Canada: Alcan 5000

Next Stoplight: 3,000 Miles

Routine city riding is not the recommended training regimen for motorcyclists planning to take on the Great White North in the Alcan 5000.

Huddled with fellow rally participants in the doorway of the "World Famous" Rancheria rest stop somewhere along the Alaska Highway, we sip from our Camelbaks, stare into the night, and wonder how much longer it is to Whitehorse. Our bikes wait outside, like pack dogs itching to press on, and we hardly notice the scruffy pooch sniffing our gear – until he lifts a leg above one our helmets.

Welcome to the Alcan 5000
Previously open only to cars, this endurance rally taunts any dual-sport rider crazy enough to log nine straight 500+-mile days on some of the most unpredictable roads in North America while keeping an eye trained on a stopwatch.

And as the seconds wind down to my starting time from the hotel parking lot in Seattle, Washington, I'm thinking I must be crazy enough because I have no idea what I'm getting into. No idea that my bike will fail me in a few hours, no idea what it means to be "Hyderized," no idea I'll be standing, dog-tired, for most of my meals, and no clue how the unspoiled North Country can really put the zap on your head....

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