tour divide 2023 results

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Tour divide 2023 results.

This year's Tour Divide was heavily affected by the rains and mud, with the three leaders taking shelter in a public toilet for 12 hours at one point. Ulrich Bartholomoes held off Justinas Leveika and Joe Nation to take one of his first off-road wins.

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• Germany ( 1 )
• Lithuania ( 1 )
• New Zealand ( 4 )
• France ( 3 )
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• United States ( 1 )
• United Kingdom ( 1 )
• Australia ( 2 )
• Philippines ( 1 )
• CANADA ( 1 )
• NEW ZEALAND ( 1 )
• NETHERLANDS ( 1 )
• Canada ( 3 )
• SCRATCHED ( 1 )

160 entrants have no registered nationality

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Ulrich "Uba" Bartholmoes: 2023 Tour Divide Winner

Mountain Biking

, by Greg Heil

Bikepack racing is, without a doubt, the most grueling ultra-endurance cycling discipline in the world. There are no support vehicles, no teammates, no course markings, and no help if (when) racers get injured.

And the clock never stops.

The masochistic racers who consider bikepacking a good idea subject themselves to a constant onslaught of harsh elements on little sleep as they tirelessly pedal thousands of miles in the hopes of both beating their competitors—and maybe setting a course record along the way.

The  Tour Divide  is "the mother of all bikepacking races," according to  Ulrich Bartholmoes , aka "Uba," winner of the 2023 Tour Divide. "It's the oldest one, it's one of the most prestigious [bikepacking] races."

In many ways, the inspirational  Great Divide Mountain Bike Route  (GDMBR) (known as the "Tour Divide" when raced every year beginning in June) spawned the groundswell of bikepacking that has turned an obscure niche activity into an international phenomenon. Covering about 2,745 miles / 4,417 km, the route runs from Banff, Alberta, to Antelope Wells, New Mexico (on the US/Mexico border). Riders will climb over 200,000 grueling vertical feet (60,960m) along the way from Canada to Mexico. Roughly tracing the spine of the continent, the GDMBR traverses some of the most stunning landscapes on Planet Earth. The sub-ranges of the Rocky Mountains change dramatically as riders pedal from north to south. Other landscapes are mixed in, too, such as the wide-open wasteland of Wyoming's Great Basin and the arid desert of New Mexico.

There is no governing body overseeing races like the Tour Divide. There's no entry fee (or reward at the end) or registration required—and the competitors like it that way. However, each bikepacking race does have its own loose set of rules—usually published online. In the Tour Divide, SPOT GPS trackers are used to track racers' positions and record their time on the course. Most importantly, the Tour Divide is entirely self-supported. Racers can use whatever publicly-available services can be found along the course, such as bike shops, hotels, and restaurants. But they can't receive any private help from friends or family—doing so would be grounds for disqualification. Forget having a team car with spare bikes on the roof. When you race the Tour Divide, you're 100% on your own.

Uba and the 2023 Tour Divide

Uba is originally from Munich, Germany, but now calls Girona, Spain, home. Having turned 37 years old while on the course,  Uba won  the 2023 Tour Divide with a time of 14 days, 3 hours, and 23 minutes. That effort earned him the second-fastest course time ever recorded, about 4.5 hours shy of the venerable Mike Hall's 2016 course record of 13 days, 22 hours, and 51 minutes.

RELATED: How to plan your first bikepacking adventure

I hopped on a call with Uba to hear about his incredible effort on the Tour Divide. We spoke about the biggest challenges along the route, the most rewarding moments, whether or not his time can be compared to Mike Hall's, how he uses Strava to plan and navigate long-distance races, and much more. Read on for the full scoop:

Greg Heil, Strava: I read that since 2019 you've attempted 19 events and won 14 of them, including an impressive third-place finish in Unbound Gravel just a few weeks before the Tour Divide while dealing with some serious mechanicals. But before 2019, can you tell us a little bit about what you were up to and where you were at? Can you set the stage for people who are unfamiliar with your career up to this point?

Ulrich Bartholmoes — "Uba": I was riding a downhill bike in my youth when I was going to school. Then I had a little break for studies and [went] a bit more to the flatlands and [worked] a bit more. I always [say that] back then, I was only riding the office chair, so it was a bit different. I got on my first bike back in 2013. So something like 10 years ago.

I started cycling and competing a bit in these gran fondo-like races, which are well-known and a big thing in Europe, especially in Austria, Switzerland, Italy, and so on. So basically, one-day races with something like 160 kilometers, [about] 100 miles, going through the mountains. I did this quite a lot back then. I learned and experienced [that] the longer the races are, the more climbing they have, the more I enjoy them <laugh> and yeah, the better my results were.

I came to bikepacking racing and ultra long distance cycling actually by accident. I was traveling with my camper in Spain and Portugal back in 2019. I was researching for any competitive bike events in Spain, but actually, they don't have this kind of gran fondo-like races. They only have classic criterion stuff around the church, like literally really short ones and really competitive. And the only longer thing I found was a race called the  Transpyrenees , which was from east to west across the Pyrenees, something like a thousand kilometers.

It was actually a bit longer than what I meant with long races. Long races back then, I was thinking about 250, 300 kilometers, so something that still fits into a day. The thousand-kilometer race was quite a bit longer. It sounded appealing, it sounded interesting. So I signed up for it, and it was my very first race. Absolutely had no [idea] what to expect, but in the end, I won it. And the organizers were also a bit surprised. They then invited me to another event that they were running a couple of weeks later called  Transibérica , which was basically three and a half thousand kilometers, the same format, but not across the Pyrenees but around the whole Spanish and Portuguese peninsula. It took me a few days, and I decided to get on this as well. I won the second one as well, and the rest is kind of history.

I got a bit into it, and it got worse and worse. And yeah, now I'm here having the Tour Divide as my race number 19 and doing quite well with all the other results in between.

Strava: You said the race organizers invited you to the Transibérica. How many weeks later was that?

Uba: It was [about] five weeks later.

Strava: So you just decided you're gonna race 3,500 kilometers (2,174 miles) five weeks later?

Uba: <laugh> Yeah. It took me two days, [to decide] I guess. <laugh>

Strava:  I just wanted to clarify that 'cause that's fantastic. So, why the Tour Divide? What's so special about this race, and how long have you been planning this race attempt?

Uba: I decided [around the] end of last year. I have a long list of events and routes that I want to do. I thought it could be just the right year to tackle the Tour Divide because I was also asked if I wanted to join Unbound together with my partner BMC. For me, it [didn't] make sense to travel to the US just for Unbound. I wanted to see a bit more, and as it was that close together, it was a nice combination.

I mean, the Tour Divide had a big fascination [for] me because it's kind of the mother of all bikepacking races. It's the oldest one, it's one of the most prestigious ones.

I mean, it's amazing to  see this red line  across the whole US afterwards on the Strava map. It's just amazing to see what you have done on the map. And it's fascinating to see all the landscapes, all the variety, and just to take part in it. I think if you are into bikepack racing, there are quite a few events that, at some point, you have to do them. It's just a mandatory thing, a mandatory box that you have to tick. And this year was time for Tour Divide.

Strava: What was your goal going into the race? Were you just planning to win, or were you trying to set a new course record?

Uba: Both actually. I came with the clear and express goal to take the win and also to attack the route record. But I also stated at the same time I was well aware that like 20% of this goal is under my own control. This is a thing that I can influence, where I can prepare for, where I can train for, and where I can act on it. And the other 80% [depends on] what the trail allows me to do and what the outside conditions are.

That's very important for such a long race because so much can happen within two weeks. And we saw it, I mean, halfway we got stuck in the Great Basin in Wyoming, something like literally totally out of your control, you cannot do anything. You cannot even hike. We tried to hike, and we made a progress of one mile an hour, and if you are stuck in the middle and you have like 40 miles in each direction, you can calculate how long it will take you if you're making progress of one mile an hour. You simply have to be patient, and you simply have to deal with your goals, and you have to know that it's not just because you want to do it.

Strava: So speaking of the Great Basin, we have a few numbers: 12 hours, 3 fully grown men, and 1 porta potty. Can you tell that story for our audience?

Uba: Yeah. So Jens (Van Roost) and me we went together into the Great Basin. Justinas (Leveika), the third one, we were basically the front group of three. Justinas was two and a half hours back then, and Jens and me, we entered the Great Basin together. At some point, we got split up, and it started raining, and I saw on the ground his tire lines, and I saw he was still riding, and I was already pushing the bike. Between us, there was a difference of like five minutes or something. 

Later on, I caught up with him again, and we kind of carried on together. You can imagine you push your bike, someone gets totally stuck because the tires and everything is full of mud, you need to clean it. And the other one gets an advantage of like 200 meters and gets stuck again. And so you leapfrog each other for ages. You can imagine making a progress of one mile an hour. 

At some point in the evening, the third guy [caught up] to us. So he closed the gap of two and a half hours. Obviously, he was a bit back behind us. [Obviously] it dried up a bit, so he was able to ride a bit more of the route while we were crawling like [at] one mile an hour. I mean, even if you go [at] five miles an hour, you close the gap of two hours pretty soon. So he was a bit lucky on this one. So he closed the gap to us, and we were the three of us again. 

We just carried on, and we decided we [had] to carry on all night because we had only minimal sleeping kit, like an emergency bivy with us. Out there in the Basin, there is literally nothing, just like the low bushes. There [are] no trees, there is no house, there is no shelter, there is no civilization, there is absolutely nothing. And so it became a bit serious and also a bit dangerous because if you stop moving, you soon end up in hypothermia. It was seven, eight degrees Celsius out there during the night. It was constantly raining, so we were already soaked, and you can imagine it’s not a cozy feeling. So we carried on and just tried to make the best out of it and hope for the rain to stop at some point, which actually didn’t happen. 

At some point, I was a bit back, but I heard Jens screaming a bit far away, and I was wondering what happened, but well, it takes time to get there. And when I came there, I figured out he found this porta potty, and this was literally a miracle because it was in the middle of the Basin, and there was absolutely no reason for this thing to be there. There was nothing <laugh>. We don’t know why it is there. But it was the right thing at the right point. It was kind of a shelter, and there was no question if we were going to use it.

We took the essentials from our bikes which was basically the emergency bivies, some additional clothing, and some food. And then we went into this porta potty, and basically we were all three sitting on the toilet bench, which is one meter [wide]. It's one meter, and I mean, three guys don't really fit on one meter, but we [somehow] squeezed in there.

We made some funny agreements this evening and this night—for example, we said if someone needs to go to the toilet, he needs to go outside <laugh>. This is kind of the living room. I mean, it sounds disgusting and awkward, but we were sitting there on the toilet, and we were eating chocolate bars and chips and stuff because, if you are riding all day, you have to eat all day, and then you sit in this porta potty and eat stuff. It's a bit weird, but in this moment, it didn't feel to be a toilet. It felt just to be any kind of shelter. You forget [that] it's a toilet.

We were sitting in there from 11:00 PM to 9:00 AM because it was not only to wait out the night, but it was really to wait for the rain to stop. It was 6:00 AM when I went out for the first time just to [see] if things have become rideable again. I went out and just went with the bike for 20 meters and realized nothing [had] changed. It didn't make any sense because it was still cold out there, and it was still windy, so it didn't make any sense to continue. So we decided to stay for another hour, and we basically did the same test [to see] if the mud has somehow improved.

We tested it every hour, and at nine, it was the first time when we realized it's actually getting better. It stopped raining at seven, and sun came not directly up—it was still cloudy, but still, it was drying a bit. So at least we had the chance to push our bikes again and to move somehow, so we [began] at nine. But until then, we were just stuck within this toilet.

When I started at the beginning of the Basin in Atlantic City, I had planned something like worst case nine hours that it would take me to pass the Basin. In the end, it took 26. It was just insane.

Strava: <laugh> Wow, that's a hell of a story.

Uba: The toilet has actually become famous because all the people northbound and southbound that pass on the Tour Divide, they stop there, and they take selfies, and they put them into the Facebook group, and you literally see every day some selfies from people with sunshine and the best weather out there, and they're sitting in the porta potty and taking selfies with each other, and that's super funny. It's now probably the most famous toilet on the whole route.

Strava: <laugh> That's fantastic! So that sounds like it was a hard moment. Any other really difficult moments from the race that you want to share?

Uba: Well, I mean, it's a long ride. This one definitely was one of the biggest moments and one of the hardest things. But besides that, the first week was pretty rough because it was basically raining every day. With the rain, you get additional problems with the bike. I had to deal with some mechanicals. On day nine, I had kind of a serious breakdown and was sitting in the morning in my hotel room crying for 45 minutes because I thought everything was just against me: the bad weather, the mechanicals, the Basin. It's quite some drain on the mental strength there. It's part of this kind of racing and part of this kind of sport to get over it and to get control back. So yeah, there were some more hard moments, but I guess this one was the biggest ones.

Strava: That sounds brutal. But what about highlights? What were your favorite highlights from the course or your experience out there?

Uba: What's absolutely special: there were so many dot watchers out there. You meet them on the route, people that follow your dot on this map on the internet, and they come out to the route, they just cheer you on. That's absolutely fantastic.

The day after the Great Basin, we stopped at Brush Mountain Lodge, which is a lodge that's run by a woman. Her name is Kirsten, and she acts like a trail angel. She helps and accommodates each and every rider who comes through there. We ended up there in the evening, and she said, "yeah come on in, have a glass of water. Get rid of your cycling kit. We will give you a full wash. We will put it in the washing machine into the dryer."

So getting a complete new kit, basically fully washed half into the race, was fantastic. She made us pizza, and she got up at 4:30 in the morning to make us breakfast and pancakes. It felt a bit like a trap. It was really hard to leave this place in the morning. This was just a fantastic experience. The hospitality was just great. And all the people along the route cheering you—that was just awesome.

Besides that, an absolute highlight was definitely the landscape. It was my first time in the US. Racing in the US [and] seeing the whole route from Canada to New Mexico, how it changes, it's mind-blowing.

Strava: Speaking of the route, we had talked a bit earlier about course records. Can you tell me a bit about Koko Claims, what this addition is to the Tour Divide course, and how it affects it?

Uba: Koko Claims  is a climb... I don't know if you can call it a "climb." It's a climb in Canada starting, I guess, after 160 kilometers. It's basically a super steep thing with, let's say, 15 to 20% [grade] on average. It's actually not a path that is rideable. It's a path that is full of loose rocks the size of the heads of children, like literally massive, massive, massive rocks. It's not super long, but you have to push and carry your bike up there. I actually killed my right shoe on the first day directly there—the Boa strap snapped. Later on, I had to fix my shoe with a zip tie, which was a bit annoying because while hiking, it always got off on the heel, which wasn't that helpful.

It's super exhausting to push a fully loaded bike up this climb, especially if you cannot step securely. It's not like on a path where you have a secure step. You always have to watch out where you step. And then it started raining when we were there, so even the rocks were slippery. It took something like two hours, 15 minutes or so on the climb. If you are up there and you think, "nice one, that's it, I made it," you haven't made the downhill, and the downhill is—I mean it's more rideable, but it's also super steep. And because it was wet, it was super muddy, and it was super slippery. So the downhill wasn't that much faster than the uphill. It's just a super crazy thing.

Koko Claims is probably the most brutal one, but there are a few more of those sections later on in Colorado.

Strava:  My understanding is that's a fairly new addition to the course, and it wasn't included in the course when Mike Hall set his record in 2016—is that right?

Uba: Yeah, that's right. There was a discussion in the Facebook group ongoing about the actual record if we were still comparing apples with apples or if we have a banana in the meanwhile. Jay Petervary—who has done the Tour Divide, I don't know, so often—said the detour, which was mainly tarmac back in 2016, is probably something like four hours faster than the actual route over Koko Claims. So yeah, that's why there was some discussion ongoing about the record time and how comparable it really is.

[ Clarification : Based on Uba's account, Koko Claims was always part of the official course, but Mike Hall set the course record on a year when the course detoured around Koko Claims. Course detours are common from year to year due to extreme weather conditions, such as landslides or wildfires.]

Strava: You were only like four hours and change behind Mike Hall's incredible record. On a race that long, that's just incredible. So can you tell us a bit about your custom-built race rig? I was reading up on some of the race rigs, and yours is quite a bit different than the classic bike out there.

Uba: I decided to go with the BMC Twostroke, which is a hardtail mountain bike. That was the basis for my bike, and I started highly modifying it. For example, instead of the flat bar, I changed to a drop bar because I'm training mostly on the road bike and the gravel bike. With the flat bar, I just feel weird, and I know you have to feel really comfortable with your setup. So I changed the handlebar to a drop bar, which was much better for me to ride it. This was one major change, and then basically, I changed a lot of components, swapping them for more reliable, more durable, more lightweight components.

For example, instead of DT Swiss wheels, I added Beast Components wheels , which is a small manufacturer from Germany. The wheels are handcrafted, and they built me a set of wheels, including a Dynamo hub, which I used to run my front light and my battery charger.

I did quite some modifications on the setup to really find my perfect thing for the Tour Divide. Besides all the problems that occurred due to the weather, the mud, and, let's say, not so optimal conditions, I was pretty happy with everything I chose. It worked quite well over four and a half thousand kilometers. You definitely have some wear, and some stuff will break. It's a hard challenge not only for the human and for the body but also for the material. That's totally normal, but I was super happy with the setup.

Strava: In an email, you mentioned that all of your "free route" races were planned with the help of the Strava Route Builder. Can you tell us a little bit about how you use the Strava Route Builder and why you like it?

Uba:  I use it basically since ages, since ever. I never used something else. I remember the times, probably it was back in 2016, '17, when you planned a route for a road ride, and the possibility to end up on a gravel road was quite high. It was good to see the whole journey, how the route planner improved over time with more and more people using it, with more and more data coming in and coming available to Strava.

It's handy to plan all kinds of rides because of your own heatmaps and the global heatmaps. The global heatmaps are especially useful if you try to plan a route in a region you don't know, then you can see, "okay, this is a quite well-frequented road or trail," or whatever. So it obviously means it's kind of possible. If it's a road ride, then you know it's not a main road, it's not a highway or something, but it's used by cyclists. And this helps a lot.

For example, last year I did the  Transcontinental Race , which was from west to east across Europe. If you cross foreign countries in Europe, you can't know them all, and you can't know which type of roads are forbidden for cyclists and which kinds of roads are allowed. Therefore, the heatmaps are [very] helpful.

Now all the route planning is super reliable. You don't end up on a mountain bike trail with a road bike anymore. So that's quite good. You see the difference of a road route and a gravel or a mountain bike route just by the pattern [of the] line. So you know, maybe you add some short gravel section just to take a shortcut or something, and then you can look it up with satellite images, which are also included in the planner. You can have an [idea] of how it is there, how rough it is, and if it's a well-maintained gravel road or if it's like just a little trail or whatever.

That's a big toolset that I use quite frequently to plan my races. Half of them are like Tour Divide, where you just get a route and you just follow it. But the other half of the races, you get just checkpoints, and you have to connect them by planning your route yourself.

Strava: So that trans-European race is one of those where you had to plan your route all the way across Europe. Wow, that's incredible!

Uba: You spend basically hundreds and hundreds of hours just sitting in front of the Strava map, planning a route, figuring out which is the best way. Also, the different settings give me the shortest route or give me the route with the least elevation—those are settings that are [very] helpful to figure out which is a good compromise.

Strava: You had said earlier, I think in jest, that you had only ridden the Tour Divide to see it as one big line on the Strava map and that all of your rides are posted on Strava, which we love. Can you tell me a little bit about you're so passionate about Strava? What do you enjoy the most about it?

Uba: Over the years, it has become a really lovely community. It's really cool, on the one hand, for route planning. But I also use it a lot because I have all my data there to compare races I did, for example, with power output.

I can also check [out] upcoming events. For example, if the race from the year before is on the same route, then I can prepare and analyze data—on the Tour Divide as well. I just marked the segments like  Koko Claims , and it helps me a bit to understand how long it will actually take me. So is it one hour? Is it four hours? This helps a bit, especially in the beginning for planning. On route, I just marked the big lines on my Garmin. So whenever I entered a segment, I knew, "okay, you will be busy here for the next four hours on this climb." It's good for the mind to not only see the kilometers because the kilometers can sometimes [mean] nothing, especially on the mountain bike. If it's a 10-kilometer climb, it can be one hour or it can be four hours. So to see the segment time is quite a good thing. So I use segments a lot.

I use the map for planning a lot. And Strava has become a very cool toolset to plan rides and to go on rides, which is super helpful for me. Also, I mean, there is a lot of fun on the platform with all the community and competition thing on segments or on clubs where you just see who has done the most kilometers for preparing for the Tour Divide or whatever. That's just fun.

Strava: What challenge is next on your to-do list?

Uba: Spending time on my couch.

Strava: <laugh>. Right, fair enough.

Uba: No, seriously. I have planned until the Tour Divide, which was my big goal for this year. Now it gets a bit calm, and then I will start with the planning process again. There is so much on my wishlist [that] I want to ride and so many ideas that I just need to start filtering them and plan them a bit and see what's coming next. And who knows? [Maybe] I will not wait for too long to get on my next project, but it's also important to get some rest for the body and for the brain to cool down a bit. Then let's take it from there.

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Anchorage’s Lael Wilcox overcomes health scare and brutal weather to win endurance bike race

Lael Wilcox finished first among women around 3 a.m. local time Monday at the border to Mexico in the 2023 Tour Divide. (Photo by Rue Kaladyte)

Anchorage’s Lael Wilcox faced more than her fair share of challenges on the way to winning the 2023 Tour Divide women’s race. The 36-year-old endurance cyclist arrived in Antelope Wells, New Mexico, around 3 a.m. local time Monday after riding through the night to finish with a time of 16 days and 20 hours.

Wilcox finished with a 125-mile cushion over Katya Rakhmatulina, who came in second place the next day with a finish time of 17 days, 8 hours and 48 minutes.

This was her fifth time competing in the race that begins in Banff, Alberta, and ends at the U.S.-Mexico border in Antelope Wells, but it marked her first time winning the grand depart, which is the mass start race that takes place every summer.

Wilcox was the first woman to finish the race in 2015 with what appeared to be a record time of 17 days, 1 hour and 51 minutes, but she was disqualified for riding an old track. She went back later that summer and rode the race by herself as a time trial, setting a record for finishing in 15 days, 10 hours and 59 minutes. That mark still stands. She was disqualified again in 2019, and had to stop early in 2021.

“It feels great,” Wilcox said. “I’ve been going after this for eight years, and can finally say I won it.”

In 2015, the course had been changed by about 10 miles, but she said she didn’t receive the notification from an organizer. Wilcox famously rode 2,140 miles from Anchorage to Alberta for the start of the race. Back then, she was still using a flip phone and didn’t get great cell reception while riding through trails and mountain ranges.

“Since it was an old track, I could still officially break the record, but was out of that year’s race,” Wilcox said.

Wilcox said the 2023 race was “the hardest for sure” because of what she had to endure and overcome along the way, including “a health scare and some pretty crazy weather.”

“The first seven days, it rained in thunderstorms every single day, and then it created this really nasty, almost impassable mud that pretty much wrecked everyone’s bike,” she said. “Everyone had to go to bike shops to get their bikes fully rebuilt.”

Even when the rain stopped, the challenges persisted — this time, in the form of a “pretty consistent strong headwind coming out of the south.”

“That’s what really killed my lungs,” she said with a raspy voice that still hasn’t recovered. “Just breathing that dry, hot, dusty air. After a day of it, I just totally lost my voice and was struggling to breathe.”

Lael Wilcox finished first for women around 3 a.m. Monday at the border to Mexico in the 2023 Tour Divide. (Photo by Rue Kaladyte)

A couple of days later, she woke up severely dehydrated and throwing up while in New Mexico where there wasn’t much water and very few services. At that point, Wilcox was afraid that she might have to quit but didn’t.

“I rode myself to a hospital, got an IV, and then felt quite a bit better, so I was able to continue and finish the race,” she said. “I was just so happy I didn’t have to quit. It was pretty tough.”

Before the weather became a debilitating factor, Wilcox was on pace to break her record set back in August 2015. However, due to the muddy conditions, her progress was slowed significantly, and she was no longer at a record-setting pace.

“On those days, usually we’re riding some 10, 12 or maybe 15 miles an hour,” she said. “In the mud, you’re hardly walking a mile an hour. To do that for like 12 hours, you really don’t make it very far.”

Wilcox, who is from Anchorage but now lives in Arizona, was a full day ahead of her record time at that point in the race and had to watch that work evaporate. That didn’t matter to her in the grand scope.

“I was super driven to finish just so I don’t have that kind of on my shoulders,” Wilcox said. “I had to dig a lot deeper than I usually do just to kind of overcome all these circumstances. I feel like I gave it my all and I feel really good about that.”

[ With medals and mettle, Special Olympics Alaska athletes shine at 2023 World Games ]

Setting sights on a grander prize

At 2,700 miles long, the Tour Divide is one of the longest races that Wilcox has participated in during her eight-year racing career — and the one she has ridden the most. The longest race she has ridden is the Trans Am, which stretches 4,200 miles across the United States from the West Coast to the East.

She’s going for the triple crown of bikepacking this year with one down and two more coming up later this summer and fall.

The Colorado Trail Race in August is 500 miles of singletrack trail in August, and the Arizona Trail Race 800 is in October.

On average, it usually takes her a couple of weeks to recover from a race, and she has a fun recovery plan in store for this upcoming weekend.

“I’m heading back up to Montana, and I’m going to be guiding a stretch of the route that I just raced on an e-bike,” Wilcox said. “It should be a fun way to be outside and kind of spinning my legs but not working too hard.”

[ Oregon pitcher creates memory of a lifetime at the 2023 Alaska Legion Midseason Classic ]

Josh Reed is a sports reporter for the Anchorage Daily News. He's a graduate of West High School and the University of North Carolina at Pembroke.

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How the Tour Divide was won

Rookies ruled the top three spots overall, but weather and other challenges stymied attempts at course records.

Ulrich Bartholmoes closes in on the finish in Antelope Wells after 14 days on the route. Photo © Patrick Farnsworth / Bikes or Death

A first-time Tour Divide participant narrowly missed setting the race’s course record last week, while the final spot on the women’s podium came down to an almost-sprint after more than 18 days of racing. Those were just two of the highlights from bikepacking’s signature event.

Measuring 2,685 miles/ 4,321 km long while crisscrossing the Continental Divide 30 times between Banff, Alberta, and Antelope Wells, New Mexico, the Tour Divide is notoriously hard. Preparing for the event can take years; however, chasing Tour Divide records isn’t just about preparation. 

“I stated it clearly beforehand,” said men’s winner Ulrich Bartholmoes, “that I came here to take the win and the record. But I was also realistic. I was well aware that 20% of this was in my control and 80% depended on external conditions or what the trail wanted to allow me to do.”

And when things kicked off in Banff, on June 9, 2023, conditions felt prime for a fast edition. The start list included notable course veterans and recordholders like Lael Wilcox and Alexandera Houchin alongside Tour Divide rookies Bartholmoes, Justinas Leveika, Jens Van Roost, and WorldTour pros turned gravel privateers Ted King and Alex Howes.

As the race crossed Montana, Idaho and Wyoming, it looked like new records were inevitable. Bartholmoes, Van Roost, and Leveika outpaced Mike Hall’s course record, set in 2016, significantly. But the traverse across the Great Divide Basin between Atlantic City and Wamsutter quickly upended any expectations. Wet conditions ground the three leaders to a standstill, peanut butter mud clogging their drivetrains and impeding progress. It took the trio nearly 24 hours to complete that 100-mile section and they fell hours behind Hall’s pace. Just 24 hours later, eventual fourth-place finisher Steven Le Hyaric would cross the same ground in just nine hours as it dried out.

The three race leaders played leapfrog throughout Colorado. While they rarely rode together, they watched each other closely while riding their own paces.

“It was surprising to me that we stuck together for such a long time,” said Bartholmoes. “I’ve never had this and it affected the race. At some points, it felt like a group ride.”

By Salida, Colorado, Van Roost had fallen behind the pace and he scratched before Del Norte with intolerable and soon-to-be unsafe nerve damage to his hands because he could barely grip his handlebars. He wasn’t alone; 69 riders have scratched, including King, who suffered rhabdomyolysis, Sarah Swallow, and John and Mira, the human-canine pair we highlighted in The Tour Divide is Bikepacking at its Best .

Bartholmoes and Leveika continued to battle for the win, but by Cuba, New Mexico, Bartholmoes put in a big push to temporarily catch Hall’s record dot on Trackleaders and held the lead through to the finish. His overall time, 14 days, 3 hours, 23 minutes, is the second-fastest Tour Divide time, trailing just 4.5 hours behind Hall. Leveika finished second, thirteen hours later and Joe Nation completed the men’s podium early the following day.

“I’m just happy with my time and my entire ride,” said Bartholmoes. “I never met Mike, but people that I talked to say he loved competition and I love competition. Just trying to chase his dot throughout this race makes me proud that I could keep up with him. That’s enough for me.”

The women’s podium race played out similarly. Wilcox started strongly, outpacing her 2015 dot before slowly falling off record pace. She cited both route conditions and physical setbacks, and the race clearly took its toll. Illness and dehydration forced her to visit a health clinic in Abiquiu, New Mexico, where she received an IV to replenish lost fluids. She continued and held on for her first official Tour Divide victory. Although she finished first in 2015, she was credited with the record rather than the win because of a course deviation. She set the current course record that same year, during an individual time trial.

Katya Rakhmatulina completed a strong ride to finish second. The closest battle proved to be for third place in the women’s field. Sasha Dowell and Hannah Simon left Silver City together with Gail Brown trailing by just a few miles. Simon and Dowell rode the final miles side by side and decided to finish together, tied for third, rather than sprint it out. Brown finished just 15 minutes later. Houchin finished later the same evening, lowering her own singlespeed record by two hours.

Although the race leaders have finished and traveled home, the Tour Divide isn’t over. More than 100 competitors continue their race and the broom wagons – set at 95 miles per day for men and 85 miles per day for women on Trackleaders – are still in Colorado, nearly 1,000 miles from the finish line. For the next week, official finishers will trickle into Antelope Wells. Their experiences will be unique, but they’ll share similarities. 

“It felt surreal,” said Nation, reflecting on his third-place finish. “Riding south from Hachita is so different from the rest of the route. It was just a slow, slightly uphill grind. It gave me lots of opportunities to think.”

For the past fifteen days, he shared a few moments with fellow competitors, like Chris Burkard and Ezra Ward-Packard, but estimates he rode solo 90% of the time. From surprise grizzly bear encounters to bike-stopping mud, the ride felt like a series of highs and lows. He’d forced himself to avoid getting caught up in the race and stuck to his plan to average 300 km and 4-5 hours sleep per day through the first week. By the second week, he started sacrificing sleep and shortening his resupply points. 

“I would try once a day to get a 1500-calorie meal in,” he said. “I was loving the American-style burgers and chips. The rest of the time, I was thinking about resupply, the bike, and logistics.”

On the final stretch of pavement, there was nothing left to worry about.

“All of that was suddenly gone,” he said, “ and I could just tap myself on the back. There were a few emotions, for sure, and the fence couldn’t come fast enough.”

Course Records (days:hours:minutes):

• Men’s overall: Mike Hall (2016): 13:22:51
• Men’s singlespeed: Chris Plesko (2016) 15:08:01
• Women’s overall: Lael Wilcox (2015) 15:10:59
• Women’s singlespeed: Alexandera Houchin (2023) 18:18:26

2023 Results:

Men’s Overall

• Ulrich Bartholmoes 14:03:23
• Justinas Leveika 14:16:57
• Joe Nation 15:02:50

Women’s Overall

• Lael Wilcox 16:20:00
• Katya Rakhmatulina 17:08:48
• (tie) Hannah Simon and Sacha Dowell 18:11:13

Men’s Singlespeed

• Kyle Peterson 16:22:28
• Jake Colantonio 17:22:58

Women’s Singlespeed

• Alexandera Houchin: 18:18:26

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Lael Wilcox and Ulrich Bartholmoes are the first finishers of 2023 Tour Divide

On day 17 of the world's most iconic ultra bikepacking race, 17 riders have reached the u.s./mexico border..

Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! >","name":"in-content-cta","type":"link"}}'>Download the app .

At the 17 day mark of the Tour Divide , 17 riders have reached the U.S./Mexico border, including two women.

Tour Divide veteran Lael Wilcox was the first woman to complete the 2,745 mile journey from Banff, Canada to Antelope Wells, doing so in 16 days, 20 hours, and 17 minutes.

Read also : Dot watchin’ the Tour Divide

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Lael Wilcox (@laelwilcox)

Katya Rakhmatulina, a first-time completer from California, was less than a day behind, at 17 days, 8 hours, and 48 minutes.

Although at times Wilcox was on pace to beat her 2015 record of 15 days, 10 hours, 59 minutes, the 36-year-old suffered from gastrointestinal and respiratory symptoms around the two-week mark and took some time to rest and seek medical care.

Ulrich Bartholmoes of Germany was the first person to complete the race, with a remarkable time of 14 days, 3 hours, and 23 minutes. His time is the second-fastest time ever recorded; Mike Hall’s 2016 record of 13 days, 22 hours, and 51 minutes remains untouched.

Justinas Leveika of Lithuania, who like Bartholomoes has an extensive bikepacking race palmares but was a Tour Divide rookie, put in another sub-15 hour record, arriving to the border in 14 days, 16 hours, and 57 minutes.

Joe Nation of New Zealand was the third finisher.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ulrich Bartholmoes (@ubartholmoes)

The Tour Divide grand départ starts on the second Friday of June every year, and no year is the same in terms of conditions, weather, or competition. This year saw a more international field than ever. Women and non-binary riders made up 20 of the roughly 200 participants.

While there was less fresh snow to contend with in this year’s race, riders still encountered stubborn winter leftovers on high passes. Rain, and then mud proved to be an issue in Montana and Wyoming, so much so that the three leaders spent 12 hours waiting in a porta-potty for the road to dry out in the Great Basin.

Unfortunately, the same wind that riders needed to dry out muddy roads seemed bound to stay, in the form of demoralizing and relentless headwinds, as many pushed through Colorado and New Mexico.

Nevertheless, there are still around 110 riders out there (some 70 have ‘scratched,’ or dropped out) — follow their dots here .

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Tour Divide 2023

Ulrich's Winning Ride

14 days 3 hours 23 minutes.

That's how long it took ambassador Ulrich Bartholmoes to ride 4,345 km (2,745 miles) with over 51,000 meters (167,000+ feet) of climbing.

Not only did Ulrich win the prestigious race, he did it through torrential rain, unprecedented headwinds, knee-deep mud, and many more unexpected challenges.

This was Ulrich's first Tour Divide — a statement of what he can achieve, and what's to come.

Images by Nils Laengner, Ulrich Bartholmoes, and BikesorDeath

One of Ulrich's first photos from his ride.

Relentless climbing has its perks.

Challenge From the Start

On the first day of Tour Divide, Ulrich covered over 450 kilometers (280 miles). Only Justinas Leveika was able to keep up. One reason for this: Ulrich and Justinas simply rode through the first night.

Despite the large distance traveled, the beginning of the race posed its own challenges - the rain started at kilometer 160 and it didn't stop, resulting in unrelenting mud.

"The mud-clogged drivetrain made riding really hard and exhausting. Add to that the brutal climbs and the cold at night, and I was already suffering"

Shelter in a Porta Potty

Seven days into the race, Ulrich had reached the the half way point, averaging 326 kilometers per day. Perhaps the toughest section of the entire Tour Divide lay ahead — 150 kilometers of straight road consumed by a crushing headwind. And thanks to the rain, gravel had turned to mud. Ulrich had planned on 9 hours to cross the expanse, it took 26.

The mud was knee deep, it was raining, it was windy, and it was cold. The horrible conditions forced the leading riders to seek shelter in a Porta Potty. Wrapped in their emergency bivys, three riders squeezed into the toilet – and spent more than 10 hours there waiting for the rain to pass and waiting for the mud to dry up until at least walking or pushing the bike became possible again.

Done & Dusted

Ulrich took his last nap in Pie Town, about 550 kilometers before the finish line. From there he rode consistently to the end.

After 14 days of almost non-stop riding, it's best practice to first remove your shoes, then celebrate.

Final Numbers

• Arrival at the Finish line in Antelope Wells / New Mexico: United States on the 23th of June at 10:23 am local time (GMT-6)
• Final position in race : 1
• Total Kilometers in race : 4,345 kilometers (2,700 miles)
• Total time in race : 14 days / 03 hours / 23 mins — second fastest time in course history
• Total Elevation gain : 51,509 vertical meters (168,993 feet)
• Total calories burned : 121,000
• Total sleep time : An average of 3 hours per night for 14 days

Ulrich's Tour Divide Race Kit

Men's CONCEPT Bib Short

Women's CONCEPT Bib Short

Men's CONCEPT Radiator Jersey

Women's CONCEPT Radiator Jersey

Men's LUXE Bib Short

Women's LUXE Bib Short

Men's Ultralight Bib Short

Women's Ultralight Bib Short

Tour Divide 2023 All News Items

About the Tracker

Lachlan Morton sets scorching pace over Tour Divide route

EF Education-EasyPost says Australian rider finished with a time of 12 days, 12 hours and 21 minutes

On August 29 Lachlan Morton set out to take on the Tour Divide route – from Banff in Canada's Rocky Mountains to Antelope Wells in New Mexico – to see just how quickly he could do it even while including a self-imposed minimum of 12 hours rest every 48 hours. The answer, it turns out, is pretty darn quick. EF Education-EasyPost said that Morton had covered 2,670 miles in 12 days, 12 hours and 21 minutes. The acknowledged fastest known time set by a self-supported rider has long been 13 days 22 hours and 51 minutes, a mark set by ultra-endurance behemoth Mike Hall in 2016 over a course which has altered somewhat since. It was a longer distance according to Hall's tracking data of the time, which shows a distance of 2712.8 miles.

Still, Morton was fully aware when setting out that his time is unlikely to be considered a replacement self-supported record, as not only has the course of the annual self-supported race altered over time, the presence of a film crew has also been a contentious issue in the past given its impact on a key mental element in the self-supported race, being truly alone. Morton was confronted by a wide range of challenges throughout the 12-and-a-half days, with plenty of wet and cold weather, peanut butter mud, fire diversions , saddle sores, trench foot and a dead derailleur on day 11, which led to some bush mechanics.

Lachlan Morton chases Tour Divide record time but with self-imposed sleep quota Fires, wolves and dodgy coffee for start of Lachlan Morton’s Tour Divide Transcontinental: Racing 4,000km from Belgium to Greece in less than nine days

“I kicked it as hard as I could and then it started working again,” said Morton in an update from the trail, though then it stopped again. First option exhausted, Morton then resorted to shifting via a spoke shoved into the derailleur.

Morton's effort has also delivered more than just an impressive time, perhaps shedding just a little more light on a key, but complex, issue in ultra-endurance racing – whether it is possible to deliver a fast pace without sacrificing too much sleep.

"I am really interested to see with this approach, how fast you can really go and if it would be competitive with people who have really pushed that sleep element,” said Morton before setting out. 

While not directly equating to sleep time, the data on Morton's tracking dot put his stopped time at 30 per cent of his total, which equates to a little over seven hours a day, and was higher than the percentage of stopped time shown in the tracking data of both Hall in 2016 – at around 24 per cent - and 2023 Tour Divide winner Ulrich Bartholmoes – at over 23 per cent.

Through the ride, Morton has raised funds for Adventure for All , with the total so far at over $20,000.

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12d 12h 21m. 2,670 miles (4,296 KM) ridden. 192,000 Feet (58,521 meters) climbed. Two countries visited. Five states and 1 province crossed. Four storms weathered. Unknown amounts of candy bars and gallons of milk consumed. pic.twitter.com/N91gHv0BVq September 11, 2023

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Simone is a degree-qualified journalist that has accumulated decades of wide-ranging experience while working across a variety of leading media organisations. She joined Cyclingnews as a Production Editor at the start of the 2021 season and has now moved into the role of Australia Editor. Previously she worked as a freelance writer, Australian Editor at Ella CyclingTips and as a correspondent for Reuters and Bloomberg . Cycling was initially purely a leisure pursuit for Simone, who started out as a business journalist, but in 2015 her career focus also shifted to the sport.

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Tour Divide challenges a fixed course annually called the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route . Not only is the Great Divide Route a true classic, its 'primary track' is pursued with consistency by TD athletes so that year to year, finish times may always be compared directly to the record books .

The Great Divide Route is the world's longest off-pavement cycling route. It was tirelessly mapped over a 4 year span, and published in 1998 by Adventure Cycling Association, North America's premiere bicycle travel organization. The route is highlighted by long dirt roads and jeep trails that wend their way through forgotten passes of the Continental Divide . It travels through Canadian provinces of Alberta and British Columbia, and the United States of Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico ( map ). By route's end a thru-rider will climb nearly 200,000 feet of vertical (equivalent to summiting Mount Everest from sea-level 7 times). 

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Rigs of the 2023 Tour Divide (Part 1): Drop-Bar Bikes

With the Tour Divide grand depart coming up on Friday, we’re pleased to present the Rigs of the 2023 Tour Divide. Like last year, we’ve split them into two categories and are kicking things off with more than 50 drop-bar rigs that will be taking on the 2,700-mile route from Canada to Mexico, including bag and gear highlights for each. Dive in here…

The Tour Divide is arguably the most popular bikepacking event ever, and each year, hundreds of riders from across the globe gather in Banff, Alberta, with plans to ride the roughly 2,700-mile route along the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route south toward Mexico. There’s a vast range of riders in the 2023 edition, from ultralight endurance racers looking to best the impossibly fast sub-15-day pace to folks slowly rolling along the route for a month or longer. There’s no wrong (or right) way to enjoy the Tour Divide.

Last year’s Tour Divide was especially exciting, returning from a canceled 2020 event and an adjusted version in 2021. Sofiane Sehili took first place with a time of 14 days, 16 hours, and 36 minutes. Ana Jager was the first woman to finish with a time of 19 days and 54 minutes. And our friends Katie and Andrew Strempke took the first singlespeed spots in 19 days, 16 hours, and 11 minutes and 16 days, 19 hours, and 12 minutes, respectively. On Friday at 8 a.m., riders will start their journeys south to the US/Mexico border, a challenging feat we commend everyone participating for lining up to take on.

Like last year, we decided to break the rigs into two days to better showcase the overwhelming number of submissions. You can scroll down for a look at all of the drop-bar bikes submitted to our annual rig roundup, and keep an eye on the site tomorrow for our gallery of 50+ flat-bar rigs. When the event launches on Friday morning, you can also follow along live over on our 2023 Tour Divide Tracker, where we’ll be sharing a lot of great coverage in the weeks ahead.

Gainesville, Florida (USA)

BIKE : Salsa Cutthroat 2018 set up rigid, SRAM force group set 34T 1x front chainring 11-42T rear cassette. BAGS : Revelate Design all around the bike. GEAR HIGHLIGHTS : Favero Assioma power meter and Look Road pedals baby! My preference pedal and clear platform for long hours on the bike and as a veteran Tour Divide rider, I am prepared to put on minimalist hiking shoes for the hike a bike sections.

Ulrich “Uba” Bartholmoes

Age 36 / munich (germany).

BIKE : 2023 BMC Twostroke 01 One – the bike is totally custom built with Beast Components XS30 Carbon rims wheels with a SON Dynamo hub up front, a SRAM Eagle XS Red Drivetrain (34T x 10-52T), a RockShox SID SL Select + suspension fork and Beast Component drop bars. Pulley wheels and all bearings are low friction ceramic parts by Kogel to ensure smooth pedaling. Tires will be Hutchinson Skeleton & Taipan with 2.15”. My favorite highlight on the bike is my Supernova M99 DY Pro front light – its the brightest I have ever seen and will be my laser sword to conquer the nights! BAGS : I will use the Apidura Backcountry series with the 6L saddle pack, the 4L full frame pack, the 1L rear top tube pack and the 1L top tube pack, for a total of solid 12L to carry clothes, spares and food. If I need more room on the way I will find it in my Apidura Backcountry Hydration Backpack which also features an 2.5L water bladder. GEAR HIGHLIGHTS : The bike and the setup for the race are a great work of art and the highlight. My focus is on the lowest possible weight, good durability and, above all, reliability. All components have been tested for many thousands of kilometers and will serve me well.

Everett Bedard

Age 50 / saskatoon, saskatchewan (canada).

BIKE : I will be doing a record amount of hike-a-bike next to Pepper, my 2018 Salsa Cutthroat Apex 1. I upgraded the derailleur to Force 1 and replaced the chainring to 30T. In the rear is a 11x42T cassette. Pepper will be rolling with a set of 2.35” Vitorria Mezcals on Bontrager comp line 30s. When actually riding, I will enjoy a Brooks B17 saddle on a Redshift seat post, as well as profile design aerobars with a 70mm riser on a Redshift stem for comfort. BAGS : At the heart of Pepper is a Rockbros half frame bag. On the bars, Pepper has a Revelate Harness with a Sea to Summit drybag. A couple Revelate Designs feed bags. One for food and one for bear-spray. Hanging up front will be an Axiom bar bag. Strapped to the fork by a couple of Salsa anything cages are a Salsa and Sea to Summit drybags. Top tube Revelate Magtank to finish things off up front. In the rear with be a Sea to Summit Drybag attached to an Aeroe Spider rack. GEAR HIGHLIGHTS : Sleep system includes a Stormbreak 1, McKinley Trekker sleep, bag, and Klymit pillow. Garmin 830, SPOT tracker, Magicshine RN 3000 headlight, with a Biolite 20,000mAh powerbank. On my back will be an Osprey 2.5L hydration pack. A Befree Katadyn to filter water, with some tablets for possible cow water and such. And to top it all off, my Bike Doctor Detours jersey.

Cameron Bennett

Age 25 / portland, oregon (usa).

BIKE : I’ll be Touring on a Timeline™ on a 2021 Salsa Cutthroat, rolling on a pair of 2.25” Vittoria Mezcals and running a mostly-stock GRX 810 drivetrain with some extra teeth provided by an 11-42 cassette and a goatlink. An SP dynamo hub will power a Sinewave Beacon attached to some Profile Designs T3+ aerobars. A PNW coast suspension dropper will be saving my butt from anything the Specialized Power MIMIC saddle can’t handle. Race Face Atlas flat pedals make for comfier hike-a-biking and city days. Not pictured are a Lauf TR Boost fork and Salsa stem meticulously hand-painted in a white-on-black topo of Portland’s west hills by my fiancée and a lovely little top cap from ATR in Stockholm. BAGS : I’ll be running a set of custom Rogue Panda frame and top tube bags with a topo print of Oregon’s Mount Hood. A Tailfin alloy rack with two Salsa EXP anything cages will keep the weight down and back and allow for a dropped post! Up front, I’ll have a bed roll on a Salsa EXP Anything Cradle and three Revelate feed bags mounted in front of the bars so I can stand to climb without them rubbing my knees. GEAR HIGHLIGHTS : We’ll be raising money for p:ear, a Portland nonprofit with a bike shop whose mission is to develop professional skills for youth experiencing homelessness. Navigation will come courtesy of a Garmin Edge 810 and the ACA paper maps, tracking from an InReach Mini, and bonus lighting from a Fenix PD36R rigged as a helmet light. I’ll be sleeping well with a Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL1, old REI air pad, Nemo foam pad, and Katabatic Alsek quilt. A JBL Clip speaker, chess board, Kindle, journal, and Therm-a-Rest Trekker chair will keep me entertained on-route. Severely overweight first aid and repair kits will give us the best chances possible to keep rolling!

Marcel Besemer

Age 63 / veenendaal (the netherlands).

BIKE : Salsa Cutthroat Apex 1 2018 (quite standard, no suspension), Maxxis Ekon EXO 2.35″ front, 2.20″ rear, standard aero bars. BAGS : Salsa Framebag, Revelate Designs seatpack, Sea to Summit eVent bag in front with Revelate pooch, Revelate Top Tube and Decathlon top tube. GEAR HIGHLIGHTS : All raingear, down jacket and 3-season sleeping bag from RAB, Therm-a-Rest Neo Air X-lite, little stove, lots of coffe powder, Etrex 30x, Son Dynamo hub 28-15, Terra Nova Laser Comp 1 tent, 12l backpack from RAB. Total load 10kg (22lbs).

Jorne Bluekens

Age 36 / oudenburg, west-flanders (belgium).

BIKE : I’ll be riding the Tour Divide on a steel 2022 Salsa Fargo with Ritchey Venturemax road drop-bar with Wolf Tooth bar tape to compensate vibration. The bike features a pair of Hunt Race XC wheels with tubeless Continental Protection 2.35” Cross King front and 2.25” Race King back 29” tires, SRAM GX Eagle 1×11 11-50 drivetrain with a 32T chainring. A Pedalcell dynamo up front will charge battery pack, Garmin Edge 1030, iPhone 13 Pro and Lezyne lights. Giving the wrists some rest using Profile Design aero bars on the handlebars. The Brooks cambium carved saddle is the one component that always shifts to the bike I go bikepacking with. BAGS : I have mixed Salsa frame bag, Restrap top tube and Apidura front and seat pack. They have proven themselves worthy many times before. Two water bottles are mounted to the fork and extra water will be in my small Salomon trail running backpack CamelBak as needed. GEAR HIGHLIGHTS : My 600g Sea To Summit bivy tent and Therm-A-Rest light mattress will be my basic sleepover option. Base layer and socks typically merino, Rapha core bib shorts and lastly Castelli Perfetto RoS windjack. Never change a winning combination, I’ll be riding my 3rd pair of Shimano XC5 shoes.

Mike Buckley

Age 63 / hereford, arizona (usa).

BIKE : I’ll be on a Sage Barlow Ti. I’ve been experimenting and trying different options for a while now but think I might have finally got it right, maybe. Wheels are DT Swiss GR1600s with Pirelli Cinturato 650B x 45mm tires. Saddle is a Brooks C-17. I’m sold on the SRAM AXS 40T x 11-52T drivetrain after bikepacking across the U.S. last summer. I’m also a big fan of Big Agnes so both my tent and sleeping setup are from them. BAGS : Other than a beautiful Rogue Panda framebag, my bags are a from a variety of brands. GEAR HIGHLIGHTS : Handlebar is a Salsa Cowchipper Deluxe 520mm. Pedals Hope F-20 flats. Water filter is a Sawyer Squeeze. Tracking is via my iPhone on a SP-Connect stem mount and a Garmin 1040 Solar. A special shout out to M&M Bikes in Sierra Vista AZ who helped me get here, very much appreciated.

Paul Burdick

Age 44 / boulder, colorado (usa).

BIKE : Lauf Seigla with 1×12 mullet drivetrain using a 38T chainring, 10-52T cassette, XO1 Eagle derailleur, and Force AXS shifters. Profile Design Sonic Ergo 4525A aerobars mounted on a Fred Bar with SRAM wireless blips on the ends. RedShift ShockStop PRO Suspension Seatpost. SON Dynamo Hub with kLite Ultra gravel front light and Qube rear light. Whiskey No.9 36w rims with 2.25” Vittoria Mezcal tires. BAGS : Apidura Aerobar Pack, 2x Revelate Designs Feedbag, Tailfin Top Tube Pack, Rogue Panda frame bag, Apidura Frame Pack Hydration Bladder 3L, Tailfin AeroPack Alloy without pannier mounts and extended seatpost connector, ZéfalZ Box L. GEAR HIGHLIGHTS : Park Tool GSC-1 Gear Cleaning Brush for both brushing my teeth and clearing mud.

Benjamin Clark

Age 58 / enumclaw, washington (usa).

BIKE : Salsa Cutthroat. Shimano GRX, 2x, 11x42T. Son Dynamo in front, Chris King in back on HED Belgium G’s with Fleecer Ridge 2.2″. kLite front and back. Brooks C15 Carved on Ritchey seat post. Ebay carbon bars atop Ritchey Beacon bars with a Redshift Shocktop stem. Water: 3L Hydrapack in framebag, 24 oz bottle for mixing, Befree water filter with 2L bag. BAGS : Assorted bags from Revelate, Salsa, Porcelain Rocket, Dispersed and BroadFork. GEAR HIGHLIGHTS : Digging the Dispersed Top Tube bag for its capacity and my BroadFork Basho bag Jacquelyn made to spec that allows access to the bag while running aero bars. This is the way.

Age 28 / Denver, Colorado (USA)

BIKE : I’ll be riding the Tour Divide on a steel Pipedream A.L.I.C.E. frame and rigid fork. Drivetrain is a SRAM 1×12 using the Ratio kit with road shifters. Front wheel built by Totem Cyclery in Denver using a SP hub paired with a Sinewave Beacon 2 and tail light. BAGS : A.L.I.C.E. is fitted with a custom frame bag from Rogue Panda with room for an Apidura 3L bladder. Seat bag is from Restrap and in the front I’m using a Revelate MagTank and Feedbag, Bedrock Bags Entrada handlebar bag, and Blackburn fork mounted bags. GEAR HIGHLIGHTS : My delicate wrists will appreciate the RedShift ShockStop suspension stem and Profile Design aerobars, and my pale skin and fashion sense will appreciate Da Brim. My shelter will be a Big Sky Soul 2P, a little extra weight for some peace of mind.

Ben Crannell

Age 36 / nashville, tennessee (usa).

BIKE : I will be riding my Rodeo Labs Flaanimal 5.0. I am running 2.0″ Maxxis Ikons mounted to Boyd CCC Wheels. For the drivetrain I am running GRX 2×11 with a 46/30T chainring and a 11-46T in the rear. BAGS : I am running a combination of a bunch of bags but I am most excited about my South City Stitchworks custom frame bag. Revelate Designs Spinelock seat bag and feed bag. Ortlieb front roll. Rockgeist Cache top tube bag and feedbag. Oveja Negra snack pack. I have 2 water bottles mounted to my fork. GEAR HIGHLIGHTS : I will be bringing a Durston X-Mid 1P tent with an Enlightened Equipment down quilt on a Nemo Tensor sleeping pad. Navigating with a Garmin Edge 830. I am also really liking running the Fenix BCR-30 with replaceable rechargeable batteries for my lighting system.

Shane Cunico

Age 59 / lac cruces, new mexico (usa).

BIKE : I’ll be racing the Tour Divide for a second time, having finished in 2021, on a 2020 Salsa Cutthroat GRX 810 1x. The bike is very close to stock. I have only changed out the original drivetrain parts with identical replacements due to wear on the originals. The only things not stock: I will be riding a Selle Anatomica H1 saddle. The front wheel is a SON dynamo hub laced to a Velocity BLUNT 32-hole rim. This will power my kLite Ultra Gravel light and my kLite Qube rear safety blinker kit as well as other things that need charging. Rear wheel is identical to the front but using a DT 350 hub. I am using Bontrager aero bar pads and clamps, mated to a pair of profile design bars, with a custom-made aero bridge holding all my electronics. I’ll be using Rene Hearse 2.2″ Fleecer Ridge Endurance Plus Tires. BAGS : My frame bag is the custom Rogue Panda Designs matched bolt-on frame bag made for my Cutthroat model. Up front sees me running an EXP Series Anything Cradle and a simple 15L dry bag. Also on the bars are two Revelate Designs Mountain Feed Bags. I am Tailfin 1.5L Top Tube Pack. Also from Tailfin, I am using their Carbon Areopack and 5-liter panniers. Finally, I have a Wolf Tooth B-RAD Mini Roll Top Bag mounted under the down tube. On the front forks I will be using twin Tailfin Large Cargo Cages with two 1.4L Nalgene bottles. GEAR HIGHLIGHTS : An REI 1 person Quarterdome will serve as my shelter mated with a Western Mountaineering 30 degree Megalite sleeping bag and a Klymit Static V, insulated pad to round out my sleep system. I’ll also be carrying a Garmin Edge 1040 Solar for navigation. I’ll be using a Garmin inReach Mini for satellite tracking and emergency communication.

Kyle Daigle

Age 53 / baton rouge, louisiana (usa).

BIKE : I’ll be racing the Tour Divide on my 2020 Salsa Fargo with Vittoria Mezcal 2.25” tires mounted on DT Swiss wheels with a SON 28 dynamo front hub powering my Sinewave Beacon dynamo light and keeping my electronics charged and an E*Thirteen TRS+ 9-46T cassette mounted on a DT Swiss 350 rear hub with a 28T oval chainring. BAGS : I decided to spread the love here so I’ll be running a Rouge Panda custom frame bag, Ortlieb seat pack, Tailfin top tube bag, Oveja Negra jerry can and Revelate Designs feed bags. GEAR HIGHLIGHTS : I’ll be spending my nights in a Zpacks Duplex tent and a Feathered Friends sleeping bag on a NeoAir Xlite air mattress.

Michael Dean

Age 66 / north bend, oregon (usa).

BIKE : 2020 Salsa Fargo Apex, modified with a Sunrace 11-46t cassette and a 28t chainring (giving a 17.6 – 73.7 gear inches versus OEM 22.0-84.2); Salsa Alternator Plus rack; Brooks B-17 seat; Redshift suspension stem & both upper & drop grip set; Cane Creek Thudbuster v3 seat post; PedalCell generator; Profile Design T1+ aerobars; and Raceface Arc30HD rims, DT Swiss 350 hubs & Maxxis Ikon 2.25-2.35 tires running tubeless. BAGS : Rogue Panda custom framebag; Louise seat bag frame w/ Event bag; 2x Topeak VersaCage & 2x DOM Gorilla Bags; Salsa Anything Cradle, pouch & top loader bag; Revelate Jerrycan, gastank & feedbag; Ortlieb 70L pannier set; 2x 1L bottles. GEAR HIGHLIGHTS : I’m touring the Great Divide at a leisurely, 3month pace, so I’m traveling heavy: approx. 65#. Big Agnes Cooper Spur UL-2 Bikepacking tent; 40deg bag w/ bivy cover & fleece liner; ultralight Klymit pad; Wahoo Elemnt Roam v1 and an old phone for navigation; full cookset including a fry pan.

Katie Dolan

Age 22 / seattle, washington (usa).

BIKE : I’m racing this years Tour Divide on a Titanium Tumbleweed Stargazer with a Corvus Cycles fork running big tires, low gears and high stack. Built up with SRAM Eagle drivetrain and 2.2″ Maxxis Icon tires. Shutter precision front hub and sinewave beacon light/charger. BAGS : Revelate Spinelock seat bag, Rockgeist framebag, Apidura aero pack, Apidura top tube bag for all the snacks and some Revelate feed bags. A mix of my favorites and what fit. GEAR HIGHLIGHTS : Rolling with three sets of metallic brake pads, head to toe Gore-Tex rain kit, six spare spokes and a curved needle thread. I may or may not have learned some lessons last year.

Sacha Dowell

Age 41 / perth (australia).

BIKE : My trusty Giant ToughRoad SLR GX1 with a 1×11 drivetrain, 32T chainring and 11-49T cassette. Tyres are 45/50mm (back/front). Add-ons include a SON Dynamo hub, and aerobars. BAGS : Most of my bags are from Bike Bag Dude: custom frame bag, handlebar roll, chaff bag and top tube bag. Plus an Ortleib Seat Pack. GEAR HIGHLIGHTS : I’ll be using a Mountain Laurel Designs eVent Soul Bivy, Sea to Summit Spark 2 sleeping bag and Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite mat. I use a Ground Effect Rivulet jacket and Monsoon rain pants as my waterproofs. My navigation device is a Garmin Edge 530.

April Drage

Age 42 / melbourne, victoria (australia).

BIKE : I’ll be riding the Tour Divide on a 2022 Curve Cycling Big Kev called “Miles”. What’s special about this bike is that it’s an XS titanium 29er “gravel plus” bike, with a Curve Cycling Ride 415 carbon fork. Vittoria Mezcal 29 x 2.25 up front & 29 x 2.1 in the back. Big Kev is kitted out with a SRAM AXS (Rival/ GX) Mullet drivetrain (34T oval up front & 10/52 in the back). The wheels are Curve Cycling carbon Dirt Hoops, complete with DT Swiss rear hub & Shutter Precision Dynamo up front. I have my favourite Klite dynamo light mounted to VAP Cycling Butterfly 3 aero bars. My aero bars have some sneaky 3D printed mods, thanks to Curve Cycling technical lead Jimmy “JTS” Rostund. JTS also designed the 3D printed Klite Qube rear light mount that fits my Big Kev’s seat stay perfectly. BAGS : Revelate Designs feed bags and 10 litre Revelate Designs Spinelock seatpost bag. Aussie made Bike Bag Dude top tube bag (this dude makes such DURABLE stuff). My sleep kit is all wrapped up in an Exped waterproof compression bag that fits neatly in the sling that comes with the VAP Cycling aerobars. An Exped Flex Mat (trimmed to April Size) is so tough it doesn’t need a bag & rounds out the camping portion of the cockpit. GEAR HIGHLIGHTS : Curve Cycling Walmer Bars. Always a highlight, the sweep, the flare and the width are all game changing for bikepacking & day to day fun. They’re what you’d get if MTB bars & drop bars had a bikepacking baby. There’s plenty of storage space for bags & the extended 31.8 section either side of the clamping area means that my aero bars & endless gadgets are super easy to mount. I love that there are loads of options when it comes to hand positions, great for leverage when the terrain is tricky & they’ve given me a confidence boost when I’m descending. Most importantly, they’re very comfortable, especially with all the cushy gel I’m running under that crazy long bar tape!

Paul Ferucci

Age 54 / anchorage, alaska (usa).

Matteo Gagliardi Alberti

Age 50 / bergamo (italy).

BIKE : I’ll be riding the Tour Divide on a 2017 Niner RLT steel (called Ninina)! The bike features a new pair of Teravail Rutland durable 650bx47mm tires and Hunt Carbon custom rims whit a Son dynamo hub. The drivetrain is a modified 1×11 SRAM Force with a 36T Absolute Black oval chainring and e-thirteen 10-46T cassette. I’m running Paul Component Klamper brakes, Selle Italia SLR gravel saddle, Deda Element seatpost, Deda aereobar, Redshift shockpost stem and XTR pedals. BAGS : My bag setup includes a Miss Grape saddle bag and handlebar bag, Revelate Designs frame bag, and a few other small bags from Revelate. GEAR HIGHLIGHTS : A MSR Hubba NX1 tent, Marmot Helium sleeping bag, Therm-a-Rest sleeping pad. For navigation I will use Garmin Edge 1040 solar. kLite ultra v2 for my lighting.

Mark Gibson

Age 62 / perkasie, pennsylvania (usa).

BIKE : My home away from home will be a Rodeo Labs Flaanimal 5.0. The local Philly guys at Redshift Sports will be keeping my bum and wrists pampered with their Shockstop stem and seatpost. My saddle is a 32-year old Brooks B-17. Having not gone with a Cutthroat frame I will attempt to appease the trail gods by wrapping my Hunt wheels with Vittoria Mezcals. The bits that make it move and stop are mostly Shimano GRX with a smaller Wolf Tooth chainring. A Son dynamo will power my Klite lights and Sinewave Revolution. The Profile Design aerobars are perched atop 50mm risers. BAGS : Mostly Revelate bags with a Tailfin AeroPack in the rear. Handlebar dry bag is held aloft by an Aeroe Spider cradle. GEAR HIGHLIGHTS : Too much roughing it is for the kids younger than my saddle. So, Nemo Hornet tent, Big Agnes SL pad, inflatable Sea to Summit pillow and snuggly Nemo Riff sleeping bag for me. Techy stuff includes Garmin Edge 840 and Inreach Mini. A squeaky dinosaur on the Ritchey Venturemax handlebars will scare off bears and a sticker of the Monty Python Black Knight in the cockpit will remind me to never quit. (“Tis but a scratch”).

Graham Goff

Age 54 / bozeman, montana (usa).

BIKE : I’ll be riding the Tour Divide on a 2018 Salsa Cutthroat with 2.1″ Vittoria Mezcal tires and a Son28 dynamo hub. The drivetrain will be Wolf Tooth 30T chainring ring (not pictured) paired with a 9-46T cassette. Oh, and some Cinelli Turquoise bar tape as a reminder that this is FUN! BAGS : A full assortment of bags from Revelate, Apidura, Oveja Negra all centered around a custom full frame bag from Ghost Cat Bags. GEAR HIGHLIGHTS : The same set up as last time, a Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo tent, Patagonia hybrid sleeping bag, full NeoAir pad and a pillow for warm, dry and bug free sleeping.

Miron Golfman

Age 30 / anchorage, alaska (usa).

BIKE : 9ZERO7 Passage, GRX 810, 48-31T, Nexte carbon rims, Son Dynamo front hub, RaceFace Vault rear, Teravail Rutland 700x47mm. BAGS : TDF custom frame bag, Tailfin rear rack and bag, Revelate feed bags and Mag Tank 2000. GEAR HIGHLIGHTS : Ibex clothing kit, Sea to Summit Spark 18 with ground cloth, K-light MTB front and rear dynamo lights & Fenix HM61R V2.0 helmet light, GPS Wahoo Roam.

Bahadır Gungor

Age 34 / goteborg (sweden).

BIKE : Brother Cycles Big bro 29er, Curve Walmer bars 55cm, SRAM AXS X01/Force mullet setup, Absolute black 36T chainring, Hope rotors and RX4+ calipers, wheels are WTB CZR i30’s laced with Sapim CX rays onto a DT 350 in the back and SP Dynamo in the front. Tires are 2.35″ Mezcals. Profile Design A35 aerobars with 30mm spacers. Full Klite kit for lightning and charging duties. BAGS : Custom frame bag by THLP BAGS, custom roll top and ditty bags by Nimbus Packs. The rest is Revelate gear. GEAR HIGHLIGHTS : Very excited to run a dynamo setup for the first time and not having to stress about power banks or my lights lasting through the night. Many friends helped me get this bike together, so a shout out to them!

Age 46 / Gibsons, British Columbia (Canada)

BIKE : I’ll be riding (not racing) the Tour Divide on a 2014 Salsa Fargo. Rolling on Vittoria Mezcal 2.1” tires, 1×11 drivetrain with a 36x51T low, and SP dynamo in front. BAGS : Rockgeist partial frame bag, Tailfin rear thinger, Revelate harness, top tube bag and feedbags, Apidura bags on the forks, with bottle cages added with King Cage USBs. GEAR HIGHLIGHTS : Big Agnes Copper Spur, Nemo pad, down quilt, eTrex 20. Custom mini fender on the front from my LBS, thanks Elphi Cycles!

BIKE : Cannondale Topstone with RockShox Rudy fork. Zipp 101 wheels & 45mm Pirelli Cinturato Gravel M tires. Eagle 10x52T with a 36T Quark up front for measuring the 64w I’ll be pushing most of the time. BAGS : Restrap bags over, under and throughout. GEAR HIGHLIGHTS : Helium bivy & 28 degree bag. 2 Velocio chamois because life is too short for crusty bunz. Everything and the kitchen sink. Only thing I’m missing is an electric bear fence.

Age 28 / Canberra (Australia)

BIKE : Custom Built Hunt Bikes Landcruiser v2. Sram AXS drivetrain with White Industries MR30 Cranks. Running a 34T on the front with 10-50T on the rear. Klite lighting setup and navigation powered by Dynamo hub. I’ll be running the ol’ faithful 2.2” Maxxis Ikon’s. BAGS : Custom Hungry frame and feed bags, Porcelain Rocket seat bag, Diy front roll setup. GEAR HIGHLIGHTS : My favourite bits of kit would have to be my tent and filming setup. I use a Zpacks Solo tent which makes for a roomy sleep and super light carry weight. As an adventure filmmaker I also love to bring along my cameras and drone. (watch this space for a 2023 TD film!)

Erik Larson

Age 53 / tucson, arizona (usa).

BIKE : I’ll be racing the Tour Divide on a 2020 Cutthroat. Very little changed from my 2021 border to border run except that I have added a Lauf fork so I yell a little less at the washboards. I run a SON Dynamo hub to keep the lights on and I’m riding on a pair of Fleecer Ridge tires (endurance). GRX 1x with a 36T Wolf Tooth ring up front and a 42T on the back to keep spinning over the passes. BAGS : Revalate for the most part with a custom shelter bag to protect my house GEAR HIGHLIGHTS : ZPack Hexamid Pocket Tarp to keep the rain/snow off.

Age 41 / Lutsen, Minnesota (USA)

BIKE : Salsa Cutthroat. BAGS : Cedaero, JPaks, Salsa, Revelate. GEAR HIGHLIGHTS : Sheltering with my trusty Ray-Way Tarp which has been my go-to shelter for over ten years. Navigating via Hammerhead Karoo 2.

Justinas Leveika

Age 34 / tolga (norway).

BIKE : Trek Procaliber SL. Monstercross, dropbars and 100mm suspension at the front. Hunt XC beyond wheels with dynamo powering Supernova M99 DY pro light. BAGS : Tailfin R&D bags, top tube, frame bag, rear rack. GEAR HIGHLIGHTS : I have never used a dynamo before, but this race might change my opinion.

Jared Linzmeier

Age 38 / amherst junction, wisconsin (usa).

BIKE : I am so excited to experience this route! I’m riding a Mason InSearchOf. I have been very happy with the Vittoria Mezcals so I’ve got a new pair of 2.35” mounted both front and rear with Tubolight foam inserts. SRAM Rival / GX Eagle AXS wireless 12-speed hybrid groupset, 32T chainring, Hunt H Impact All Mtn carbon rims with a SON Dynamo hub up front. Lighting and charging by Sinewave Beacon. Ritchey Venturemax bars and Fizik Terra Argo saddle. Fox 34 stepcast fork. Profile Designs aero bars. Shimano XT PD-T8000 pedals with one side flats. BAGS : I’ve got a custom frame bag from Buckhorn in Fayetteville. I got to meet Sam and check out his workshop while I was riding in Arkansas earlier this year. For my seat bag I am planning to go with an Oveja Negra Gearjammer L bag (Wack Pack colors for fun), top tube Revelate Mag Tank 2000, Randi Jo Fab custom Ruby Coffee pocket tender stem/feed bags, Rockgeist dry bag and armadillo protector and Horton pouch mounted to the Goodday Curiosity spacer cradle. Tailfin small bag on the downtube on a Tailfin mount. I’ve been pretty happy with the Osprey Seral 7 hip pack so I’ll probably bring that too for some added snack storage and additional hydration. UL Apidura 13L backpack for extra capacity from resupply spots. GEAR HIGHLIGHTS : MLD bivy, Enlightened Equipment quilt and puffy, Montbell down pants, rain and some riding gear from Albion, sun sleeves, Pearl Izumi X Alp Summit shoes, NRS socks, showers pass gloves, merino wool layers from Black Diamond and Smartwool. Merino cap from Randi Jo. Wahoo Roam for nav. As much instant coffee from my company, Ruby, as I can pack into the crevices!

John O’Malley

Age 64 / christchurch (new zealand).

BIKE : Salsa Cutthroat with 1×11 30/11-46T drivetrain, Brooks Cambium C17 saddle, Profile T3 aerobars with 70mm risers, Maxis Ikon 2.2” tires, Son Dynamo hub and KLite front and taillights. BAGS : Mixture of Revelate, Apidura and BBD bags plus a Paper Roads dry bag up front. GEAR HIGHLIGHTS : Macpac Bivy, Therm-a-Rest Z-Lite foam pad and Sea to Summit Spark II sleeping bag.

Sue O’Malley

BIKE : I will be riding a Salsa Cutthroat with a 30-11/51T drivetrain, Profile T3 aerobars, SON dynamo, Supernova front and rear lights (plus a KLite rear light), Cambium C17 seat, Maxis Ikon 2.2″ tires. BAGS : I will be using a mixture of bags from Revelate framebag and feedbags, Revelate Pronghorn handle bar roll, Apidura seat bag, BBD Top Tube Garage. GEAR HIGHLIGHTS : Macpac Bivy, Therm-a-Rest Z-Lite foam pad and Sea to Summit Spark II sleeping bag.

Zach McCandless

Age 28 / canon city, colorado (usa).

BIKE : I will be piloting a 2023 Otso Fenrir. The bike consists of a stainless steel frame with a Enve Carbon Mountain Fork. The Fenrir is equipped with a mixed 1×11 drivetrain and a 34T chainring. The Fenrir is rolling on Vittoria Mezcal 2.35″ tires mounted on a 29″ Industry Nine Trail S wheelset. BAGS : My bike is saddled up with Revelate Designs and Bedrock Bags. GEAR HIGHLIGHTS : Chamoisless and afraid.

Hank McCullough

Age 61 / greenville, south carolina (usa).

BIKE : I will be racing the 2023 Tour Divide on a 2019 Salsa Cutthroat set up with a Sram AXS drivetrain (34/10-50T). NOX Teocalli carbon hoops laced to a Son 28 dyno hub and DT Swiss 350 rear hub. Backside protected by a 3-D printed Specialized Power saddle (155), to the extent that is possible! Klite Gravel system for lighting. BAGS : Bags are mostly stock. Salsa frame bag. 14L Terrapin, harness, feedbags and legacy zip front pocket from Revelate and a huge top tube bag made by the Strempkes at Dispersed Bike. MLD dry bag in the harness. Three large bottles on the fork and feed bag, and an extra 2L bladder when needed. Top compartment of the frame bag is almost entirely dedicated to food and extra water; bottom all the sundries I hope not to use. Rain gear in front pocket for easy access. Bear spray goes in a small hip pack from Hyperlite Mountain Gear that I can stash at some point. GEAR HIGHLIGHTS : Old man decided a good sleep (my goal is to hotel it as much as possible) is worth an extra 12 oz., so my shelter will be a Six Moons Design Lunar Solo Tent versus a bivy. Western Mountaineering 30 deg bag and Big Agnes Zoom UL pad complete the sleep system. Using a Garmin 1040 Solar for navigation with a Wahoo Elemnt Bolt V1 and Ride with GPS as back-up. Definitely not the lightest set up but intended to get me to the end unscathed.

Matt Miller

Age 48 / frytown, iowa (usa).

BIKE : I’ll be riding a 2021 Salsa Cutthroat GRX 600. The wheels are DT SWISS XM 421 with a Son dynamo hub up front and a DT Swiss 350 in the back. The tires are Vittoria Mezcals and the saddle is a Brooks B17. BAGS : In the back I have a Tailfin Aeropack with 10L panniers. The frame bag is by Rogue Panda and the front forks have Salsa Anything cages with Revelate Polecat bags. In the cockpit, I’m using Profile Designs Sonic Ergo aerobars, Revelate Designs feedbags and a Salsa EXP top tube bag. GEAR HIGHLIGHTS : My tent is the bikepacking version of the Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL2. My sleeping bag is a 30 degree Nemo Moonwalk paired with a Klymit Static V pad. For lighting, I have an Exposure Revo powered by the dynamo hub.

Arya Tenzin Namdol

Age 38 / hadlyme, connecticut (usa).

BIKE : Crust/Rons Bikes Alumalith with Ultradynamico Mars 27.5 x 2.2″ and Cava 2.2″ Robusto tires around Crust rims and Paul touring cantilever brakes. Late 90s era Shimano XTR and and Campoagnolo Record shifted with Shimano and Suntour bar end shifters with a Sugino PX crankset. BAGS : Ron’s bikes small X11 Fabio’s chest and Rivendell Sackville Banana sack in the rear. Rani Jo bartender stem bags and a custom X11 frame bag. GEAR HIGHLIGHTS : This bike has so much polished aluminum that I think it is technically all highlights!

Ezra Ward-Packard

Age 29 / vanlife, wisconsin (usa).

BIKE : I’ll be racing the 2023 Tour Divide on a Fezzari Shafer frameset with an MRP Baxter 60mm fork. The wheelset is a Schmidt SON dynamo front and DT Swiss 350 rear laced into Velocity Blunt SS rims. Vittoria Mezcal 700 x 42mm front and rear with Cushcore XC plus Stan’s Race sealant. Drivetrain is a mix of Shimano Ultegra and GRX. Gearing is 46/30T x 11-42T with a 4iiii power meter. Cockpit is a Zipp Service Course handlebars and Ebay stem plus a hodgepodge TT bar set-up. BAGS : Porcelain Rocket Mr. Fusion seat pack. Restrap half frame bag and long top tube bag. Heavily modified Revelate Designs Sweet Roll handlebar roll connected to a Salsa EXP Series bag. GEAR HIGHLIGHTS : Sleep system is a Magma 30 sleeping bag, Therm-a-Rest Uberlight pad, and an ultralight tarp. Cycling kit is all Pearl Izumi plus an Outdoor Research Superstrand LT hoodie. Key electronics are a Sinewave Cycles Beacon, Garmin 530, Spot Gen 3, and Dexcom G6 Continuous Blood Glucose Monitor (Type 1 Diabetic).

Danielle Quinn

Age 26 / no man’s land (usa).

BIKE : After riding (not racing) the Tour Divide in 2022, I have decided to do it again this year, northbound. Tried and true, I am using the same set up as my first ride: my trusty All City Cycles Gorilla Monsoon (aka Sofi) with a fresh pair of Vittoria Mezcal 2.1” tires. Sofi also is rocking a new 1×11 drivetrain with a 36T chainring, and a totally hot KMC X11SL gold chain. Sonic Ergo Aero Bars for an illusion of speed. Everything else is exactly what I used last year. BAGS : It was difficult finding bags that accommodate an XS frame, but the Revelate Tangle frame bag and Revelate Terrapin 14L seatpost bag still leave me with some tire clearance and space for a 4L Cranktank. I also am using the Revelate Mountain Feedbags, Jerrycan, and Magtank 2000. Revelate Polecats reside on the fork, and Sea to Summit stuffsacks fit everything else. GEAR HIGHLIGHTS : TRP HY/RD mechanical/hydraulic brakes allow me to stop and smell the flowers with my partner Oz, and my Wahoo Element will be joining me once more to prevent wrong turns Oz may take in smelling said flowers. Unlike last year, I’m making the experience more comfortable and have opted to bring a tent and stove, my Hubba Hubba NX2 and a Jetboil.

Stuart Rose

Age 57 / calgary, alberta (canada).

BIKE : I will be riding the TD on 2016 Kona Raijin titanium hardtail 29er. Modified to drop bars with Force 22 shifters, Ratio conversion, eThirteen 9x50T, 12-speed cassette and Absolute Black oval 32 chainring. Force brakes upgraded to Hope Rx4+ callipers. Salsa Cutthroat carbon fork. Continental Race Kings 29×2.2″ set up tubeless with Stans. Profile Design Airstryke 5 aero bars. Brooks C17 saddle. BAGS : A mixture of Rockgiest, Revelate Mountain Equipment Coop bags. GEAR HIGHLIGHTS : Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL2 tent, Katadyn BeFree water filter and Pedalcel dynamo for charging the electronics. Nimble Champ 10000mAh to back up the Pedalcel. Garmin Edge 810 for navigation.

Nathan Salle

Age 27 / richmond, virginia (usa).

BIKE : I’ll be riding a 2020 Salsa Cutthroat with an AXS mullet set up and a 100mm front fork, makes for a comfy and rowdy ride! BAGS : Running a mix of brands but all centered around the massive Salsa frame bag to stuff full of food and other goodies. GEAR HIGHLIGHTS : Got myself a classic SON dynamo hub to a Sinewave Beacon light. Will be riding on my trusty 2.4″ Mezcals and trying to keep things simple and clean!

Andrew Salmons

Swansea, wales (united kingdom).

BIKE : Brother Mehteh with mainly GRX gearing and brakes and 650b wheels plus goodyear connector tyres. SP hub out front with an Igaru D2 to keep the lights on. BAGS : Restrap holster behind the saddle and a medium frame bag, Ortlieb supply the barbag (QR) and a 4L fork pack. I’ll also wear a Osprey hipack for bits and pieces plus a reservoir for the dryer sections of the ride. GEAR HIGHLIGHTS : Six Moon Designs Deschutes tarp for some shelter plus an Alpkit Kloke bivi bag and Cloud Cover duvet for a comfy nights sleep. Sea to Summet UL insulated mat and pillow. Showing me the way is a Garmin Edge Explore 2 with my phone as a backup.

Christopher Schmidt

Age 48 / lake geneva, wisconsin (usa).

BIKE : aka “Mulletsa” is back again this year. Classic Salsa Cutty with SRAM AXS Eagle drivetrain, 34T chainring, 10-52T cassette, and SRAM RED AXS Road shifters. 3T flip aero bars mounted on a Fred bar with an Enve Carbon Gravel 48cm handlebar complete the cockpit. Wheelset: Bontrager Carbon/SON Dynamo Hub up front with a HED Belgium/Industry Nine Hub in the rear on a fresh set of Vittoria Mezcal 2.1” tires. Fork by Fox is the 32 Float SC 29 Factory Boost. Shimano XTR pedals. BAGS : Apidura aerobar pack, Tailfin on the top tube, Revelate feedbags, custom Rockgeist framebag, Brooks drybag and Salsa EXP front pouch strapped to Tailfin carbon arch/Aeropack frame. 3L Hydrapak bag in hiding.

GEAR HIGHLIGHTS : A Montbell Breeze Dry-Tec Sleeping Bag cover as my Bivvy resting on a small Therm-a-Rest Neo-Air sleeping pad. Sleep kit completed by a custom Nunatak down-filled half bag (aka the “JayP skirt”) down below, a Montbell ultralight puffy up top, and a Zpacks tarp overhead in a pinch. Lighting is a K-lite MTB kit.

David Schultz

Age 55 / duluth, minnesota (usa).

BIKE : I’ll be riding a 2020 Salsa Cutthroat, with Rene Herse Fleecer Ridge tires and Fox 32 fork. Wheels are Velocity Blunts with an Onyx hub in back and Son Dynamo up front. BAGS : Cedaero Frame, Top Tube, Wedge and Devil’s Draw bags. Up front is a Salsa Anything Cradle with Top Load Bag. In back, a Tailfin rack with trunk top bag and 64oz Kleen Kanteen bottles mounted to the rack. GEAR HIGHLIGHTS : A Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL2 tent, Sea to Summit pad and Enlightened Equipment quilt. I’ll be using a Garmin 1030 Plus for navigation.

Tom Schwemberger

Age 27 / eugene, oregon (usa).

BIKE : I’ll be racing aboard a Lauf Seigla with an AXS Eagle drivetrain and 40T Garbaruk chainring. Wheels are from Elite and tires will be 2.0″ Pirelli gravel-M. BAGS : All of my bags are from 7Roads in Ukraine. Custom frame and top tube bags are waterproof PVC fabric. The saddlebag is supported by a mini-rack which stops any swaying. I’m also running feed bags and a small handlebar bag. GEAR HIGHLIGHTS : My hammock. I’m racing and planning to go fast, but sleeping comfortably.

Indiana Schulz

Age 39 / coal valley, illinois (usa).

BIKE : I’ll enjoy the Tour Divide on Medúlla, my 2022 Lauf Seigla with 520mm PNW Coast drop bars, Profile Design T1+ 70mm risers, and Redshift Cruise Control grips. Traction comes from a 2.1″ Mezcal in the rear with a 2.2″ Race King in the front. Wheels are DERBY carbon with White Industries rear and Son front hubs. A SRAM 10-52T cassette with a 34T Wolf Tooth Oval chainring provides an excellent range for climbing and the flats. BAGS : Custom Rockgeist half-frame pack and top tube bag. Revelate Designs Egress Pocket up front. An extra Lezyne top tube bag near the seatpost for tools and an Amazon top tube bag between the aero bars for toiletries. I’m excited to try the Tailfin rack paired with the Revelate Designs Terrapin 14L dry bag. On my back, I will have an Oveja Negra Royale hip pack. GEAR HIGHLIGHTS : I’m dealing with a lower back injury, so I have a custom cam buckle system to help carry the bike up Koko Claims and any peanut butter mud we may encounter. I hope the Gossamer Gear Thinlight pad provides some comfort for my bivy and extra insulation. I also have a Sinewave Cycles Beacon V2 with rasta colors that arrived a week before the race. Jah!

Scott Shannon

Age 64 / cazenovia, new york (usa).

BIKE : I’ll be riding (not racing) the Tour Divide on a 2022 BXT carbon gravel rig- it has been christened as the Chen Fang (the ‘Fang!) celebrating our shared Chinese heritage. The bike features a new pair of Vittoria Mezcal 2.25” tires, a SRAM Rival 1×11 mullet drivetrain with a 34T chainring on Rotor 3D+ crankset, RYET 9-46T cassette, and Hunt 650b Adventure Sport wheels. Brakes are Juin Tech-GT cable actuated hydraulic discs. Finally, the cockpit includes a Redshift Shockstop stem with a 52cm PNW Coast bar, and I’ll be sitting on a trusty Sella Italia SLR saddle on a Ritchey classic aluminum post. BAGS : My bag setup includes a Revelate Tangle Frame bag, a pair of Revelate Polecat drybags mounted TO Blackburn Outpost cargo cages on the fork, A Blackburn Outpost seat bag, and a Topeak Frontroller handlebar roll. A Restrap top tube bag and Revelate Egress front pocket round out the cargo options, with various bungies and shock-cord options to lash on whatever needs to be handy. Four 24oz bottles will be mounted to the fork and frame cages, with room to add another pair of 1 liter bottles on the seatpack. GEAR HIGHLIGHTS : A Nemo Hornet Elite tent will serve as my shelter, along with a OMVMO 20F down bag and Big Agnes AXL Air Mat. For camp comfort after a long day in the saddle, I’m dragging along my Helios Zero chair, come hell or high water! I’ll be navigating with a Garmin 1040 Solar.

Brook Smith

Age 40 / toronto, ontario (canada).

BIKE : Salsa Cutthroat 600 x1 with 34T on a Quarq PM, waxed chain and 11/46T cassette. I built up a set of Light Bike/Hope hub wheels that have been solid for years. I have some fresh 2.35″ Mazcels, and a double wrap of rim tape. BAGS : I made all my bags excluding the tail bag, which is by Ortlieb. They have #10 Vislon zippers with a liteskin & XV-21 X-Pac fabric. The top tube bag is a monster with 2L+ of storage. The front bag (6L) is an “aero” shape that is accessible from the top while riding. The frame bag houses 2L of water and anything else that is heavy, like food, batteries, tools, tubes etc. I’m wearing a modified CamelBak Chase Backpack. It contains another 2L of water and passport/Food/Money/tp/butt kit/etc, anything I need if my bike rides off without me. GEAR HIGHLIGHTS : I’m rocking an OR Interstellar Rain Jacket and Helium Rain Pants. Sleep system is OR Helium Bivy, Therm-a-Rest Hyperion 0°C, Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite, eye shades, ear plug and a Polycryo ground sheet. I made an Apha Direct hoodie, pant & scarf as a mid layer. I intend to pick up bottles for any stretch where I need more than 4L of water. I’m not using a dynamo but instead carrying a Nitecore NB20000 which takes only ~2h to charge to 75%. Huge thanks to Bateman’s Bike Co. for getting me set up for this ride.

Justin Smith

Age 40 / santa cruz, california (usa).

BIKE : I’ll be smiling on my 2020 Cutthroat with a modified GRX 800 1×11 drivetrain/ RaceFace Next SL cranks with 32T OVAL paired with a 10-46T will keep my Mezcals rolling through the hillsides. I’ll be resting my toosh on a Koda and my hands on some lizard skin bar tape. Nothing else too fancy to speak of. BAGS : Three Revelate bags including my well-used Terrapin with my sleep kit, Jerry Can and a stem bag. My frame bag and top tube bag are both Salsa and a borrowed Apidura handlebar bag that finished TD once with a friend. GEAR HIGHLIGHTS : No dynamo here so I’m trusting my battery bank to keep my Fenix 30 BCR, Inreach, and iPhone topped up. My trusty Etrex 20 and Fenix helmet light run on AA. An REI flash tent and magma quilt will rest on Big Agnes sleeping mat. I love my Big Agnes puffy jacket, waterproof socks, and OR Helium for the wet weather. I’ll be enjoying some tunes and a family photo with my 4 year-old and incredible wife who are the real ones that are making this possible.

Age 37 / San Francisco, California (USA)

BIKE : I’ll be riding the 2023 Tour Divide on a custom built Cutthroat. Build highlights include Hunt wheels with a SON dynamo featuring Vittoria Mezcals, SRAM 1x AXS drivetrain with 32T in the front and 52T in the back, and Cowchipper drop bars with Profile Designs aero bars. BAGS : I’m using a standard Revelate bag setup using the Revelate Ripio, Jerrycan, Mag-tank 2000, Spinelock, and Harness with a Pocket bag. GEAR HIGHLIGHTS : My shelter consists of a Zpacks Plex Solo tent, Zpacks 20 degree mummy bag, and a Neoair XLite NXT. I’m also carrying a Rab Xenon and merino wool baselayers in addition to full rain gear to ensure I can weather cold storms.

Age 64 / Brisbane, Queensland (Australia)

BIKE : I’ll be riding (not racing) the Tour Divide on a 2021 Salsa Cutthroat. The ‘beast’ is shod with Vittoria Mezcal 2.25” tyres on Curve Dirt Hoops. Drivetrain is a Ratio Tech conversion to 12-speed, 34T and 10-52T cassette. Pedalcell to recharge all the gizmos. Design Profile aerobars. Specialised Power Pro mirror saddle. BAGS : Tumbleweed T-Rack a carries a 20L Sea to Summit River bag and two Salsa fork bags. Revelate Harness holds a 13L River bag. Revelate accessory bag for food. GEAR HIGHLIGHTS : Z-pack tent, Nemo Tensor Alpine Ultralight Mountaineering Pad and Sea to Summit Spark ultralight Sleeping bag. Garmin 1040 Solar and backup Android RidewithGPS. Family insisted on a GoPro. MSR cooker and coffee bags for caffeine crises.

Age 42 / Rocklin, California (USA)

BIKE : I will be riding a Poseidon Redwood with 1×11 SRAM DoubleTap with 30T chainring, and 29” 2.1 Vittoria Mezcal Tires. Saddle is a Brooks Cambium All Weather C17. Lights are 2x Light & Motion Vis 1000 and I will be using a Wahoo Elemnt Roam to navigate. BAGS : Revelate Sweetroll with Egress Pocket, Reveleate 16L Spinelock Seat Bag, Revelate Mag-Tank 2000, Salsa Frame bag. GEAR HIGHLIGHTS : Almost all the components on the bike were pulled from other bikes to make this rig. I love the Spinelock seat bag! Sleep system is a Helium bivy, UL sleeping bag and inflatable pad. I have 4L of water in the frame bag and will be filtering with Katadyn BeFree 1L bags.

Francis Sutherland

Age 66 / calgary, alberta (canada).

BIKE : 2019 Salsa Cutthroat. BAGS : Tailfin and Revelate frame bag. GEAR HIGHLIGHTS : Improved carrying capacity with Tailfin and less weight with Big Agnes Scout 1 Platinum tent. Planning to tent more and perhaps do an ITT and start a little early than last attempt in 2019. Using an InReach for communication, Mezcal 2.1″ tires and lower gearing 46/32T.

Sarah Swallow

Age 35 / durango, colorado (usa).

BIKE : I am riding an Otso Fenrir Titanium Drop Bar with a RockShox SID SL Ultimate 100mm fork, SRAM XX1 Eagle AXS drivetrain, RED eTap shift-brake levers, and a Wolf Tooth 32T oval chainring. I am running prototype Tumbleweed 52cm handlebars and Specialized aero bars and am using a Zipp 3ZERO MOTO rear wheel and a Roval Traverse Carbon front wheel laced to a SON Dynamo hub, both are equipped with Rene Herse Fleecer Ridge tires. BAGS : Rogue Panda custom frame bag, Oveja Negra Gearjammer seat bag and snack pack, Fjallraven Top Tube Bag, an old Porcelain Rocket front harness, a Wolf Tooth B-RAD bag, Rockgeist Horton Front Pouch, Ultra PE Dry Bag, Spacelink, and two Honeypot bags. GEAR HIGHLIGHTS : My favorite piece of gear are my Ombraz Armless Sunglasses. My sleep system consists of a Mountain Laurel Designs Event Soul Bivy and Monk Flat Tarp (I’m excited for the extra security of the tarp after being rained on for 1,000 miles during the 2021 Great Divide Classic), a Klymt Ozone sleep pad paired with a quarter of a Therm-a-Rest Zlite (which doubles as my sit pad as well) and a Western Mountaineering Summerlite Sleeping Bag. For navigation, I use a Garmin Edge 1040 Solar and my phone with Ride with GPS app (for POIs and cue sheet). I am using a Sinwave headlight and a Ricoh GR II camera.

John Thomas

Age 68 / hamden, connecticut (usa).

BIKE : I’ll be riding a top of the line 2022 salsa cutthroat with SRAM X01 Eagle AXS, fancy-pants bicycle. Given last year’s supply chain challenges for all things bicycle, it was the only Cutthroat I could find in my size (54). That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it, largely because I love the bike. I changed the chainring to 32T. Cassette is 10-52T. Did I mention that I’m old? I have added a SON 28 dynamo front hub that connects (in the top tube bag) to a Sinewave Revolution USB charger. I have an Apidura 3.5-liter bladder in the frame bag and I’ll add bottle cages and 1-liter bottles to the front fork for the arid sections. I’ll be rolling Reynolds TR 249 wheels shod with Vittoria Mezcal 2.35” tires, perched on a WTB Gravel saddle, and (occasionally) leaning on carbon, Profile Design aero bars affixed to 70mm risers. BAGS : Frame bag is a Salsa direct mount. Top tube bag, mini panniers, and rear rack and bag are Tailfin products. The aero bars bag is a custom, Class 4 Designs, creation. Bag slung from the handlebars houses my Big Agnes Fly Creek tent. GEAR HIGHLIGHTS : My favorite bits of gear have nothing to do with my bicycle and everything to do with my metastatic cancer. I’ll be dragging along a GoPro and drone to document the journey for the Prostate Cancer Foundation. My story is here .

George Uehling

Age 30 / charlottesville, virginia (usa).

BIKE : I’ll be riding a 2020 Salsa Cutthroat GRX810. The drivetrain is updated with a 30T chainring and 10-42T cassette. There is a power meter in the spindle and Profile Designs aero bars in the cockpit. The Son Dynamo powers the Sinewave Beacon for lights and all the electronics, and the tires are Rene Herse Fleecer Ridge. The derailleur and rear wheel are new after the last ones were wrecked on the TransVirginia 550. BAGS : The frame bag is the OEM Salsa bag with a lot of custom seam-sealing. Under the downtube is a Wolftooth bag for spare parts, and everything else is Revelate (seat bag, feed bags, top tube, and jerry can). GEAR HIGHLIGHTS : My shelter is a Gossamer Gear tarp and an Enlightened Equipment quilt that I’ve been using for a few years. The tarp is as light as a bivy, but gives me more space at the cost of bug protection. Navigation is a Garmin Edge 530 and communication is a Garmin InReach and an iPhone for backup navigation.

Maarten Vanhaverbeke

Age 38 / brakel, flemish ardennes (belgium).

BIKE : I’m a professional bike mechanic, so the gear nerding goes deep. This is my best effort keep it short but detailed. Steel Mason InSearchOf frame with carbon fork, SRAM 1×12 electronic shifting (Force/X01 mullet), Shimano XT crankset, XT 10-51T cassette (yes, it works with the SRAM shifting), XT chain, Wolf Tooth 34T chainring, René Herse Fleecer Ridge tires, hand-built SON dynamo and DT Swiss 240 wheelset (shout-out to SWS Wheels), KLite lights and charger, 46cm Ritchey Beacon drop bars, double layer of Wolf Tooth bar tape (5+2.5mm = comfort). What else? Redshift suspension stem, Ritchey aerobars with SRAM shifting blips, XT pedals, Specialized Power saddle, Reverse Fillmore valves, Orange Seal sealant, SRAM HS2 rotors, SwissStop brake pads. BAGS : On the rather unique load bearing Mason ISO front fender I’ve strapped a 5L Alpkit drybag (sleeping bag and liner). Two Revelate Designs feedbags on the handlebar (snacks). All other bags are Apidura: 6L full frame pack (hydration and food), long top tube pack (electronics), 7L racing saddle pack (clothing), downtube pack (repair stuff), 2x 3L fork pack (tent/layers). King Cage Manything cages to support those last three bags. No backpack. GEAR HIGHLIGHTS : Drinking from a Apidura 3L hydration bladder and a 1.5L Hydrapak bladder and filter. Sleep kit: Nordisk Lofoten tent, Cumulus X-Lite 400 down sleeping bag and a Therm-a-Rest UberLite mattress. Petzl Tikka headlamp for extra light. Garmin Edge 1040 Solar for navigation and an Edge 530 as backup. Inreach tracker. And last but not least: Assos bib shorts.

Romain Wartel

Age 42 / french alps.

BIKE : Orange French touch! I will ride a modified Lapierre Pro Race SAT CF 9.9 mountain bike. Cockpit is a Redshift Kitchen Sink handlebar with Profile Design aerobars, with SRAM Force AXS shifters + wireless blips. The 10-52T cassette paired with a Wolf Tooth 36T chaining will hopefully allow for enough range throughout the route. Race King 2.2″ ProTection tires should be a good balance between speed, comfort and puncture protection. They let me down badly during the Atlas Mountain Race, but the Tour Divide should be less demanding and I apparently don’t learn from my mistakes. A SON Dynamo Hub + Exposure Revo, and an Exposure Diablo will make the nights brighter and charge electronics. BAGS : ByMarion&Quentin created the frame bags and food pouch, complemented by an Apidura saddle bag. GEAR HIGHLIGHTS : As an emergency + sleeping kit, I will be relying on a Mountain Hardwear Ghost Whisperer 1000FP down jacket and Lifesystems Ultralight Survival Shelter. A Salomon trail running bag will provide an extra water capacity and carry extra food, which should hopefully nicely fit under the Salomon Bonatti Trail waterproof jacket. I elected to take removable SKS mud guards to help protect the transmission and rider against the rain and dust, but clearly they will come off when peanut butter mud is coming.

Kellie Wilson

Age 42 / fort worth, texas (usa).

BIKE : Monē LaRoca, Shimano XT drivetrain w/ custom mounted shifter, Enve M60 rims, DT Swiss 240 hubs, jumped on the Mezcal train (27.5 x 2.35″), Monē drop bars, Chester pedals, Brooks B17 saddle. BAGS : Custom Rockgeist frame bag, Rockgeist XL Cache top tube bag, Rockgeist Honeypot feedbag, Swift Industries Zeitgeist bag and Revelate Egress pocket on the bars, and a Bags by Bird Piccolo bag under the saddle. GEAR HIGHLIGHTS : Big Agnes one-person tent, Big Agnes sleeping bag, Sea to Summit pad, mostly wool for the clothing, my trusty Lockjaw knife, and Vortex binoculars for the cool birds along the way.

Wes Whittle

Age 43 / sydney, nsw (australia).

BIKE : Curve GMX+, Curve Carbon Dirt Hoops 29, SP Dynamo Hub, Klite USB & lighting system, Curve Walmer Bars, Curve Seek 430 fork, E Thirteen 9-46t cassette, Wolf Tooth SS 32t chainring, Crankbrothers large Stamp 7 pedals, Profile Designs aero bars, Race Face carbon cranks, Hope seat post, Hope RX4 brakes, Ergon SR Men Pro saddle, Vittoria Mezcal 2.25″ (front), Herse Fleecer Ridge 2.2″ (rear). BAGS : Custom full frame bag by Terra Nova, Apidura Racing Long Top tube bag, 2 x Nuclear Sunrise Stitchworks Giant Silo feed bags, Bike Bad Dude Handlebar Sling, Sea to Summit Big River drybag 13L, Apidura Hip bag. GEAR HIGHLIGHTS : The GMX+ is littered with mounting points which allows me to carry 2.7L of water on the downtube and still have space for a full frame bag. Also, quite keen on the Tailfin micro cages I’ve got for the front forks. I don’t like wearing a backpack, so if I need an expandable storage solution, can strap stuff onto these. Finally, after a cold, wet and windy Monaro Cloudride (in Australia), I’ve ditched the bivy and picked up a Big Agnes Fly Creek tent, for some serious luxury!

Lael Wilcox

Age 36 / tucson, arizona (usa).

BIKE : Specialized Epic Hardtail with dropbars. Rockhox SID 100mm suspension fork. SRAM AXS 1x shifting (36T chainring, 10-52T cassette) Zipp 3ZeroMoto wheels– SON dynamo hub paired with a Sinewave Beacon headlight. Ergon saddle & bar tape. Rene Herse Fleecer Ridge tires with Endurance casing. BAGS : Revelate Designs Ranger frame bag, Pronghorn harness, Mag Tank 2000, 2x mountain feedbags, Spinelock seatpack. GEAR HIGHLIGHTS : Navigating with the Wahoo Roam. Thrilled with my Quad Lock for on the bike logistics. I’m bringing a full sleep kit this year. Excited for the race!

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