TD Rider Profile: Lewis Brocklehurst

My name is Lewis Brocklehurst, I am 24 and come from Canberra, Australia.

This will be my first time to America, definitely a cool way to see the country by riding down the spine of the Rockies. I am a Rookie to the Tour Divide, however that being said over the past few years I have dissected both the North and South Islands of New Zealand, cycled up the highest mountain in Thailand, ridden the second highest pass in the world at 5,200m above sea level in Ladakh, India, and lit up the heat maps around Canberra and the Australian Alps. If anyone is curious, so far this year I’ve cycled 7,500km, so plenty of seasoning in the legs.

My overarching goal on The Divide is to have fun, see America and learn a bit more about myself. I will go as far and fast as possible, with respect to my health. My only real experience in ultra-distance racing has come from the Monaro Cloudride 1000 (an epic way to see the Australian Alpine region for anyone thinking of coming to Australia), after having taken a 2nd place the 2018 edition of the race.

Racing in this format can be really unpredictable, with all kinds of external forces at play outside of a riders cycling aptitude. Due to this I won’t be going in with overly high expectations, especially considered some of the riders lining up in Banff have been my idols and a source for inspiration for several years now.

I am really lucky to have a super network of friends and family, who seem to give me unconditional amounts of support and positive energy. Without naming individuals, you know who you are. Riding over the years has become a spiritual activity for me, a way to find peace in the world and within myself, two years ago I unexpectedly lost my Father to heart disease. He will be with me when I am riding into the night, so I won’t be alone.

It would have been that much harder to start the Tour Divide without good support, so massive shout out to the biggest bike shop in Australia Pushys, and Mitas tyres who have made prepping the bike almost an effortless job, then my cycling club ANUCC for the training motivation.

I will be riding a Cannondale FSI Factory, with a Curve rigid fork, Shimano XT running gears and a K-Lite dynamo.

You can follow my journey on Instagram for live updates: LewisBrocklehurst

If anyone is thinking of doing The Divide, you should.