The Great Divide Expedition, which cycles the spine of the continent from Canada to Mexico, follows The Great Divide Mountain Bike Route --- the  longest and most challenging mountain biking trail in the world. To participate on this challenging trip, riders must be experienced in off-road cycling. Each rider must not only carry personal supplies, but must also carry a share of food, cooking equipment, etc.

Weather can vary along the route. Temperatures at high mountain passes can plunge to 20 degrees while 110 degrees can be found in the flat high-desert regions. Riders must be prepared for rain, sleet, snow, summer thunderstorms etc. Good quality equipment is a must in order for riders to enjoyably complete this adventure. Check out my "Equipment List" for suggestions.

The Great Divide Mountain Bike Route begins just west of Glacier National Park -- grizzly country! (Don't worry, the bears are more afraid of you than you are of them. Just stay your distance and back away if you see one!) Adventure Cycling has incredible maps of this route. In fact there are 6 separate maps -- all are waterproof, sized just to fit in a handlebar bag window or jersey pocket and each is extremely detailed. Here is what you will find on each map:

• detailed map of mountain biking trail
• locations of bike shops
• sources of food and water
• locations of overnight accommodations
• elevation profiles
• locations of post offices
• locations of restaurants
• locations of grocery stores
• narratives with turn-by-turn instructions for traveling in either direction
• distances in miles and kilometers
• contour lines
• blurbs on local history, geology and other interesting information at various points along the route
• weather chart providing average monthly rainfall and mean temperatures at various points along the route
• large-scale detail maps of urban or congested areas
• summaries of riding conditions (i.e. - road surfaces, traffic volumes, etc.)

The Great Divide Mountain Bike Route traverses scenic, remote and wild wilderness areas as it passes through Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico. Because bikers are isolated from civilization, medical facilities are frequently a great distance away and emergency teams can be slow to arrive. Each rider should carry a first-aid kit. (Consider buying a Terma-rest chair that converts a sleeping bag into a comfy place to rest. This chair includes several long pieces of rigid metal -- they are great to use to make an emergency splint!) Hopefully, if you are a careful rider, you won't need to use any of your emergency supplies! Two Adventure Cycling Leaders accompany this trip and each are certified in Basic First Aid and CPR. Each leader carries a cell phone, although most of the route is too far away from civilization for the phones to work all the time.

The Adventure Cycling Association is America's largest non-profit recreational bicycling organization. For over 23 years they have been helping members use bicycles for adventure, exploration, and discovery. They are a great source of maps and they help plan bicycle trips from weekend tours to year-long adventures.

Adventure Cycling also has educational programs such as "Leadership Training" and a variety of tours that will introduce new cyclists to road-bike and mountain-bike touring.

There are "self-contained" expeditions such as the 65-day Southern Tier, 93-day Trans America,  73-day North Star, 10-day Great Divide Park Country and 75-day Great Divide Expedition. What is a "self-contained" trip?  This is one where you carry your own gear, either in panniers or on a bike trailer; you stay at parks and campgrounds with a minimum of luxuries, and you share shopping, cooking and clean-up chores! If your the adventurous type, this is just for you!

Additionally, Adventure Cycling sponsors special events such as the 7-day Cycle Montana Event, 8-day Cascade Peaks Event and the 7-day Cycle Vermont Event. On these events your gear is carried for you and your meals are provided!

Find out more information about maps, tours and the benefits of joining the Adventure Cycling Association by visiting their web page at: