Great Divide x 3?

When it comes to getting the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route done, hopefully the third time will be the charm for me.

After almost a year of planning and preparation, I was forced to postpone my first effort to complete the 2,500-mile gravel ride in 2018, when a last-minute family illness required my attention.

I managed to start rolling on the route at the Canada border in the summer of 2019, but had to call it quits seven days and 286 miles later.

That’s when I flipped over my handlebars, broke five ribs and suffered a shoulder separation after a couple of critical bolts on my bike failed.

The GDMBR is now on my to-do list for 2020.

I’ll start training in earnest again, once I’ve recovered from my injuries, and some friends are asking me why.

I don’t pretend to know all the reasons.

My girlfriend thinks the GDMBR has become some sort of rite of passage for me, akin to an Aboriginal walkabout initiation.

I have always enjoyed a good challenge, and the GDMBR is certainly that.

But for me, the GDMBR also has just seemed like the next logical long-distance bike tour for me to do.

I’ve already traversed the US by bike west to east, mostly via the so-called Northern Tier route between Anacortes WA and Bar Harbor ME.

The Northern Tier follows paved roads.

So now I want to traverse the US north to south.

Part of the appeal of the GDMBR to me is that it mostly follows very lightly trafficked dirt and gravel roads through some very beautiful country.

While gravel is harder to negotiate than pavement, there’s far less automobile traffic to worry about on the gravel.

Despite my injuries, I feel like I’m still in good enough shape to complete the ride, and realize my window of opportunity won’t be open forever.

I’m 66, have already had both hips replaced, and who knows what is going to fall apart on me next.

It’s time to get it done, and hopefully three will be my lucky number.