Chasing The Tour Divide

In 2010 I was diagnosed with a rare and deadly disease called Lemierre's Syndrome. The bacteria that had caused the disease, fusobacterium necrophorum, spread from my lungs into my blood stream, giving me septicemia.  The bacteria also harbored itself in my lower back and began to eat away at my insides, destroying a portion of my lungs and causing the removal of some of my intestines, a full hysterectomy, and an appendectomy.  As I lay in the ICU unit, watching the blood transfusion run into my arm in an effort to help my body be strong enough to withstand emergency surgery, I prayed to go for just one more bike ride.
**See my story featured on Gear Junkie  here: https://gearjunkie.com/bonnie-gagnon-survives-deadly-infection-mountain-bike-race-tour-divide


Today I am preparing to go on that ride.   On June 10th, 2016 I am taking on one of the toughest mountain bike races in the world- The Tour Divide. With 2745 miles of tough terrain and over 200,000 feet of climbing it's going to take everything I have to finish. I couldn't be more excited!

Starting off in Banff, AB Canada I will be riding my bike from the Canadian Rockies all the way across the badlands of the Mexican Plateau to the border of Mexico,  entirely self-supported.  Even though I will be thrilled and honored just to finish, my goal is to complete this race in under 28 days.

My biggest challenges will be the physical and mental demands but I will also be contending with my permanent lung damage, exercise induced asthma and intestinal sensitivity. In spite  of these challenges, I have always believed and tried to live my life in such a way as to demonstrate that we should never let adversity mitigate our success. Sometimes we may have to tweak things around a bit to get where we want to go, but I truly believe that anything is possible.

Life is an amazing opportunity to inspire and to encourage other people. It is my hope that in taking on the Tour Divide despite my health challenges, and by sharing my story, that I might be able to inspire at least one person to believe in themselves, to dig a little deeper and to discover that they too can accomplish their goals and dreams.

I have dedicated this race to some very special people to include someone who has battled cancer this past year, a young boy named Carter who is battling a terminal illness, and my dear friend Jodi's late husband who suffered from depression.  

In addition to the people mentioned above, I am riding to raise awareness for female (and male) cyclists who have been sexually assaulted, and dedicating this race to the victims.  Over the course of the past several months I  have heard from a number of women who have been assaulted, most of them suffering in silence for fear of rejection, feelings of ashamed for what occured and who feel they have no one to turn to. I stand with these women in solidarity. They have a friend and a voice in me.  Any excess funds raised will go towards a contribution to GiveMN.org Memorial for Rape Survivors.
https://www.givemn.org/fundraiser/memorial-for-rape-survivors55ddd0ec6d89c

In order to successfully make this ride a reality, there is equipment I need to help me get across the Divide such as camping gear, transportation costs and costs along the way such as food and equipment repair during this month long race. I am reaching out to friends and family in an effort to raise the funds I need to cover remaining costs. 

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to me.

I will post updates as I continue towards my goal.

Thank you for your support!!

Bonnie Gagnon
#OneMoreRide

Water photo credit: Tim Gormley