Page 50 - Flathead Beacon // 6.11.14

50 | JUNE 11, 2014 FLATHEADBEACON.COM

OUTDOORS

RIDING THE DIVIDE

Whiteish man embarks on LEFT: Tim
Hinderman
2,711-mile cross-continent training for the
Tour Divide race.
bike-packing odyssey to support BELOW:
Hinderman beside
Flathead Valley Ski Education his Specialized
mountain bike,
Foundation
which is outitted
with packs.
y TRISTAN SCOTT of the Beacon
B
CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS
W
hile logging hundred-mile training
rides over snow-choked mountain

passes, Tim Hinderman sometimes
forgot that most people are unfamiliar
with the Tour Divide, a race across the spine of the con-
tinent that is the longest, most rareied and arguably
most diicult mountain biking event on the planet.
“I’ve spent so much time thinking about this and
training that sometimes I have to remind myself most

people have no idea what I’m talking about,” Hinder-
man, 62, of Whiteish, said.
The Tour Divide Race doesn’t enjoy the infamy of
the Tour De France, or the Race Across America, or
even the Iditarod Invitational. And that’s just ine with
divide riders – its obscurity is precisely what makes it
so unique.
Hinderman has spent the last few months training

for the Tour Divide Race, a 2,711-mile bicycling battle
royale that follows the Continental Divide from Banf,
Alberta, Canada to Antelope Wells, New Mexico – or, in
Hinderman’s case, and a small handful of other NoBos
(north-bounders), in reverse, from south to north.
Unmarked, unsupported and featuring more than
the Flathead Valley.
200,000 feet of elevation gain, the race braves moun- in southern Colorado. It passes through the Flathead
Having nearly met his fundraising goal, Hinderman
tain passes and wind-scoured valleys, tracking along Valley and Whiteish, by which time Hinderman will be

says, “All I have to do now is ride,” but he will be accept- the rooftop of North America from the badlands of the within justa few days of his destination.
ing pledges during the entire ride, which he expects to Mexican Plateau to the hinterlands of the Canadian The DIY aesthetic of the race captures the Tour Di-
take about 30 days – amounting to an average of 100 Rockies.
vide’s spirit, and Hinderman said he realized he want-
miles a day.
“The actual race element is obscure by design, and ed to attempt the feat after watching the documentary
To make a pledge visit Hinderman’s website at there is kind of a subculture, almost a cult following of “Ride the Divide,” which weaves together the stories
30cdxings.com, and to follow his progress go to tourdi- the race who believe that if it gets to be a race that draws of three riders’ adventures as they pedal through the
vide.org/leaderboard.
1,000 people it is going to destroy itself by virtue of its Rocky Mountains.

The most common time to “race” the Great Divide own success,” Hinderman said.
Hinderman said he is excited to experience the
Route occurs around the second week of June, begin- Tour Divide requires no entry fee or formal regis- challenges of riding world’s longest mountain biking
ning from either termini of the route. Although riders tration. There is no prize for inishing, and little fan- route in the world, but he has another motive as well.
can race the route at any time during the year, Hinder- fare at the “inish line.” A toll-free phone number with “I am primarily doing this as a fundraiser for the
man will depart June 13 as part of the “Grand Depart.”
voicemail is the only format that allows riders to ile Flathead Valley Ski Education Foundation and the new
The goal of a common start is for athletes to chal- ield reports and check in on one another’s progress. Ski Heritage Center Museum of Skiing,” he said.
lenge the route “in situ,” or under similar weather con- Voice messages are podcast on the race updates blog at Since he began soliciting pledges for miles ridden
ditions and with maximum daylight.
tourdivide.org, and riders who carry SPOT GPS mes- in support of the causes, Hinderman has raised nearly

The Montana section of the Great Divide Route has sengers are tracked via live tracker.
$25,000. A pledge of 10 cents per mile will raise $270. A
been called “a glorious 800-mile medley of ire and log- While pros competing in the Tour De France have pledge of $1 per mile will raise $2,700.
ging roads, jeep and singletrack trails,” and as a NoBo support groups, trainers, managers and medical staf The ski foundation formed in the early 1970s, when
Hinderman is ecstatic that he’ll be riding through his on hand, and riders in the Race Across America typi- local high schools dropped skiing as a sport, accord-
hometown on the home stretch.
cally have a crew of eight to 12 people and two to four ing to Hinderman. The foundation helped organize ski
“I’ve got a month set aside,” he said. “If I ride 100 support vehicles, the Great Divide Race adheres to one races on Big Mountain and continues to run the events
miles a day for 28 days I’ll be happy. Historically only central principle: do it yourself.
today.

half the riders inish, so that’s my ultimate goal.”
Navigational assistance, food supplies from a team, Hinderman said as long as there has been a ski foun-
Both Hammer Nutrition and Sportsman Ski Haus logistical support and replacement bikes are prohibit- dation, there has been a dream of opening a museum in
are sponsoring Hinderman, and he said the local sup- ed. Competitors can purchase food and stay at hotels, Whiteish.
port for the Flathead Valley Ski Education Foundation if they choose, but otherwise they’re on their own. Rid- In an efort to bring the goal to fruition, he and oth-
has been overwhelming.
ers carry all their own gear, and most camp out along er members of the ski foundation leased a city-owned
“I can’t say enough about my two sponsors and all of the mountainous route, riding from dawn and into the cabin near the Stumptown Ice Den for the ski history
the people in this community who are supporting the night before passing out when they are too fatigued to museum and hall of fame. Hinderman said the working
Foundation,” Hinderman said.
continue.
title of the museum is the Flathead Valley Skiing Heri-

[email protected]
The route crosses the Continental Divide 30 times, tage Center, and it will preserve artifacts and stories
reaching its highest point atop 11,900-feet Indiana Pass
from the early days of skiing on Big Mountain and in