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I'm just here for the mountains - the Great Divide Ride 2017
- Thread starter Trail Boss
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- Buda, TX
- First Name
- Rich
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- Gibbens
We were up reasonably early on Sunday, eager to begin our 5 day ride north.
"Milton, I'm so excited I can't sleep anymore. Are you awake?"
Our spirits were high and we were ready to go. But we had one final task before leaving the hotel parking lot on Sunday morning - a group photo.
We immediately deviated from the planned route and went north on paved Hwy 15 - know as the Trail of the Mountain Spirits - out of town. It was a twistier route but added about 20 miles to the total distance for the day.
The scenery along the way was quite nice.
This is Lake Roberts. Jon is the only one in our group that has been here before.
Finally, we reached the first dirt on the GDR. I found the sign to be very encouraging. High clearance vehicles? No services? Sharp curves? Steep grades? Hey, this is what I signed up for. Let's go!
Alas, it was not to be. The route was pretty much all easy class 1 consisting of gravel roads as pictured above though the views were nice and the forest was interesting.
"Milton, I'm so excited I can't sleep anymore. Are you awake?"
Our spirits were high and we were ready to go. But we had one final task before leaving the hotel parking lot on Sunday morning - a group photo.
We immediately deviated from the planned route and went north on paved Hwy 15 - know as the Trail of the Mountain Spirits - out of town. It was a twistier route but added about 20 miles to the total distance for the day.
The scenery along the way was quite nice.
This is Lake Roberts. Jon is the only one in our group that has been here before.
Finally, we reached the first dirt on the GDR. I found the sign to be very encouraging. High clearance vehicles? No services? Sharp curves? Steep grades? Hey, this is what I signed up for. Let's go!
Alas, it was not to be. The route was pretty much all easy class 1 consisting of gravel roads as pictured above though the views were nice and the forest was interesting.
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- Bart
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- Nale
Second this.
Long story short, I headed out one morning on my brand new bike to drop of a DVD up the road. One thing led to another and ended up 75 miles away. That's when the low fuel light came on. No biggie. Until I realized I'd left my wallet and phone at the house.
Ended up having to basically panhandle for a couple gallons of fuel. Very embarrassing. Great fellow biker came along and I offered him $20 in the mail if he'd trust me for 4 bucks of gas. He ended filling my bike and absolutely refused to let me pay him back. Just said pay it forward sometime. Love the biker community.
Now I keep some nominal cash stashed in every vehicle I own.
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3 hours fixing a flat. What a beat-down! Great pics and stories though.
Richard, who in your group rode the KTM 690?
Richard, who in your group rode the KTM 690?
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You guys are starting to make me mad. Here I am stuck at my desk working like a fool watching post after post of amazing pictures where other people are having way too much fun. Really having a pity party for myself right now.
Great posts, keep them coming !
Great posts, keep them coming !
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Misterk, what lead to the crashes? Sand?
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I think it was more like 2 hours, but either way, it took a long time.
Jon was riding the KTM 690.
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Great stories fellas! Except yours misterk. Hate to see it end like that. Glad you and the bike will be back in the hunt again soon. I'm with you Richard on the class 2&3 stuff only. There are some nice sights to be seen on class 1 roads, but no full range riding action to be had. I want to be challenged to get up on the pegs, have to transfer body weight, and enjoy some of that good full range of motion dirt riding action. This is what removes any chance of boredom occurring while riding. Also for me personally, it is a very needed thing in order to keep my sciatic nerve from becoming highly irritated from too much consistant time in the saddle on the same old contact points. I'll take a gnarly stand on the pegs trail over a class 1 spend all day fixed in the saddle roadway most any time...unless my leg looks like yours misterk. Did you really ride 800 miles home like THAT? If so, You sir are the man!!!
We just couldn't believe our little air pumps were working properly, we couldn't get a tube to inflate. After pulling out the 3rd pump we reckoned odds were against all 3 pumps being bad. They weren't. It was the tubes.
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- Friday
Don't feel bad about the flat issue. We did a Montana trip that had us stopping multiple times throughout the day for a rear flat on the same bike. After the third stop, we finally checked the tire itself and found there was still a small sharp piece of nail embedded in the tire that was popping the tubes we were putting in each time. On the first change, a nail was pulled from the tire, but apparently there was more than one and the first check missed it. With rain and lighting coming towards us and it getting late in the day, I donated my spare rear tube and we were finally on our way again, just beating the rain to our camp for the day. On a Mexico trip, we had a rider get a rear flat that soaked up the better part of the day. In the end, we wound up not even getting to do that day's ride and had to abort and head back to town. A truck was eventually located and sent to retrieve the bike. But that meant we got back to town in time for an incredible and unexpected steak dinner 
It's all part of adventure riding. Stuff happens. We deal with it and move on if possible. I promise I'd rather be out somewhere like that fighting a flat than sitting here at my desk at work... 
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- Friday
Here is what my group looked like
That brings back some memories... 
(minus any broken bones).
jqueen
0
We had 3 flats - KLR at the hotel in the morning, DR mid-day on the last day, and F150 when we got back to load up and head to Texas.
But we've had lots of practice. JQ1.0 timed the DR flat, and it was 25 minutes from kickstand down to strapping the tools back on the bike.
But we've had lots of practice. JQ1.0 timed the DR flat, and it was 25 minutes from kickstand down to strapping the tools back on the bike.
We were up reasonably early on Sunday, eager to begin our 5 day ride north.
"Milton, I'm so excited I can't sleep anymore. Are you awake?"
Our spirits were high and we were ready to go. But we had one final task before leaving the hotel parking lot on Sunday morning - a group photo.
We immediately deviated from the planned route and went north on paved Hwy 15 - know as the Trail of the Mountain Spirits - out of town. It was a twistier route but added about 20 miles to the total distance for the day.
The scenery along the way was quite nice.
This is Lake Roberts. Jon is the only one in our group that has been here before.
Finally, we reached the first dirt on the GDR. I found the sign to be very encouraging. High clearance vehicles? No services? Sharp curves? Steep grades? Hey, this is what I signed up for. Let's go!
Alas, it was not to be. The route was pretty much all easy class 1 consisting of gravel roads as pictured above though the views were nice and the forest was interesting.
I would like to know what screen is this on 690? Screens for bikes from Australia?
Fatigue and lack of skill on a bike with minimal suspension and ground clearance, I had to be very choosy with my lines.
I will say the DCT saved my bacon. Never stalled the bike once LOL. Curtis called my bike the mountain horse.
Now....with that being said, I would like to do this ride again next year....but on an africa twin.
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Here are some water crossings from New Mexico day one,,,sorry for the poor video, this is the first time I have ever used a helmet camera.
https://youtu.be/A7lPxoFPTKM
Here is my riding crew (i dont know their screen names)
Curtis 1290 ktm white
Collin gs1200 red
Cory f800 orange
Brett f800 red
Chuck gs800 grey and black
Adam ktm 950 big orange
Steve gsa 1200 white (likes to rollover and play dead)
Kevin nc700 little red
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https://youtu.be/A7lPxoFPTKM
Here is my riding crew (i dont know their screen names)
Curtis 1290 ktm white
Collin gs1200 red
Cory f800 orange
Brett f800 red
Chuck gs800 grey and black
Adam ktm 950 big orange
Steve gsa 1200 white (likes to rollover and play dead)
Kevin nc700 little red
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
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Here is the hill where the upside down gsa happened, and my first drop
https://youtu.be/trLMrxd04io
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https://youtu.be/trLMrxd04io
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
- Joined
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- Buda, TX
- First Name
- Rich
- Last Name
- Gibbens
I had planned that my group would ride the dual sport sections during this ride. My logic was that we were all experienced riders on smaller bikes so the dual sport sections should be an extra bit of fun. And, sure enough, the first section was a lot of fun, with a bunch of water crossing (how many times are we going to cross this same creek!?!), some two track, a bit of bushwacking trying to locate the trail, and a particularly challenging, rocky, class 3 climb followed by a nice, rocky, class 2 ride along a ridgeline.
Though it was enjoyable, it also took more time than I anticipated, mostly from the delay of having to locate the trail (it is a very lightly travelled path). After we returned to the main route I wondered if we were going to have enough time to ride each dual sport section and still finish before dark.
Once back on the main route, we made good time.
But then the first significant delay of the day showed up - Mark got a flat rear tire.
We had a few challenges getting the flat fixed (we pinched the new tube we installed and then couldn't get a patch to seal on the old tube) that delayed us at least two hours.
Once we were back on the road, we moved with a purpose because late afternoon was upon us and we knew we were in a race to finish today's route before dark.
We thought we were back on schedule but then the second major problem cropped up.
The main route on day 1 doesn't have any gas for 267 miles. A bit too far for most riders. The solution was to detour from Pie Town either 25 miles west to Quemado or 25 miles east to Datil, gas up, return to Pie Town and get back on track. Of course, that adds about 50 miles and an hour to an already long day.
Or, twenty miles before Pie Town you can take an alternate route and go straight to Datil, saving about 30 miles of riding. That's what I planned for us to do. Once gassed up, we would ride to Pie Town and continue on the main route.
Except for one small detail it was a fine plan. The missing factor was the gas station in Datil closes at 5 pm on Sunday and they don't have pay at the pump. Which means if you get there at 5:01 pm you won't get any gas. And that's exactly what happened.
About a dozen riders arrived at the gas station in Datil between 5:01 and 5:20. The old guy who runs the place (presumably the owner) was there when the first group arrived at about 5:01 but he steadfastly refused to sell us any gas, despite our multiple pleas. I didn't personally speak to him but those who did said he was anything but pleasant in his response to our requests for help. "You should plan better" or something along those lines seemed to be his answer to our request for a little fuel. How frustrating!
The solution was to backtrack 28 miles or so to a small station (closed) in Old Horse Springs that had a single pay at the pump. We had seen it earlier but had bypassed it because out KTM's run on premium gas and this pump only had regular. Still, regular gas was better than waiting until 7 am on Monday morning to buy gas from the old codger in Datil.
Bob and I had plenty of gas to make but Jon, Milton, and Mark were all running on fumes. Jon and Milton borrowed a half gallon of gas each from a rider that was carrying a one gallon rotopax and were able to make it back to Old Horse Springs. Mark, unfortunately, was not able to borrow any gas, and ran out 14 miles short of our goal.
With a bit of back and forth hauling gas, we finally got the entire group to the gas pump in Old Horse Springs and gassed up. But it took 2 hours to do so.
Now, we were really in race to get to the hotel before dark. As we rode away from the gas pump I thought to myself, "At minimum, I hope we finish all the dirt sections before dark." And sure enough we did. Just as darkness set in at 8:45 pm, we exited the last dirt section of the day. Now for a leisurely 40 mile pavement ride in the dark to our hotel.
But fate had other plans for us. Major delay number three showed up as soon as we arrived at the pavement - Milton had a flat rear tire.
Within a few minutes of reaching pavement it was completely dark. So, using flashlights and headlamps we fixed his flat on the side of the road, which, thankfully, took much less time than we had taken to fix Mark's flat. We had the tube swapped out in about 20 minutes - a new land speed record for me.
But then we couldn't get the darn tire reinstalled on the bike. The DRZ400s rear tire was not designed to be reinstalled quickly. I've owned two of them and have changed the back tire many times and it's never easy, even when sitting in my driveway with all the tools I own at my disposal. The DRZ has two shallow spacers you have to hold in place while simultaneously slipping the rotor into the brake caliper, ensuring the chain is positioned correctly to go over the sprocket, and inserting the axle. It's not a big deal if you have a minimum of four hands. And old brake pads. But we only had two hands each and Milton had installed new brake pads right before this ride. So trying to get everything lined up was quite the chore. It only took about 30 minutes of wrestling, prying, and cursing before we finally got the everything lined up correctly.
Finally done, we rode the last 40 miles to Grants, arriving at around 10:30 pm. It had been a long day.
Though it was enjoyable, it also took more time than I anticipated, mostly from the delay of having to locate the trail (it is a very lightly travelled path). After we returned to the main route I wondered if we were going to have enough time to ride each dual sport section and still finish before dark.
Once back on the main route, we made good time.
But then the first significant delay of the day showed up - Mark got a flat rear tire.
We had a few challenges getting the flat fixed (we pinched the new tube we installed and then couldn't get a patch to seal on the old tube) that delayed us at least two hours.
Once we were back on the road, we moved with a purpose because late afternoon was upon us and we knew we were in a race to finish today's route before dark.
We thought we were back on schedule but then the second major problem cropped up.
The main route on day 1 doesn't have any gas for 267 miles. A bit too far for most riders. The solution was to detour from Pie Town either 25 miles west to Quemado or 25 miles east to Datil, gas up, return to Pie Town and get back on track. Of course, that adds about 50 miles and an hour to an already long day.
Or, twenty miles before Pie Town you can take an alternate route and go straight to Datil, saving about 30 miles of riding. That's what I planned for us to do. Once gassed up, we would ride to Pie Town and continue on the main route.
Except for one small detail it was a fine plan. The missing factor was the gas station in Datil closes at 5 pm on Sunday and they don't have pay at the pump. Which means if you get there at 5:01 pm you won't get any gas. And that's exactly what happened.
About a dozen riders arrived at the gas station in Datil between 5:01 and 5:20. The old guy who runs the place (presumably the owner) was there when the first group arrived at about 5:01 but he steadfastly refused to sell us any gas, despite our multiple pleas. I didn't personally speak to him but those who did said he was anything but pleasant in his response to our requests for help. "You should plan better" or something along those lines seemed to be his answer to our request for a little fuel. How frustrating!
The solution was to backtrack 28 miles or so to a small station (closed) in Old Horse Springs that had a single pay at the pump. We had seen it earlier but had bypassed it because out KTM's run on premium gas and this pump only had regular. Still, regular gas was better than waiting until 7 am on Monday morning to buy gas from the old codger in Datil.
Bob and I had plenty of gas to make but Jon, Milton, and Mark were all running on fumes. Jon and Milton borrowed a half gallon of gas each from a rider that was carrying a one gallon rotopax and were able to make it back to Old Horse Springs. Mark, unfortunately, was not able to borrow any gas, and ran out 14 miles short of our goal.
With a bit of back and forth hauling gas, we finally got the entire group to the gas pump in Old Horse Springs and gassed up. But it took 2 hours to do so.
Now, we were really in race to get to the hotel before dark. As we rode away from the gas pump I thought to myself, "At minimum, I hope we finish all the dirt sections before dark." And sure enough we did. Just as darkness set in at 8:45 pm, we exited the last dirt section of the day. Now for a leisurely 40 mile pavement ride in the dark to our hotel.
But fate had other plans for us. Major delay number three showed up as soon as we arrived at the pavement - Milton had a flat rear tire.
Within a few minutes of reaching pavement it was completely dark. So, using flashlights and headlamps we fixed his flat on the side of the road, which, thankfully, took much less time than we had taken to fix Mark's flat. We had the tube swapped out in about 20 minutes - a new land speed record for me.
But then we couldn't get the darn tire reinstalled on the bike. The DRZ400s rear tire was not designed to be reinstalled quickly. I've owned two of them and have changed the back tire many times and it's never easy, even when sitting in my driveway with all the tools I own at my disposal. The DRZ has two shallow spacers you have to hold in place while simultaneously slipping the rotor into the brake caliper, ensuring the chain is positioned correctly to go over the sprocket, and inserting the axle. It's not a big deal if you have a minimum of four hands. And old brake pads. But we only had two hands each and Milton had installed new brake pads right before this ride. So trying to get everything lined up was quite the chore. It only took about 30 minutes of wrestling, prying, and cursing before we finally got the everything lined up correctly.
Finally done, we rode the last 40 miles to Grants, arriving at around 10:30 pm. It had been a long day.
Not to get off-topic, but what class is BBNP's River Road? I'm trying to calibrate my brain around the classifications.
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I am wondering out of all the flats was any of them tubeless and if so were you able to repair on the trail? Of all the bikes were any of tubeless?
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Class 1 and 2
Keep 'em coming Kevin!
Cyclists on the CDR, which was originally mapped by the Adventure Cycling Association out of Bozeman, Montana
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- Mike
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- Brewster
I really wanted to do this ride. I've come to realize that fatigue can become as big a factor as skill. The long days and the lack of personal fitness were what guided me to skip this and after reading these posts, think I made the right decision. It still sucks to be at home looking at other peoples pictures again!
I hope the leg heals quickly and well.
SilverBullet
never slow down...you never grow old
Clarification on what you're calling "dual sport" sections, is this hard options? From GPS Kevin routes there is the standard route and then easy and hard options.
Pretty sure they did the hard section. I was in Kevin's group and we did the standard routes except for the red loop on Day 1 that almost made me give up. This is the class 3 and 2 hill climb that Robert mentioned and on my 1200GS with luggage it about did me in.
Collin