Iohan Gueorguiev
Great Divide
Island Park, ID - South Pass City, WY 340 miles
I was told Yellowstone would be a zoo and remembering the vast empty parking lots, 4 rows of benches and large pullouts - I believe that. So I decided to follow the bike route into Wyoming.Grand Teton did not seem like a good place to hike with the rain and clouds, so I rode up Togwotee Pass with a student from Montreal. He started in San Diego and is riding back to Ontario and Quebec. His favorite part about touring is that he can eat anything. Although he had a bit too much when we stopped for lunch at a lodge, so I ended up leaving him in the dust before the pass. That doesn't happen often, so I must brag about it.
Next came Pinedale. You know how people say: "Don’t shop for food hungry"? Well... I visited the supermarket at 4pm, after only having breakfast. 3 packs of cookies and... 72 poptarts. Yeah...
Looked like there will be a hike in the wind river range, I rode out of town in the dark to set up camp in a field and listen to cows and coyotes as the stars came out.
Tailwinds took me up to the trailhead where I hung my extra food and hid my bike in the forest. Up here it seemed that everybody I met would tell me of their favorite spot that is not on the map! With a tip of two girls from Jackson, I set up camp at east fork valley where nearly vertical masses of rock meet cold glacial lakes, the setting sun... and uh... two black bears looking for food. I had to hike half a mile to find a tree high enough to hang my food.
Conversation between forestry workers and me:
"Are you part of that group from Mexico?"
"Nope."... "Can I pet her?"
"Yes, she likes you." Let me tell you, there is nothing like feeling a horse’s soft nose.
Then he asked:
"So... where in Mexico are you from?"
Boy. I’ve been getting some extra sun lately. Gotta find a mirror in town.
And 50 miles on the bike later I got there. South Pass City. 3 year round residents, one of whom I was fortunate to find during a snowstorm last November. Joe put me up in a heated cabin, it was -30F outside. As for tonight, there was one of the most vibrant sunsets of the ride so far and chatting with a hiker as the sky turned red, purple and grey.
- IMAGES OF THE ROAD -
Iohan Gueorguiev
Gear List
- My Ride -
- My Blackburn Gear -
- BIKE SPECS -
- • FRAME-NINER SIR 9 CHROMO, 142MM X 12MM THRU AXLE
- • FORK-NINER SIR 9 RIGID, 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
- • STEM-TRUVATIV STYLO T40 STEM SEVERAL SIZES
- • HANDLEBARS-TRUVATIV STYLO T40 RISER 700MM WIDE, 15MM RISE
- • TAPE / GRIPS- WTB TECH TRAIL CLAMP ON
- • SADDLE-WTB VOLT TEAM, 142MM WIDE
- • SEAT POST-TRUVATIV STYLO T40 SEATPOST 27.2MM DIA, 400MM LENGTH
- • 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
- •
Iohan Gueorguiev
- FROM: Ontario, Canada
- DOB: 1999-11-30
- OCCUPATION: Adventurer
- What was the genesis moment or inspiration for the upcoming adventure? After starting the GDMBR in mid-October and having to hop out in December at Colorado, I always wondered if I would ever get a second chance. Later I learned of the first bike ride of the Continental Divide Trail and also wondered, how cool that would be. During a rather cold January in Utah I heard about the Blackburn Ranger program, connected the bits and pieces and there was only one logical choice: apply to be on the team and bikepack the CDT.
- Have your traveled by bike in the past? In 2013 I crashed down a hill on my road bike which left me with a broken collar bone, two broken hands and a 3 month recovery period. To make it through I thought of biking from Vancouver to Ontario. So I did it, then Toronto to Halifax in winter. I was hooked, in 2014 I took time off school and set off to bike from the Arctic Ocean to British Columbia. And then, Alaska to Argentina. I've made it as far as Mexico and am looking forward to riding the CDT and continuing down south as part of the Blackburn team.
- What is your goal for the route? I have few ideas, most importantly: have fun, stop and smell the flowers (oh yeah - it won't be winter so there actually will be flowers), find out more about the CDT trail hiking community, do as much as CDT as possible, find time to ride the Colorado trail and spend some time in Moab, Utah. I'll also be filming on the way (nothing fancy) and continuing the "SEE THE WORLD" series on which follow my bike trip south. Video is such a great way to try and share the wild and unpredictable story of the open road!
- What do you hope to get out of this journey? One always has some expectations with trips like these but the moment you set a wheel on the dirt it all changes. I want to see how bikepacking compares to fully loaded touring and see if it's something I can adopt and continue doing for the rest of my around-the-world bike trip. Aside from that - create memories, make new friends and meet old ones, explore and get lost in the Rockies.
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What's in my bag?
Buff, Gopro, Alaska License plate,Turtle (which I had on my first bike trip, and ever since)
