Cycling the Great Divide: From Canada to Mexico on America's Premier Long Distance Mountain Bike Route (Paperback)

~ (Author) "The Great Divide Mountain Bike Route is the world's longest mapped off-pavement cycling route..." (more)
Key Phrases: dispersed campsites, road going right, watershed divide, County Road, State Highway, Great Divide (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

ABC OF AVALANCHE SAFETY 3RD ED

Product Details

• Paperback: 222 pages
• Publisher: Mountaineers Books (June 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0898866987
• ISBN-13: 978-0898866988
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #120,700 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #7 in	Books > Outdoors & Nature > Outdoor Recreation > Cycling > Mountain Biking
  #26 in	Books > Outdoors & Nature > Outdoor Recreation > Cycling > Excursion Guides
  #63 in	Books > Travel > Canada

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must-have for riding the Great Divide, January 18, 2002

By	J. Hearn (Irvine, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Whether you're planning on riding the whole thing at once or just just doing a section of it, I'd strongly recommend getting this book. My wife and I rode entire length in the summer of 2000, and we carried this book on the outside of our packs in a plastic bag at all times. We referred to it at least once every day. Like in any guide-book, there are a few confusing spots, but on the whole, the author (one of the original trail planners) has done a great job. He not only keeps you on the right path, he also points out various places you should visit, gives some historic perspective, and more. The book will surely make your experience more enjoyable.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Book on the Great Divide, March 27, 2003

By	alys culhane (Butte, MT) - See all my reviews

Michael McCoy's Cycling the Great Divide: From Canada to Mexico on America's Premier Long Distance Mountain Bike Route is an essential item for those who are planning to bicycle or hike all of the Adventure Cycling route.

As McCoy notes in his well-written and informative introduction, this isn't an easy trek. Uneven terrain, adverse weather conditions, and a lack of water and essential services are often the norm.

As I found, having the book on hand better enabled me to plan ahead. For instance, my discovering that the climb over Indiana Pass would be long and difficult prompted me to begin my cycling day early, which in retrospect was fortuitious in that had I dilly-dallied, I would would have been caught in a late-afternoon snow-storm.

One the book's many strengths is that it includes a much-needed daily route synopsis. Though I am directionally challenged, I did not miss a single turn, not even in New Mexico, where many of the roads and trail heads are unmarked.

Sightseeing, points-of-interest, and photos have been included. I was often glad of this -- as I remarked to some onlookers, if McCoy hadn't pointed these things out to me, my trip would have been more of a slog than it was. For instance, if he hadn't mentioned that the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad passes through southern New Mexico, I would have missed it.

The historical information is also a plus in that it will appeal to both tenters and armchair readers. There was many an evening when (because the sun set early) I was glad I had this book on hand.

The material in this book also complements the Adventure Cycling maps. In retrospect, my trip was without incident, in part because I had both on hand.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good luck figuring out where to go without this book, December 12, 2002

By	Michael Cline (Vancouver, B.C.) - See all my reviews

If you are riding the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route, you MUST have this book. This is an awesome route - Mike McCoy and the gang did a great job of researching it. One comment on the writing though -- when he uses the word 'steep', he means 'extremely steep', and when he says 'extremely steep', he means 'don't even try to ride your bike up this with a fully loaded bike'. A 'respectable climb' is really a lung-buster. Just expect everything to be a little harder than he makes it sound, and then you wont feel angry because it is not as easy as he makes it out to be. I think he must have either rode it without being fully loaded, or he is a very strong man! Anyhow, if you ride the Great Divide, you will have fun.. I guarantee it.