We thought that if we didn’t like these, then we wouldn’t like the Divide, but they just made us want more.
The Lumberjack singlehandedly converted Hiebert to ultra-distance races in 2019. We both registered for the Lumberjack in 2020 and 2021, but COVID and the Divide had other plans and this ride never materialized.
We registered for the Heck Epic (now called The Wolf), a 3-day bikepacking race in 2020, but it was cancelled and converted to an ITT due to COVID-19. We still rode the route and had a blast.
On the way back from the Heck Epic in July 2020, we jokingly considered doing the Crusher 225EX, then actually decided to ride it in September 2020. Tough race, but totally worth it! We even carried our Crusher mugs with us down the Divide.
Jay P’s Fat Pursuit COVID edition, consisted of a simple challenge to ride your bike 60K in the winter, melt snow, and then boil the water with your stove. This could be completed anywhere in the country, so we rode from New Glarus, WI to Blue Mound, WI in January 2021, dug a hole in the snow, set up our tents, and camped overnight in a snowstorm.
Ride Across Arizona (RAAZ) was Schmidt's dress rehearsal for his 2022 Tour Divide (TD) run. Five weeks ahead of the Grand Depart of the TD in Banff, this long and challenging route was an opportunity to dial in his gear and test the legs as a duo with ultra-endurance cycling legend Jay Petervary.