Keep Pedaling Us

Start Here

In June 2024, Dave took another stab at the Tour Divide – a 2700 mile bike packing race. Here’s a short summary of what happened this time.

Where did Dave go on his ride: 750 (880 total) miles from NM to Colorado. Here’s the fill 2024 racer history for all racers.

About the 2024 trip: I rode in the Tour Divide – 2,700 miles of mostly unpaved roads a trails along the Rocky Mountains Between Banff, Canada and the Mexico Border at Antelope Wells, New Mexico. I’m riding North Bound – starting in Antelope Wells. The Tour Divide is a race (with rules) along the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route (GDMBR).

Where can I read the blog? Latest posts are here.

Where are your pictures?

What’s the route? The Tour Divide generally follows the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route (GDMBR). See Bikepacking.com’s description here. ~2700 total miles, ~150k feet of total elevation (7 Everests), and 90% pavement free.

How did the 2024 ride go? Mixed. I rode for 21 days, and 750 route miles from the bottom of New Mexico to Southern Colorado, over the highest pass on the route (11,953 feet). I left the race in Del Norte Colorado after consulting a doctor about my saddle sores – they were serious enough to quit.

Why are did you do this? Great question – read more here.

What are your goals? 1. Stay Married 2. Stay Alive 3. Finish

Finishing means: to have ridden the whole route by the time I head home: covering from Antelope Wells MN to Steamboat Springs Co. And… it would count as a Scratch on the TD tracker. If things go incredibly well perhaps I will finish the full route, but I wouldn’t put money on it. The scratch rate for 2023 is very close to 50% overall, and more like 75% for North Bound riders.

How far do you go each day? How long will you ride? After I settle in, it would be great to be making over 100 miles a day. Last time I tried this, I started riding about 50-70 a day and ended up over 100. In 2016 I made 1500 miles in 28 days. In 2024 I’ve negotiated a bit more time, so I plan to be off the route by the 24th of July (earlier is ok too).

How do you eat? Where do you find water? Where do you sleep? There are food resupply options fairly regularly (every day or two), so I stock up (and eat at restaurants) when I’m in a town.

I can carry more than a gallon of water for dry stretches, water can be found fairly regularly along the route – sometimes streams, some times kitchen sinks.

When it’s possible to sleep indoors I will – otherwise I carry a light weight tarp & bivy setup.

What happens if you get stuck or hurt? I carry a Personal Locator Beacon, and if there’s really a bad situation I can use it to call for Search and Rescue. It tracks my location every 10 minutes.

Who are you riding with? Are you going with anybody? I’m not planning to ride with anybody, but I will likely start the ride with at least a few other riders. Generally, you find the people who are riding at your pace as the ride goes on. Since the North Bound field is typically pretty small, I will probably be on my own a fair bit.

What about the weather? I’m all set to ride through rain and wind, and trudge through snow and mud. Forest fires generally cause a re-route. Flooding is rare at this elevation.

Can I call you? Visit you? I’m mostly out of pocket, although will be in cell phone range every day or two. You can drop me an email at dave.reeck at keep pedaling dot us (you’ll have to convert that to an address yourself).

The race rules prohibit planned support, but if you happen to drive by the route when I’m near I won’t say no to a cheer.

How can I help or cheer you on? Drop me a note on this site, I’d love it. If you’re looking for a way to contribute financially, feel free to donate to https://citizensclimatelobby.org/ or https://worldbicyclerelief.org/

What kind of bike are you riding? 2011 Steel Jones 29Plus un-suspended mountain bike. Is it a gravel bike? Uh, I guess? Is it a mountain bike? Yes. I ride it in the mountains. It it a fat bike? I’ve got large tires on it, but it’s not really a fat bike – some people call them 29plus, or mid-fat. I call mine Clyde. Clyde’s been a faithful steed for well for over 12,000 miles.

Do you have a rubber chicken on your bike? Yes. Selma the Safety First Chicken has been on my bike since at least 2015. She’s a Trail Angel attractor and a gentle reminder to myself to stay safe and have fun. Maybe when I finish the route I can get her into the Archie Mcphee Rubber chicken Museum

Are you sponsored? No, although I do enjoy the generous support of Brooks Running (the company I work for and who’s shoe’s I’m abusing by using them on-bike), a gaggle of cycling friends from Tableau and Bruce’s Bicycle Bunch, and my incredibly supportive family – Thank you Marcie, Jasper, Julian, Mom, Dad and Chris.

Do you have Panniers? I have a bunch of bags, but no rear bike bags mounted on the sides. I prefer to not wear a backpack, but if it means having enough water and food I have a small pack along to help out. My bags are from Rouge Panda, Rockgeist, Rough Panda, and Revelate Designs.

Where can I read more? To find out more about me, keep poking around this site, here’s the blog. To find out more about the Tour Divide and the many incredible athlete’s who are racing: