Between Canada and Mexico, we’ve racked up 10,000km (!) and a huge list of memories. Every bike touring trip is different, but here’s what’s stood out our family so far. – Story by MEC Envoy FX Delemotte
Cycling stats
- Cycled 10,224km in 131 days. Our other 166 days on the road were dedicated to climbing, resting, visiting and hiking.
- Climbed 84,183m, an average of 642m each day.
- Crossed the North American Continental Divide 14 times, and over too many passes to remember.
- Each day, we’ve averaged 68km at 15.6km/h over four hours and 20 minutes. The rest of the time is spent getting ready, schooling for Emma, looking for a place to sleep, getting groceries, making dinner, visiting, dining and going to bed. Travelling by bike is a full-time job!
Record breakers
Biggest climb in a day: 1,908m up Allison Pass in BC. It was also the first real mountain pass we had to climb… no better initiation.
Longest distance in a day: 157km and 1705m climbing in 10 hours, from Revelstoke to Golden, BC. Luckily, it was in June so the sun set late that day.
Shortest distance in a day: 12km from Todos Santos to Pescadero, Baja.
Highest average speed in a day: 21.6km/h over 84km from Wisdom to Divide, Montana. Call us riding beasts.
Slowest average speed in a day: 8.7km/h from Penticton to Chute Lake, BC, on the *&$%#@ KVR. No comment.
Maximum speed: 97km/h (by FX and Emma) between Monument Valley and Mexican Hat, Utah. And we had to brake to keep from going faster. Next goal: break 100km/h!
Where we’ve slept
We like variety, but camping is our favourite:
- 129 nights in campgrounds
- 54 nights hosted by Warm Showers hosts
- 53 nights couch surfing at friends’ houses
- 48 nights in motels or hotels (half in Mexico)
- 9 nights free camping
- 6 nights in youth hostels
- 4 nights on boats
- 4 nights in trains
- 1 night in a yurt
Expenses
When it comes to travel expenses, each trip is different. We planned our trip with a daily budget of $110 (that includes everything, even insurance, bank fees and other hidden costs). We knew we’d be over that amount in North America and Australia and below it everywhere else. With this budget, we can afford some little pleasures, which are well-appreciated after long cycling days.
Our average daily expenses so far (in CAD):
- Life (groceries, lodging, restaurants, outings, leisure time): $77
- Gear (cycling, camping, clothing, photo, maps): $13
- Transportation (bus, train, ferry, taxi, car rental): $7
- Logistics (visas, postal fees): $4
- Health (pharmacy, insurance): $30
- Miscellaneous (bank fees, satellite): $6
Daily total: $137
As expected, our daily expenses are higher than average so far. But now that we’re in Mexico, they’ve dropped way below it. Yes, we could spend less. But since day one, we’ve always wanted this trip to be pleasure first. In the end, if we spend more than expected, then we’ll just stop the journey earlier and that’s it. Life’s too short to give ourselves a headache.
Gear
We’ve been extremely satisfied with our gear. Our bikes have seen some normal wear and tear (though in our case, with heavy loads of more than 150lb each, it’s slightly more intense). So far, we’ve replaced four chains, two cassettes, two brake pads sets, one tire set per bike, and one rear wheel (the only premature change) on our bikes, and one chain and one tire set for Emma’s bike.
Our favourite gear:
- MEC Volt A/C 3 Tent. Our roomy and light cocoon.
- FollowMe trailer for Emma. Without it, we wouldn’t have gone far.
- Hammock. Hours of rest and fun.
- MEC merino t-shirts. We wore them every day. No smell for days when we weren’t able to wash them.
- Black Diamond Voyager LED Lantern. So helpful in campgrounds, because life doesn’t stop when sun goes down.
- Waterproof Vaude Aqua panniers, the BoB Yak Dry Sak and MEC Synergy Jackets. When it rained every day for the first two months, we knew our gear would stay dry, which kept morale high.
- Surly Long Haul Trucker bikes. Our precious friends.
Big moments
What makes a journey memorable is more than just numbers and facts:
Favorite National Park: We loved every park we visited, but Yosemite is still our favorite. The climbing, the spectacular valley, the memorable ride, the encounters, the autumn colors and the snow.
Favorite route: Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park, Montana. A stunning setting, an amazing alpine scenic road.
Favorite climbing area: No surprises here. Yosemite for FX, Joshua Tree for Cécile and Skaha for Emma. Classics are classics for a reason.
Favorite place to eat: The Couloir restaurant in Teton Village, Wyoming, to celebrate our ten-year wedding anniversary. The three of us were the only ones dressed in shorts and t-shirts, surrounded by suits, ties and fancy dresses. But guess who had the table with the best view of the mountains?
Biggest life lesson: People opening their door to us, and have trusted us to the point of leaving us the keys to their house and even their car. We still can’t believe how generous people are. Everywhere.
MEC Envoys FX, Cécile and Emma are still in the saddle and on the move. Keep up with their bike journey on their blog Nomad Dream.