Quinn Brett and the Tour Divide (Film)

Photos by Andy Earl (@wasatchandy), courtesy of Goal Zero

Quinn Brett, an accomplished triathlete, rock climber, and ultra-runner, was paralyzed from the waist down after surviving a 100-foot fall during an ascent of El Capitan. Quinn was forced to take a different path and became the first documented adaptive cyclist to complete the Tour Divide this past June. Relying on a custom hand bike equipped with a built-in motor, Quinn and her riding partner Joe Foster were able to tackle roughly 100 miles per day, rolling from this year’s starting point in Eureka, Montana, to Antelope Wells, New Mexico, in just under a month. They pushed through 149,664 feet of vertical gain and over challenging trails littered with fallen tree limbs along the way. Watch the amazing film produced by Goal Zero below, then scroll down for more on the trip and a beautiful photo gallery by Andy Earl.

“This experience has brought me to a place in my healing where for the first time since my injury I had a moment of thought that this wheelchair doesn’t define me.”

• 
• 
• 

• 
• 

Quinn’s completion of the Tour Divide was much more than a personal achievement. The trip was designed to provide greater access to the outdoors for all abilities. To accomplish this, Quinn partnered with the Kelly Brush Foundation, a nonprofit that provides recreational opportunities for people with spinal cord injuries. Together, they turned the ride into a fundraiser that will help subsidize adaptive bikes and equipment to be placed in locations near National Parks. The end goal is to provide the means for others who have the ability to adapt with the opportunity to explore the great outdoors.

• 
• 

“I can and I need to change my own perspective. I am a very capable, productive member of society. I am the source of my own self respect. I need to give myself that grace.”

• 
• 
•