TD Rider Profile: Sofiane Sehili

My name is Sofiane Sehili.

I'm 37 and work as a bike messenger in Paris. I've started bike touring in 2011 with one big trip in South East Asia, then moved on to bikepacking a few years later. I've cycled on 4 continents in more than 30 countries, with my biggest journey taking me from my home in Paris to the coast of China, covering 16.000km in 3 months.

My first bikepacking race was Tour Divide 2016 where I managed to finish 3rd in 16:00:25. The year after that a mechanical kept me from climbing on the podium of the Trans Am ; I lost 24 hours and finished 8th. Last year after battling with a heat stroke I managed to snatch a 3rd place on Bikingman Taiwan. Finally, this April (2019) I won the Italy Divide, tied with two time TCR winner James Hayden.

This year I'd like to shave a day on my TD time. I will be satisfied with any time under the 15 days mark. What I look forward too is the quietness of the divide, the solitude that is found on no other route that I know of. Places like the top of the Brazos are exactly what I look for in a ride, equally for the sheer beauty and the remoteness of the place.

What I find challenging on this race is the amount of climbing that offers Montana, the desolation in the Great Basin and the harsh terrain of New Mexico, where the downhills are even worse than the climbs. The weather can also be challenging: in 2016 it snowed on Bannack road which slowed me down quite a bit.

I will be riding a Niner Air 9 with matching RDO fork, equipped with Apidura Bags.

Editor: You can find Sofi at: Instagram: sofianeshl URL: http://kenlesstats.com/ Strava: sofiane sehili