Ride along during my first #bikepacking race as I complete the 2020 Bohemia Divide in the Czech Republic. A full 760 kilometers and over 16 000 meters of elevation gain across a muddy, wet, and beautiful landscape! I was riding a 2020 #salsa #cutthroat so you can also consider this a review of the bike.
A big thanks to Jan and the Bohemia Divide Team for putting together such an inviting and nice event. Check out their website for more information: https://bohemiadivide.wixsite.com/
At the beginning of 2020, before the weather improved and coronavirus swept the globe, I went down a deep hole in YouTube searching for mountain biking videos. It was here that I stumbled upon all of the epic gravel adventure rides that are all over Europe. I probably watched a good 2hrs of videos and then immediately realized I needed to participate in one of these races.
After doing dome researching - mainly on bikepacking.com - I found that there were tons of events to be held in 2020. Most of them, however, were already full. I was lucky enough, as a foreigner, to find the Bohemia Divide. There were something like 5 spaces left and I knew I had to make a decision in days. I had no idea that 25 spots were reserved specifically for foreigners…I qualified as the dirty American that I am! I signed up about 2 days after discovering the race.
I spent the summer doing some longer rides heading to locations like Germany, Austria, and Poland directly from my apartment in Prague. This got me used to packing and being on the saddle for hours on end. I was riding between 100 and 150 miles a day on those rides and carrying at least 20 pounds of gear.
Anyway, by September I was ready as I was ever going to be for the race! I’d write a short summary of my experience during the Bohemia Divide, but I wouldn’t want to spoil the video. Have a look for yourself below!
