An Exotic Adventure You Can Do

by Larry Lagarde

The Continental Divide is a spine of mountains and high ground that runs from Alaska to the southern tip of South America. Since the summer of 2006, three guys have been bicycling unsupported over this undulating spine using single track and dirt trails whenever possible. They're known as RidingTheSpine.

Now midway to reaching their goal, the RidingTheSpine guys (Goat, Jacob, Sean) have amassed more adventure than most people will have over a lifetime. Chronicles of their adventures in newspapers, magazines and online have led many casual bike riders to wistfully dream of embarking upon their own epic rides. Now you can, safely and for a reasonable price.

John Yost (co-founder of adventure travel pioneer Sobek Expeditions) and Coast To Coast Adventures have teamed up to create an incredible, supported bike ride through the cloud forests and active volcanoes of northern Costa Rica. If you're a RidingTheSpine fan, here's the best part: you'll have the unprecedented experience of bicycling beside the Spine guys on a small but truly spectacular portion of their journey. The distances are short enough (28-40 miles/day) so even casual cyclists can participate.

Known as the Costa Rica Fundraiser Ride, the tour takes place from February 3-10, 2008. Cost to participate is just $795 (including hotels, ground transportation, cycling gear & sag support) and all profits from this very economical adventure go towards funding the rest of the RidingTheSpine journey to where the spine drops into the sea at Ushuaia, Argentina.

Being that I've traveled to this region of Costa Rica, I can personally vouch for the scenic beauty of the rain and cloud forests you'll ride through as well as the awesome volcanic eruptions you're likely to see, hear and even smell. If you can take the time off in February, sign up and join Goat, Jacob & Sean in RidingTheSpine. This trip is definitely one you'll talk about for years after.

To learn more about this tour, visit RidingTheSpine.com.

Labels: great places to go bicycling, RidingTheSpine

Here's a YouTube video that was just posted to the web by RidingTheSpine, a trio of 3 guys that are riding from Alaska to the southern tip of South America. Already, they have ridden over 5000 miles. In the process, they've been chased by wild animals, gotten frostbite and have even been jailed/fined by the feds (for biking down the Grand Canyon's North Kaibab Trail).

This video of the guys roaring down a box canyon and climbing the 4 Peaks above Phoenix is just as action packed as a previous video of them camping and bicycling inside the walls of the Grand Canyon. The difference is that the box canyon is on a cycling legal section of the 800 mile long Arizona Trail so the Park Service can't arrest them for posting it...



I hope they post a video of the crossing into Mexico; I'm sure it will be interesting.

Labels: Arizona Trail, bicycling, bike tour, bike trip, RidingTheSpine

Gene Bisbee, a fellow bicycling advocate that I correspond with periodically, reported today on RidingTheSpine's brouhaha with the National Park Service regarding the cyclists' traverse of the Grand Canyon. Gene described the tour and some of the trials they've endured as well as the outcome with the Park Service.

By presenting the Spine's missteps against the larger tapestry of cycling thousands of miles in the wilds of the West and on their own, bicycling down the North Kaibab Trail was obviously within the skills of these bicyclists. Unfortunately, it's also illegal.

After reading Gene's post, I felt inclined to comment; here's what I wrote:

"I learned about RidingTheSpine several months ago and have been following their tour closely, corresponding and speaking by phone with Jacob Thompson as regularly as possible.

Although I can appreciate the concerns of the National Park Service, I was really hoping that the feds would not come down so hard on the trio.

With a gritty resolve and youthful exuberance, these guys have pedaled further than most people will ever drive on a road trip. For months, they've gone head to head with nature and the elements, neither making a big deal of the challenges they've overcome nor causing any trouble. Their hearts are in the right place too.

Several weeks ago, Jacob, Sean & David dedicated their ride to promoting and assisting the Friends of the Lafitte Corridor, a non-profit group looking to create a bike trail through New Orleans neighborhoods ravaged by Katrina's floodwaters. Though short in length, getting this trail built post Katrina is no small feat. The city is trudging along from one emergency to the next; most homes along the trail route stand vacant awaiting rebuilding.

$500 may sound like a small amount for a fine; however, their tour has already consumed their savings. Hopefully, they'll be able to put this setback behind them and continue all the way to the southern tip of South America.

Respectfully,
Larry Lagarde
RideTHISbike.com
Urging bicycling for recreation, commuting, health and a better future."

Labels: bicycling, courtcase, Gene Bisbee, Grand Canyon, National Park Service, RidingTheSpine

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to hike the Grand Canyon? How about hiking the Canyon rim to rim in a day; better yet, with bikes strapped to your backs, in sub freezing temperatures and (of course) in the snow? Well, that's what the three guys of Riding The Spine just did.

I have been following the exploits of Jacob, Goat and Sean (a.k.a. RidingTheSpine.com) for several months now. The challenges that they've faced (and overcome) on their unsupported tour bicycling from Alaska to the tip of South America are beyond comprehension. Yet, the Riding The Spine tour has thousands of miles to ride and many more challenges ahead.

For me though, the most humbling and fascinating aspect of their tour is the cause they have chosen to support with their inspirational ride: The Friends of the Lafitte Corridor (FOLC).

As I wrote about in December when I was elected to FOLC's board of directors, this non profit organization that's spear heading a grass roots effort to connect, inspire and revitalize core New Orleans' neighborhoods that marinated for weeks in the putrid floodwaters of Hurricane Katrina. To accomplish this goal, FOLC is weaving together local residents and community leaders with national health, walking and bicycling groups so that a planned bike trail from the French Quarter can finally become reality.

Although most New Orleanians want to return home, factors like sickeningly low insurance settlements, inconsistent & slow governmental rebuilding efforts, an explosively violent crime wave, insufficient public education, rapidly escalating costs of living/rebuilding and unreliable public utilities have kept many residents away and on the verge of despair. Under such dire circumstances, the Lafitte Corridor becomes more than just a simple bike trail. Completing the project would spur the hopes and spirits of the entire region.

Without a doubt, the guys of Riding The Spine and the people of New Orleans are facing seemingly insurmountable odds. Nevertheless, as these 3 bicyclists have rode from Alaska to the Grand Canyon in the dead of winter, so has New Orleans risen from muck and mold (even the Saints made the NFL playoffs this year). Long shots though they are, I'm rooting for Riding The Spine. Ride on, guys.

Labels: bike trail, FOLC, greenway, New Orleans, RidingTheSpine