Matthew Lee hit the border in Antelope Wells, NM as the first finisher of the Tour Divide 2009 edition, some 2 hours ago, @ 9:45am MT. The time: 17 days 23 hours and 45 minutes!!! He rode straight through the night just get get this sucker over with. TRULY AMAZING!!!
Awesome ride in this year’s atrocious conditions. Matthew mentioned in his call-ins that out of the 18 days there were only 3 (!!!) that he didn’t get wet from rain, hail, sleet and snow. Add to that the longer and more arduous section in the Flathead valley of the Canadian Rockies and his new record gains more respect.
UPDATE (June 30th, 09): The things are lighting up on the production of the Ride The Divide documentary. Currently, the movie is in the final two months of post-production. GREAT!!!
Yes, another week behind us and the Tour Divide is nearing its finish. At least, for its leader Matthew Lee who is rapidly closing on Silver City. He should close it out some time tomorrow night. The battle for the second spot is still going on between Kurt Refsnider and the “Loveshack” tandem of Jay and Tracey Petervarys. Chris Plesko isn’t far behind in the fourth place and provided he finishes at his current pace he will shatter single-speed records for both, the Great Divide (held by Kent Peterson from GDR ‘05) and the Tour Divide (by Jen Hopkins; TD’08) races. After these guys, there is a main “peleton” of 8 with almost 3 days behind led by Joe Meiser.
Rather than re-iterate what’s been already posted over at the Tour Divide website, let me just provide you with links where you can get the complete scoop on the race:
This year’s Tour Divide is shaping up to be the edition with the worst weather in its short 11 year history. The elements are taking their toll on the riders. Yesterday was the day when some of them could not bear it any longer and decided to bow out of the race. Others just could not deal mentally/physically with racking up miles day after day and decided to slow down to either enjoy the route more and/or prevent damage to their bodies. Moreover, equipment is not faring any better in this mud and bikes are braking down a lot faster than in recent years: broken chains, ripped derailleurs, seized bottom brackets, etc…
Slowing down is smart this year. Personal records will be a few, if any, so it’s better just keep touring the route, get more beta for the next year, come back and hope to race it again, in better weather. Touring, even fast-touring, is a whole different animal, both mentally and physically. It is lot easier to cycle 8 to 10 hours a day (80 to 100 miles) rather than waking up in wee hours at 5:00am and hitting trails cold and hungry and keep pedaling until 10:00 or 11:00pm night with some breaks for re-fueling and short rests… The top 15 racers are averaging from 125 to 150 miles a day through some really rough terrain. That’s simply mind-boggling in these conditions.
Plus, three more riders switched to touring mode: Bruce Giroux, Martin Rendl and Justin Kline. Also, David Nice, the South-North ITT (Individual Time Trial) Tour Divide racer is out, after 1133 miles. That’s the farthest anyone rode on a fixie, just plain impossible!!! Dave, I don’t know you in person but you are one tough guy;)
Guys, keep your heads high. You achieved the unthinkable and challenged yourself to extreme levels of ultra-distance endurance racing. I applaud you!!! Plus, there is always the next year. Hope to see you out there in 2010. For the rest, still 30 racers left (out of 42), keep rocking all the way to New Mexico. Tailwinds!!!
More recent updates form the race with the first two as always entertaining Jon Billman’s write-ups:
In short, Matthew Lee is still in the lead (Atlantic City, WY), albeit slowed down by this year’s above average rains with clay-like slow-rolling roads and hordes of nasty mosquitos. He is still on pace to match his record from 2007. Chris Plesko and Kurt Refsnider are still riding together and are loading up on some serious calories in Pinedale, WY, almost 11 hours behind Matthew. Jay and Tracey Petervary’s on their “Loveshack” tandem are not too far behind, coming down from the Union Pass, about 6 hours away from Pinedale. Eric Lobeck was able to break away from the Gruppetto of 6 and is distinctly ahead inching his way up the Union Divide. Behind him (5 - 6 hours), somewhere on or past the Togwotee Pass, is a second big group of riders with Steve Wilkinson, Blaine Nester, Cannon Shockley, Adam Goldsmith, John Fettis and Leighton White. I’m glad to report that Joe Meiser was able to get his Salsa Fargo together in Lima and is quickly racking up huge miles to get back in contention. Currently, he is on the Buffalo Valley Road, just past Moran Junction, WY. I wouldn’t be surprised if he caught the Steve Wilkinson’s group in the next 2 or 3 days;)
Great Divide Basin awaits all the riders with its over 200 miles of rolling terrain with limited water sources between Boulder and Rawlins, WY. During his record push in 2007 Jay Petervary rode it in one 225 mile long push!!! I just hope they’ll get some break from rains and mud here. They deserve it.
It really is the AMAZING RACE!!! I’m officially a SPOT dot junkie, checking racers’ progress a few times too many every day…
You can follow updates of this year’s Tour Divide race through candid eyes of Jon Billman @ Outside Online. The easiest way is to subscribe to The Outside Blog Adventure RSS Feed through your newsreader. He is one of the contributors, so you might get some other unrelated articles, too.
Not only he writes well but he also raced the GDMTBR in 2007, all the way to Antelope Wells, NM. That adds a level of credibility to his writings about the Great Divide race. Last year he penned an article for the August ‘08 print issue of the Outside Magazine about the GDR ‘07 race and I loved it: The World’s Toughest Bike Race Is Not in France.
The Tour Dividers are still going on strong despite some miserable weather enroute. It seems like it is rainy and muddy everywhere. This year must another edition of El Nino, wetter all over the United States.
Matthew Lee is still in the lead after fighting thunderstorms and rain all the way to Lima. He’s now on his way to the dreaded sandy ATV trail past Island Park and Big Springs. The chasing group of Chris Plesko and Kurt Refsnider just left Lima an hour ago, with a 8:30 to 9:00 hours to make up on Matthew. BTW, Joe Meiser, who is riding Salsa Fargo, was with them since the start in Banff but, apparently, his bike broke down today morning somewhere before Lima. So, I’m eager to hear his next call-in. Also, his SPOT dot is still stuck in Lima. I just hope he’ll work it out and keeps rocking on the Great Divide. Jay and Tracy Petervary are somewhere behind them on their way to Lima. (For those who don’t remember Jay won the 2007 GDR in a record time of 15:04:18!!!) Their new SPOT is on and off, so I have no idea where exactly they are. All I know is that they’re damn fast for a tandem. Another 7:30 to 8:00 hours behind Kurt’s group, on their way up the Medicine Lodge Rd. to the Divide, big chasing group of six has formed: Cannon Shockley, John Fettis, Leigthon White, Alan Goldsmith, Eric Lobeck and Blaine Nester. They must be soldiering through the mud right now. I certainly don’t envy them…
For more see Tour Divide blog with daily race updates and call-ins as they come in. There is also a new table posted with split times. MTBCast.com has a new short video, too, in addition to their daily podcasts. Plus, don’t forget the discussion going on on the bikepacking.net forum: Tour Divide 2009:
UPDATE: Earlier today, Joe Meiser has posted two voice messages over at MTBCast. His drive-train broke down completely and he’s staying in Lima one extra day waiting for new parts to arrive. Bummer:( But that’s what racing on the Great Divide is about…
Welcome to my blog where I share outdoor adventures, travel experiences and random musings from home and faraway places alike... My current plans: 1. [Summer-Fall 2010] Vagabonding alongside the Silk Route: It’ll be me, my bike and wide-open spaces of Western China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan for 2-3 months... 2. [2011 or 2012] Motorbiking from Alaska to Patagonia: Just started thinking about it. Plan: Find a used thumper and hit back roads exploring this classic route all the way from the Deadhorse in Prudhoe Bay, U.S. to Ushuaia in Tierra del Fuego, Argentina. Plus, practice and improve my Spanish, too...
