In exactly 30 days I’ll be standing at the start of the Tour Divide, a 2,750 mile mountain bike race, starting in Canada and heading south along the spine of the Rocky Mountains to the Mexican border.
Beyond the obvious physical and mental preparation required before a challenge like this a huge amount of thought has also gone into the kit I’ll be taking with me. Towards the end of last year I approached the guys at Always Riding for some advice on clothing and after a few discussions they very kindly offered to sponsor my effort. Their advice has been invaluable as the conditions one faces on the route can vary from snow covered mountain passes in Canada to boiling hot deserts in New Mexico, so good quality kit is essential. With over 200,000ft of climbing and limited space in my bikepacking bag setup my kit also needs to be lightweight and highly packable.
As an added bonus the guys at Always Riding have a good eye for style – so when I’m 10 days in, have only showered once, my legs feel like logs and I’m seriously sleep deprived I’ll at least look good whilst doing it!
The above image is a snapshot of what I’ll be taking with me to Canada. Head over to the Always Riding website to read an in depth review of all the kit they’re supplying me with.