Images from Ride The Divide
I posted up a few weeks back a trailer for a documentary called Ride the Divide, which is a story about a self supported mountain bike race from Canada to Mexico following the Adventure Cycling Associations route of the Great Divide. The concept of the race and the trailer impressed me, so I ordered the DVD and I finally got around to watching it last week. And what a great DVD it is, it’s quite simply inspirational!
I could go on and on and explain everything that happened but the film makers describe the documentary so well in this brief Synopsis:
“Ride The Divide is an inspiring journey about the world’s toughest mountain bike race, which traverses over 2700 miles along the Continental Divide in the Rocky Mountains. The film weaves the story of three characters’ experiences with immense mountain beauty and small-town culture as they attempt to pedal from Banff, Canada to a small, dusty crossing on the Mexican border. Mike, a 40-year old family man who uses this challenge to chart a new course in life; Matthew, a leader in extreme endurance racing who’s competing for his 5th time; and Mary, the first female rider to race this route, will set out to accomplish what very few have been able to. Over the course of a few weeks they’ll attempt to climb over 200,000 vertical feet over the Rocky Mountains. That’s the equivalent of ascending Mount Everest from sea level seven times. They’ll experience mental breakdowns, treacherous snow, hellacious blisters, and total fatigue. Above all, they’ll race with no support – at times in total isolation. The tests of endurance and the accomplished moments throughout Ride the Divide prompt us to reflect on our inner desires to live life to the fullest.”
Once I finished watching it, thoughts instantly started running through my head on how I could compete in such a race. Logistically I could make it happen pretty easily, as I could move to my company’s Toronto office once I finished my studies, then I would only be a few hundred kms away from race start. But would I really be able to ride more than 100miles per day and then back it up for almost 30 days? Not a chance in hell in my current form. I couldn’t even ride 100km in a day based of how my legs felt after the 3 Ring Circus on Sunday. This maybe a different story in 2 years time. Who knows?
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