

We were cycling well (although it was mostly downhill!) and I was keen to make today from a psychological point of view my first 100 mile day. However, in the end we decided to stop at the campsite at Baynes Lake rather than pushing on the extra 24 miles to the next campsite.

The good thing about the Baynes Lake campsite was that it had access to the Internet and I was able to check on Marco’s location using the SPOT GPS locator that he was carrying. It was great to see that he had made his target for the day – although he had a huge day ahead of him to follow!

During the night it started to rain, and rain, and rain, and……rain!

Day 4: Baynes Lake – Eureka (45 miles)

It was cold when we woke up and still raining heavily. We got moving fairly quickly and packed our stuff under the front of someone’s trailer. We were just about to leave when we noticed that Simons BOB wheel had gone down again. We pumped it up but five minutes later it was down again. We changed the tube and pumped it up but again after a few minutes it went down again.

It took us a while to work it out. But in the end we concluded it must be a problem with the pump – it would only inflate the tire to a certain air pressure and then it would deflate? Sort of options we managed to find someone on the campsite who had an electric pump – we pumped up the BOB and headed off ‘hand pump-less!’.

As we made our way towards the US border it continued to rain and we sank into the mud on the forest tracks. We were also very nervous about getting punctures as we would be un-able to fix them. Eventually we made it to Grasmere where we enjoyed (well ate) some lumberjack sandwiches and Simon threw his peanuts all over the floor of the shop which caused the locals great amusement! 

Continuing south we were now cycling through the Tobacco Plain Indian Reservation. It got its name as the Native American Indians had once grown tobacco on these lands. However, after the colonisation the process was never able to be repeated by the white settlers.

We had a relatively easy border crossing at Roosville despite the rather grumpy boarder guard who was struggling to understand the difference between green and read.

From the border we continued south to the town of Eureka where we had agreed to meet up with Marco. At Eureka we based ourselves at a little café and waited, and waited and waited. I cycled down into the town and managed to pick up the wifi signal from the local library (which was shut) on my iPhone. I could see Marco’s location on the SPOT and I took a few screen shots to show Simon.

I couple of hours later we re-checked his location and he hadn’t really moved. Puzzled, we decided to book ourselves into a motel where would be able to monitor his progress without huddling outside the library in the rain! Eventually he started to move (in the wrong direction) see his blog post for details as it sounded like a crazy day! Eventually he got to us at about 21.30h and we were very pleased to see him and interested to hear about his adventures.

My next post we describe the 531 miles between Eureka, MT, to Polaris, MT
 (531 mi.)