Scott Junker Rides the Great Divide
LEAVING BANFF, CANADA ON JUNE 20TH & RIDING TO MEXICO IN 40 DAYS OR LESS
Click here for images of Scott during the Ride
Journal #1 - Now it is a Solo Adventure
Journal #2 - Canmore, Canada
Journal #3 - Fernie B.C.
Journal #4 - Back in the USA - riding with Biff and Dustin
Journal #5 - Friends with Bobs Liz and Nick
Journal #6 - Ashton, Idaho
Journal #7 - Jackson (No Hole), Wyoming
Journal #8 - Rawlins, Wyoming
Journal #9 - Evergreen, Colorado
Journal #10 - Salida (sahl-eye-duh), Colorado
Journal #11 - Albuquerque, New Mexico
Journal #12 - Endo the ride and Back in SoCal
I had been living in Tucson for about nine months, working a regular, square, desk job and I was ready for a move. Emancipation from this dry desert appeared in my In-box in the form of a short missive from my buddy Austen, it carried the subject line “busy this summer?” inside was a link to the Adventure Cycling web site with the message “Want to go on a bike trip?” There was nothing further about which trip, the duration or timing so I looked around the site a little and shot back a message asking if he wanted to do the pacific coast or the continental divide, we never really considered anything shorter. We e-mailed back and forth for the next hour or so (work was slow) and decided on the continental divide simply because it’s advertised as “the longest and most remote, mapped, mountain bike trail on earth” how could we turn that down? We’ll be riding bicycles from Canada to Mexico along the spine of the continent how cool is that! We were stoked. OK we won’t really be riding along the ridges but we’ll be following a network of goat trails, remote access roads and BLM fire cuts and for the most part staying out of the developed world, save the occasional re-supply stops in small towns.
After reading a little more about the trip and consulting every; bike dork, racer, shop rat, mechanic, outdoor gear salesperson and, fixie punk, that would listen. There must have been literally hundreds of e-mails fired back and forth from our respective desks concerning every aspect of self supported bike touring in those first couple weeks of anxious planning and scoping out all type and manner of shifters, shelters, brakes, stoves, food, tires etcetera. We got some useful advice and insight from AJ, Steve and the Scott's at Sundance Cycles and Poncho the Bike Guru of San Jose. After weeks of arguments about the virtues of the modern derailleur and the luxuries of full suspension and the endless trailer v. panniers debate we finally settled on cyclocross bikes with BOB trailers figuring that if we’re comparably equipped it won’t hurt so bad when after a few days we realize we made all the wrong equipment choices. Austen has built up a Surly, Karate Monkey with mechanical disc brakes and mtbike gearing, I’ve re-geared my Ventana, El Martillo with similar gearing and I’ll be running cantilever brakes with STI levers and drop bars while Austen has opted for mtbike shifters and a custom Jeff Jones H-Bar.
The other big debate was over the start date, it’s a fine balance between too much snow at the northern end and finishing before it becomes too hot to ride during the day and all the water sources dry up at the southern end. We decided on the end of June for our launch date because it’s widely accepted that any earlier and the trails will be totally impassable due to snow it should prove to be a great way to highlight the differences between spring in the densely forested Canadian Rockies and mid-summer in the high, scrub covered, Sonora desert. We’ll be leaving Banff, Alberta, Canada on June 20th bound southward for Mexico and the border crossing at Antelope Wells NM. The trail itself is 2,473 miles between the Canadian and Mexican Borders of the U.S, add in the Canadian section and all of the little side trips to campsites and watering holes and we should be covering over 2,700 miles. I think we can do it in fewer than 40 days (avg. 78miles / day). I think it will be really tough. I think we’ll be pretty trashed. I think we’ll deserve some cocktails.
I got the chance last week, during the Tour of the Gila, to check out one of the ‘tame’ sections of the route, the area around Silver City, NM. I knew in my head that the Continental Divide was the dividing line between the watersheds for the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans and is therefore high in altitude and somewhat hilly. Somehow I just wasn’t thinking clearly until I rode around a little in Silver City (elevation 6,000ft.) and this is going to be REALLY hard. I’m told that after a few days our legs and bodies will become accustomed to the abuse, and after a little while longer we’ll start to feel pretty good after a full day in the saddle. I expect those first days to be painful. I should be training but how do you train for a month of nothing but riding, all day, every day? Ride a lot I suppose, but I still have to work enough to save for a month of living without any income so I’ll just hurt a lot.
I’m not sure of the reliability of internet access along the route but we’ll find some way to regale you with tales from the trail and keep you abreast of all the fun, so keep checking back here for the latest update as well as more good stuff from the boys at Sundance, without whom this would be an infinitely more difficult undertaking.
The Great Divide Mountain Bike Route is a premier off-pavement route, crisscrossing the Continental Divide north to south. This route is defined by the word "remote." Its remoteness equates with spectacular terrain and scenery. The entire route is basically dirt-road and mountain-pass riding every day. In total, it has over 200,000 feet of elevation gain. All of this climbing gets the rider into visually spectacular places and incredibly fit shape.
Other Events from Sundance Cycles
Serotta Demo Bikes Visited Sundance
The two Serotta Demo rides this past weekend were excellent. Many pictures from these rides will be displayed soon. Read the great review and see more images from the Serotta Demo day and Sundance Cycles, LLC Saturday Ride.
The 2006 Serotta demo fleet represented a wide cross-section of Serotta's product offerings. From the new, all-carbon MeiVici to the updated and refreshed Fierte line. Serotta
Shimano 06 Dura Ace 7801-SL Wheel Set - Shimano recently invited a select few “vip” retailers to Solvang for a three-day focus group to test their new 2006 Dura Ace SL wheels. More about Aj's adventure
AMGEN Tour of California Photos
Classic Climbs of the Giro - Article by Steve Dozier appeared in Roadie International
Trek Travel Party
Sorry you missed it. Check out the photos and information about Trek Travel.
