Great Divide Route daily mileage expectations???

[jaime]

Could anyone give me some kind of idea what kind of daily mileage a reasonably fit older experienced road bike tourist might expect while riding the New Mexico section of the Great Divide Route. Using MtBs and trailers. Thanks for any input.

[bong_crosby]

I did a shakedown ride on the dirt roads of Idaho in 2014 for my upcoming 2015 GDMBR ride.  In 20 days I rode 750 miles and climbed 50,000 feet which would equate to 1/4 of the GDMBR.  I found that I rode half as many miles per day on dirt than I did while touring on pavement.  My average daily mileage on pavement on other tours was around 75 miles a day but dirt it dropped down to 40 miles a day.  The biggest reasons are: 

1.  Dirt road are steep and twisty
2.  More tire resistance on gravel and dirt
3.  And most of all, you can't fly down the descents on dirt like you can on pavement, especially with a loaded bike. 

[chestnutski]

My wife (57) and I (55) have been tackling the Great Divide for 4 years now. I have a BOB and my wife has panniers. We have been averaging 40 miles per day. New Mexico is next and the plan is 44 mpd. We have been following McCoy's Cycling the Great Divide.