The Tour Divide is an annual mountain biking ride traversing the length of the

Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in great-circle distance, straight-line distance from the northernmost part of Western Can ...

, from

Banff, Canada Banff is a resort town in Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada, in Alberta's Rockies along the Trans-Canada Highway, west of Calgary, east of Lake Louise, and above Banff was the first municipality to incorporate within a Canadian national ...

to the

Mexico–United States border The international border separating Mexico and the United States extends from the Pacific Ocean in the west to the Gulf of Mexico in the east. The border traverses a variety of terrains, ranging from urban areas to deserts. It is the List of ...

. Following the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route, it is an

ultra-distance cycling Ultra-distance cycling is the riding of any Cycle sport, bike race or route longer than a century ride, which is . However, such events are relatively common, so using a longer distance to define the category may be more useful, such as any race or ...

ride that is an extreme test of endurance, self-reliance and mental toughness. The ride format is strictly self-supported, and it is not a

stage race A race stage, leg, or heat is a unit of a racing, race that has been divided in several parts for the reason such as length of the distance to be covered, as in a multi-day race, multi-day event. Usually, such a race consists of "ordinary" stages ...

- the clock runs continuously from the start until riders cross the finish line, usually more than two weeks later. The ride has a very low profile, and is entirely amateur. There are no entry fees, no sponsorship, and no prizes. Although "letters of intent" from likely starters are encouraged, any rider may turn up on the day to participate. Challenges along the route include mountains, great distances between resupply towns, risk of mechanical failure or injury, bears, poor weather, snowfall, and significant unrideable sections that require pushing the bike. Riders usually adopt a "

bikepacking Bikepacking is how a bicycle is packed for bicycle touring, and also refers to the adventure sport of long-distance unsupported cycle races. As with backpacking, lightweight packing is a popular topic within bicycle packing. Any kind of bicycle ...

" style, carrying minimal equipment sufficient for camping or bivouacking, and only enough food and water to last until the next town. In this way, riders ride huge distances each day, the current ride record averaging over 186 miles (300 km) per day. The Tour Divide has been ridden and completed on both single speed bicycles and tandem bicycles. It usually starts on the second Friday in June - at an event called ''Grand Départ''. The ride can also be completed at any time as an individual time trial (ITT). Due to the extreme distances, inaccessibility of the route, lack of television coverage and small number of participants, spectating is impractical. However, many riders carry

SPOT Satellite Messenger SPOT is a GPS tracking device that uses the Globalstar satellite network to provide text messaging and GPS tracking (depending on the subscription type purchased). It has a coverage area that includes a large portion of the planet, with the ex ...

tracking devices, allowing their progress to be continuously monitored on websites.

Records

Ride records are maintained in several categories, and do not distinguish between times set during the official annual ride, or in individual time trials set at any time. Categories include male, female and tandem. As the route changes fairly frequently, the overall length and difficulty can vary, meaning records from one year cannot be exactly compared. * Male: 13 days, 2 hours, 16 minutes by Justinas Leveika in 2024 * Female: 14 days, 23 hours, 12 minutes by Austin Killips in August 2024

Winners

Media coverage

The event remains a niche phenomenon, receiving little coverage in mainstream media. A documentary film, ''Ride the Divide'' was produced during the 2008 running. It followed several riders, including eventual winner Matthew Lee. The documentary won the "Best Adventure Film" Award at the 2010 Vail Film Festival. Live reports for th
20182019
an
2021
races which weaves together information from TrackLeaders, the riders' social media, MTBCast and direct contact with the racers to build a comprehensive picture of the race.

Similar ride

The

Trans Am Bike Race The Trans Am Bike Race (TABR) is an annual, self-supported, ultra-distance cycling race across the United States. The route is about long and uses the TransAmerica Bicycle Trail that was developed by the Adventure Cycling Association for the Bike ...

(TABR) is similar to the Tour Divide in that riders have to be completely self-supported and a fixed route is used, the main difference is that the TABR is on paved roads. The TABR uses the TransAmerica Bicycle Trail, which runs from the Pacific coast in

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

, United States, to the Atlantic Coast in

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

, and like the route of the Tour Divide, was developed by the

Adventure Cycling Association Adventure Cycling Association is a nonprofit member organization focused on travel by bicycle (bicycle touring). Headquartered in Missoula, Montana, Adventure Cycling develops cycling routes, publishes maps, provides guided trips, and advocates ...

References

External links