When ridden as a race, the route is referred to as the "Tour Divide." A grand departure for the Tour Divide happens from Banff every June.

The Tour Divide is "the mother of all bikepacking races," said Ulrich Bartholmoes, aka "Uba," winner of the 2023 Tour Divide. "It's the oldest one, it's one of the most prestigious bikepacking races." This epic event has almost singlehandedly spawned the entire sport of bikepack racing, with routes proliferating around the planet.

While some mountain bikers have derided the Tour Divide as a "gravel bike" race, the truth is very different. The true GDMBR features several punishing singletrack climbs and descents, some of which test the boundaries of what can be considered "rideable." Even so, the vast majority of the route follows gravel roads of some variety, ranging from smooth and well-graded to steep and filled with boulders.

Consequently, many riders opt for a gravel bike instead of a mountain bike or something in between. In fact, several popular bikes have been built from the ground up specifically for the GMBR/Tour Divide, such as the Salsa Cutthroat, which features drop bars and wide tires.

Many possible detours and reroutes exist, which can be adopted if you're touring the route instead of racing. Some of these detours make the route much more gravel bike-friendly, whereas others could add even more singletrack (although few riders opt for these options).

Note that the difficulty ratings assigned on FATMAP are technicality ratings, not aerobic difficulty ratings. Thus, the GDMBR receives a "moderate" mountain bike rating and an "extreme" gravel biking rating. But the difficulty of actually completing the route? Nothing could be more "extreme"!

Successfully pedaling the entire GDMBR is the accomplishment of a lifetime! Whether you complete it in two weeks or two months, a ride of this scale will spawn stories you'll tell for the rest of your life.

Sources: AdventureCycling.org Bikepacking.com Scott Morris / topofusion.com Ulrich Bartholmoes