Ride to Endure: A Journey for ALS to Set the Baja Divide FKT | Documentary Film
In January, 2022, driven by a mission to honor his uncle Bruce’s battle with ALS and contribute to the cause, ultra-endurance cyclist Miron Golfman set out to establish a new Fastest Known Time (FKT) across the formidable 1600-mile Baja Divide bikepacking route in Mexico. After 10 and a half days, over 70,000 feet of elevation gain, sleep deprivation, and countless stretches of washboard terrain (much of which is shared with the notorious Baja 1000 rally race), Miron made it to the southernmost tip of the Baja Peninsula, beating the previous records set by Pete Bassinger and Lael Wilcox by nearly 22 hours.
From Outdoor Educator to Endurance Cyclist
Born and raised in Vermont, Miron was an outdoor educator for many years before taking on pro endurance cycling. In 2016, his entire family was hit with the crippling news that his uncle, Bruce Rosenblum, had been diagnosed with ALS. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Miron became the primary caregiver for Bruce. This period offered him an intimate look at the disease’s impact and inspired Miron to go after his hopes and dreams. After going on a 2 month bikepacking tour of Baja, Mexico, it hit Miron that he could try to cycle the route in record time as a fundraising and awareness campaign for Bruce and for ALS. Miron collaborated with his cousin, Aaron, to pull the event together and thus the Ride to Endure campaign was born.
“For years I've dreamed of what it would be like to be an athlete. And I think what always held me back was this question of, 'how do I give back?' Miron reflects in the documentary. "It was really through my relationship with Bruce that I saw the window in which I could do that, and that being an athlete would feed me."
The Baja Divide
On New Years day, January 2022, at 12:00 AM, Miron set out from Tecate, Mexico, towards tough terrain, rocky trails, desert heat, and remote stretches that demand both physical strength and mental resilience. Carrying all his gear, and resupplying once or twice a day, he navigated the route alone.
“The final push was mentally tough,” Miron recalls. “Even after achieving what I set out to do, finishing remained a significant challenge.”
Excruciating pain clouded Miron's thinking as he approached the final day and a half, combining that with whirlwind emotion from coming towards the end of the challenge. Keeping Bruce in mind helped him push through the dark moments, such as when his bike's bottom bracket blew out in one of the most remote stretches of the ride.
A New Chapter for Miron
After 10 days, 13 hours, and 24 minutes, Miron officially set a new self-supported FKT on the Baja Divide, completing the route nearly a full day faster than the previous record holders. This thrust Miron into the world of professional endurance bikepacking. Building on this achievement, he went on to win the Colorado Trail Race and the Iditarod Trail Invitational twice, looking to continue the legacy of Ride to Endure and to continue to fundraise with big endurance events.
So far, Miron has raised over $100,000 for ALS research.
"I hope that the impact of the Ride To Endure project and this film, that it has a twofold effect. The first would be for the ALS community directly, that they know that they are seen, loved and not forgotten. Second would be to to inspire both those within the community and within the broader community, as to the power of a dream and of willing a dream into existence and to not do that alone."
-Miron Golfman
Watch “Ride to Endure”