I made it to Canada, eh!

Andi, me and my bike made it in one piece! We picked up the rental car and headed to Jasper with a pit stop in Rocky Mountain House at a nice little cabin. After being awake for nearly 20 hours we needed some sleep!

We finally made it to Jasper on Sunday and took some time to relax. I got my bike put together and got in a few rides. One of which was with the local group ride in town. There were some familiar faces from a year ago when we were here. It was a great ride and probably a little more than I wanted but super fun. Magic Ridge is epic! Andi and I got in some great hikes and got to see some stuff we missed last year as well.

Today we made the drive along the Icefield Parkway down to Banff. Got checked in to the hotel and had dinner with some of the other riders. There are a lot of folks here but I managed to get up with Scott Thigpen and Scott McConnell who both did the Trans North Georgia with me last summer. Tomorrow I'm planning to do a little shake down ride and eat as much food as possible!

I can't wait to get this thing started! Thanks for all the great support from everyone. Especially the folks at Magic Cycles, Trips for Kids WNC and my wife, Andi!

The Journey Begins: Banff Bound!

Andi & I will be up at the crack of dawn headed for Charlotte for our super early flight to Canada, eh!  It feels great to finally have my bike boxed up and my bag packed!  Now for some relaxation and time with my wife before I start pedaling south on Friday, June 14th for the Grand Depart of the Tour Divide!  (feels crazy to say that!)

$2,000 for Trips for Kids WNC!!

Thanks to all you amazing folks, I've met my $2,000 goal!  Woohoo!  Feels so good to have raised money for such a great cause.  Thanks to everyone for all their support!  I couldn't have done it without you.  With this money Trips for Kids WNC will continue to get kids outside and on bikes!

Now for the hard part!  Racing 2,745 miles on the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route climbing over 200,000 feet of elevation from Banff, Canada to Antelope Wells, New Mexico. I've trained hard, meticulously gone over my gear and I feel ready.  I can't wait to get to Canada and get this adventure started!

Thanks again for all the support!  I will be thinking of all of you when I'm out on the trail!  You will be my motivation to keep going!

Tour Divide: The Details!

So I've had a lot of people wondering when the race starts, when I'm leaving, how to track me, ect. So I figured I'd spell everything out below.

Here's the Schedule:

June 8th - Andi and I are heading up to Canada to spend a week relaxing and getting in a little riding before the race starts. We will also be celebrating our one year anniversary and spending time in Jasper, Alberta where we spent our honeymoon last year!

June 14, 8:00 AM - Tour Divide Starts!!  This is mountain time so for all you eastern folks, 10:00 AM is the start time.

I'm hoping to finish in anywhere from 3-4 weeks so check back often for updates!

More Details:

Starting on June 14, you'll be able to track the race at www.trackleaders.com/tourdivide13  There are a lot of names on the list so just scroll down to my name and click on it to get a more detailed look at my progress.

I will also be calling in to the MTBcast call in line.  They record all the call-ins and post them on their site.  Head on over to www.mtbcast.com to hear all the updates!

If you want to read more about the race visit www.tourdivide.org

I know I have some awesome friends along the route.  Unfortunately, prearranged visits and private lodging are not allowed.  The race really focuses on "Self Supported Racing" and using services that are only available to everyone.  If you want to cheer me on, make sure you read the rules here:  http://tourdivide.org/the_rules

 Thanks for all the support!  I couldn't be doing this without it!