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Thanks Dan.

Hi, I'm glad you enjoyed the videos Jean! I hope all goes well and you have a great ride when get out on the GDMBR!! Cheers!

Thanks…hope you enjoyed it!

Hi James, apology for the late response… I have no problem getting together for a coffee while I’m on a bicycle tour in the UK right now so I think it would be a little difficult, however, if you want to send me your questions I will be more than happy to answer them. When is your departure date? You must be getting really excited!

@@reinhartbigl367 Awesome! Some are a bit personal so I'll say cheers and will 'figure it all out' on the trail. Thanks for getting back to me :)

OK James, hope you have a great ride, and again if you do have any questions, feel free to PM me.

Thanks…glad you’re enjoying the series! Will you be riding the route?

Thanks Cindy! I took the Brewster bus from Calgary Airport to Banff. I took my bike (in the box I flew with) and it wasn't a problem. Also, they delivered me to the HI Banff hostel , which was great as it's up on Tunnel Mountain. No problem with the bike box in the luggage hold of the bus. If you are considering Brewster, I would inform them in advance (if you can) that you have a bike box. I hope this helps and have a great ride! Cheers!

Thank you Peter...really glad you enjoyed the ride!

Hey James, glad you're enjoying the videos! I began my ride on Aug 9th. Sorry you feel that way about Nigel, but he really is a very nice fellow and was a pleasure to ride with! Cheers!

@@reinhartbigl367 My apologies to Nigel. I’m looking forward to seeing the rest of your trip. Thank you for getting back to me 😀

Thanks for your comment...I just re-watched that day as I was trying to figure out what you might be referring to... I hope you otherwise found the video enjoyable...have a great day!

@@reinhartbigl367 some gringos are born to complain. not our problem.

Sorry to hear…perhaps facetime?

Let me know if/when you want to connect...

Hey Graham, glad the video series has helped with your upcoming plans for the ride! Sure, we can chat/zoom if you wish…when were you thinking??

@@reinhartbigl367 sunday; tomorrow,at 6? I can drop a google meet link into this reply chain

Reinhart - could you do 6 today? I can drop a google meet link into comments. Let me know.

@@grahammarks9684 sorry, just getting to this now…now or 6 works…

From what I've read and heard, the alternate for Lava Mountain was a tad longer, but not as challenging...I guess the only way to find out for sure is for us to do the ride again, but this time taking the routes we didn't ride last summer! ;-). Cheers!

@@reinhartbigl367 the trail was pretty rough. the gain wasn't the problem. Id go thru Helena next time and get a good meal

August 9th

Thanks Rob! I completely forgot to mention that I too have a satellite communication device (ZOLEO) and used it for sending/receiving emails and checking weather through my iPhone 14 when out of cell range...and it all worked seamlessly! The battery on the ZOLEO was great (2 - 3 days). Good to know that you got much more battery life out of your phone in low power mode...will keep that in mind for my next ride!

Thank you Dave....really glad you came along for the ride! Cheers buddy!

You are more than welcome Jason! Thanks!

Glad you enjoyed the ride Mike...and thanks for sharing your thoughts about the series. I've been looking at dedicated GPS units for years, and as mentioned, just couldn't see the point in parting with several hundred $$ for a function that my phone can do...but I am impressed with the additional functionality they provide...and one day I may make the leap... Regardless, the maps and app that the ACA provide are invaluable. I'm sure your F/R rack setup will be bombproof...just remember to tighten the screws before you leave! ;-) Have a great ride Mike!!

You're welcome John! Although there is no tag showing the capacity, when compared to the 5L dry bags I was using and the sizing options for the Orca, I believe they are the 12.5L size. I hope this helps!

@@reinhartbigl367 Thanks Reinhart.

You're welcome Tim! Whitefish is a great place to start! That's a great idea re sticker on the bar to remind yourself of what side of the road to ride on...it's the one thing that has me a bit concerned about riding in the UK...LOL! I'm sure you're going to have a great ride Tim. Although the busier parts of the route will of course require you to ride on the right, there are many sections where you will likely ride on whatever side is the smoothest, if at all! ;-) Cheers!

@@reinhartbigl367 Reinhart, I’ve planned as far as Grants NM. I have given myself options in certain areas, like a taxi in WY if conditions are not favourable across the basin,and I will use alternate routes in other spots. I will see how strong I am in CO and take it from there. I have a 90 day entry permit and will use that and a bit more is necessary. Cheers, Tim

Thank you David! Cheers!

Thank you Curtis...glad you enjoyed the videos...I guess all rides have to end at some point! :-) I thought it would be fitting to share some of the takeaways from the ride...as I appreciated very much the videos of past riders sharing what worked and their thoughts post-ride. It was fun re-living the experience in the editing process! Cheers!

Glad you liked the recap and thank you very much! Cheers!

Hi, look out for me on the trail. I’m starting from Whitefish on 28th June. I’ll be the old guy on the fully laden dual sus Trek Fuel😂 Have a great ride!

I'm sure conditions will be more favourable for your start at the end of June...did you venture down the trail at all to see what's coming? I'm very much looking forward to LEJOG, thanks! I'm sure you're going to have a an epic ride this summer! Cheers!

@arcoulant87 Best of luck on your Divide ride this summer, enjoy our mountains. Happy trails!

Oh no...poor dog, hope it wasn't too much work to remove them!!

Thanks!! Glad you liked the ride! Settling when I got home was not easy...I had that ride in me for such a long time...even to this day! Best solution is to go through the pics and put something together that represents the ride and share it...and start planning the next ride! Hang in there....it get's better! I hope that the LEJOG ride goes well...from what I've read, it's going to be amazing!

Hi Ray, I recorded almost all of the moving shots with the knuckled support attached to the handlebar...and on occasion, I removed it to get shots to the left, right and closer to the road...such is the convenience of the clamp that holds the support to the handlebar. Hope this helps!

@@reinhartbigl367 wow that’s amazing … the stabilization is really something That really helps .. thanks! I’ll just bring the knuckle thing and not bring a chest mount. I’ve been making day by day notes .. to help me a bit. Nice that you’re a warm showers host .. I am also. But haven’t had anyone stay yet

Hi Ray, I didn't find the cabin on Warmshowers, rather I found the cabin, with contact info, was a POI on the ACA BicycleNavigator App using the GDMBR GPX files. Hope this helps!

@@reinhartbigl367 oh interesting - ok that's good to know and I'll make a note. BTW there are two formats of files from ACA, the app and then the GPX ... did you buy both?

I bought the physical, 6-map set as well as the App files...the app of course is free, but you have to pay for the gpx files that the app uses. I used my iPhone for navigation so I bought the set that the app uses. I found the app/gpx files crucial to ensure one doesn't get lost...and the paper maps were invaluable as they are super detailed and have tons of info...and I like paper maps! :-)

@@reinhartbigl367thanks again Reinhart. I might ping you again though ! -)

Hi Ray, in general, no issues with the running shoes (I brought a pair of sandals as well)...however it would have been a bit nicer to have lite hikers on for some of the hike-a-bike sections. Note too that I wore booties over my running shoes when it was wet and/or raining, which worked out really well. I used the contact info for the Orvando caboose/tee-pee from the ACA BicycleNavigator app's GPS files. I highly recommend purchasing the app files from ACA, and the physical maps too...a bit of an expense, but well worth it IMHO. Hope this helps!

@@reinhartbigl367 great thanks -- ! booties? kind of have me curious about that now -) I haven't bought the ACA maps and app files yet but will. I'll probably run the ACA ap on my phone and GPX Ridewithgps file on my Garmin

They are indeed! Blew me away when I got to that first clearing on the road...I was very fortunate to have the view with a clear blue sky! That must have been a wonderful trip...and just before COVID! Ya, I could have shaved more...LOL!!!

Thanks...glad you're enjoying the ride! Yes, the audio quality and balance between voice and music could be better...as this is my first foray into video recording a tour, part of the purpose of this series was to learn what works and what doesn't...and what I'll need to do to produce better quality content for the future. Thanks for your remark! Cheers!

Hi Tim, to the best of my knowledge (and research) there isn't a link to reserve...it has to be done by phone. Unfortunately, I don't have the phone number for the ranch, however I'm sure someone on one of the forums in FB or other GDMBR forums will be able to provide. Good luck and have a great ride!

Thanks Fred! It was an amazing ride for sure! Hope you enjoyed the ride! Cheers!

Thank you so much....glad you enjoyed the ride! Good to know that May is may be a good month for riding LEJOG...but I'll have rain gear as just in case! ;-) Cheers!

You're welcome...and thanks! I hope you have similar weather on your ride...regardless, you're gonna love it! Cheers!

Thank you!! Ya, a lot of viewers were wondering what happened to Nigel...glad you're enjoying the ride! :-)

Wow, that's quite the complement...thank you!! :-) I'm really glad it's helping you prepare for that ride...you're gonna love it! I hope I didn't give too much away! Cheers!

Thank you for coming along! Hope you had fun! :-)

Thanks bud!! Glad you enjoyed it and that you feel it'll help in the planning of your ride in '25! You may notice at first that the clips weren't as long, but as I continued in post production, I figured that "it's the ride" that would be common to everyone who has ridden it or plan to...and to allow those who do not plan on doing the ride, to get a true sense of it...and so I extended the edits to include longer time on the sections (that said, I still cut out quite a bit from the original footage...). Thanks for hangin' in there for all 53 days...I know the audio quality was brutal in much of it (thank god for the CZcams studio's music selection...). I do plan on posting a wrap up video fairly soon...however if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask...I love answering questions! Cheers man!

Thanks...glad you had fun! It was one of those jobs that take a long time to do...and for me, if I don't tackle it and keep at it until it's done, there's a chance that it'll get pushed aside by other tasks and languish for months if not years...such is life! Also, it was a great way to re-live the ride. Having a patient and understanding wife also helps! ;-)

Thanks Jim, my pleasure...good to know the videos are helping you plan your ride...you're gonna love it! Cheers!

Thank you! I'm flattered by your comment. It was just me, a camera and a bike (with lots of stuff on it... ;-) ). I learned lots both in shooting content as well as editing... Plan is to post a wrap-up video sometime very soon. Cheers!!

Thanks Larry!

Thanks David, glad you enjoyed it! Cheers!

Hey A.K., thanks for your kind words of support throughout this re-adventure...I'm so glad you came along for the ride! Those one-day road races sound monstrous...I can't imagine what you felt like after them...but I'm sure they made a huge mark on your life! Kudos! Thanks for the comments on the editing...like the camera setup itself, I used only simple, fundamental techniques afforded to me via my Mac and iMovie...and I'm very thankful to CZcams Studio and the artists that contribute their music. You're right, it is a relief that the series is done...but sad at the same time...but with one ending comes another beginning!! Yes, I've heard that the UK is quite wet...will be packing full battle gear to get through that...but I actually enjoy riding in the rain, just so long as I have a dry(ish) place to rest my head each night...and that's part of the adventure! As for the audio, my apology to everyone who watched any of the videos... I'm sure you can imagine that I was painfully aware of the need for a better mic system throughout this experience...I had no idea that the wind noise would be that bad...the mic on that camera is so sensitive to everything...and there is only so much you can do in post-production. As it is, after much research, I just happen to be receiving a brand new wireless mic system today...bye, bye wind noise! Do you have any rides planned this year? I really do hope you can get out onto the GDMBR A.K...you'll love it! On my list of rides is Norway...with the ultimate destination being the North Cape as well as the absolutely stunning Lofotan Islands...and if I do get to do that ride, I'll let you know and perhaps we can touch base! Cheers and thanks again for your support!

@@reinhartbigl367 ​I am the one to be saying thank you, Reinhart, for covering the GDMBR in such a great way. So thank you, sir, it's been a treat. As for bike packing I have nothing in the pipeline for this year, but who knows, maybe I'll get to do a few overnighters at least. I'll keep an extra keen eye on the weather app starting late May/early June, because that's when temps start to get nicer up here. Please, do get in touch if you're coming to Norway, that would be awesome. In fact, feel free to get in touch regardless 🙂 My email should be in my profile details, and if it's not visible to you, please notify me here and I'll get in touch with you 🙂 Cheers Reinhart🍺

Hey A.K., hope you can get the time to get out there...if it's anything like here in Canada, there will be a small window of relative "buglessness" when the season opens up... :-). For sure will keep in touch if/when I get out your way. Cheers!

Wow, thanks for the complement...I am indeed flattered! Thanks for coming along for the ride...it was my pleasure to share it with everyone! What area of the UK are you in? If I'm riding through, perhaps we can hoist a pint! Cheers!!! ;-)

Thanks so much Curtis! Really glad you enjoyed the ride with me! Cheers!

It was indeed...and I hope you can do it too! Thanks!