Mountain Bike Racing, Ultra-distance Cycling, and Extreme Sports
Tour Divide 2022 Update Number 2–Day 7
Nick Runtsch’s Spot GPS tracker works again. He and Jeremiah Reiner are riding together, up the mountains and into the night
Tour Divide (TD) 2022 is now on its seventh day. Its 186 riders started in a staggered field 6 days and 12.5 hours ago. They are competing in a 2,745-mile mountain bike race through the Rocky Mountains. The race leader, Sofiane Sehile of France, still leads the pack with 1,329.6 miles under his wheels.
Two days ago, on day four, my son Nick Runtsch reported that he and other riders had walked through snow for four miles in the rain and an air temperature of 26 °F (-3.33 °C). While his plans are to average 100 miles per day, the cold numbed his hands and the rain drenched his clothing. Naturally, he stopped at the first lodge he saw after 44.61 miles.
Nick found warmth, a hot meal, and a warm bed at Holland Lake Lodge in Montana. He also dried his sopping-wet clothes.
He reported that he had heard that six riders suffered hypothermia because of the cold and wet conditions. They had been airlifted to area hospitals.
A fellow rider, also staying at the lodge, had attempted to cross the mountain pass beyond the lodge. But she turned back when she found the heavy snow too much to ride or walk through. Nick said he would attempt to cross the pass in the morning.
Three days into the race, Nick opened his Spot GPS tracking device to replace its batteries. It must have become wet because it would not restart. So, his mileage was frozen at about 347 miles on the tracker website for a couple of days.
Like his soaked clothing, Nick also dried out the Spot GPS tracker at the lodge. It has worked since, and the tracking website reports that he has completed 688.1 miles of the 2,745-mile route. So, he is about on track for his goal to ride 100 miles per day.
Nick and I had not communicated in two days until just now. In response to a question, he responded, “Going well. Getting dinner after some big climbs and heading back out toward Butte.” He also said he is riding with American Jeremiah Reiner of Saluda, North Carolina.
As for the race leaders, they are tearing up the terrain with a near-record-setting pace. Parisian Sofiane Seheli leads at 1,341.9 miles, with Belgian Manu Cattrysse at 1,250.3 miles, and American Nate Ginzton at 1,241.9 miles. The next competitors in the field have completed 1,170 or fewer miles.
Sadly, 14 riders have been scratched from the TD roster, leaving 172 active racers. But such attrition is normal in a grueling event like TD.
While I will never ride Tour Divide as a race, a friend and I are contemplating a bikepacking trip on the same route, the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route (GDMBR), in 2023. We would ride at a more leisurely pace than this year’s competitors, of course. But I don’t want to walk four miles through the snow.
As for me, the road riding is much different on the California Central Coast than in Minnesota farm country. The hills are taller and longer, and the trees are bigger.
Happy riding,
Randy
