Amanda Delcore
Great Divide
People Along the Way
One of the biggest surprises I've had on this trip has been the openness, kindness, and generosity of people I don't know. I won't call them strangers, because it seems too harsh of a word. Despite the somewhat heavily traveled continental divide, I've been surprised how many people strike up a conversation with me simply based on the appearance of my bike. I have to remember that Bikepacking is novel to many people, and to whom it's not, they are excited about it. So just that in itself open doors.
And there were times when I really needed some open doors.
I won't name them all now, but I will talk about a few... Just so you get the picture.
The Great Divide Cyclery
There was Dan and Lani in Helena, Montana. After being beaten into town by a pace line of Dutch riders (otherwise known as "Team Holland"), Jeni and I were looking for a bike shop that sold Platypus bladders, because I'd gotten a hole in mine. Dan at Great Divide Cyclery (406-443-5188) answered the phone after hours, and told me to come by anyway. Jeni and I explained that we hadn't found the campsite yet. Dan (the owner of the shop) explained that the site was miles out of town, and the couple offered up their backyard, and then their spare bedroom for us to stay the night. In the morning, Dan let us do a little bike maintenance on the deck and he made us smoothies. UNREAL.
I should mention that 2 other people in the town of Helena offered us a place to stay as well after they heard we were bike touring. Something is going on in that town.
Centennial Lodge and its Real American Cowboys
Then there was Casey who worked with the Centennial Outfitters whom we met in at Jan's cafe in Lima over breakfast (yes we are there for dinner the night before too). He advised us on back road conditions after a huge downpour, and gave us the number for the lodge along the way.
Turns out, it was the rainiest, muddiest day that we ever had. We stayed the night at the Centennial Lodge, were given a dinner, and Seth (a 13 yr old cowboy) basically tended to all our needs and told us all about outfitting. Casey helped us get a jump on the next muddy section of road the next morning, and we were able to do 85 map miles in only 70 miles that day. (Jeni and I were on a tight timeline to get her to Jackson in time for her flight home.) He was going that way, but took the time to get our bikes on the truck.
Ann and Ken and the RV
The second to last day of her trip, Jeni went rubber side up on a gravel descent. She bit the gravel pretty good, got a mild concussion and a bunch of deep wounds. Luckily, we were riding with 4 other riders at the time (we were going through the grizzly relocation area... safety in numbers), so there were plenty of people to help. A car of vacationers took Jeni the 10 miles to the nearest establishment. After much figuring and some cursory checkup work by the forest rangers, Jeni and I decided to get down to Jackson, Wyoming that night to have access to better medical services. There aren't many pictures of her wounds because we had so many other things to think about.
Namely, Jackson is one of the most expensive mountain towns I've ever been to, and we had nowhere to stay. We were just booking a very expensive hotel room when I proposed we wander into town to get some food and see who was around. Literally the first people we run into start asking us about our bikes and what we are doing. When they heard about Jeni's accident, they pretty much immediately offered up their vacant RV and hotel shower. Turns out, they'd done some bike touring themselves and Ann had been in a bike accident the year before. They went above and beyond what most people would probably do on their vacation... They gave us a free place, a warm shower, and a sense of comfort.
A lift from the Green Berets
In more recent history, a new cycling buddy from Philly has joined me on the Wyoming leg of the trip. Damien unfortunately aggravated his Achilles on the first day. We stayed in a lodge for a whole day to give him a chance to heal, but then decided to press on the next day. The plan was that I would ride to the top of the pass, and Damien would get a ride to spare his Achilles. Turns out, it was rough trying to hitchhike with a fully loaded bike. After 3 long, demoralizing hours, a cyclist came up the road. He was a green beret, and was cycling the county to raise money and awareness for PTSD. Not but a few minutes before a super cool sag wagon with an open spot on the bike rack had ridden by. Fortunately for Damien, the sag wagon turned around and gave him a lift not just to the top of the pass, but to the lodge where I was waiting for him. They were a huge help in getting Damien back in the bike.
John and Lucky Fandek and their super nice cabin
Then there are your regular bike trail saints, who offer up a cabin for cyclists passing by. These people are not totally uncommon. (Although always appreciated!) to give you an idea, an ACA map side is about 200-250 miles per side. On each map side, you'll pass about 2 houses that have opened their doors or cabin to cyclists.
John and Lucky Fandek are one such couple. Their tiny cabin fits a couple comfortably, or a pair uncomfortably, or a couple at odds uncomfortably as there is one bed and some floor space. I should have a picture gallery just for their cabin but I don't have time for that. We talked to John and he said he gets about a half dozen people every year to stay.
And so to everyone who has helped me along my journey so far... THANK YOU! The media says the world is full of dangerous and crazy people, but the world so far has shown me that the good guys are outnumbering the bad guys.
- IMAGES OF THE ROAD -
Amanda Delcore
Gear List
- My Ride -
- My Blackburn Gear -
- EQUIPMENT LIST -
- • Giro LA DND glove - size medium
- • Giro Monica glove - size medium
- • Giro – size 38
- • 20 deg sleeping bag
- • Head mosquito net
- • GPS Spot Tracker
- • Omaker Speaker
- • Dog Pepper Spray
- • Blackburn Central 700 Front Light
- • Headlamp
- • Whisperlite International
- • Fuel Canister (no fuel inside)
- • GSI stove set
- • GSI camp coffee pour-over thingy
- • Trusty compass
- • Garmin ETREX20
- • Anker 2nd Gen 9600MAH external battery pack
- • KLYMIT x-frame sleeping pad (desert camo print!)
- • Camp cup
- • Llwh token
- • First aid kit
- • Emergency blanket
- • Platypus water system
- • Camp towel
- • Bic razor
- • Face sunscreen
- • Chapstick
- • Hair product
- • Sunscreen
- • All-Purpose soap
- • Drbronners
- • Camp knife
- • Dznuts
- • Roll up REI backpack
- CLOTHING -
- • Raincoat
- • 2x tank tops
- • Columbia SPF 40 long sleeve
- • Camp skirt
- • Bikini top
- • 2x bra
- • Bandana
- • 3x undies
- • Warm gloves
- • Warm base leggings
- • Rohancycling arm warmers
- GIRO CYCLING GEAR -
- • Wool jersey and vest
- • T-shirt
- • Warm top base layer
- • 2x socks (#inkin toe socks/Giro wool)
- • Cycling short (#ppt thin chamoux/ Giro Undershort)
- • Giro Overshort
- BIKE GEAR -
- • Bike tube
- • Chain break that someone almost broke
- • Stans
- • Rubber bands
- • Electrical and duct tape (yes I wrapper around my handlebars)
- • Tire lever (but I won't use them promise @TOPHERVALENTI )
- • Patch kit
- • 3x spokes
- • Tubeless patch kit
- • Master link for MSRAMMTB 1 X 11
- • Chain lube
- • Super glue
- • Brake pads
- • Zip ties
- • Spoke wrench
- • Extra valve/core
- • Nuts
- • Derailleur cable
- • Blackburn CENTRAL 100/20 COMBO
- • Blackburn WAYSIDE CO2/OUTPOST HV
- • Blackburn Cargo Cage
- • Blackburn Outpost Seat Pack
- • Blackburn Outpost Handlebar Roll
- • Blackburn WAYSIDE CO2/OUTPOST HV pump
- • Blackburn Multitool- Toolmanator 12
- • Blackburn Outpost Frame Bag
- BIKE SPECS -
- • Frame- Niner SIR 9 size small CHROMO, 142MM X 12MM THRU AXLE
- • Fork-NINER SIR 9RIGID, 853 (9MM QR) OR CARBON RDO (15MM AXLE)
- • Front Wheel-SRAM ROAM 50 29
- • Rear wheel-SRAM ROAM 50 29
- • Front tire-WTB WOLVERINE 29
- • Rear tire-WTB WOLVERINE 29
- • Inner tubes-WTB INNERTUBE PRESTA 29
- • Sealant-WTB TCS SEALANT 500mL
- • Crank set-SRAM XX1 175MM
- • Chainwheels-SRAM XX1 CNC-X-SYNC DRICT MOUNT, SEVERAL SIZES
- • Bottom Bracket-SRAM GPX 73MM
- • Chain-SRAM PC-XX1
- • Rear derailleur-SRAM XX1 X-HORIZON
- • Rear der shifter-SRAM XX1 TRIGGER SHIFTER
- • Cassette-SRAM XG-1199 10-42T
- • Headset- Niner
- • Star Nut-Niner
- • Headset Cap-Niner
- • Headset Spacers-Niner
- • Stem-TRUVATIV STYLO T40 STEM SEVERAL SIZES
- • Handlebars- TRUVATIV STYLO T40 RISER 700MM WIDE, 15MM RISE
- • Tape/Grips- WTB TECH TRAIL CLAMP ON
- • Saddle (Women's)-WTB DEVA SLT
- • Seat Post-TRUVATIV STYLO T40 SEATPOST 27.2MM DIA, 400MM LENGTH
- • Seat Post Clamp/Binder-Niner
- • Front Brake-SRAM GUIDE RSC POST MOUNT, 160MM ROTOR, >1,000MM HOSE
- • Rear Brake-SRAM GUIDE RSC POST MOUNT, 160MM ROTOR, >1,800MM HOSE
- • Brake Levers-SRAM GUIDE RSC
- • Brake Housing/CBL-SRAM
Amanda Delcore
- FROM: Philadelphia, PA
- DOB: 1999-11-30
- OCCUPATION: Adventurer
- Genesis moment for the trip I was visiting the Radavist website and I saw the Blackburn #outthere banner ad. Congratulations… the marketing worked. I was probably at work, day-dreaming, like most outdoor enthusiasts. I had always wanted to hike the Continental Divide in Colorado… Prior to learning about the Blackburn Ranger program, I even blocked out a month in my work calendar to hike the CDT in a sort of act of defiance. Seeing the Blackburn Ranger program got me thinking… why not bike it? I did some research, I admittedly didn’t contemplate the consequences, and started scheming furiously about how to make a killer application video.
- Have I traveled by bike in the past? Yes I bike toured parts of Maine and New Hampshire solo. I biked from Portland, Maine to the White Mountains of New Hampshire; I camped, did day-trip summits in the morning and rode to the next spot in the afternoon. I also bike toured the Blue Ridge Parkway in early spring.
- Goal for the route? I’m not one much for goals. I shy away from formally setting goals, because I find that reward is fleeting and there’s not much else to do but set a new goal. And in units of time, the route to achieving a goal is almost the entirety of the experience. For me, the real reward is the process of following an interest or a curiosity. I am interested in inspiring other females to bikepack; to this end I’m running a Women’s Bikepacking Series in my hometown of Philadelphia. I am curious to see if I can replicate this series in some way during the tour. I am also keen to ride with friends and make new connections in the cycling community; as a start, there are at least three different people riding with me during different parts of the trip.
- Hope to get out of the journey? A deeper understanding of myself and my capabilities. I hope to learn how to endure the extremes of nature and everything in between. I think much of our lives are setup to spend most of the day indoors, and we miss out on how pleasant and how ugly nature can be. On this trip there will be mornings that are cool, clear, and sunny, but there will also be afternoons of thunderstorms or intense heat. I hope to gain an appreciation for the full spectrum of nature and the patience to roll with it.
- What’s in my bag? I’m not there yet in my packing…. : / I think they are going to be my lumbar pack, a thumb piano or another tiny musical instrument, a bandana, and ??? I’ll try to figure this part out in the next week and a half.
