Border to Border: Western Professor Rides the Great Divide to Support Scholarships

For years, Dr. Gary Van Guilder has wanted to tackle what’s been called “the most recognized and important off-pavement cycling route in the United States.” So on June 14, the Western Colorado University Professor will make his final preparations, say goodbye to his family, and step on the pedals to start a 47-day, 2,700-mile bikepacking journey from Banff, Alberta, to Antelope Wells, New Mexico, along the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route.  

But it’s more than just the adventure of a lifetime. Dr. Van Guilder is taking the opportunity to raise money for scholarships to support graduate students in Western’s Applied Exercise Science & Performance (AESP) Program.  

Along with his colleagues, Dr. Van Guilder equips students with advanced skills in exercise physiology to excel in many health science careers. From physician assistants, nurses, physical therapists, cardiac rehabilitation specialists, world-class coaches, PhD scientists, and university professors, graduate students are making considerable impacts, benefiting the health and well-being of our community and beyond.   

“I want to support my students and provide them with some of the opportunities I had as a young graduate student,” Dr. Van Guilder said. “I was fortunate to be supported by teaching and research scholarships during my graduate education. In today’s higher education climate, it is becoming very difficult to offer graduate students financial support at Western.” 

At Western, Dr. Van Guilder wears many hats in the Recreation, Exercise, and Sport Science (RESS) department, which he chairs, alongside his roles as an undergraduate professor and a faculty member in the AESP Graduate Program.   

But as he prepares to step down as RESS chair this summer, he’s carving out time to chase a dream and turn it into something that will benefit students long after his ride is over. 

The Great Divide Mountain Bike Route (GDMBR) isn’t a technical trail, but it’s famous for being brutal, with more than 200,000 vertical feet of climbing through rugged, remote stretches along the spine of the Rocky Mountains. 

Two days before Dr. Van Guilder plans to leave, more than 200 riders will set off on the 2026 Tour Divide bike race, which mostly follows the GDMBR. Typically, only about half of the riders will finish.  

But Dr. Van Guilder isn’t racing. He just wants to make it. Along the way, he’s planning four or five rest days, including one with his family in Gunnison, which is just a few miles west of where the route passes through Doyleville. Then it’s on through the San Juan Mountains before heading into the mountains and deserts of New Mexico.  

Along the way, he’s also hoping to raise $20,000. Like the ride he’ll embark on this summer, he knows the scholarship fund he dreams of building will happen one piece at a time. At first, he just tapped family and friends to donate. His mother-in-law even told him she’d match her own donation if he completes the ride. Now he’s hoping community members and fans of the sport follow suit. 

“I’ll die before I don’t finish,” he said. 

To learn more about Dr. Van Guilder’s fundraiser, or to donate to the Great Divide Scholarship Fund, go to https://www.classy.org/fundraiser/6961734 

Your donation will go directly to scholarship support, providing greater opportunities for learning and professional development and ultimately reducing the financial stress of graduate school for Western students.