A Route along the Eastern Continental Divide

Finally!!! A route
Eastern Continental Divide: A route designed to be ridden on a dual sport motorcycle.
Start in Oconee State Park, SC Finish at the triple point near Sweden, Pennsylvania.

Eastern Contintneal Divide on RidewithGPS.com

2011 Tour Divide excerpts

Ride the Divide movie trailer: Ride the Divide

In the Beginning, Crazy Larry:   Meet Crazy Larry (the video came out sideways, so you may want to watch whilst reclining on your left side.)

 Crazy Larry, Banff Celebrity: Canadian Local TV Coverage of Crazy Larry

Call in to MTB Cast from Columbia Falls: MTB Cast Columbia Falls Call in
Call in to MTB Cast from Lincoln: MTB Cast Lincoln Call in
Call in to MTB Cast from Helena:  MTB Cast Helena Call in

Near my end, descent into Butte on I-15  Descent into Butte Montana

Expedition Bikepacking Equipment list, based on updates made after my 2011 Tour divide:
             Expedition Bikepacking (Tour Divide) Equipment list 

Project 74 R90/6

Photo Gallery of my Airhead project bike: a 1974 BMW R90/6

I inherited this bike from my late Father in January 2011. It is in good to excellent mechanical condition but a little rough aesthetically. My project strategy is to get it back to safe and reliable condition first and then focus on the aesthetics.  The over all goal is to enjoy local rides in the Upstate SC. It will stay in the family and is not for sale.

Records I found indicate it had 4793 miles in 1991. When my Dad purchased it in 1997 for $2615 it had 53,800 miles. When I got it, the odometer showed 64,000+ miles. My Dad rode it locally in Greenwood SC and trailer-ed it to Daytona Beach and some BMW Motorcycle Rally's in the Southeast. I estimated he rode no more than 10,000 miles  in the 14 years he owned it. As he aged he rode it less and less. He put one set of tires on it.

As with many of these classic BMW's, the instrument cluster was in rough condition (brittle plastic) and the odometer and trip meter do not work. During my rides, I observed the odometer actually running backwards! I replaced the instrument cluster with a reconditioned one I found at  Recycle BMW Parts. http://www.re-psycle.com/

At one time  in its history the bike was fitted with a large touring fairing and was used to tour the US between 1991 and 1997.  The fairing had its own wiring and turn signals. My Dad removed the fairing and returned the wiring for the ignition switch and front lights to its original configurations. The ignition key does not match the fork lock or the seat lock, leading me to believe the ignition switch used with the fairing was not original. I have replaced the main wiring harness and the engine wiring harness. All wiring is currently sound.

I add pictures as progress is made.

The items I have completed thus far are:

Replace main wiring harness
Replace main engine harness
Replace air filer housing cover
Replace tool box
Change oil in front forks
Replace rear shocks
Replace instrument cluster
Replace front turn signals
Replace fork boots
Remove large clear fairing and install smaller clear fairing (helps with aerodynamics)
Clean gas tank, petcock filters and replace inline gas filters (2).
New tires
Replace Speedometer cable
Replace rubber cable caps throughout
Carbs cleaned and balanced
Valve adjustments checked and validated

Some of my favorite cycling routes and the Eastern Continental Divide

Ride with GPS route files

The Eastern Continental Divide is some topography that is of interest for creating a cycling route. This notion is inspired in part by the Western Continental Divide route named "the Great Divide" that is used in the Tour Divide.

A "project" of mine, (not really mine) is to propose a route. Links to info about the Eastern Continental Divide (ECD) begin with: Wikipedia Eastern Continental Divide, ECD GPS info for Ga, ECD GPS info for NC.

Work has already  been done on the ECD section from the triple point in Pennsylvania to the Mason Dixon line:
ECD Pennsylvania to Mason Dixon Line

Here is a link to a route I have been stitching together based on the Trans North Ga route, the SC Connector, and the Pisgah Traverse: ECD Ga SC Pisgah
This section runs North to South, is 620 miles and features an estimated 89,000 feet of climbing. It crosses the ECD at least 6 times.

More work is needed. If you know the areas between Old Fort NC and the Mason Dixon Line and can propose a route, please contact me.

SouthEast Climb data:  SE Hill Climb data spreadsheet

My bikepacking equipment list - Pre-Tour Divide

Equipment choice is something I take seriously. I have had enough adventures in my life where having the right equipment made the difference between success and failure. In choosing equipment listed in the linked table, I pursued the following characteristics: 


1) Reliability - will it function as designed and not fail in the field?


2) Weight - I targeted lighter weight choices if they existed, but because I am a larger person, I have learned that lighter weight often comes with decreased reliability.


3) Multipurpose - can it be used for more than one purpose - thereby simplifying the number of pieces of equipment?


4) Made in the USA - I work in manufacturing and have a bias towards goods made in the US.


5) Availability - items need to be serviceable along the Tour Divide route. Bike shops don't necessarily stock high end equipment sold in internet bike shop boutiques and catalogs.


The equipment was tested during 7 multi-day outings in every kind of weather condition. The weights I report were measured with an electronic table top balance. Total loaded bike weight was 45-50 lbs depending on water and food.


After the Tour Divide, I have made the following changes to my set-up.


1) Switched to a Shimano XT 3 x 9 drivetrain - wider gear options, serviceable anywhere.
2) Switched to Pearl Izumi Trans Alp Enduro II shoes - better to walk in
3) Garmin MapGPS 62sc - more memory, mapping GPS, push buttons easier to use.
4) Not carrying snow shoes anymore.


I purchase all my own equipment and have not received any endorsement or sponsorship.


Link to equipment table --->Ridlehuber Bikepacking equipment table

2011 TDR Ride report - final

My ride report for Banff through Butte (where I pulled out).

Click to launch presentation ---> 2011 TDR Richard Ridlehuber report

Features: scenery around Banff; Meet Crazy Larry; The start at YWCA; Riders: David Horton, Derek Bentley, Dale Shadley, Bob Anderson; the Stryker snow section; Holland Lake lodge; the treacherous road wash out near Ovando; Wickes Pass Dilemna; and my decision to withdraw due to injury. There is no sound track other than the video sections. Created in MS Powerpoint with 5 second slide transition. Good for family and friends or people new to the event. The GPS tracks shown at the beginning of each day are my own compared to the routes. I also show elevation profiles. There are no GPS mapping errors in the profiles - the climbs are as steep as they appear.   Enjoy

Some last minutes facts and figures (for those who like numbers)

Richard's weight at Start - 210 lbs, 14% body fat (by impedance method)

Miles ridden since December 5, 2010 = 4038
Number of Bikepacking trips done for training = 5 (3 in the mtns, 2 on rolling terrain)
Max number of feet climbed on a loaded bike in 1 day = 9600/120 miles
Steepest grade ridden on loaded bike - 17% for 0.2 miles (Green River Cove road)

Number of bears seen = 0
Number of deers seen = plenty
Other critters seen = not many

Weight of bike and gear (without snow shoes) 49 lbs (I will send unneeded equipment home as I go)


The sun rise in the Northern parts of the course is 4:30 AM.
Sunset is 9:45 PM.
Avg night time temp is upper 20's to mid 30's on most of the course (due to elevation)