Women's recap 

D14 - Ulirch Bartholmoes takes the TD win

Instagram vs Reality

A chat with Mike Hall's Mum

D13 - shake up in the women’s rankings

D13 - will he, won’t he

D11 - Salida sparkles + D12

D10 - happy birthday Ulrich

D9 - weather and weariness

D8 - one week in

Lael Wilcox - 16d20h00m
Katya Rakhmatulina - 17d08h48m
Hannah Simon - 18d11h13m
Sacha Dowell - 18d11h17m
Gail Brown - 18d11h31m
Alexandera Houchin - 18d18h26m *broke single speed record
April Drage - 18d23h00m
Marie-soleil Blais - 19d09h26m
Katie Dolan - 20d19h07m

8 women completed the Tour Divide in under 20 days, with Katie Dolan just missing out. We were treated to a strong field and much switching of places for the third spot on the podium. But it ended with 2 women riding in together to take the 3rd spot on the podium. 

Lael Wilcox took first place in the women’s field, riding within the top 10 of the field before some bike repairs and the need to deal with a medical issue bumped her outside of the top 10, finishing in 13th place on the GC and not far outside of the record she set on an ITT in 2015. The conditions up north were challenging with persistent rain and mud, while south the headwinds were pretty strong. To come this close in less than ideal conditions shows the quality of the rider she is.

The real surprise came with Katya Rakhmatulina, a relatively unknown rider who took second place in the women’s field and held it for much of the race. She finished 17th in the General Classification. A bottom bracket issue took her off the route to find a bike shop able to help on a Sunday. Slowly closing the gap to Lael once she was back on route, she rode strong until the final night where the heat in the south saw her take a little extra time to recover. As a rookie to the Tour Divide, it was a strong ride and to remain within contention of Lael bodes well should she wish to come back to have a crack at the Tour Divide again. 

The only rider to break a record on the Divide was Alexandera Houchin, taking 2 hours off the existing Women’s Single Speed record she already held from 2019 (18d20h, and 26m). What stood out more was her position with the GC and the women’s field, flirting with 3rd spot in the women’s field at some points within the race, only losing ground towards the end of the Divide where the flatter roads gave more advantage to those with more gears. She took 6th place in the women’s field and 28th in the GC. 

Gail Brown suffered some illness at the start of the Tour Divide, keeping her off her normal pace. The second half of the race saw her recover enough to start picking her way through the field finishing up in 5th women and 26th in the GC.

Seven women finished the top 30 of which 5 were rookies. Two women finished in the top 20 with one being a rookie. 

Whilst still a small representation in bikepacking, Tour Divide showed the potential for growth bringing along with it a strong, young field of riders.

# #Dotreporter

Your dotreporter for this race is __Peta McSharry__. New reports will be dropped into my [Instagram Stories](https://www.instagram.com/petamcsharry/) when the are published.

Shy of the record by 4.5 hours, __Ulrich Bartholmoes__ took the win in the 2023 Tour Divide recording the second fastest time over the course. Given the very wet conditions in the north and the strong headwinds in the south, this was an incredible time.

From my Google Maps data from the 2016 and 2019 routes (2019 is similar to this years route), the 2016 route was slightly longer by 63 miles (100 kilometres) and with a tad more climbing 33ft (103 metres). However the Koko Claims reroute used in the 2023 race is certainly much slower due to the difficulty of the terrain - suggestion of around 2-3 hours but those who've ridden both routes. It’s not easy to make a like-for-like analysis, but given better conditions, it looks like this record may fall.

![Ulrich](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2IeASiOF6TVeDUio3ItAH0/e56ba092501e17825bd1fecc3900351f/image.png)

There’s a reason __Ulrich Bartholomoes__ won 14 of the 18 Ultra-distance races he started and now adds this one to his long list of Palmarés. Ulrich looked strong and positive coming into the finish at Antelope Wells, despite the strong headwinds, but you could see he took a beating from the weather and sun. It was questionable whether his thread-bare tyres with the small splits in the rubber would make it puncture free to the end, but they did.

![Justinas Leveika](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/59gyHH6I3vKOvfkEiNRKP7/525fbdfeeba210572d2154e3e093c034/image.png)

__Justinas Leveika__ rolled into the finish in second place, greeted by what looking like a huge lemon meringue pie and some fireworks. 

![Justinas cake](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3IrwIh0T2BJvIpgn9FkJiz/7dca2e85f3a561d11216c4e58698204d/image.png)

These guys know how to put on a party. Despite the issues with his bike, Justinas was he usual smiling self and both riders hung around to see in third place __Joe Nation__. I’m not sure if there was any Vegemite sandwiches for him at the finish, but they pulled out all the stops for the Podium and the bar is now set for any future editions of the race.
(Vegemite is a savoury breadspreed - a national treasure in the antipodean countries. Of course Marmite is way better).

![Joe Nation](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3aJqYvypemxwCfVND1MOOH/4e3668401cc700681803d817f85e5ae6/image.png)

![2023 podium](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/37PuLVB4zHNdM1KT73vGOE/416e1d3a80ce9bef1760390b98368c8e/image.png)

__Steven Le Hyaric__ came in 4th, followed by __Steve Halligan__ in 5th who pipped __Peter Kraft__ to the finish-line by a mere 2 hours 11 minutes - the closest among the top 6 riders.

![Steven Le Hyaric](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/19HrGu0xBOdUcc52VH0hOG/858ed1be20ca1400e4acca651563a445/image.png)

- Ist __Ulrich Bartholmoes__ - 23 June 2023 10:13am
- 2nd __Justinas Leveika__ - 23 June 2023 11:57pm
- 3rd __Joe Nation__ - 24 June 2023 09:04am
- 4th __Steven Le Hyaric__ - 24 June 2023 08:13pm
- 5th __Steve Halligan__ - 24 June 2023 01:38am
- 6th __Peter Kraft__ - 24 June 2023 03:19am

## Pie Town timing
Steve Halligan was the first rider to get pie as his ride coincided with opening hours. His arrival declares it open season for the Tour Divide in Pie Town and the run on pies is going to be big given the size of the field.

![pie town](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6gaqAf77TDIp6eZU1sRaUj/359bffdfdc015c26122ffb01b5457fac/image.png)

## Still out on the course
I’ll give to the women’s field in another post. But chasing down the last places for the top ten are 4 riders: __Cyrus Desmarais__ and __Justin Smith__ who are riding a similar pace, are sitting around 50 miles ( 80km) ahead of __Maarten Vanhaverbeker__ and __Dirty Dan__. 

## Justin Smith
Flying completely under my radar, he snuck into the top 10 while the action was hot at the front of the race. His social media account for the race is attached to his wife’s account, so I’ve not found any posts from his ride. Ditto his website which is a business site. So I’m gleaning my info from his bio on the site. He is a backcountry guide and leadership coach, with previous adventures including cycling the Spine of the Andes in South America and hiking the Pacific Crest trail from Mexico to the Canadian border. Let’s hope his not aiming to make this border to border expedition into a triathlon. With this experience, it’s no surprise he’s riding up in the top 10.

## Cyrus Desmarais 
Also flying under the radar. Cyrus is the organiser of the North [Central Washington 250](https://bikepacking.com/event/north-central-washington-250-2022/) - a self-supported event in the backcountry terrain in North Central Washington. Not much other info exists for Cyrus, apart from his Strava, which doesn’t reveal much. 

## #DotReporter
Your DotReporter is __Peta Mc Sharry__, I’ll be posting updates via [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/petamcsharry/) Stories which will notify you when I post a new article. 

## Contributors are:
[Sofiane Sehili](https://www.instagram.com/sofianeshl/) 
[Josh Ibbett](https://www.instagram.com/joshibbett/) 	
[Zoé Chauderlot](https://www.instagram.com/zchauderlot/) 
[Brian Alder](https://www.instagram.com/brianinpics/) 	
[Rolf Moser](https://www.instagram.com/rolf_moser/)
[Beccy Waters](https://www.instagram.com/bikepackingbeccy/) 
[Kitty Dennis](https://www.instagram.com/bluberrysmoothie/)


We know the story. Things look very different on the ground versus what gets posted on Instagram. Those million other people also posing for the ‘solitary, idyllic photo’.

Boom. It’s happened here in Dotwatching world. 

When I posted about Lael Wilcox needing to get some medical assistance, I looked at Instagram, looked at the tracking map and made some assumptions based on how things often pan out in these situations. Checking the Race Flow chart later to see the gains and loses in the women’s field, the graph did not look right and my assumption didn’t add up. So I went back to find the campground Lael spoke about. 

![campground](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/60X4LnpX0qwBAnK3BPJZG8/40b6c422896b1194ef50975bab5c347b/image.png)

Low and behold, it was before Abiquiu and Lael rode into Abiquiu to get medical assistance.  All the timings then matched up with what I saw on the Race Flow graph and went on to explain the longer sleep time before Abiquiu where she reported taking some additional sleep. Apologies for the incorrect reporting, but at the time it was what I was reading as the story was unfolding.

![graph](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/73jiQdclJBSuLQNWYnj45k/7ebcb2282fb945dc9786cb633d9392cc/image.png)

Who said this reporting job was easy? Ok maybe easier than actually riding the Divide, but marginally so.

## #DotReporter
Your DotReporter is __Peta Mc Sharry__, I’ll be posting updates via [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/petamcsharry/) Stories which will notify you when I post a new article. 

## Contributors are:
[Sofiane Sehili](https://www.instagram.com/sofianeshl/) 
[Josh Ibbett](https://www.instagram.com/joshibbett/) 	
[Zoé Chauderlot](https://www.instagram.com/zchauderlot/) 
[Brian Alder](https://www.instagram.com/brianinpics/) 	
[Rolf Moser](https://www.instagram.com/rolf_moser/)
[Beccy Waters](https://www.instagram.com/bikepackingbeccy/) 
[Kitty Dennis](https://www.instagram.com/bluberrysmoothie/)


As the possibility of __Mike Hall’s__ Record being broken looked the most likely this year, I took some time to talk to Mike’s Mum to firstly make sure she is all good and to find out her thought’s. It’s been a while since we caught up so it took a good 1.5 hour to get through all our news and reminisce about the past.

Perhaps the most striking part of the conversation comes from ‘nature and nurture’, which makes up most of our personalities. By nature Mike was pretty messy, very determined and ran on a different battery system to many of us. Mike’s Mum - Pat - tells of him as a baby not needing much sleep and if he did nap in the afternoon, he was going all night. His older brother, Russell, was tasked be preventing him from taking an afternoon nap, just so Mum could be a good night sleep. It was said of Mike on long rides, where others ran out of batteries, his were just kicking in. Perhaps the most interesting piece of information to come out was how Mike, even as a child, preferred to sleep on the floor rather than a bed. 

When you chat to Pat, the nurture aspect is very evident and this could be seen clearly in Mike when you knew them both. It’s tough talking about grief and to lose a child must be very hard and the reminder ever present of Mike and his achievements is always there in the bikepacking community. It’s an aspect Pat draws comfort from and is still part of this community, going to the finishers’ party for some of the local races to where she lives in Yorkshire. It’s a community Mike was key in creating, something he learned from his Mum. So it’s reassuring to see that Pat now gets comfort from something she instilled in Mike and that he helped build.

I asked Pat how she felt about Mike’s record, whether it tumbled or remained. It’s the first year she’s been able to watch the Dots on the Tour Divide, perhaps because time helps make the loss feel less raw, but it never goes away. This year it was evident some very strong riders turned up and the possibility of the record tumbling came very close, so she was refreshing the page as much as we were. Pat believes records are there to be broken and like Mike, would be the first to congratulate the person who achieves this.

Asking if I thought the record would tumble, I said from my calculations it would still hold this year. Perhaps a little relief crossed her face - Mike’s dot will ride again next year. We went on to talk about how tough it is to break a record, remembering Mike took three returns to the Tour Divide to break the record, he trained really hard, did tonnes of single speed rides around his local roads in Wales and cut back on the beer. Records are hard to break and it takes good conditions to be able to do so. 

Pat is hoping to make it to Banff for the Grand Depart next year, not to ride it, but as a treat for a milestone birthday.  This would not just be a treat for Pat, but for the many bikepackers who take to the start knowing what Mike achieved. It’s an aspect that still surprises Pat, she saw her son not was we do, he was her child. For us he is the benchmark to reach and perhaps exceed, but it may take another year before someone can get the conditions to be able say they beat Mike Hall.

Thank you to Pat for giving me her time, her stories but also to let us know we as a community are there for her, perhaps without knowing it ourselves. So when you think of Mike’s record, give a thought to his family too and if you see Pat at the start of the Tour Divide next year, a hug too. 

## #DotReporter
Your DotReporter is __Peta Mc Sharry__, I’ll be posting updates via [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/petamcsharry/) Stories which will notify you when I post a new article. 

## Contributors are:
[Sofiane Sehili](https://www.instagram.com/sofianeshl/) 
[Josh Ibbett](https://www.instagram.com/joshibbett/) 	
[Zoé Chauderlot](https://www.instagram.com/zchauderlot/) 
[Brian Alder](https://www.instagram.com/brianinpics/) 	
[Rolf Moser](https://www.instagram.com/rolf_moser/)
[Beccy Waters](https://www.instagram.com/bikepackingbeccy/) 
[Kitty Dennis](https://www.instagram.com/bluberrysmoothie/)


The biggest news for the day would see the UCI headquarters alarm system blast out, with all lights flashing and people running around frantically consulting the fines book to see what penalty they would dish out. Thankfully, they’re nowhere near bikepacking and the rules are fairly simple, only take services available to every other rider on the course and it’s a service that’s been tapped into a few times already.

Waking in a campground throwing up and not able to keep any fluids down can turn pretty nasty quite quickly, especially as riders head further south and temperatures rise above 30°C. Last year several riders suffered dehydration in the North, but with the colder temperatures it took longer for the body to display such adverse symptoms. 

Recognising her dehydration issue was causing the symptoms and not able to resolve it on route, __Lael Wlicox__ headed back on herself to Abiquiu to get an IV to rehydrate and stop her symptoms getting worse. If the dehydration is caused by Isotonic water loss (water and salt loss in the body - the most likely scenario), the IV should resolve this. If it’s a stomach bug, then this may take a little longer and would require antibotics which kill the bugs but also the legs and you feel like you’re cycling with wooden legs. The reason IVs are  banned in the pro-peloton is an IV can put you into recovery really quickly, way faster than rehydrating through drinking. The Pros are not suffering the volume of salt and water loss these riders see out on the Divide and throwing up is a sign this is fairly severe and in the Pro Peloton I imagine this would be reason enough for the doctor to consider an IV. So nothing to see here folks.

It does however open the door for __Katya Rakhmatulina__, who’s suffered her fair share of misfortune on the route and was last seen accompanying __Caleb Helkenn__ while he rummaged through the trash cans looking for food and water. Resupply is not easy on this part of the route, towns are really small, if it’s even a town. Small hamlet more like it. Hitting these places during opening hours is pot-luck and the decision to press on or wait til something opens is not always an option when you’re contesting the front of the race.

Katya is closing in on where Lael’s dot is stopped while she gets her medical issue dealt with in Abiquiu. Katya's pace, while a little slower than Lael’s in the first part of the race, consistently tracked Lael throughout the race and she was gaining ground just before she needed to go off route to resolve a bottom bracket issue. 

Lael was around 17 miles south of Abiquiu, so she’ll be able to return to this point once she resolves her medical issue. This leaves around 872 miles (1,395km) from Abiquiu to Antelope Wells, with a third of the race still left for the women. That’s still a substantial amount for things to be shaken up in the women’s placings as fatigue, mechanicals and limited resupply could unsettle the placings.
__(NOTE: this reporting was incorrect at the time it was published - please refer to [Instagram vs Reality](https://dotwatcher.cc/race/tour-divide-2023?reverse=undefined&post=1BoRugDzK1oZquKwW0pnq1#events) for an updated and accurate account).__

It’s 1am local time on the route, the 5 women behind Lael and Katya are camped up alongside the trail, just south of Del Norte. It looks like __April Drage__ made it to the BR Stores just by the skin of her teeth, arriving at 20:54, six minutes before closing time. A few minutes later and she’d be waiting until morning to resupply. This could snap the elastic for __Marie-soleil Blais__ who is trailing the 5 riders ahead of her. She’s arrived at 1 am and the first shops to open will be around 6am. It could time well for her to get a some extra sleep and then press on in the morning, but it may make it harder for her to make any ground up to those ahead.

![april](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/7KKhfdmiUAtWldUVXxF8BV/8b6ebb483229b54ea7cfc8b41bc0ebf7/image.png)
*"I didn't need to resupply, but I did" - April Drage*

This section of the route needs good timing to catch the shops open, so this could be a factor in determining who places where in the top of the women’s rankings. Knowing how much resupply to take will be key and may put the veterans at an advantage knowing which towns have 24 hour services. That said when you’re unsure you tend to over-supply which is probably not a bad thing in this part of the world. 

Hydration will be key as temperatures rise above 30°C and the wind is dry. Options for resupply do pop up in random places as Trail Angels leave out cooler boxes with water and snacks, so it may be someone rolls a lucky dice and finds resupply when they are in need.

It’s going to be an exciting finish nonetheless, with Katya proving to be a strong competitor to Lael. __Zoé Chauderlot__ observed how rare it is for Lael to ride with someone so close to her for much of an event and Katya remained calm and collected when she suffered her mechanical, not rushing to make up the ground she lost to Lael. It’s an error we see often in these races, where a rider loses 5 hours due to a mechanical or route error and makes up this ground in one day, only to crack at the end of the race having sacrificed recovery and sleep to close the deficit.

If the race for the leaders spots seem rather pedestrian at the moment, the women’s race* could see the field shake up places as they make their way to the border. __Gail Brown__ completed the ‘take everything for the race’ GBDuro during the pandemic, of all the women out there I imagine she’ll have a very good understanding of how much food she’s need to get between resupply. Could we she her jump up a few places as the border gets closer?

*(we can also have a race within a race, I know they are also competing in the main field too - for those who think it’s not two races).

![resupply](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3QrpXFWMIxcI6kNHM7L1uN/1dad21dea06e81b839e2283404dd77cb/image.png)

## #DotReporter
Your DotReporter is __Peta Mc Sharry__, I’ll be posting updates via [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/petamcsharry/) Stories which will notify you when I post a new article. 

## Contributors are:
[Sofiane Sehili](https://www.instagram.com/sofianeshl/) 
[Josh Ibbett](https://www.instagram.com/joshibbett/)        
[Zoé Chauderlot](https://www.instagram.com/zchauderlot/) 
[Brian Alder](https://www.instagram.com/brianinpics/)      
[Rolf Moser](https://www.instagram.com/rolf_moser/)
[Beccy Waters](https://www.instagram.com/bikepackingbeccy/) 
[Kitty Dennis](https://www.instagram.com/bluberrysmoothie/)

As the last few hours roll over from day 12 into day 13 of the Tour Divide, it looked like the race for the top step of the podium was over. A call in from __Justina Leveika__ (into __Josh Ibbett__) sounded like he was properly cooked and the Dots reflected this with __Ulrich Bartholmoes__ taking a nearly 50 miles into Justinas. It turns out Justinas was suffering mechanicals and possibly this was the reason he sounded cooked.

Ulrich took a 3 hour stop at the Toaster House just outside of Pie Town. Arriving at night, he missed the opening hours for the cafe in town, so he’s off pie-less. Justinas is 13 miles outside of Pie Town at 04:30am. The Pie-O-Neer Homestead is the only place open for pie today and they only open at 10am. Time will tell if Justinas waits for pie, as a true cake-lover would or if he’ll chase the carrot up ahead. No doubt by the time I finish writing today’s writeup we’ll know the outcome - Pie vs Carrot. (Update: he's chasing the carrot).

Early yesterday, Justinas’ mechanicals were catching up with him, his race flow graphic showed him moving at a very slow pace, dropping off the pace of Ulrich. I thought this might be a tracking issue but it  was his shifting playing up again - he is only able to shift by kicking the rear derailleur to shift into an easy gear and then stopping to pull it into a faster gear. The bearings on his pedals seized too, making pedalling way harder than it should.

## Yoyoing 
As riders stop and sleep at different times, you’ll see dots draw closer and then apart as stopping times are out of sync. This also appears to be the case with Mike’s RecordDot. The data driving the RecordDot along the route is from historically data, meaning it is travelling at the same speed, making the same stopping times from Mike’s ride in 2016. Coming into Pie Town it looked like Ulrich was making ground on the record, only for it to move away as Ulrich took a few hours sleep at the Toaster House. Justinas was behind Ulrich yesterday, making up some ground and then closing in when Ulrich was sleep. However the distance is increasing again as Justinas also needs to sleep. 

![pie not from pie town](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/1DEBlUDk6VCeZvbJj0Gcbe/a5cf873d6e833a1fd87b9de99c99303e/image.png)

As Justinas got back on the move from the Toaster House, he’s around 40 miles behind Ulrich. These are the distances left to the finish-line:

__Ulrich Bartholmoes__ - 250 miles, 400km
__Justinas Leveika__ - 285 miles, 456km
__Mike Hall’s Dot__ - 205 miles, 328km

So for Mike’s 20mph, Ulrich needs to ride 25mph and Justinas 28.5mph. In more realistic terms and in metric: Mike's 21.8kph, means Ulrich needs to ride at 26.6kph and Justinas 30.4kph.

Ulrich reported strong headwinds and they’re forecast to for the next few days. It’s 8am on the race, leaving 22 hours until the clock ticks over to 14 days. That gives Ulrich an average of 11.5mph (18kph) to get to Antelope Wells to arrive under 14 days. The terrain is not too mountainous, with shorter climbs, so it’s feasible Ulrich can make this pace. 

In comparison, for Justinas to make it under 14 days, he’ll need to average 13mph (21kph). 

As a reminder Mike’s record stands at 13D22H51M. The race predictor suggests Ulrich will arrive in 14D09H26M. That’s 10.5 hours behind Mike’s record. While Justinas is scheduled to arrive 14D15H03M. 

It’s manageable  for both these riders to push through to the finish without needing to sleep, so it’s reasonable to assume they’ll outpace the predictor by a few hours. 

__Joe Nation__ is predicted to arrive in 15D 02H56M - he needs to pedal another 364 miles (582km) to Antelope Wells. __Steven Le Hyaric__ is 63 miles (104km) behind Joe, so baring incident, it’s looking like the podium will be filled with these three riders. 

## #DotReporter
Your DotReporter is __Peta Mc Sharry__, I’ll be posting updates via [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/petamcsharry/) Stories which will notify you when I post a new article. 

## Contributors are:
[Sofiane Sehili](https://www.instagram.com/sofianeshl/) 
[Josh Ibbett](https://www.instagram.com/joshibbett/) 	
[Zoé Chauderlot](https://www.instagram.com/zchauderlot/) 
[Brian Alder](https://www.instagram.com/brianinpics/) 	
[Rolf Moser](https://www.instagram.com/rolf_moser/)
[Beccy Waters](https://www.instagram.com/bikepackingbeccy/) 
[Kitty Dennis](https://www.instagram.com/bluberrysmoothie/)


“There’s no use trying to outdo Bandi for costumes”, __Janie Hayes__ is bang on there and what a welcoming party into Salida for __Lael Wilcox__, who is still looking fresh, is stopping to get selfies and still chasing down a top ten spot while closing in on her RecordDot.

![bandi](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/btu6wi02as9zZ4L69rhjj/571cd802f7a38bbee49319b0c9e28f68/image.png)

Most of the top ten were spotted coming through Salida by Janie and her band of merry dancers - ok maybe just Bandi. Of note was __Peter Kraft__, looking very fresh, who’s been flying under the radar a little, but not to those who know him. He doesn’t appear on the informal sign up sheet for the Tour Divide, nor in social media when you search for him. So it was with the help of a local resident that I was able to get this info. He originally hails from Tallahassee, Floria, where his Dad owns the Nissan dealership.  He’s listed as a Veteran for the Tour Divide and took part as a 20 year old with his father (Peter Snr - 50 years at the time), in 2013 finishing 75th and 76th. He’s also finished the Tour Divide in 2017 and 2019, scratching in 2022, with this as his 5th ride down the Great Divide. He wins many of the local races in Gainesville, some of them in the range of the Huracan 300. So he’s well equipped for the Tour Divide and appears to be showing a strong second week. Thanks to [Tourist_Divide](https://www.instagram.com/tourist_divide/) for the info.

![Peter](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4J6keSoAUG02Eh0efHWZs3/8fccc78d80019fd7052b36d5453f316e/image.png)

This [article](https://eu.gainesville.com/story/news/local/2013/07/26/completing-the-2854-miles-of-the-tour-divide-a-grueling-father-son-adventure/31850855007/) is from the 2013 'Dad' Divide.

## Strong Women’s field
As the dust settles from the first week, the strength in the women’s field is showing itself. Eight women are currently ahead of the 20 day MarkerDot. We’ve seen the strength of the women’s field building over the past few years, both in the number of participants and speed of the riders. The Trackleaders projection feature shows the following riders coming in under 20 days:
__Lael Wilcox__, __Katya Rakmatulina__, __Sacha Dowell__, __Hannah Simon__, __Alexandra Houchin__, __April Drage__, __Gail Brown__, __Marie-soleil Blais__ and __Katie Dolan__. While __Kirsten Tonsager__ just misses the 20 day mark but will roll in the following day. That’s near 10 riders at or above 20 days.

![strong women](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/7B9iBV1EXgsfjzI7VQgMly/153d65abb83de1faf7f78867e64c4988/image.png)

## Hospitalisations
Bikes and bodies are battered by this point in the race, though it seems like more are reporting hospitalisations, it’s not over the top compared to other years. It takes a fine balance to keep things going and some are more robust than others. Of note is __Ezra Ward-packard__, who suffers Type 1 diabetes. His previous attempt at Tour Divide was hampered, not by issues with insulin but, with a tooth problem. He’s suffered unstable blood sugars and is currently getting it checked out and we hope he gets to return to the route. Insulin is tested to remain stable in high conditions, but I imagine keeping a clean environment to inject must be pretty hard in these conditions.

## Fires in Gila
The original fire reported close to the Mexican border appears to be contained, however another popped up in the Gila Nature Reserve, just west of where the route passes, it’s around 17% contained. However with winds now drawing in from the south, they are hot and dry and much stronger, giving rise to unstable conditions in the dry grasses. Firefighters are still able to do controlled burning to contain the fire, but if the winds pick up more, the fire will move faster than they can control-burn and tends to jump fire barriers.  If the fire remains to the west of the route and no reroute is in place, the riders will be in the path of the smoke, so this may hinder some riders impacted by the smoke. Lael Wilcox took an early rest stop, hoping to give her lungs a bit of recovery time, her voice sounded dry. The route is above 2,000m so the air will be much drier at that altitude, coupled with the dry wind now blowing up from the south. Her previous attempt was derailed by smoke from the fires, so lets hope for the best, both for the land and for Lael.

## Headwinds
The headwinds arrived in full force, those coming across the Wyoming Basin are battling two day excursions into the strong wind. With drafting a banned substance in Bikepacking races, it’s a case of riding next to the person and shouting into the wind to be heard.

## Mike’s record
For now Mike Hall’s record is looking safe. The Trackleaders predictor suggests a finish time of 14D12H24m for the leading pair and as the headwinds continue to bite and are forecast to remain in the next few days, it’s doubtful Justinas and Ulrich can close the gap to Mike’s RecordDot.
__Justinas Leveika__ took a jump on __Ulrich Bartholmoes__, but they were back riding together and this looks like it may be the pattern until the end. It seems impossible to for one to get an jump on the other at this point in the race, where fatigue is high and making it from one supply point to another during opening hours will be their biggest challenge. That and fighting the headwind.

![Justinas sleeping](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2UqpAMbq84ihPhakXbcggo/f6d3affd70df63f130ddeb81906ebeaf/image.png)

## Josh’s coverage
Don’t forget to head over to __Josh Ibbett’s__ coverage on [Youtube](https://www.youtube.com/@joshibbett) - riders are calling and sending videos you won’t find on Socials and it’s a treat o hear just how much of a toll the race has on riders. 

I missed posting yesterday, apologies, sometimes work gets in the way of play and by this point in the race it’s not just the riders who are cooked. It’s been a pretty full-on Tour.

## #DotReporter
Your DotReporter is __Peta Mc Sharry__, I’ll be posting updates via [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/petamcsharry/) Stories which will notify you when I post a new article. 

## Contributors are:
[Sofiane Sehili](https://www.instagram.com/sofianeshl/) 
[Josh Ibbett](https://www.instagram.com/joshibbett/) 	
[Zoé Chauderlot](https://www.instagram.com/zchauderlot/) 
[Brian Alder](https://www.instagram.com/brianinpics/) 	
[Rolf Moser](https://www.instagram.com/rolf_moser/)
[Beccy Waters](https://www.instagram.com/bikepackingbeccy/) 
[Kitty Dennis](https://www.instagram.com/bluberrysmoothie/)


“It’s taken 8-9 days. I’m starting to hallucinate on the bike in broad daylight, right now everything is moving in slowmotion. It’s some sort of weird visual perception thing, I looked down at my speed, I even verified it on Strava - but I’m moving in slow motion. What the hell, just wild” - __Caleb Helkenn__ aka [TallLeggyBlond](https://www.instagram.com/tallleggyblonde/).

Overheard at the Warmsutter Trucking stop: “Did you hear about those three bikepacking dudes who spent 12 hours crammed and shivering in a Portaloo in the Wyoming Basin. Imagine the smell. No not the toilet, the riders!”

By this stage of the race, cycling kit is heavy with the grime accumulated of the past 9 days, a little of the elasticity is going and the smell permeates everything. So the arrival at __Brush Mountain Lodge__ must be an oasis in the desert, with riders getting their kit laundered, putting on some fresh non-cycling clothing. Eating hot pizza and with the opportunity to fill up foodbags from the little store onsite must be heaven.

Bikes are in dire need of some new parts, especially this year where the on-off rain is throwing a constant stream of grit into every moving part. Brake pads, chains, bottom bracket bearings are the ones that suffer the most. Even the free-hubs on wheels are taking a battering this year. There are quite a few towns along the stretch where the top 10 are riding through, so getting a bike wash and sorting out the bike will be on the cards. Riders are putting out calls for help via social media, especially for parts for a bottom bracket - with a huge variety of sizes and standards, there are too many for a bike shop to keep in stock so may need to be ordered in.

## Upfront
Firstly a very big happy birthday to __Ulrich Bartholmoes__ as he celebrates his birthday out on the trails. He opted for the party mix in lieu of a take-away cake. That sugar rush got him pedalling at a rate of knots, so much so he caught back up to __Justinas Leveika__, who took a shorter sleep the night before and pressed on ahead of Ulrich and Jens. He's looks to be enjoying the race, he's posted some beautiful photos, mixed with some from a photoshoot done earlier in the year, to assist with storytelling - a very cool idea - as he's not travelling with a film crew. 

__Jens van Roost__ is suffering issues with his hands, so he is dialling down the pace and making it to the finish-line with a different strategy. We wish him luck and hope the hands hold out.

![jens](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3ciFw7IOkhEudGACi3cFmY/5f568f385b1be547be1220b4d77cee4f/image.png)

As Jens reduces his pace, __Joe Nation__ and __Steven Le Hyaric__ will move into the race for the third spot on the podium. Joe and Steven frequently bunny hopped each other over the course of the race, but Joe is holding a higher pace over the past day, putting in some distance to Steven. Steven's shown the ability to close a gap fairly quickly and with his history of expedition rides, he’ll know where to push when he needs.

## The women
RecordDots are being hauled in, perhaps not at the front of the race as Mike’s Dot remains out of reach for the leading riders for the moment. But __Alexandera Houchin__ caught hers up and is currently riding with __April Drage__. The party bus is back on route and it’s taken up residence with these two who look to be enjoying the race so far. 

![alexh](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/76Z8is1HGccZH91hYE4Frk/9c4a0407385e1354a513d49c4bb3e485/image.png)

__Katya Rakhmatulina__, is riding a steady race, her ‘race flow’ like looks like it’s gradually been creeping closer to Lael Wlicox as the race moves into the second week. But there is still 100 miles between the two. She posted up issues with her bottom bracket, missing the opening hours for the bike shop in Steamboat Springs, she’s looking to find a solution elsewhere rather than waiting the 12 hours until the bike shop opens and appears to be pressing on along the route.

![Katya](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3uLQLWCs7H789PeNOpsUnk/65e1ca71a1192d123c7a89557161c949/image.png)

## Fires reported near the route
A fire burning in the Gila Forest area is close to the route near the Beaver Head Ranger Station, if it develops further, it could warrant a reroute for riders. The fires this year are small in comparison to previous years and seem to be under better control than we’ve seen in previous years. Reports suggest the fire is 13% contained - not sure if this is good or bad from a control perspective. 

![fire Gila](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/7iZ7tOghEscRc32ly5vpnk/b142efba4b37472ba3715f3343833e4c/image.png)
*Google Maps - fire alert option*

But as the low pressure moves west and it replaced by the high pressure, the rising temperatures could set off the tinder-dry vegetation. Winds are looking stronger, with the leaders facing head winds going into Del Norte, but cross winds for some of the other parts of the route. Rain is forecast on Tuesday and Wednesday, so it may help to contain or extinguish the fire in Gila National Forest. Air quality at the moment doesn’t look too bad, so this shouldn’t be a factor for the riders, especially those suffering with asthma like symptoms.

## #DotReporter
Your DotReporter is __Peta Mc Sharry__, I’ll be posting updates via [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/petamcsharry/) Stories which will notify you when I post a new article. 

## Contributors are:
[Sofiane Sehili](https://www.instagram.com/sofianeshl/) 
[Josh Ibbett](https://www.instagram.com/joshibbett/) 	
[Zoé Chauderlot](https://www.instagram.com/zchauderlot/) 
[Brian Alder](https://www.instagram.com/brianinpics/) 	
[Rolf Moser](https://www.instagram.com/rolf_moser/)
[Beccy Waters](https://www.instagram.com/bikepackingbeccy/) 
[Kitty Dennis](https://www.instagram.com/bluberrysmoothie/)


2,630km (1,645 miles) are under the belt for the leading riders. Antelope Wells is waiting for them at 4,309km (2693 miles), leaving 1,679km (1,048 miles) between now and the finish of the race.

Conditions are improving as the riders move south, though patches of cloud or rain look to be drifting across the route where the leading pair of __Justinas Leveika__ and __Ulrich Bartholmoes__ are riding. __Jens van Roost’s__ dot shows him stopped at 10pm. There are some toilets near the reservoir he could use. The temperatures are pretty low overnight, dropping to around 5°C, so getting indoors is useful and while the concrete floor in the toilets may be cold, the building will keep releasing warmth from the day and it will be a shelter from the wind. 

Jens comes from a Mountaineering background - equipment needs to be light, but also to afford some level of protection and warmth when the conditions are poor and it’s not possible to get off the mountain. Survival is key. Thanks to Wouter Van der Hallen [(Instagram)](https://www.instagram.com/vvuvanderha/) for his insight into Jens’ training and set up. He is also a competitive rower - is there any other kind - these rowers know how to train with strength training forming a key element - very good for injury prevention, one of the many aspects Jens focused on for this race. Jens is travelling with a sleep system which includes a sleeping bag, offering him a little more flexibility to stop when he needs sleep.

This may explain why Ulrich and Justinas pressed on as we know their sleep system is very lightweight and without a sleeping bag a concrete floor will drain heat out of the body. The ability of the top riders to press on through is what affords them the option to go super lightweight. Without this ability they would also need a warmer set up and it’s taken them a few years to get to this option, it’s not something you can go straight into without testing first. Winds look to be from the south so a headwind, but are light in comparison to other years.

In 2016 on the same section as the leaders, __Rolf Moser__ arrived in Kremmling, where found his all time favourite gas station - stocked with hot pizza slices and warm food. Nigel was on the pavement outside, surrounded by Gatorade bottles and food. Evening was drawing in on a Friday night and Nigel needed to get to Silverthorne to pick up a new pair of bibshorts he’d shipped to the post office - which closed at 11am on Saturday and didn’t open again until Tuesday. Rolf agreed to ride with him. The climb to Ute Pass is along a wide gravel road, the top of the pass looks like a UFO station as the lights from the mine at the top illuminate a wide area. Once over the top of the pass, it’s a fast descent on tarmac but not all the way to Silverthorne. The gradient rises up and it’s a long slog up a draggy climb. Nigel, cooked already at the gas station, could only muster periodic bouts of rapid pedalling before coasting. Another rider, Andy, who rode with Rolf in 2016 and I met in 2022, referred to Rolf like a freight train “when he gets on the flat, you just tuck in behind and cling on for dear life”. Agreeing to ride ahead Rolf said he’d grab the first hotel on the right in Silverthorn and left Nigel spinning and coasting, arriving at 2am. He got his bibshorts the following day.

So the leaders may think they’ve hit jackpot when they see the beautiful tarmac road descending off Uke Pass, but the sting in the tail will greet them as they see their arrival time into town reduced by the gradual climb. However, relative to the wet and mud they’ve seen up until now, it will be a relief to be on a flowing surface without mud clogging up any gap it can find or flinging up constantly.

We’ve seen the leading pair hold pace with each other throughout the race, so those, like me looking for wild race tactics where one rider sneaks out at night to get a jump on the other, may not happen. The conditions are tough out there, wearing the riders down. __Zoé Chauderlot__ says "what makes the Tour Divide hard is not so much the road surfaces or the elevations, but the length of the race and weather". Boy they’ve seen some weather.

By now, many of the other races on the calendar would be over for the winners:  Silk Road Mountain Race - done in 7 days; TransContinental Race - done in 7 days; Altas Mountain Race - done in 4 days. TransAm -  done in 17 days but on tarmac.

This will be the first time most rookie racers experience what it’s like to go into a second week racing hard, trying to recover from what the weather throws at them. Mud and rain play havoc with skin, softening it, causing lesions allowing bacteria to invade. Managing this over one week is doable, over two takes a little more care and it’s no surprise to hear the winners talk of riding with saddlesores. It’s often something associated with the mid-pack, where riders give up because of them. At the front, they just shift to the side of the saddle and keep on going.

## Moving on up
Two of the biggest jumps in places came from the Steve’s: __Steven Le Hyaric__ and __Steve Halligan__. Steven (SL) spent the first week in the mid-pack of the chasing group, riding a good section with Lael. Lael stopped to sleep, while Steven pressed on to Warmsutter. Since then he’s gradually caught up to those ahead and is currently riding with or near Chris Burkard and Joe Nation. Joe’s ride into the top 5 took a more gradual jump, slowly making gains every day, while Steven jumped there in two days.

![Steven Le H](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/33zoTNsMqX7pA6Yxr7Dfhh/68ac15513cfac91fc6248a40b4d36063/image.png)

__Steve Halligan__, who we didn’t see much of for the first week, seems to be recovered from his tonsillitis picked up on this 30+ hour series of flights from New Zealand. Thanks to [Tourist_Divide](https://www.instagram.com/tourist_divide/) for reminding me of his illness and also pointing out Steve placed 4th twice in the Tour Divide in 2017 and 2019. We saw this last year with __Sofiane Sehili__ on the Silk Road Mountain Race, where he started with a sore throat and changed race strategy - from normally pushing through the first few nights instead sleeping a few hours every night. Once recovered he ploughed on through the field like a farmer in wet soil. With two top 5 finishes at TD, Steve’s been in this pain-cave before, twice. He’s seen the ugly side and knows full well how his body will react in the second week. It won’t be a surprise to see him claw back any time he lost in the first week and move further up the rankings.

![Steve H](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/w7jXOfY4yOy3sujxY9umA/f2594e684f77289763d0186e8fd85549/image.png)

__Lael Wilcox__ remains around 50 miles ahead of her RecordDot coming into the second week or racing. But lest we forget she's already ridden from Mexico to the start, so her body won't be going into any kind of panic because she's still riding. Expect to see her build a lead over her RecordDot and possibly haul in a few riders ahead.

## #DotReporter
Your DotReporter is __Peta Mc Sharry__, I’ll be posting updates via [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/petamcsharry/) Stories which will notify you when I post a new article. 

## Contributors are:
[Sofiane Sehili](https://www.instagram.com/sofianeshl/) 
[Josh Ibbett](https://www.instagram.com/joshibbett/) 	
[Zoé Chauderlot](https://www.instagram.com/zchauderlot/) 
[Brian Alder](https://www.instagram.com/brianinpics/) 	
[Rolf Moser](https://www.instagram.com/rolf_moser/)
[Beccy Waters](https://www.instagram.com/bikepackingbeccy/) 
[Kitty Dennis](https://www.instagram.com/bluberrysmoothie/)


A week in and with the action is rolling faster than the rainstorms showering the riders, with the focus on the front runners dominating these posting. We’ll hover over them a bit before moving back in the field.

![mud](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2m0LOdXRgDx5XINPVKrIOU/85e9842762ad17b8f01f8990e2129751/image.png)

It appears the leaders are holding pace on each other, stopping for a lengthly refill at the service station. There’s still another week of racing to go, so it may be too early to make a move just yet. Expect, barring incident, for __Ulrich Bartholmoes__, __Jens van Roost__ and __Justinas Leveika__ to keep riding withiin sight of each other. They made Brush Mountain Lodge where pizza awaits and the laundry baskets line up to capture some pretty dirty and wet kit.

The 12 hour delay in the portaloo yesterday for the 3 up front meant the group following closed in on the top trio to within 100km. A 250km buffer to the leaders was in place for some time but this diminished as those in the chase were able to ride through the heavy rain. 

That also gave Mike’s RecordDot a little breathing space - it’s sitting at Steamboat Springs at 1,541 miles, while the top trio are 1,481 miles. We know conditions in the south were exceptional in 2016, it will be nail biting to see how the top three chase down this dot. Justinas mentioned it in his call into __Josh Ibbett__, so it’s definitely on his mind and most likely those alongside him.
Don't forget to give [Josh's Youtube](https://www.youtube.com/@joshibbett) a follow - he has some fantastic coverage. 

I screen-grabbed the route the day before yesterday with the intention of puttng the spotlight on the group just outside of the top ten, so lets take a little look at them now while the leaders lounge away at Brush Mountain Lodge. 

A scratch from the top 10 by __Tom Schwemberger__ and __Ezra Ward-packard__ now puts __Steve Halligan__ in 9th position, he is no stranger to the regular Dotwatchers, but those just joining may need a little background. A regular top 10 ten finisher but it's more common to see Steve in 3rd place, he’s completed some of the toughest races on the calendar: Silk Road Mountain Race, Rhino Run and home races in New Zealand, Tour Te Waipounamu and Tour Aotearoa. He’s placed 1st in two shorter races in NZ too. But most crucially, he finished the 2019 Tour Divide in 4th place. 
[Steve's website](https://selfpropelled13.com/) 

What you conserve in the first half, you get to use in the second half and Steve knows this. Bar __Lael Wilcox__ and __Ezra Ward-packard__, all other riders in the top 10 are rookies to the Tour Divide. It can be easy to think the second half of the TD is easier than the first. While the weather improves and it gets warmer it can also see headwinds desolve any mental strength you've kept for the second half. A veteran knows this and it won’t surprise me to see those returning to Tour Divide moving up the ranks as the second half of the course unfolds.

Perhaps to just add a note to this - __Jens van Roost__ toured part of the Tour Divide, so it’s likely he will hold more knowledge of the terrain and pitstops than Ulrich and Justinas and this may play to his advantage.

In tenth place is __Maarten Vanhaverbeke__. Firstly, his [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/maartenvanhaverbeke/) posts of fantastic, he captures the scenery exceptionally well. A fellow Belgian, so wet and wind are typical conditions in the cycling loving nation. Last year he did the ACT5, (Across the 5) - a pretty tough race at 1,200km with 19,000VM with a warning ‘not for gravel bikes’. He’s also preparing to give this years Paris-Brest-Paris a go. To qualify you need to complete a 200, 300, 400 and 600 kilometre series of rides, so he’ll have banked some good milage in doing so. Mmm, it also looks like he works or owns a bike shop, handy for sorting out bike mechanicals.

Just tipping outside of the top 10 is __Bear Stillwagon__. He featured in one of the first posts for the race, head back there if you missed it. He’s not listed on Instagram, so no updates for him unfortunately.

## The Pink Dots
Time thieves are playing havoc with my normal dive into how the women are doing on the race, so I hope to remedy this a little. 

The places among the women are holding steady, with large gaps between the first 3 women, it’s unlikely to see this change over the next week or two. However __Hannah Simon__ and __Sacha Dowell__ are in close quarters and could see them swap places should the trail throw up any curve balls.

__Katya Rakmatulina__ is doing an exceptional job holding onto her position. She’s suffering from trench foot, apart from it looking horrid, it can be fairly painful and needs close management to not become more severe. Dry socks are the key and in this weather that’s an impossibility. She also suffered an issue with her brake hoses, where her bags rubbed holes in them and she was leaking brake fluid. She was heading to the bike shop to get them replaced.

I don’t want to jinx it by saying this, but… it looks like all the women are still riding and there are no scratches as yet. One rider is listed as an Alternator, meaning she deviated from the route. 3 women are outside of the broomwagon, turning their dots white, leaving __Alizabeth Potucek__ (Tuson, Arizona) as the last rider in the women’s pack to be ahead of the broomwagon. The women’s broomwagon is in Butte around 650 miles, while Alizabeth is 710 miles, giving her a good buffer. __Sue O’Malley__ (Christchurch, New Zealand) is just behind the broomwagon, so it’s possible she may overtake it again. Her husband, John, is also in the race and they are keeping each other company - makes sense when you travel from so far away, it’s possibly the journey of a lifetime.

[Alizabeth Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/a_lizard_queen/)
Sue O’Malley no insta but you can follow John [here](https://www.instagram.com/johnom89/).

__Alexandera Houchin__ is going well, she’s behind her RecordDot, but the conditions are not favourable for the single speed gear ratios, but that’s not stopping her. She seems in good spirits and is enjoying the views.

__Rider of the day__
My random pick comes out of the women’s field today -  __Sam Scipio__ (Detroit, MI).

Ah no, just read she was suffering nerve issues in her hands and is stopping racing in Helena. I’ll feature her nonetheless. 

“In reverse order: 8 days of morning selfies on the divide. my body feels pretty good despite a day 3 crash, but the nerve damage in my hands is back with a vengeance and i’d feel like the biggest idiot to myself to keep going. calling it quits and if i ever talk about doing this again PLEASE DO @ me. lol
-
thanks for the kind words and encouragement. keep watching @arya_samsarya and @sarahjswallow and @cbdtrails and @sklarbikes and sending them all the good energy u can muster.” This posted yesterday on her [Instagam](https://www.instagram.com/salmonilla/).

![sam again](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/7grFYtRPg3hACjjqVwhka2/159d3760b8c6569906b2635a4bf9b6bc/image.png)

There’s a lot of biking in Sam’s Instagram feed: cyclocross races, trail riding on mountain bikes, touring and stressing her family by riding ‘home’ for family gatherings. Here Insta feed is a delightful eclectic mix of photos, plenty of family and friends, bike maintenance courses for women. Perhaps my favourite are the old cars - it’s what I imagine when I hear the word Detroit.

![sam](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6zvH6HKZ7wKamZg0bcqxds/9d20e1026f0c7a0d02f81e21a1d96afc/image.png)

There in the middle of it all sits this little gem of a post - Sam started her own company as a [frame builder](https://jubileemfg.com/about). It is just a framework for now, so here’s wishing her great success.

Sam attempted the Tour Divide previously, twice without a finish, so her note about stopping her from trying again makes sense. But many are in the same boat and do eventually go on to finish, so you never know. She also built the frame she is riding at TD, nice.

## #DotReporter
Your DotReporter is __Peta Mc Sharry__, I’ll be posting updates via [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/petamcsharry/) Stories which will notify you when I post a new article. 

## Contributors are:
[Sofiane Sehili](https://www.instagram.com/sofianeshl/) 
[Josh Ibbett](https://www.instagram.com/joshibbett/) 	
[Zoé Chauderlot](https://www.instagram.com/zchauderlot/) 
[Brian Alder](https://www.instagram.com/brianinpics/) 	
[Rolf Moser](https://www.instagram.com/rolf_moser/)
[Beccy Waters](https://www.instagram.com/bikepackingbeccy/) 
[Kitty Dennis](https://www.instagram.com/bluberrysmoothie/)


Peta McSharry

Tour Divide 2023 Tracking + Commentary: Running from Banff, Canada to Antelope Wells on the US-Mexican border, the Tour Divide is for many the halo event of off-road bikepacking racing. There are both Southbound and Northbound riders en route.

Tour Divide 2023 Tracking and Commentary

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, always with a few weather re-routes to spice it up.

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