I’ve been thinking about when to write the first post for this site. Part of me thought I should wait until I was about a month out from the start. That felt like the official time to begin posting updates.
But the truth is, the ride has already started in a lot of ways.
Not the Great Divide itself. That begins on June 22, when I roll out from Banff and start heading south toward Antelope Wells. But the preparation, the planning, the early mornings, the tired legs, and the constant balancing act between work, home, family, and training are already very real.
So this feels like the right time to begin.
I’ve wanted to ride the Great Divide for a long time. It has been one of those big rides that stays in the back of your mind. The kind of challenge that keeps calling even when life is full and busy. The scale of it, the remoteness, the mountains, the uncertainty, and the simplicity of moving forward by bike have always pulled me toward it.
At the same time, I didn’t want this ride to be only about checking off a personal goal.
As I got more serious about actually doing it, I started thinking about how the ride could serve a bigger purpose. If I was going to ask people to follow along for 2,700 miles, maybe I could also ask them to help make a difference.
That is why I’m using this ride to raise money for the American Cancer Society.
Year to date, I’ve ridden about 1,500 miles. That feels like a lot, and it is. Those miles have been squeezed into mornings, evenings, weekends, and whatever windows I can find around work and home commitments.
I’m also fortunate to train in and around Asheville, North Carolina, where the terrain does not give up many easy miles. So far this year, I’ve logged almost 130,000 feet of elevation gain. That climbing has been good preparation, and a steady reminder that the Great Divide will ask a lot from both the bike and the body.
Still, it is humbling to think that once I’m on the Great Divide, I’ll need to ride roughly my year to date mileage in just over a month.
That thought makes the whole thing feel very real.
I’m training as much as I can. Some weeks feel strong. Some weeks feel like life has other plans. I’m learning to accept both. The goal isn’t perfection. The goal is to keep showing up.
That feels like the right mindset for this ride.
This is something I have wanted to do for a long time. It is also an opportunity to make a difference while doing it. Both of those things are true, and together they make the ride feel even more meaningful.
I’m grateful for everyone who has already encouraged me, asked questions, donated, shared the site, or simply said, “I’ll be following along.” That matters more than you know.
For now, the focus is simple:
Keep riding.
Keep preparing.
Keep showing up.
The miles are starting to feel real.
And I’m glad you’re here for the journey.
-Bill