Update from Jay Petervary: Sun and Snow - The Baja Divide and the Fat Pursuit

 

Subscribe   Loving the Journey on the Baja Divide   Last month I was fortunate to be able to check out the Baja Divide, a 1,700-mile route down the length of the Baja California peninsula. Instead of setting out to race others or the clock, I did it as a tour with a friend, and I have to say, what a cool trip.  The route is an amazing gift that Nick and Lael gave the entire long-distance cycling community. It's laid out very well with a good flow and feels intentional. You hear a lot of talk about sand in Baja but there's plenty of rough, rocky double track and variety of terrain and climates as you cross back and forth over the coastal range. I'd say that the challenging nature of the route caught us off guard. To meet our initial goal of 70-mile days it would have taken us from sun up to sun down, literally.      That was okay though because we got to know the amazing and friendly people that live along the route and we benefited from so much trail magic. Everyone was incredibly generous with food, water, and drinks, and we could stop and buy supplies even at people's tiny houses in the middle of what felt like nowhere. They were also more conscientious about COVID than people are here in the US. We had great encounters with fishermen and village people.  There were plenty of dogs along the way and even they were friendly.     Even though the route has only been published for four years, it seems like the people who live in the villages along the peninsula are already familiar with the economic benefit of having cyclists pass through, just like on the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route in the US, and they seemed as grateful to see us as we were to see them.  I would highly recommend this experience and I'm already figuring out a way to get back down there to try it again.     Baja Gear Breakdown I am so glad to have chosen the titanium Why Cycles Wayward for the Baja Divide. Titanium is extremely durable and comfortable, which are definitely important attributes for this route. The Wayward does not have that slightly "soft" feeling that I've noticed on many ti bikes, and it has great power transfer. The 29+ platform seems exactly right for Baja. It handles a heavy load with great stability, rolls through the chunky, sandy terrain with ease and holds great momentum.  Preparing for a three-week tour required a very different mindset than my usual race preparation, so I laid out a spreadsheet to help me pack. Check out the list below and feel free to print for yourself and use, or ask questions about any of my gear. I brought all the creature comforts that I never pack when racing, like a stove, chair, solar panel, tent, casual clothes, and even a kite! I used almost every item (but didn't fly the kite, unfortunately) and it was so fun to travel with a more relaxed attitude.  Of course, because I'm me, I definitely want to get back to the route as soon as possible to try it in light and fast style. I am really looking forward to that.       You might have already heard that out of respect for the safety of participants and the eastern Idaho community, the Fat Pursuit race has been replaced with a choose-your-own adventure. For event details and registration go to FatPursuit.com.  This is not a race, this is a winter adventure challenge that you can do anywhere (as long as it's mostly on snow). The thing I'm excited about is that by taking the finish line out of the equation, everyone will have a chance to practice those winter travel systems that you wouldn't with the pressure of racing. The 200K participants will still be required to boil water, a Fat Pursuit tradition, but hey, why not go above and beyond--wade through a creek, build a fire, bivy overnight. If you do still want to come out to Island Park the weekend of January 8 to ride, run, or ski the course (find the GPX files for those here) there's a pretty good chance you'll see me out there, sleeping outside, riding with friends, sitting around a campfire, maybe drinking some whiskey.  The winter fat bike camps are still happening! There will be an immersive Fat Camp and shorter, more focused Fat Pursuit Camp, so if you're interested in learning as much as possible about riding and racing in the whole range of winter conditions, check FatPursuit.com/FatCamp for more information.   Podcast Alert! I talked about Baja, the Fat Pursuit, and a whole lot more in Adam Blake's Pneu Podcast. If you want to take a listen to that, click here.