Tour Divide 2022 Update Number 1— Hour 72
Many of the 186 riders have crossed from Canada into the United States
On Friday, June 10, 2022, at 8:00 am Mountain Daylight Time (MDT), 176 adventure cyclists departed Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada, in a staggered start. Simultaneously, ten riders rode from Antelope Wells, New Mexico, near the border with Mexico in the United States. These racers are competing in Tour Divide 2022, a 2,745-mile mountain bike race through the Rocky Mountains.
The race field includes 171 men, 14 women, and one alternator.
At about 72 hours into the race, Sofiane Sehili leads the men and has ridden approximately 610 miles so far. The 40-year-old Parisian is riding a Vitus Rapide. At this point, his closest followers are 43-year-old Nate Ginzton of the USA, at 586 miles, and 34-year-old Josh Ibbett of England, at 569 miles. Manu Cattrysse, a 34-year-old Belgian rider, is following about one-half mile behind Ibbett.
Of the southbound women, 29-year-old Zoe Chauderlot of Belgium has ridden 443 miles. She is followed by 25-year-old American Ana Jager at 421 miles, 29-year-old Katie Strempke, of the USA, at 407 miles, and 39-year-old Ashley Carelock, also of the USA, who has covered 402 miles.
Let’s look at Sehili’s ride so far in more detail. He hopes to finish the race in 14 days total. Here are a few facts:
- An average distance traveled of 203.3 miles per day.
- An elevation gain so far of 32,828 feet represents an average climbing rate of 161.5 feet per mile. In contrast, ultra-distance rides (200km to 600km) I have ridden in Minnesota average about 40 feet of climbing per mile.
- Moving average speed of 10.4 mph. This race involves mountain biking on steep and rugged terrain, so average speeds will never approach those of road races.
Please note that all distances and other statistics are approximate since they are continuously updated as I write.
So far, no riders have been scratched from the field.
My son, 33-year-old American Nick Runtsch, of Santa Cruz, California, has ridden 343 miles so far and is somewhere in the middle of the pack. While he has competed in many types of cycling events since he turned 18, Tour Divide is his first ultra-distance mountain bike race. Nick’s average moving speed is 9.3 mph. His target is to finish the race in 30 days total.
“The ride is good. I’m at the border about to enter the us.” — Rider Nick Runtsch’s text to his father, the author, at about 53 hours into his Tour Divide experience
When Nick is competing, his communications with the outside world are normally terse and infrequent. It was a relief to hear that the “ride is good.” This indicates that he is okay. He also shared one detail about feeding his chickens.
I am writing from Nick’s house on the edge of town in Santa Cruz, where the city meets the forest. At this moment, a Ruby-throated Hummingbird sips nectar from a feeder outside the window four feet away from where I am seated.
It’s time to feed those chickens. Go, Nick, go.
Happy riding, Randy
PS — Thanks to my son, Nick Runtsch, for permitting me to use the photos from his rides recorded in Strava.
PPS — This is my 300th story published on Medium. It’s time to celebrate with a breakfast of buttermilk pancakes topped with maple syrup from Canada🍁.