Today we rode from Lincoln, Montana, US to Helena, Montana, US. The day started with mist, however, within two hours it was full on summer again with high temperatures. Road conditions included a few paved roads, lots of different gravel roads, but also lots of difficult double track / jeep track. Highlights of the day include climbing 3 passes that crosses the North American Divide, the changing scenery, and checking into our first motel..

Riding statistics: on Thursday, August 11, 2022, day 11 on the route, it took 11:45h (08:22h moving time), between 07:40 and 19:26, to cover 102 km (63 miles), including 1651 m (5417 ft) elevation gain, with an average speed of 12 km/h (7 mph), while reaching a maximum speed of 54 km/h (34 mph). During this ride the average temperature was 31 °C (88 °F) with a minimum of 13 °C (55 °F) and a maximum of 48 °C (118 °F).

Totals: So far, it took 3 days, 3 hours, 57 minutes, and 30 seconds of cycling time to cover 1069 km (664 miles), including 12998 m (42646 ft) elevation gain, with an average speed of 14.3 km/h (8.9 mph).

During a large part of the night, it has been raining. Sometimes a lot, which kept me wondering if my tent was in an OK spot, next to the running stream of which the surface level is only just below the shore. We’ll I guessed that if there would have been an issue, the owners would have informed us. Our alarms were set for 6am since it looked like a long and hard day. When opening our tents, we only saw thick mist, which meant our tents were very wet. Fortunately, the temperature was OK and not too cold. It took us a little longer to get ready. When leaving town, we stopped at the local gas station for water and some food. They had delicious home-made salads and showed experience for travelers while packing and sealing the container carefully.

Between Lincoln and Helena, we will have to climb three passes, all Continental Divide crossings. The first pass was Temple Pass, a 13km (8 miles) long climb with an elevation gain of over 500m (1640 ft). The climb started about 4km (2.5 miles) out of Lincoln. The first 75% of the climb was rather easy, but we noticed that we only gained 35% of the required elevation. This meant that the rest of this climb would be much more difficult. Not only the grade increased, also the road surface got more technical, a combination of double-track and rough jeep tracks. Slowly-but-steady we made progress and meanwhile we could enjoy a beautiful scenery. After this hard work we were looking forward for an enjoyable downhill. It was spectacular. However, we had to be careful because of the rough road and sometimes cows on the road. The downhill was so steep that we had to squeeze our brakes for over 20 minutes.

In between Temple Pass and the second pass (without a name), there were several smaller (but not less difficult) climbs. We also passed the Llama Ranch, a well-known place where GDMBR bikers are welcome to stay. For us, it was way too early to stop for the day, so we continued. After cycling a while, in the heat of the day, we decided to have a short lunch break next to a river. We had lunch, filtered fresh cold water, and watched trout fish in the river catching bugs, flies, and grasshoppers (which just jumped into the water). Fortunately, there was also a bit of shade since the sun was hot.

After having lunch, we immediately could start climbing the second pass. This pass was around 10km (6 miles) long and had again an elevation gain of over 500m (1640 ft). Fortunately, the elevation gain was more gradual. However, the road surface was far worse. We used again our slowly-but-steady approach, especially because of the high temperatures. The last mile had a surprise, recent lodging activities had ruined the road. On top we had a nice scenery and views in the distance. The way down was again careful because of rough roads that also included washouts. On some sections it was again a steep downhill, meaning that when releasing the brakes, you immediately accelerated like you were pushed. On better road sections we reached 50km/h (30 miles/h) within the blink of an eye.

From here, it was about 8km (5 miles) to the third pass of the day, Priest Pass. As always, this section was not flat. You either go uphill or you go downhill. Fortunately, Priest Pass was a lot easier, with a length of about 4km (2.5 miles) and an elevation gain of 150m (492 ft). The intense heat and rocky road still made it a bit of a challenge. Fortunately, the 7km (4.5 miles) downhill had a very good road surface which meant we could make up some time. After the downhill, it was still a 15km (9 miles) ride to the town of Helena. Unfortunately, it was a busy road with a not so big shoulder. We pushed on to reach Helena as soon as possible.

When we arrived at Helena, we stopped at the first gas station to buy cold drinks and find out which motel would be our destination for the day. We decided to go for the Budget Express Inn, because we knew there would be more cyclists which we have met in the past days. It was a 10-minute bike ride to the motel. Fortunately, there was still a room with two beds. We could put our bikes inside, and there was still enough room to dry and our out all our gear. After cleaning ourselves, we decided to do laundry, which we could do on-site, and get a salad to eat from a local bar. We felt fresh and reborn. Getting into a comfortable bed felt like heaven.

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