 Mira get over here Come on John's gonna go get Mira. She's the star. There we go There she is ladies and gentlemen the one and only you're so cute you ready to be on YouTube you ready to be on YouTube say something Hello my friends it is really good to see you. I am with two of my favorite Creatures on the planet. I can't say to humans cuz you're not oh Mira You're knocking things over but that's okay. You can do whatever you want You can do whatever and John and Mira have just completed an Individual time trial of the tour device. She's all wet and sneaky. Mmm They rode their bikes from Banff, Canada to the border of Mexico 2700 miles It's pretty amazing what they just pulled off and we're gonna chat with them because it's fascinating. So John Welcome to Boulder, Colorado. It's so good to have you here. We've been having so much fun I took them on the Thursday night cruiser ride and We've done some other fun things while they've been here, but the audience wants to know How was this experience and how did you get inspired to do such a thing? You've been bike touring for a lot of your adult life, but this was a race You're going as fast as possible with a dog first time ever. Here we go first time ever. Yeah, hold that fancy Okay, I'll hold the fancy mic Yeah, first time ever well inspiration. That's probably the easy part It's all your fault. It's all Ryan's fault. So we had ridden in I guess 2020 during COVID we rode From I met you on your third day basically from the from border to border more or less on the Great Divide mountain bike Right, which is which is basically the tour divide. Yeah, and we had such a great time riding What do you think of that? Yeah, you got to run really fast, didn't you people have raced the tour divide in a bunch of different categories and and so We decided to do it as the dogpacking team, which we do everything So yeah first time and they gave us our own little thought to track and it was yeah 4300 kilometers 2700 miles and I think about 30, you know 50,000 Meters of elevation gain. So I think it might be something Could be as many as eight times of Everest. It's a lot. Yeah Yeah. Yeah, totally Yeah, so You've been bike touring with Mira for a long time. There's a big difference between bike touring and Racing, how did you get yourself prepared for this and then let's talk about the race and the grand apart up there in Banff. Yeah Yeah, preparing he's right So the racing is definitely different from touring touring we can stop anything that interests us we could stop You know, we often travel without a big schedule or you know, we might have some timing commitments to meet someone You know one day we met some we're meeting people in Helena Which you're allowed to do when you're riding your bike just touring Yeah, the race is different You're trying to go as quickly as possible. So you're not sleeping a lot your your resupplies are You know, you're trying to make those efficient and quick and not carry too much. So rest on stops and Yeah, then I have to manage Mira's energy as well. So the amount of food that she has and food that I have so we're riding longer and further with less sleep and we Rarely stopped for weather conditions. So yeah, it's a it's a it's a big difference. Yeah Quickly give us the stats on how much weight it adds to have Mira and dog food and this extended cargo bike Yeah So I'm gonna talk in rough numbers because I don't have I haven't yet put it on a scale With Mira, but I know that she weighs about 40 pounds. So about 19 kilograms a bag of and she's on the bike on all the flats most of the downhills and on hills particularly if it's asphalt or Even gravel up to about four or five percent grade After that, I have her out of the basket so I can drop the the weight there the 40 pounds and then Her water and I maybe carry as much as 30% extra for her. So that's a lot if I'm carrying You know six liters for myself, you know enough extra it really does add up fast You know places like New Mexico when other areas we had surface water. So that was pretty good So so Then the bike is a little bit extended. So it's a little bit heavier. We got the basket We got the rack which you wouldn't have if you're racing so my estimate with Mira food for her and water without food for myself and without water for myself It's it's definitely over a hundred pounds and possibly as much as a hundred and 20 pounds is possible. So it's it, you know compare that to You know sort of a middle of the pack Sort of a middle lightweight pack set up on a two or divide riders bike Could be something like 40 pounds all include everything included just one mirror. Yeah, so 80 pounds Is that right? Yeah up to 80 pounds more Than what a regular rider has so yes dramatic. Yeah, it's a big change Oh, and I'm guessing you're wondering what this is John you got the microphone You can talk or I'll hold but this is my peewee Herman Chia pet, isn't this the coolest thing you've ever seen so awesome anyway a little Little inner interlude there. I'm not sponsored by Chia pet or by peewee Herman or by peewee Herman rest in peace I love you peewee So You're up in Banff at the Grand Apart. There's a few hundred people from all over the world This is a lot of people who have dreamed about doing this for a long time The energy is through the roof and really positive and fun. I haven't been there, but I can only imagine you're up there with Mira who is now an international superstar and You take off and you have a goal in mind and you're you're going fast your blazing Yeah, so to that point there's a lot of energy in Banff so the race So for those that don't know the race starts in Banff, Alberta, Canada Right in the town site in the National Park head south through the park and because of that they do staggered starts so lots of people there and the most and the reason why they do that is to avoid wildlife conflict and so Yeah tons of people coming up to say hi to Mira and then of course me because I'm the one But it's it's really great that they come out to see us and support us and so yeah in waves of I think Ten people is how it worked. So we had people I think was every five minutes a new wave came out and then I Had put down that we had an estimate of 21 days for our race. So that was something Approximating 200 kilometers a day, I think roughly Someone else could could do the math, but I sort of forget there and so we we off we went Yeah, and it's it's I have a racing background and road and track in my late teens early 20s so I was definitely giving it gas and Our first day was Banff to Ferney. So that's 250 270 kilometers hundred and you know 60 70 80 miles. I'm not sure what that works out to Long day, yeah, yeah, so you start off big you're going hard, but you realize fairly quickly Oh wait, I may be pushing it a little bit too hard. Yeah, cuz I'm not riding alone. So on day one It's a lot. It's a tremendous amount of up and down and changes so a lot of those mirrors out of the basket and then a bunch of single track with a lot of Tourists and of course bear activity and all that kind of stuff So Mira was on leash for a lot of that and in and out of the basket which meant that She walked a tremendous amount on that those first days. Yeah, and so by the time we got to Ferney She had a bit of a limp and so We grabbed a hotel for a few hours in Ferney that took a little while ate some time up and When we got up she was still kind of limping I put her in the basket for for a lot for all the climbs Basically for the next three days and so like I just mentioned earlier She weighs 40 pounds. So, you know, if I'm riding a bike that weighs a hundred hundred and twenty pounds It's a lot and so my knee got very my right knee got very very sore I couldn't really walk without a limp she was still limping and Later on we had a mechanical issue. We had a brand new hub Sees up the free hub body seized So, yeah, we had a litany of issues in there what happened after that you may ask We We had gone we had took a rest Most yeah a rest day in Helena. It didn't sort the problem out It was very painful and slow going up see all these climbs Took a rest day in butte Still didn't do much and so I was I'd gotten outside of butte You come out to the highway and there's a famous climb in within the route that both That all the routes that follow this path do called fleecer Ridge and I looked up my hub is seized It could fail completely Mira can't walk without a lamp although. She's starting to be better. Okay. My lamp is getting worse I looked up at fleecer Ridge. It's fully in the rain And I thought I don't think this makes sense to go walking in the rain for hours and hours With a bad knee that's getting worse with a hub that might fail Meaning we would have to walk further. So we decided to scratch. Yeah At that point we were done We're done. You would be yeah, you're done with the race. You're out of it. That's right You tap the button totally a little disappointing But it was the right call because my main priority of course is that Mira is safe and healthy. Yeah and Yeah So we were done So all of us back home were watching thousands of you too and we're wondering because we can see your dot not Moving for a long period of time and I'm trying to get in touch with John and I'm texting him I'm using his little Garmin in reach and I'm finally getting some information that he's just he's hurting too much and he's gonna Stop the race and on and on my side here in Boulder I'm like wow it must really be hard if you're pulling out of the race because you're one of the toughest guys I know so the the circumstances must have really been dire and I thought I was kind of sad, but you know, I was like John will be fine. He'll he'll be great He's gonna continue riding his bike around the world and this isn't gonna phase him, but then John yeah So There there are some more details to the story in travel, but basically I Never felt like I was defeated or it was a failure you know what there was these these sort of circumstances that came up and You know could have been through decisions we made or not made, you know the hub was brand new It's a high-end hub expected to to at least, you know finish the one race like 4,000 kilometers So, you know, I think it was the right it was definitely the right decision at the time given where we were at but then I thought well you know, I was starting to feel a little bit better in the in the days and weeks afterwards and There was no need To really go Elsewhere yet, I had the time I had done the training. We had learned a lot in that first week And so it just made sense to me to then Do it as an individual time trial an ITT Because people do that all the time they start in either the south end at Antelope Wells Or they start in Banff and they and we all carry GPS trackers anyway That's how the race organizers know where we are and how our times are and whether we're off course or on or if we stopped or and So, yeah, I just made way my way both Mira and I back up to Banff and I made some adjustments to the bike had a new hub put in the in the rear wheel and Got ready to go Basically this the same day of the month the 14th. So basically a month later In July instead of August at the same time of day we ended up in Banff with no one else except a couple of close friends and Headed down the same course right on. Yeah, that's amazing. Let's do a quick commercial break John. You talk I'm gonna show them the shirt here. Oh, yeah, so that so this is some of our Mira merchandise. This is the starry night I've designed to buy cook grin media so you can see the current bike that we're riding Mira with her rex specs in the basket enjoying the Perseid meteor shower It looks like screaming by somewhere in a desert Those can be found on the links in our Instagram link in the bio Mira merch or you could search for Mira lapera on the teespring store and Yeah, they're made to order and they'll show up bad pretty quick. Yeah, awesome. Yeah, I'm pretty happy with that one So you've just started the individual time trial. You're ready to rock and roll your body's better Mira's better You've learned some things and you're on a mission But from what you told me you're gonna dial back the mileage so that you could save your body a bit because it's 2700 miles the idea was to finish the event if I if I had done Some learning and then behave to the same way that I did on the first round It probably end up with the same result, right? I mean, why would I expect anything different? So there so what I did was Because you know running, you know You know more than a hundred miles a day is was hard on Mira. So I backed it down to doing Something around a hundred miles 160 kilometers every day. Sometimes it would be more 180 190 kilometers if you haven't noticed I'm Canadian. So I work in kilometers and And then sometimes it a couple times it was a little bit less, you know heat or or Terrain and then that's the other thing that was a challenge is that if You know, we had some flat terrain or rolling terrain through the day We've gotten close to our distance number But then the day is gonna finish off with a big massive climb, but I've already used up Mira's energy I had that decision. Do I stop and then try and go earlier in the morning try make it up the next day or Do I push through? But maybe it's too much for Mira is the thing So that real that that energy balance of how much because the thing is she's so heavy I mean, she's not crazy heavy, but 40 pounds extra on a bike is a lot And so yeah, just being able to manage that amount of energy it and it was a consistent number to shoot for it 100 miles a day and that's a pretty reasonable number You know, I think at least for us there's a lot of miles a day no matter who you are what you're doing Yeah, it's a long way to drive a car So I mean riding your bike on the Great Divide dirt roads with the dog in and out in and out in and out It's pretty incredible. Yeah, so you should be really proud. How many days did it take you? And you've been doing this for so many years. You're dialed in in so many ways. You know how the world works Did you learn anything new about yourself through this process of racing the Divide? I Think Ryan just called me old Dancy your last question first Yeah, every day we learn something. That's the crazy thing. Yeah, I've been riding just with dogs for last eight years six with she just turned six on this trip and and every day I learned something new about The set in our setup, you know food how much I was eating it on a regular basis hydration You know measuring the amount of energy that we expend You know her temperament what what she needs food and and attention so get her back. Yeah. Yeah So yeah, it was great to learn all that stuff every day And I think then that was the other thing that you know the learning that we had gotten from the first week of The grand apart I just didn't want that to be lost So it's definitely going to change the way that we travel and it's been it's been great Like, you know, we we during the grand apart. We had a huge number of people come out to see us in fact, it seemed like You know Mira was like the the biggest draw for the people following the race Which was really incredible task. We didn't expect that so I think you know It was something close to even around help just hell in the area before the town in the city And then afterwards because people can follow our tracker Yeah, we must have had something like 30 people just in that little area and then you know people like just outside of BAMF and at Ken and ask us and all the way through You know early in the morning when we left, you know our camp or hotel and and Late into the evening. So yeah, it was it was it's been pretty interesting. You're traveling with a celebrity now Yeah, definitely. It's funny. We'll Maybe some of you are watching this video on Ryan's channel have already said hello to us in towns and people recognize Mira and Then and then we'll wave or yell her name and and come and say hi. So it's great So yeah, we learned a lot I think Yeah, and and we're able to I think to travel a little bit lighter now, which is good and I think Yeah, it's what I do it again. I don't know is a question that comes to mind Oh, yeah, that's a good question. So how many days how many days did it take us to do the The tour divide this time. So it was 28 days and change of me. It might be 28 days 14 hours Not totally sure we can we'll be able to check that on the Track that really matter you went pretty fast about a hundred miles a day. Yeah, basically something close to a hundred miles a day a little bit less than that We finished so it is the the first the fastest and the only known time for a dog packing team To do it. So yeah, I think we're pretty happy with that Over just hold it for me. So you had never been to New Mexico before on this route That was all new to you and for me. I've done it. It's definitely the roughest part of the divide. How did New Mexico treat you? Pretty well Yeah, the people and the drivers of Mexico of New Mexico are super friendly Gave us lots of space. So that was really appreciated But the the landscape is dry. It's hot and it's super hilly and so by the time We got down to New Mexico. So that's our you know our last state. So we have Alberta British Columbia, Montana a little bit of Idaho a lot of Wyoming Colorado up and down and then finally New Mexico my legs were super tired and If I you know if I went too hard to heart heart rate I was I could really tell quickly that I was deep down fatigued. So yeah, it was tricky So a couple of the days like from a BK to Cuba abacue. Abacue. Thank you I get a confused with that a Mexican town abacue and to Cuba and then I think the next day as well to Grants, I think it is we rode at night. We had started out actually first thing in the morning And it was already too hot It was you know getting gonna be over into the hundreds There's no water on the route after the first, you know, 10 kilometers and It's about a 40 kilometer climb on super rough roads You would need a high clearance four-wheel drive to ride them and Yeah, I rode in about 16 kilometers. So 10 miles realized no, it's too hot. It's too little water and I turned around came back to abacue and Hung out in the shade for the entire rest of the day and then as the Sun was going down I got some more water. I got a little bit of resupply and Yeah, we headed out. So I had For that section. I had six liters of water three in a in a running vest and Then a soft bladder inside the frame bag and then a little bit extra like mirrors got a little drink bottle Um, yeah, so it was a lot of weight. What kind of food were you eating mostly? Burritos Frozen to start it with Gas station style burritos. So I've tried most of what's available in the grocery stores in the gas stations and Yeah, yeah, they suck after a while I mean because they're like what you what you do is you buy because these burritos they're marked with the calorie count on them So it's easy to be like, okay I'm gonna get 300 calories an hour so I can basically eat one of these medium-sized burritos every hour and You buy them frozen some of them are in in the in the pack and some of them are in the frame bag And so over the day they thaw out so if you get bean and cheese ones or sometimes a bean and meat one you know, they don't need they just need to be reheated they've already been cooked and So yeah, you just eat these thawed out Burritos and then she gets the tail end of it and in the basket Yeah, lots of Snickers and I mean those the kind of the expensive robot food the gels the bars that kind of stuff after a while One it's hard to find and then two It's expensive and then the taste just becomes horrible. So you'll just eat. Yeah, I mean we'll eat burritos chips candy Yeah, Coca-Cola Yeah, whatever we can get our hands on at a certain point and then from era It's mostly kibble and dog treats and lots of water and then a little bit of Like I said the tail end of the burritos And a few other little bits and pieces there, but just the the regular dog food It's no problem finding dog food on the road. No so Yeah, most most gas stations or a lot of gas station shops these days will carry dog food like I had a loves truck stop or something like that or even a smaller gas station and grocery stores In the bigger towns definitely have it and typically the smallest size bag that I can buy is about four or five pounds and Then sometimes it's a tough call if it's really hilly. It's like well, I want to waste money I don't want to waste food. So I'll give her food at the store at the resupply and then maybe You know, if she doesn't eat all of it. I'll just leave it behind or put it in the garbage As so that I'm not overloading the bike It's a it's a lot extra weight, but I also need to be aware of how much further it is to the next town To be able to get reliable source Dog food. So I think there was maybe only one time I carried a Maybe once or twice I carried a full bag Yeah, so it's it's a lot, but it's definitely available almost everywhere. Yeah, right on how long we've been talking for what does it say oh 26 minutes. All right. Good. We're pretty good. Yeah, definitely What did you feel as you? Got close to that fence and antelope wells. We've all seen the photos of finishers holding their bikes up I've never actually been there because my belt broke when I did it didn't make it there You had never been there did it feel kind of surreal rolling up to that fence and be like wow This is this is it and this is kind of anticlimactic. I am in the middle of nowhere. There's nobody cheering you on There's no trophy Yeah, that's an interesting question. Yeah, there there is no trophy. There is no prize money. It's only Yes, the a sense of accomplishment of riding all that distance putting that all together because everyone that does it Spends a lot of time up front. They do a lot of training They spend a lot of money prepping their bike and their gear and thought and research Then there's all that time They're away. So yeah by the time we got there It was more like not the climax of the tail, but the resolution and it was really nice We were we were it was like six or seven o'clock. So the road the last town you go to is a cheetah New Mexico, it's a small little town. I think it's ranching mainly and Then it's basically a paved road road that sort of does a couple of turns But it's basically just headed right to the border and it's the smallest border station on the whole southern border the US and Mexico and It's not open 24 hours a day. It closes at 4 p.m So it's it's not open. So the time I got there was closed and there was no one there And I really liked that. It was quiet We had a beautiful sunset and we were able to just ride into the fence and it was just Mira and I and Yeah, and then we just up to the fence and sent a message back to The bike ranch in a cheetah to Jeffrey Sharp to come pick us up. He runs a shuttle service for people. It's about 70 kilometers So what is that 40 miles or something like that from the town site to the border? So there's nothing in between no terms of supplies So, yeah, it was really nice and then we just we just chilled out for a little bit. We there's is some cell service. I was able to pick up Mexican cell service and Yeah called some friends just chilled out ate another frozen burrito hot burrito and Yeah, just tuck it in. Yeah, and now it's been just a bit over a week. Cool. We're there. Yeah, yeah So you just accomplish something huge physically and mentally and you prove to the world that this can be done with a dog You hope that others do this right with dogs. That's kind of the goal is like hey other people can do this Nobody's gonna be like Mira, of course, but there's other dogs out there that are pretty special, but nobody is Mira Going forward You're gonna continue travel around the world. That's what you're doing no more racing back to just John and Mira pace Are you excited about that? Hold on one second. I am just gonna get this screaming dog This is Amelia's dog. She's the one that's been barking. She's also sweet, but she's way too big for dog packing Say hi, Emi Okay Yeah, so yeah, we finished the race You know, I think If people want to do it and they want to ask us questions I mean, that's great. If they do it in a faster time. That's great too. I think There's a lot. There's a lot of benefits to adventuring with your dog You know, we have dogs in our life and then we you know, a lot of us are active people they'll leave them at home but I Not sure that that's the purpose of what we're doing But it maybe a side benefit it does show a way that you can go and do these adventures with your dog whether it's riding or it could be paddling or or You know trail running or all kinds of different sports You can do and include your dog as long as you do it in a thoughtful safe manner, then it's great And then for us. Yeah, that was part of the reason, you know, when we were talking in In the you know that tour we did around the countryside of Oaxaca You know, just the idea of doing the race was a good way to be excited to kind of rekindle our excitement and it Definitely did that that goal of Being excited about riding again is back. Yeah, I'm I'm really excited to go through You know, we've got one more state Chiapas to go through and then we're into Guatemala and and we've been talking a little bit Because I've never actually been into Central America, which is still part of the North American continent And so Yeah, which route I'm gonna go and there's so much to see and kind of plan that out So I'm excited about that and and then to get into South America in the new year So Mira and I got lots to go and we and then the cool thing about Having done a race where you you know, you're always kind of have a sense of urgency You're going to the grocery store with your list to get your things and get packed and get going and back on the Bikes you're moving forward It'll be nice to be able to stop and then just take a few more things in whether it's people's culture or their food or just the landscapes Yeah, it's gonna be great. Yeah, I'm super excited right on Well, I think my lucky stars that I ran into you guys in the middle of nowhere in the Baja divide in January 2020 It's led to this amazing friendship. We've gotten to adventure Many other times and we will find each other down the road again We've been having a great week here in Boulder like I said and I wish you all the best going forward All of you can follow them on YouTube and Instagram But you're most active on Instagram, right? So if you want like up-to-date information of where they're out what they're doing Instagram is where to fall That's right, and that's Mira lapera. Let's get let's get Mira back here. Go get Mira John We've got to show the people Mira one last time she's trying to run away Come on Emmy get out of here there she is. Yeah, bring her up close to the lens. Here you go sure sure She'll clue cute. She is there. Go cute I love that dog so much. I've said this before but Mira meeting Mira and traveling there with Mira really Got me excited about dogs in a way that I've never been excited before You know I've we've had family pets and family dogs But Mira is special really special and she just makes me laugh every time I hang out with her since she's been here in Boulder She runs up to my room every single morning and she jumps on my bed And she freaks out and she just like runs her nose into me And she's just always ready to have a good time and I think we can all learn from Mira You know be like Mira, you know like the Michael Jordan commercials be like Mike We can all be like Mira wake up every day enthusiastic and excited and just ready for anything, right? Totally, and if you want to be like Mira t-shirt to help Support Mira dog food all those kind of things then link below to the store would be much appreciated Yeah, and they have a patreon as well So if you want to support him that way he does some special behind-the-scenes things for his patrons So join that I think it's it's dinner time The dogs are very excited. They're restless, so we're gonna sign off, but thank you all so much for watching this video. Thank you for Following and supporting John. I know you love him so much and Mira and they're gonna continue riding And you're gonna continue loving them and it's gonna be great So we will see you another time and another place in the world and we'll all ride together again Nos vemos Like and subscribe If you want me to throw this little stick right here this little one. Okay, go Did you find it? You find that little stick? Yeah, it's in your mouth. I can see it. Yeah And Mira has been teaching Emmy how to fetch to Emmy never did this before but now She loves sticks. She doesn't really fetch them. She just destroys them