Fort Walker Va. – For 25 years, Robert Maple pushed pedals as his exercise, relaxation and escape. It was not until four years ago he discovered his passion for bike-packing– carrying food and supplies on your bicycle and heading into the wilderness. Maple competed in a bikepacking race from Harrisonburg, VA to Roanoke, VA and he was immediately convinced this was the hobby he had been searching for his whole life.
Now, Maple, a Geographic Information Systems Program Manager based at Fort Walker, and his wife bike over 5,000 miles a year, participating in several in-state races throughout the calendar. As one does in any enthusiast community, one learns about new things, topics and trends. Through his bike-packing network, Maple caught wind of a mammoth challenge he couldn’t ignore: The Tour Divide.
Measuring an agonizing 2,745 miles and, in some places, featuring altitudes of over two miles, the Tour Divide is a brutal test of will along the Continental Divide through two Canadian provinces and five U.S. states. Riders are unsupported throughout the trek; that is to say, there are no follow vehicles, aid stations, or checkpoints; you have what you had when you began, and that is all. All participants are required to have a GPS tracking device in case of emergencies, and to track their progress.
Maple and all other riders departed from Banff, Alberta, Canada on June 14, 2024, and began the grueling journey south. The distance, lack of supplies, and elements weren’t the only perils on this trip; grizzly bears, gray wolves, and mountain lions all roam the central-north of the North American continent.
“I kept bear spray with me all the time,” said Maple. “I tied my food high in trees at least 50 feet from my tent, because anyone who knows anything about camping knows you don’t keep any food in your tent.”
When asked, ‘What was the hardest part of this journey?’, Maple said, “People say this race is 80 percent physical and 90 percent psychological, which is obviously bad math, but honestly, the hardest part was trying to mentally plan your logistics. Where am I going to get my next food? Where am I going to get my next water? There was one day when I was down to just one Snickers bar and I was taking a tiny bite once an hour to conserve it.”
There were opportunities to refuel and repair along the way. The route involved towns and cities, many with much-needed bicycle repair shops. Maple said he replaced numerous sets of brake pads, his drive chain, rear tire, rear casette, and other parts along the trip.
“I’ve never been to Montana before,” said Maple when asked about the most impressive thing he saw on the journey. “I’ve never felt so tiny and so alone in such an enormous space. People say they want to disconnect sometimes; this was truly disconnection.”
Montana was the beginning of the slow climb up the Rocky Mountains. A brief canyon ride in Idaho, and Maple was in Wyoming climbing again. That was short-lived as most of that state’s 410 miles were downhill, but Colorado was a new challenge altogether. In Colorado, Maple faced the steepest inclines of his ride and the highest altitudes. Over the 510 Colorado miles, he crossed elevations of two miles on four separate occasions before beginning his descent into New Mexico; he had one significant climb and 700 miles between him and the finish.
In the end, Maple and his titanium Bearclaw Beaux Jaxon bicycle dodged the last of the cacti and copious number of rattlesnakes and arrived in Antelope Wells at the U.S. - Mexico border on July 13, 2024, after 29 days, 4 hours and 46 minutes. Relieved, exhausted and overjoyed, he held his bicycle over his head for a picture at the end of the arduous adventure.
Days later, back at Fort Walker, a well-rested Maple was asked if he ever planned to encounter this challenge again; he said, “Oh yeah, my wife and I are already planning to do it as a team; maybe in a couple of years.”
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