The 2026 Tour Divide riders left Banff this morning. Right now, they're heading south on the Great Divide toward Mexico on an unforgettable 2,700+ mile mountain bike race that will test their limits. I hoped to be there with them, but I'm in my workshop, seam-sealing a tarp.
I've been saying for years that running YAMA is both freeing and limiting. I got into this work because I wanted to create gear and stay close to the outdoors, and in many ways it's worked. I live in Montana; trails start at the end of my street, and I can hike into Wilderness without touching pavement. I've built something that feels like an extension of me.
Extended trips, the kind that started all of this, are now the hardest thing to make happen. So my goal for the Tour Divide is now 2027, and I'm looking forward to an extra year to train and dial in the gear!
I wrote a full piece on the blog, starting with the AT in 2004 and what it's been like to get here.
I'm excited to follow this year's racers as they make their way down the Divide. You can track them at trackleaders.com/tourdivide26, and Josh Ibbett does an excellent daily video recap at youtube.com/@joshibbett. Even if biking isn't your thing, it's fun to follow!
~Gen
Trailname: Magnet (for attracting wildlife)
Backpack preorder opens June 22
Ultra 100X Material
We used to offer Ultra on our packs, pulled it to simplify the line, and now it's back. Excited to start working with it again and shave a little weight off these packs.
Shrike Bottom Pocket
The Shrike is getting a bottom pocket on this run. Reach back and grab your wind jacket, gloves, or whatever, without stopping.
