2023 Tour of Idaho
The 18th and final edition of the Tour of Idaho is an unassisted dirt bike ride from the Utah/Idaho border to the Idaho/Canadian border. The 13 day route covers 2200 miles and 250,000 vertical feet. No one is sure how many people have attempted “The Tour”, but less than 100 have ever finished it.
Personally, this is my 3rd attempt at The Tour and I can attest to the brutal nature of trying to get bike and body through it. To complete The Tour is part flawless preparation of machine, intense physical training of the body, good luck with weather, fires, wild animals and a willingness of the mind to push yourself way past your breaking point. This is not a casual endeavor. This is comparable to running 13 marathons over 13 straight days.
This wild ride, I guess you would call it, was dreamt up by a guy named Martin Hackworth. Martin had a simple question a few decades ago… “I wonder if I can ride to to Canada on nothing but trails”. Martin has spent years perfecting and modifying the route, advocating to keep land open, cutting out from winter storms, tracking the riders, rescuing riders and much more. Martin does all of this for no financial gain. Martin does this for the love of adventure, for the stories he gets to tell and for the friendships he’s made with other folks who are curious to accept the same challenge he undertook.
Reno and I set off Saturday, August 19th at 3am. We’re going to give it everything we have. I hope we see the other side.
2023 TOI Route
2023 TOI Bike