Grasshopper November, 2018 | Page 23

THE GREAT DIVIDE MOUNTAIN BIKE ROAD, (NORTH AMERICA) The Great Divide route is a stretch of 4,400 km all the way from Canada’s Alberta to new Mexico. It is a ride on the world’s longest off- pavement route. The remoteness of the route is marked by epic scenery and great continental divide between Canada and the US. The entire road is muddy terrain, dirt road and mountain passing everyday during the expedition. If you feel really motivated to go for the ride, let us scare you a little bit. The total elevation gain of the route is around 2,00,000 feet. The weather conditions are only favourable from June th to September and it is almost impossible to visit in winters. Even a little rainfall will make the place impassably muddy for weeks. THE SHIMANAMI KAIDO (JAPAN) The 64 km route of Shimanami Kaido in Japan is by far the only route where we can recommend riders to consider taking their kids. The entire stretch can be covered without worrying about any social visit. The route is completely separated from the road and moves through some small wonderful and mesmerizing islands in Hiroshima, in the west of Japan. Japan is more populated with cars but cycling is a common sport as cycling tracks run along the roads on most part of the city. Bikes can be hired from various points and the route can be covered by the end of the day but most visitors like to gaze at the beautiful vistas along the Seto Island Sea.There are some toll on the bridges with minimal charges that would not require anything more than a pocket of change. November, 2018 g 21