Racing for Awareness

Carley is a previous high school counselor, turned caregiver for her mother, turned small business owner as a pet care professional.  

Having always been an outdoor enthusiast from an early age, she is now an aspiring endurance athlete. 

She was also diagnosed with autism at age 41, just a month after returning home in 2024 from finishing Adventure Cycling Association's  2,700 mile Great Divide Mountain Bike Route.  The longest documented mountain bike trail in the world.

Well, she ALMOST finished the 2,700 mile route.  

Experiencing a pretty catastrophic bike mechanical issue just 100 miles shy of the finish line that cut her quest short, she made a vow to herself that she would return the following year to enter the race version of the route known as The Tour Divide-competing in the very small female field of racers as a solo, unsupported rider. 

Most importantly, she vowed that she would do so as an awareness campaign and a fundraising effort for a deserving autism organization. 

Enter the 2025 Tour Divide Race.  

On June 13th, 2025 Carley and her bicycle will be at the starting line of the Grand Depart for the Tour Divide.  This year, she not only plans on getting to the finish line, but plans to celebrate that monumental achievement along with what she refers to as her "autismversary" as it will be almost 1 year to the day of Carley's diagnosis.  

More importantly, it's about what will occur between that starting line and that finish line along the 2,700 miles of this year's race. 

She hopes not only to gain further understanding and acceptance of who she is, embracing her autism and all that it means for her, deepening her personal growth, but she also plans to test her strength and resiliency in managing the long distance self supported journey of the Tour Divide.  

Along the way, she hopes to raise awareness and funds for the Autism Society of Oregon and most importantly of all, to shine a light on female undiagnosed autism.

All in an effort to increase earlier diagnosis so other women don't have to wait 41 years to have the keys to their bodies. 

The Race

Tour Divide is an underground race that follows the continental divide along Adventure Cycling’s Great Divide Mountain Bike Route. At over 2,700 miles it is the longest documented mountain bike trail in the world.

Going from Banff, Alberta, Canada, through Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico and ending at the border of New Mexico/Mexico -during the race, riders will climb more than 50 mountain passes and encounter deep snow (even in June & July), rivers that must be forded,  rain, sleet, hail, and baking sun in the deserts of Wyoming and New Mexico.  

The Grand Depart takes place on the second Friday of June in Banff, Alberta, Canada. On that day, about 300 riders gather at the YWCA to start the race. About 40% of them will make it to the finish line at the US-Mexico border in Antelope Wells, New Mexico, some 2,700 miles away. The race is self-supported, meaning participants cannot have help along the way from family, friends, or teammates, and riders must carry their own sleeping gear, tent, clothes, food, and water. Food is scavenged at  gas stations and convenience stores along the route. At times water will be sourced from majestic mountain streams, but as the route gets hotter and drier, riders will take it from anywhere they can get it – gas stations, cemeteries, public toilets, and even livestock irrigation troughs.

The Gear

For a race timed in weeks and months, the bicycle transforms from a means of transportation into racer’s home. Carley will be taking on the Tour Divide on a Priority 600ADX.  Features of note include the Pinion C1.12 Gearbox paired with the Gates Carbon Drive belt, leaving the hassles of chains and derailleurs in the dust.

To help carry her bike bags, tent, food and gear, Carley's bike will be outfitted with her tried and true Bikepacking rack from Old Man Mountain.