How it began

The first time I came in touch with the Tour Divide was in 2008. A report in a German bike magazine about the race immediately aroused my interest. Without any clue how to manage a distance of 2700 miles in only 3 weeks with a full loaded bike and how getting the time off from my family I buried the project “Tour Divide” in the corner of my mind, temporarily. But the seed was sowed.

In 2009 my family and I were on a round trip during our summer vacation in Canada and the States. We also spent some days in Banff as a base to explore the near vicinity. As I stepped into the tourist office I saw the book “Cycling the Great Divide” from Michael Mc. Coy. Immediately my thoughts went back to the report in the bike magazine one year ago. I told my wife about the report and the book would be the corresponding part to the report. I don’t know why, but I didn’t buy the book. Four weeks later I found the book at my birthday table. Secretly my wife bought it for me. This was the crucial mistake. I ate the pages and ever since I started collecting as much as possible about the race and the little bit weird and new topic of bike packing.

Bike packing how it is performed at the North American Continent or in other parts of the world is nearly unknown in Germany and its neighbour's countries. There are some reasons that make bike packing not really necessary. The first one is the distance between resupply facilities. They are very short. Annually thousands of Bikers are crossing or touring over and through the Alps with just a backpack and maybe some water bottles at the bike which is a very popular way. In the most parts of the Alps the concentration of alpine huts or little villages in the valleys is very high. So there is always the possibility for resupplying several times per day and finding a sleeping spot either in an alpine hut or in the next valley. Many Tour operators offering luggage transportation for every day stages. So you have got to carry just a minimum weight in your backpack.

The second reason is that camping outside from designated campgrounds is prohibited, especially in the Alps region.

The third reason is that touring or even racing with a full loaded bike in the Alps won’t really cause any fun. The grade is mostly high, so you’re likely not able pushing a full loaded bike uphill over a loose gravel road. The roads and single trails are partly extremely rough. Something like “flow” trail riding is rather rare. There are some exceptions, but you’ve got to look for it. This is also the reason why a Hardtail is not the first choice when you go biking in the Alps. For the downhill’s you need the full control over your bike and not the spirit of a lame tractor.

Conclusion: The topic “gear” for a bike packing trip like the Tour Divide would cause a lot of research if I really want line up someday in Banff.

In spring 2010 my frame of my 26” Hardtail cracked, (un)fortunately, a welcome excuse for switching over to a 29er.

In the meantime I carefully informed my wife over my bold venture. She thought I would just kidding her. But as the time went by she realized that I obviously making no jokes. The fact to convince my wife to let me go should be the biggest challenge in the whole project during the next year(s).

I terminated my Tour Divide start to 2012, time enough to cool her down.

Getting a decent 29er in the season 2010/11 was not as quite simple as I thought in the beginning. The request for the relatively new trend “29er” in Europe was extremely high during this period. Many bikes were already completely sold out before they entered the shops. After a long research I ordered my bike in January 2011. I got it in June of the same year. Half of the season was over and one of the most important gear like sleeping bag, sleeping pad and tent I would get just during our summer vacation in the states at the end of August, because the price of the stuff in the States was nearly half off the price here in Germany. Due to the late arrival of my bike the frame bag, saddle bag and the harness for the handle bar were also missing. Before I was able to start the first tour with a full loaded bike the time schedule would point out late fall. Ever since it was clear I am far behind my personal time schedule. A decent preparation with a sufficient test period and all the side work like route preparation and many, many hours at the desk was not possible anymore. With some regret I postponed the start to 2013.

2012 was the year of testing the gear and for “blackmailing” my wife with a four weeks summer vacation. She and my son hadn’t the faintest idea about the destinations. I have chosen all the destinations my wife ever dreamed off. I’ve got a relatively cheap kombi ticket with Emirates. Despite of this fact the check after the trip was very long and not really cheap. But in the end I’ve got a silent “OK” for the event.

Beside many training trips at the weekends from my home base and the huge amount of time for preparing the summer vacation for my family, I decided to start the ultimate test with lining up at the Grenzsteintrophy in June 2012.

 

Set up for the Grenzsteintrophy

The Grenzsteintrophy has got the same conception like the Tour Divide, but within a smaller frame. About 800 miles with 50.000 feet of climbing along the former border of East Germany. It is a race into a dark chapter of German history. The race is very tough and demanding in terms of gear and human being. Many miles are proceeding on the old tank plates along the border. It is comparable with riding very bad wash boarded roads - loosing every screw out of your frame and your brain and the rest of the terrain is not even better.

After 8 days and some years older I passed the test successfully. My bike and I reached the finish line together with three other fellows in one piece. For me the certification and the final entry ticket to the Tour Divide.

To run out of excuses I booked the flights to Calgary and the return from Vegas at the end of September.