Five things I would do differently, if I would do Tour Divide again

I have spent most of the month of June riding as fast as I can from Banff National Park, Canada to Antilope Wells, New Mexico, USA. The route of Tour Divide stretches across 2,745 miles (4,418 kilometers) of mostly unpaved roads and has a total elevation gain of over 150,000 ft (45,720 meters). It took me 15 days and 6 minutes. My body had crossed boundaries I had never experienced before. After the initial full body muscle pain was gone, my body needed rest and sleep for another two months. When people asked me, how was it, I could not answer, because I felt exactly nothing. No joy, no pride, just relief. Sometimes I dreamt of the scary parts, like the fast and tricky downhills, sliding my bike down, trying not to fall (did not work). A long holiday with my family in August got me back on track and I started doing short rides again. And even then, the body was still protesting.

Now, in early fall, I look back on the Tour Divide as an extreme race and I am starting to feel proud for accomplishing it. Flashbacks take me to some of the cool stuff too now, like seeing a mother bear with her three cubs passing me by at only a couple of meters. The beauty of the vast woods of Banff. The amazing people that helped us riders out, by leaving food and drinks along the side of the road or by offering help when needed most. Time has taken away the painful memories and the body has recovered. When people now ask me, will you do it again, I say I might, or might not. Never say never. But I do have some gained wisdom to share, which will allow me - or you - to go faster and to enjoy an ultra more.

1. Showering is optional

I knew on forehand I have no trouble lowering my standards when it comes to personal hygiene, if time is of the essence. But during Tour Divide, it seemed like a good thing to warm myself up after a cold 500+ k ride in the snow and rain. Sadly, I found out that, getting to the bathroom (sometimes halfway the campsite or at the far end of a basic lodge), does not warm you up. Instead, it cools you down even more, getting undressed in cold temperatures, with only a sad stream of lukewarm water reaching your legs. By the time you get back to your room/tent/bungalow, you are 30 minutes behind schedule.

 Next time, if there will be one, I will only clean my face and bits and cover myself with lots of blankets.

2. Sleeping is sleeping

Why did I even bother getting to certain hotels, if I was going to stay there less than three hours? Checking in, checking out, getting to your room; it takes so much precious time. I was tired anyways so sleeping in a ditch would not have been a problem. Did I think I was going to be more comfortable in a hotel bed? Better rested? Warmer? Note to myself:

Next time, if there will be one, I will only get into a hotel, if I am able to rest longer than three hours.

3. There are such things as ‘essentials’ and fricking life savers.

Now if I may give anyone advice: a bivy is a bivy and you do not have to pay 300 dollars for a thin aluminium blanket. The one that comes with the first aid pack will do just fine. Instead, invest in a really good rain jacket, rain pants, puffer jacket and puffer pants. They will serve as protection from the elements and be of use as a sleeping system. However, the lights on your bike are maybe the most important part of your setup and it is really awful when you loose them. And I did loose them. Getting new ones isn’t easy either because you are mostly in the middle of nowhere.

 Next time, if there will be one, I will make sure my lamps can’t possibly get off my bike, even on the shakiest rides.

4. There is no such thing as too many spare tires, replacement kits and valves.

I flatted. I flatted again. I flatted once more. And then the tire was too busted to reuse. So I used my spare tire and it got ruined again the next day. This situation forced me to stop the race for a while, take a hike from a friendly man called Pete, drive 70 miles to the nearest bike shop, drive 70 miles back and start again at the point where I had left. Mechanical problems can make or break your race and even tough you don’t want to carry too much, you have to carry this much extra to be safe.

 Next time, if there will be one, I will make sure I carry more than enough spare parts. And one more to be safe. 

5. I will let go of expectations, wether they are from people telling me I can win this, or wether they are my own, having to beat this or that record.

No doubt I was looking at the incredibly fast time of Lachlan in 2023 and thinking: how do I get into his rhythm of cycling? I checked out the amount of kilometers he rode between stops, where he did his reststops, how much hours he rested. I checked the parcours, which seemed pretty similar. But I could not know if it was going to be exactly the same. Well, guess what, it wasn’t. At a certain point, it had changed and a lot of single track was added. And once you are giving in on your -presumably- solid time table, because the road that lies ahead of you isn’t the one you had in mind, you are going to be frustrated. That frustration brought nothing but negative energy. I felt guilt, after every little thing that took more than the amount of timeI had in mind. I was losing time, little by little and it got to me. It also took away the joy, which seems hard to find in an extreme race, but is something I have always felt, no matter the distance or the hardship. I remember finding a bit of it again, once I realized my chances of finishing first were completely swept off the table. It was the moment when I stepped into the car of a stranger, to go get a new tire and some taco’s :) 70 miles off the track.

Next time, if there will be one, I will only look at what I can control and what not. Strong competition gives me the energy needed to go all in from the very start, but in the end, I am my own opponent.