To do or not to do...

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We all go through life making excuses not to do something, whether it be taking out the trash right away, or taking down the Christmas lights this weekend or committing to do, what is arguably one of the toughest cycle races. We will always have a reason not to do it right now. Our busy lives have undoubtedly made pushing out something of the norm rather than doing it in the moment. And sometimes, there are very logical reasons not to make that decision to do it right then and now, but if you are honest with yourself, half the time those reason are not really stopping you from doing it right now. 

There will never be a perfect time to ride the Tour Divide. There will always be a thousand reasons not to do the Tour Divide. I would argue that they are more reason not to do the Tour Divide than there are to do it! It is a massive undertaking, especially those of us with families - it is the time commitment away from them, not only for the twenty odd days during the race, but the bigger time commitment the training requires leading up to the race. 

The biggest decision in deciding to ride the Tour Divide comes from yourself. The reason why this decision is most important is that it will only be you at the end of an 18-hr day, battling a rain soaked headwind, with another hour till your overnight stop. The only thing that will get you through is the positive thought that you made the decision to be there - it was you alone. 

Image courtesy of: longtrailahead.blogspot.com
Making it to Banff and rolling over the start line of the Tour Divide is in itself a victory. The hours of preparation is by far the biggest challenge of the Tour Divide and although I did not make it across the finish line in Antelope Wells, I will one day make it. Unfortunately due to work and family , it does not look like it is going to be in 2014 - but for certain all my efforts are going to focus on 2015. 

 But, I am OK with this decision not to Ride the Divide this year, as it will allow be to put in a full season of training, focus on strengthening the parts of me that gave way in 2013 and get more experience and multiple day rides with a bit of overnight camping thrown into the mix! 

 So if anyone is planning on doing this race in 2015 - feel free to reach out and we can share the experience of making it to the start line in Banff in 2015...

"Do it no matter what. If you believe in it, it is something very honorable. If somebody around you or your family does not understand it, then that's their problem. But if you do have a passion, an honest passion, just do it." 
Mario Andretti 



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About Post Author

Passionate mountain-biker with a full time job, attempting to ride the Tour Divide in 2015. Hoping to share my story here in hopes that it will educate and inspire those attempting to ride the Tour Divide.

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TOUR DIVIDE

TOUR DIVIDE
The Tour Divide is an annual mountain biking race traversing the length of the Rocky Mountains, from Canada to the Mexican border. Following the 2,745-mile (4,418 km) Great Divide Mountain Bike Route, it is an extreme test of endurance, self-reliance and mental toughness. The race format is strictly self-supported, and it is not a stage race - the clock runs continuously from the start until riders cross the finish line.

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