The Rigs of the Tour Divide

And they're off!

Once upon a time in Hollywood

THE MOUNTAINS ARE CALLING

A week in the saddle

Late night update

Halfway recap - where did those 9 days go?!

COLORADO CALLING

It's a long way to Antelope Wells

A day of curve balls

A moment that's come to mark the start of the Tour Divide build up is Bikepacking.com's release of their Rigs of the Tour Divide and this year's is better than ever with two separate features: one for drop bars and one for flat bars. There's no kit list to better showcase the evolution of mixed-terrain bikes and all the weird and wonderful amalgamations of off-road components.

[Part 1: The Flat Bars
](https://bikepacking.com/bikes/2022-tour-divide-rigs-part-1/)
[Part 2: The Drop Bars
](https://bikepacking.com/bikes/2022-tour-divide-rigs-part-2/)


It’s the second Friday in June and in the world of bikepacking that only means one thing - it’s  Tour Divide day. The most famous bikepacking race which takes the classic route down the continental divide of the Americas from Banff, Alberta to a lonely border crossing on the US/ Mexico border at Antelope Wells begins.

Due to the pandemic, the Tour Divide last ran in full in 2019. That race descended into chaos when a late season snowstorm hit the leaders as they entered Colorado with many riders holing up at Brush Mountain Lodge to wait out the weather. Some pushed on through the mud and floods. The repercussions of that event are very much front of mind in 2022 with many of the main protagonists back for redemption and the controversy around media coverage still simmering. 

# The Route.

This year sees significant changes to the classic route with to forest closures due to fire risk necessitating reroutes through New Mexico, with some of the hardest sections of the route over Brazos Ridge and Polvadera Mesa missing completely and a large detour around the Gila National Forest. To balance this out the route is using the classic dirt GDMBR section from Cuba to Grants, New Mexico. This 100 mile desert section is remote and dry and will be very challenging. There are also some small route adjustments further north with a return to the original route in the Swan Valley, Montana and a new section before Hartsel, Colorado that gets riders off the busy Hwy 24. 

All up the route is about 180 miles (300km) shorter than previous editions and any talk of records is off the table for this year. Instead the race will be a shoot out of riders on course battling the incredible variety of terrain and conditions that the Tour Divide traverses. Expect snow covered passes in the north, unrideable mud, wicked head winds through the Great Basin of Wyoming and searing heat in the high desert of New Mexico. 

# The Contenders.

Due to the pandemic, there is a larger than normal field this year with a large number of overseas riders. It’s a little sad to see such a small group of women lining up at the Grand Depart, with only 14 riders listed on Trackleaders.com. Of those Ashley Carelock and Zoe Chauderlot look likely to be shooting out for the title of fastest women, although I wouldn’t count out Katie Strempke who is riding single speed this year. Zoe finished second in 2019 and Ashley has plenty of  race experience, so it should be an interesting watch.

The men’s race is wide open with many names familiar to regular followers of dotatcher.cc. Top of the list is everyones favourite dot Sofiane Sehili. Sofiane is lining up for the third time after having a near-death experience in the big storm in 2019 he’ll be hoping for a cleaner run this time around. Other big names from the other side of the Atlantic to watch out for include Ben Steubaut, Josh Ibbett, Adrien Liechti and Manu Cattrysse. All have a strong record but I’m picking Ben to come out on top. From the locals field, Nate Ginzton, Timon Fish and Pete Basinger are the contenders with form. Nate was second in 2019 and Timon is well known for his record attempts and winning the Colorado Trail Race. Pete Basinger is a true veteran of the sport and could pull one out of the bag. 
There are a host of other riders who intend to go fast and it’s likely at least one of this group will be in contention for honours when the dust has settled at Antelope Wells. Look out for Daniel Connell, Danny Greene, Ezra Ward-Packard, Jacob Ashton, Jens Van Roost, Peter Kraft Jr, Sean Huzieff, Theo Kelsy and Tim Tait on the tracker. 

As always there are races within the race and none is more interesting than the singlespeed competition. Andrew Strempke has the experience  to pull off a big result and expect to see his name well up the general classification too. 

# Rules?

As with other events which rely on self regulation, there have been a number of controversies around rule compliance with the Tour Divide over the years. Much of this has stemmed from the very simple set of rules which have formed the basis for nearly every bikepacking event that now exists. In 2019 this reached a head when a number of riders had personal media crews documenting their ride and the claims of outside support and an unfair advantage reached boiling point. Along with the greater public interest and more roadside assistance, this threatened to undermine the fundamental basis of the Tour Divide ethos, "Do it Yourself". 
It’s with some relief that the Race Director has published a very clear guideline of what that very simple rule means. Just to make sure no-one misses the point, it’s in CAPITALS!

![Rule calrification](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/47VEunRRRC6ifoL46HYATa/9d61718ac8888e2de9e213df2c9b683d/rules_image.png)

Here’s to a clean and fair race, tail winds for all and the life changing event that is racing the Tour Divide. 

Tour Divide 2022: Race Preview

As we go to press the time it’s just after 1am for racers on the Tour Divide. With the first day under their wheels, riders will have shaken off the nerves and come face to face with the realities of the route. While some riders have pushed on past Fernie, conveniently situated 150 miles into the race, others have decided to play the long game and get a room for the night. 

In past years riders have congregated at the YMCA in Banff, had a briefing and photo op with Crazy Larry, who has then led riders out to the start of the Goat Creek Trail. This year, Parks Canada requested a staggered start to reduce crowding on the trails, so riders started in small waves 10 minutes apart, meaning the total start time was nearly 2 hours long. Riders were seeded based on their own projected finished times, so the fastest went first. It’ll probably take a day or so for the effects of this to shake out. Riders’ personal times are calculated from their actual start time. 

Already riders have encountered some of the experiences that the Tour Divide is renown for. Zoe Chauderlot (@zchauderlot) had a face to face encounter with a grizzly bear and her cubs, but thankfully after rearing up the bear decided to head back into the forest. Snow greeted riders on the approach to Elk Pass, which is just after the Bolton Creek campground and is the first high pass on the route. I’m guessing the hike up Koko Claims, the steep, bouldery climb that lets you know this isn’t a gravel race is well snowed up too - the riders’ speeds over the pass suggesting it’s a hike up AND down. Expect to see more snow hiking over the next few days as riders traverse the high passes of British Columbia and Montana. 

![287435107 5417095575002609 1634880992254997291 n](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/5FcK0tiSJBHTh1GAhRj1Ef/02946a2b529d763a278f17956b92d680/287435107_5417095575002609_1634880992254997291_n.jpg)

True to form, our favourite dot Sofiane Sehili is leading from the front and showing no signs he intends to sleep tonight. He’s approaching Butts Cabin in the Flathead Valley, a traditional first night sleep spot for the fastest riders. At present he’s on track to make the border in under 24 hours, an hour faster than his 2019 run. 

Manu Cattrysse, Nate Ginzton and Josh Ibbett are about 10 miles back, pushing into the night. Timon Fish and Adrien Liechti are still moving, making their way over Harvey Pass out of Fernie. Jacob Ashton and Andrew Strempke have camped up at the bottom of the climb while Tim Tait, Seth Micheal and Colin Schindler have decided to leave town. A large group of over 20 riders have stopped for the night in Fernie, opting to get a bed for the night and a big feed early in the race. In this group are the leading women riders, with Ana Jager in Fernie and Zoe Chauderlot camping just before town about an hour before Ana went past. Further back Ashely Carelock has camped in the Bull River Valley, 15 miles short of Fernie. 

The key split will be the time through the US Border in the morning when the result of each riders’ first day strategies will be clear. Will Sofiane employ his 2019 strategy and ride non-stop to Helena? Will the well-rested riders like Ben Steurbaut and Jens Van Roost come through the field? With some rainy weather coming through northern Montana over the next few days plans may change and it's likley racers further back in the field will be significantly impacted. It’s very early days but these early strategies usually decide if riders are in with a chance to claim honours in a few weeks time at Antelope Wells. 

Grey skies and white roads greeted riders on their second day on the 2022 edition of the Tour Divide. In what appear to be the heaviest snow conditions seen on the route in 10 years, racers experienced long hike-a-bikes over most of the high passes either side of the border crossing. This heavy snowpack combined with rainy weather has produced large volumes of water, so streams and rivers are up and sections of the route are flooded. More rain is forecast in the next few days and new snow on Monday into Tuesday. Expect slow travel from all riders, as heavily laden bikes will be difficult to manage in the chopped up conditions. 

![Flooded](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/5UEflPcE8Zhiwa1HWvbBA6/65d1e433c4364b573c3edad271e3a698/Screenshot_20220612-064313_Instagram.jpg)

These tough conditions put extra stress on riders and their equipment. Timon Fish appears to have had an altercation with the ground, with a broken shifter reducing him to singlespeed. Currently camped on the climb to Whitefish Divide, I expect he’ll be looking to access a bike shop in Whitefish tomorrow and get his race back on track. 

![Broken](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6MSo683InYPm4RZ3R6scjs/8d9c156442876eff88302efc27cda5d4/Screenshot_20220612-064221_Instagram.jpg)

At the other end of the course, the few riders that decided to race northbound (NOBO) are battling extreme temperatures. Day time highs are over 100ºF, sapping conditions for sure. There’s some relief coming as the route ascends to near 9000ft as it enters the Gila National Forest north of Silver City however I think the new section from Grants to Cuba will be make or break for some on the dry sandy tracks of the desert. 

The racing has been tight at the front of the women’s field over the past 24 hours. After a long sleep outside Fernie, Zoe Chauderlot caught Ana Jager in the Upper Flathead Valley and now has a slender 5 mile lead on the climb to Whitefish Divide outside Eureka. It will be interesting to see if Zoe continues with the long sleep approach as she is clearly faster over the ground. Further back, Ashely Carelock and Katie Strempke are heading for the border after the snowy hike over Galton Pass. 

As riders pass through towns like Eureka and Whitefish they come back into reception. Many are posting to Instagram about their rides so far. Sofiane Sehili, current race leader by over 30 miles gave us an update and a rendition of the US National Anthem! Sofiane confirmed that it’s wet out there and the hikes are long - 2.5 hours over Red Meadow Pass. Behind him is the chase group of Josh Ibbett, Nate Ginzton and Manu Cattrysse. As I write they have just passed through Whitefish at 1am local time. A few hours of flat, mostly paved roads will be a welcome relief I’m sure. Adrien Liechti is just starting the descent off Red Meadow Pass, on his own in 5th place with another group of Abe Kaufman, Ben Steurbaut, Ban Handrich and Andy Leveto camped up in the Flathead Valley below Red Meadow. 

Most of the remaining riders are spread out all the way back to Fernie where a large group are spending their second night. Cresting Koko Claims is undoubtedly one of the hardest sections of the route, so all these riders will be feeling pretty good with themselves to have Koko behind them. Riders further back are behind the pace required to complete the course in 30 days and they risk being “white-dotted” (changed to touring mode) if they don’t get their skates on!

The next few days will be crucial for many riders on course with the constant climbing, snow hikes and wet weather pushing them hard. If you have a favourite rider on course, show them some love and encourage them through this tough time, there’s sure to be sunny skies ahead. 

These boots are made for walking

The Tour Divide can be many things, but one thing for is for sure, this year it ain't like the movie with perfect gravel and sunny skies. For those that have raced it they will know that while the route itself is long and challenging, it’s the conditions that you face at any hour of the day that define your experience. Get a snow-free run through Montana and you are primed to hit Wyoming with energy in the tank. Get slammed by the weather as riders did in 2014 and it’s a battle of survival until the sun comes out further south. There’s nothing quite as demoralising as walking a 2% gradient snowed up road for hours on end, like riders have been over Red Meadow Pass, thinking you could have been over in 30 minutes. Schedules and plans go out the window. Food supplies run short. The only consolation is that you know that everyone else is enduring the same hardship. 

Sofiane Sehili continues his march down the route and looks to have stopped for his first sleep at Llama Lodge between Lincoln and Helena. Being first over Richmond Peak, Sofiane would have been post-holing in snow, creating a track that others can follow. He seemed to be travelling quite slowly into Ovando too, maybe recent rain had turned the surface to mud? 

![Sofiane through Ovando](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/IMgLvEHfDopsQloCK0gmm/f22f153efc36c036c5b9c3a382450013/286337929_10160336891423678_1725609896715667271_n.jpg)

Fifty miles behind him Nate Ginzton, Josh Ibbett and Manu Cattrysse have camped for the night near Ovando. All have been getting a few hours sleep each night to date, so it will be interesting to see how big the gap is when they all go through Butte tomorrow. As I write Nate is underway again and is heading up Huckleberry Pass at 1am, so the race for the lead is on! The rest of the chasers are cresting Richmond Peak after midnight, with the remaining leading group spread out back to Whitefish.

![Josh and Manu, Ovando](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/5UvpgrrqH2FHfTa4xIxgRB/5172b77d8513eccf5db4c2f263eff9b7/287713804_5181126041973608_3901331990227004893_n.jpg)

In the women’s field Zoe Chauderlot may have made a decisive break on Ana Jager, who has detoured to Bigfoot for the night. Zoe is camped in the Flathead Valley and has a 25 mile lead plus a few hours sleep in the bank over Ana, but Katie Strempke is steaming along and closing in on both of them. The singlespeed race is equally enthralling with Andrew Strempke and Seth Micheal neck and neck as they approach Richmond Peak. 

With riders spread out over 400 miles of the course, it’s hard to keep track of all the action. Those that have made it as far as Whitefish are in a good place, with likely the longest snow hikes behind them. There’s another big group who have made it across the border, they have a tough day ahead with the forecast for deteriorating weather. Those still in Canada face some very hard days ahead with a storm cell forecast to park up over the Flathead Valley and dump rain and snow  until Wednesday. In a word it will be grim and the hotels along the route will get good custom. And just when you solve one problem, something else gives way as Timon Fish is finding out!
![Broken](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/1pLOS09A8v1yh7RExzxphr/c79d0308fd14d11ccaf375626a3690fe/287015547_562583498728477_6437183977674144527_n.png)


LIVE CAM in Ovando, MT

![BC8C79A4-942C-4B97-B3DE-D35AB2189219](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/1d42zyR517FfnIZ8zJ5Nbg/e6b05f51efefe31d39dd4bb64247e213/BC8C79A4-942C-4B97-B3DE-D35AB2189219.jpeg)

It's well past midnight on the fourth night of this already engaging edition of Tour Divide. Its still very early in the race and for some it can take a few days for the body to adjust to the rigours being put on it. With the challenging conditions, cold, wet, mud and plenty of HAB, racers will have to go deep and find the determination and motivation to push on.The first week can often see many racers scratch, although only a handful so far this year, which is great!

Only about 120 miles(193km) separate the top 13 racers with many stopped to sleep in Helena. Adrien Liechti moves up the Grizzly Gulch road climb out of Helena, Josh Ibbett and Manu Cattrysse have arrived in Butte at mile 727 and are stopped for some sleep.
Second placed rider Nate Ginzton has stopped 10 miles out of Butte as Sofiane pushes on over Fleecer Ridge hoping to get down to Wise River, after which there is some easier pavement riding all the way to a resupply option at the High Country Lodge.

Even at this early stage decisions to push on into the night or stop and rest can have crucial outcomes in how it all plays out. Super Dotwatching entertainment!!


IN THE DEAD OF NIGHT ON TOUR DIVIDE

![6B0B1B51-E670-4FF0-AD84-48BD818D3DF3](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/71oBbDePXdl0lur0q43BaN/c990d62785ee7e1d7c1e8fddb1842030/6B0B1B51-E670-4FF0-AD84-48BD818D3DF3.jpeg)

Leading single speeder Seth Michael is in Helena and second placed SS Andrew Strempke in 40 miles further back. Impressive Stuff!

At the front of the womans field is Zoe Chauderlot currently stopped in Lincoln with Ana Jagar closing in.

With many racers in Eureka, just inside the US border, they will be facing kilometers of snow pack on Red Meadow Pass as well as the forecast for more snow and cold conditions for Tuesday.

Racers in and around Whitefish will face similar conditions on Richmond Peak before eventually rolling into the small, friendly town of Ovando.

Way further south in contrasting conditions, the first Northbounders are in Cuba after 500 miles in the searing sun.Racers will be waking to a new day, new  adventures and more memories created on their trip of a lifetime for another day on the Divide

IN THE DEAD OF NIGHT ON THE TOUR DIVIDE (PART 2)

Zoe Chauderlot makes her appearance on the Ovando live cam!

[https://www.facebook.com/100002287895517/videos/5336046026485195/](https://www.facebook.com/100002287895517/videos/5336046026485195/)


ZOE CHAUDERLOT ON CAMERA

PHEW! Its gnarly out there for some.
<https://www.facebook.com/groups/tourdivide/permalink/1674947746172649/>

Meanwhile a dotwatcher caught up with Sofiane somewhere after leaving Butte, Montana last night. Geared up for a cold long night over Fleecer Ridge and out to Wise River
<https://www.instagram.com/p/CeyhsaSLRAe/>

  And this is From Nathan Mawkes on Richmond Peak this morning.He is currently heading towards Seeley lake but will have another climb to get over to Ovando.
  <https://www.instagram.com/p/CezJ694vixB/>


TOUGH CONDITIONS CONTINUE......

Running from Banff, Canada to Antelope Wells on the US-Mexican border, the Tour Divide is for many the halo event of Bikepack Ultraracing. There are both Southbound and Northbound riders racing self-supported along the ACA's Great Divide Mountain Bike Route, with a few diversions to spice it up.

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