Guest stories: the Tutti Gravel Inn and Tour Divide inspiration with Kelly Servinski

The Tour Divide is an epic of the bikepacking calendar. A 2,745-mile (4,420km) race that follows the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route, from Banff (Canada) to Antelope Wells (USA).

It’s not the sort of race you consider without good reason. For Kelly Servinski, it’s the culmination of a lifetime of riding - in his words - it’s “arguably the hardest one”.

It’s also not the sort of race that happens overnight; carving out the space in life to undertake such a ride is a challenge in itself.

Kelly’s background

Kelly is 53, from Clinton, British Columbia, and operates Tutti Gravel Inn with his wife Erin. It’s a premiere gravel bike hotel, surrounded by some of the most picturesque and challenging gravel roads.

Aged 15, with aspirations to race dirt bikes, a crash and a short list of broken bones led him to take up cycling for rehab.

Shortly afterwards he won an MTB race, and he was hooked. It has since led to a professional and personal life dedicated to bikes: racing competitively, working in bike shops, touring as a sales rep, and now running Tutti, the bicycle hotel.

Kelly tells me, “I kept pedalling and haven’t stopped. Cycling has given me my most rewarding and challenging moments in my life.”

More on Tutti Gravel Inn

Kelly and Erin had always wanted to work together and try operate their own business.

They had travelled to Europe plenty of times, staying in bike hotels, and were inspired to try something similar in Canada.

They stumbled upon a property in Clinton and instantly knew it was the place. A big old commercial property that had been a pottery business. They bought it, quit their jobs and put everything on the line.

Seven years later, there are no regrets between them and they have created a really special place for riders to gather, and explore a unique region of gravel cycling.

Tour Divide inspiration

After a few years dedicated to work and a lack of racing, Kelly felt the urge to do something big and satisfy his need for adventure.

As the Tutti Gravel Inn closed for winter, Kelly and Erin made their usual trip south to the warmer climate of Arizona, where Kelly could ride regularly.

As he continued to put the training miles in, he felt compelled to make his Tour Divide about something bigger than his own determination. During one of his rides, he found himself thinking of a friend that had tragically died in 2005 during a mountaineering accident in the Rockies. His name was Mike Farrow.

Reflecting on the friendship, which had developed during their days of tree-planting, Kelly tells me:

“Mike was in his early twenties, studying to be a mountain guide at the local university. I think back to those times with him, and what a simpler and innocent time it was for us all. How lucky I feel to be still kicking after all these years later. I know Mike would have been doing the same and have made a great guide.”

The Mike Farrow Memorial Award

In 2005, a scholarship was created to honour Mike Farrow.

The award is provided by Thompson Rivers University and is given to 2nd year student who is pursuing a diploma in the Adventure Tourism program. It has now supported 20 Adventure Studies students in their development.

In 2005, Kelly raced the 7 day MTB TransAlp in Europe, 7 day MTB TransRockies in Canada and the 3 day MTB LaRuta stage races, tying his results together to fundraise $11,000 for the scholarship.

His 2026 Tour Divide ride will also be in recognition of Mike Farrow’s legacy.

*Supporters can donate directly at tru.ca/givingday by selecting “Choose Your Cause” and selecting the Mike Farrow Memorial Award from the drop-down menu.