“Last One to Mexico is a Rotten Egg!”

I’ve been in Alberta for nearly a week now, and like all vacations, it has flown by.

We spent the first part of the trip in Central Alberta with Ryan’s sister and brother-in-law. It’s been 9 months since Ryan moved out to Ontario so it was great to catch up with family and friends. Skype is a great tool for keeping in touch, but it can never replace time spent together!

Earlier this week, we travelled to Canmore to complete Ryan’s Tour Divide race preparations and to meet up with my parents, who had flown out to see Ryan off on his adventure and for a holiday of their own.

Today was the fateful day, and at 7:50am this morning the 100+ riders taking on TD took off from the YWCA in Banff to begin their journey to Mexico.  It was an emotional send off for me (and other girlfriends/wives too as I learned) but mostly, I was excited for the journey Ryan was about to embark on.

Final farewell before the Grand Depart

Tour Divide is a 4418 km mountain bike race from Banff, AB to Antelope Wells, NM (at the border of Mexico). As the website states:

“Decidedly not for sprinters, this battle royale braves mountain passes and windswept valleys of the Continental Divide from hinterlands of the Canadian Rockies to badlands of the Mexican Plateau”.

It is the longest mountain bike race in the world and perhaps the hardest. This is not a stage race – when the gun goes off, it is a race to the finish. You cannot receive support from family, friends, or a crew, this is a solo, self-supported journey and you carry everything you will need on your bike or on your back.

Some of the riders getting ready to go

I have already been tracking Ryan via his spot tracker GPS. After 109 miles of riding so far today (and 1 puncture) he is stocking up in Elkford, British Columbia before continuing on. I will be tracking Ryan, and the other riders, over the duration of the race… and you can too. In addition to following along on Twitter @ryansdreamtweet, you can also watch the live leaderboard at http://tourdivide.org/leaderboard

Thank you for all of the love and support that has been sent Ryan’s way leading up to the race. Ryan and I are very lucky to have some incredibly caring people in our lives, and your support means so much to both of us.

To all the riders, safe travels and enjoy this adventure of a lifetime. I am inspired by you all!

In non-TD related news, my parents and I saw some incredible sights of our own today, including Lake Louise, Moraine Lake and some beautiful wildlife (a moose, an elk, and a grizzly!). What a beautiful country we live in!!