Ride to Endure: A Baja Divide Journey for ALS (Film)

Photos by Aaron Rosenblum and Schuyler Alig

The Baja Divide bikepacking route is 1,600 miles of unforgiving desert trails and roads traversing the Baja peninsula from the US/Mexico border to Cabo, Mexico. Ride to Endure: A Journey for ALS to Set the Baja Divide FKT documents ultra-endurance athlete Miron Golfman’s record-setting self-supported ride of the route in 2022. Directed by Emmy Award winner Reece Robinson, this gripping documentary tells the story of Miron’s quest to honor his late uncle Bruce and raise awareness for ALS research through the Ride to Endure campaign.

The film captures more than just the physical challenge of cycling across rugged terrain in record-breaking time; it delves into the emotional endurance required to face life’s profound challenges. Miron’s journey transcends the Baja Divide, evolving into an enduring tribute to Bruce’s battle with ALS and the continuous efforts to fund research to find a cure.

• 
• 
• 

A Baja Divide Reflection

Words by Miron Golfman

At the height of the pandemic, like many, I found myself questioning what I wanted next in my life. With plans to go to grad school in the fall of 2020, I was less than excited as it would be a remote experience. At this same time, my uncle Bruce was three years into his battle with ALS. Following a series of conversations with my cousin and aunt, it became clear how much they needed caretaking support, given Bruce’s quickly deteriorating bodily autonomy. 

In September 2020, after isolating for two weeks, I moved in and assumed the role of Bruce’s primary caregiver. For the next four months, I gained an up-close perspective on the challenges and pain of his battle with ALS. I spent my days dressing him, cooking and helping him eat, assisting him in the bathroom, shuttling him to appointments, and going to the pool in the evenings to let him float, among other basic needs. All these simple daily tasks we take for granted became enormous endurance challenges for Bruce.

During our time together, I came to know Bruce and the stories of his life from a whole new perspective. As a young man, Bruce took two years to travel the world, living out of his backpack, a story he loved to tell whenever he could. His experience traveling was formative at the time and continued to feed him throughout life. He often reflected on knowing that he had done the most with his life while he could, which allowed him to be more at peace with the reality that he was losing control of his body and ultimately accepting that his life was ending. 

• 
• 
• 

Following my time as Bruce’s caregiver, my partner at the time and I set off to bikepack the Baja Divide in the Spring of 2021. Taking six weeks to ride our bikes from San Diego to Cabo, we lived the good life. There is such perfect, simple beauty in expedition life. The practice of eating, sleeping, moving, and repeating brings so much peace and clarity. As we made our way down Baja, I was reminded of how deeply I love life on the bike. Faced with what came next, I couldn’t stop thinking back to all my conversations with Bruce about doing the most with what time you have. As we came to the end of our journey through Baja, I couldn’t shake the idea of returning and attempting to set the fastest time on the route.

Doing my research on the history of the Baja Divide, I learned that Lael Wilcox was one of the creators of the route. Diving down the rabbit hole of Lael’s biography, I was quickly intrigued by this sport of ultra-endurance bikepack racing, something I had previously never heard of. I was hooked.

I knew I wanted to stay involved with supporting Bruce and the greater ALS community. I reached out to my cousin Aaron, Bruce’s son, and said “I want to try this ultra-endurance bike racing thing and try to set the record on the Baja divide. What if you come with me and document the ride to use as a fundraiser for ALS?” It was from that conversation that the Ride To Endure Project was born.

• 
• 

That summer, I moved to Anchorage, Alaska. Living out of the back of my truck in the parking lot of the bike shop I worked for, I gave myself fully to the dream of becoming an ultra-endurance bike racer. I used all the money I earned to buy the bikes and necessary bikepacking equipment I needed to start racing. I found an amazing coach within the local bike community, Janice Tower, who helped me develop a training plan. Throughout that year, I tried my hand at a few races and longer routes, including the Kenai 250, Alaska Pipeline, the southern half of the Great Divide, and Idaho Smoke and Fire. 

Together with Aaron, we spent the year developing the Ride To Endure Project and partnered with the ALS Association to be the beneficiary of our fundraising efforts. We created the project’s website, began our outreach campaign, and recruited two volunteer videographers. Bruce stepped in and was a huge help in our fundraising efforts. It was a full family effort. It was exciting to watch what had once been a far-fetched idea hatched while riding my bike in Mexico come to fruition. 

• 
• 
• 

Coming into the start of the FKT attempt, we had raised 30,000 dollars, still 20,000 dollars shy of our fundraising goal. I felt a lot of pressure to do my part and make all the work we had done to get ourselves there worthwhile. Having a team of three documenting my ride, I was well aware of the controversial history of documentation in ultra-endurance efforts. From the start, it was clear that the primary purpose of the ride was to champion this fundraiser and lift up the voices of those with ALS. Attempting the FKT was very much secondary. Ultimately, if the ride wasn’t seen as legitimate because of the film crew, I was okay with that. 

To the backdrop of fireworks being set off on the streets of Tecate, Mexico, at midnight on January 1st, 2022, I set off on my second ride of the Baja Divide. Before this point, my longest ultra effort had been four and a half days. My goal was to complete the Baja Divide in 10 days. On paper, I knew it was possible. Now, I just needed to make it a reality. On January 11th, in just over 10 and a half days, I set the fastest known time on the Baja Divide bikepacking route. 

• 
• 
• 

• 
• 

In the following year, for the Ride To Endure Project’s second annual campaign, I used my attempt at racing the Iditarod Trail Invitational 1000 to raise money for the Sean M. Healey and AMG Center for ALS. To date, the Ride To Endure Project has raised over $100,000 for ALS research and has supported families of those battling this devastating disease. I’m honored to have had the opportunity to use something I love so dearly to make a small impact. 

I continue to be excited by the experiment of pushing the envelope of what is humanly possible. Ultra-endurance cycling is a beautiful blending of athleticism, logistical planning, technical navigation, adaptability, and, ultimately, an ability to push well beyond comfort barriers. The multifaceted nature of the sport drew me in and continues to electrify me. I love refining my systems, strategies, and physical and mental fitness. More than any of that, I have always been driven to make an impact beyond myself. Having the opportunity to advocate for ALS awareness through ultra-endurance cycling has been an incredibly fulfilling adventure beyond racing alone.

In December 2023, 12 days after filming our final interview for the Ride To Endure documentary, Bruce passed away. Living years beyond the average life expectancy of those diagnosed with ALS, he used his last years of life to become a champion for ALS advocacy.

Bruce’s dedication to contributing to ALS research since his diagnosis was nothing short of inspiring. The months I spent with Bruce as his caregiver meant so much to me. I will always cherish my connection with him and all that we shared in common, from our love of the outdoors and travel to our belief in one’s ability to make a positive impact on the world regardless of the personal challenges one may be facing.

• 
• 
• 

I’m so incredibly proud to have worked with Bruce and Aaron in starting the Ride to Endure Project and continue to be committed to our work in finding a cure for this disease. Bruce, thank you for the love and passion you shared with the world. I know we are better for knowing you. May the lives we live going forward honor you. You are in our hearts, always and forever.

If you can, consider making a donation to the Ride to Endure campaign here.

Further Reading

Make sure to dig into these related articles for more info...