Following Adventure Cycling's epic Great Divide Route, the Great Divide Race (GDR) is the longest mountain bike race in the world. Riders travel 2,490 miles of mostly unpaved road and trail, crisscrossing the Continental Divide 28 times. Truly a grassroots event, there is no entry fee, prize money, and little to no media coverage of the ride. Taking the challenge to stratospheric levels is the fact that riders are entirely self-supported – they carry everything they need on their bikes and backs.

 

What follows are a series of pictures taken by Aaron Teasdale (ateasdale@adventurecycling.org) on the first day of the 2006 race. The first shots are rider portraits, the latter are shots of them in action.

 

To learn more about the Great Divide Race, click here. To learn more about Adventure Cycling's Great Divide Route, click here. Check out a new race on the route this year, the Tour Divide.