This story is part of our Quick Hits series. This series will bring you breaking news and short updates from throughout the state.
What some deem the “most difficult cycling race on Earth” has reached the Cowboy State.
The Tour Divide is a nearly 2,800-mile course that loosely follows the Continental Divide. Cyclists start in Banff, Canada and self-navigate along mostly gravel roads and two-tracks through the Rocky Mountains, finishing at the Mexican border. All in all, they climb more than 200,000 feet.
The Wyoming portion of the race is rugged. Racers pedal through Grand Teton National Park and then climb Union Pass into Pinedale. Next comes the vast Red Desert, eventually crossing into Colorado around Baggs, Wyoming.
This year, about 200 racers started on June 13. The leader of the pack is Robin Gemperle, 29, of Switzerland. He’s set to complete the whole course in just 13 days. The woman’s leader is Lael Wilcox, 38, of Tucson, Arizona. Her target finish is 14 days.
The world record was set last year by Justinas Leveika, 36, of Lithuania. He completed the race in 13 days, 2 hours and 16 minutes.
Prior, the record was held by the United Kingdom’s Mike Hall in 2016. Hall cycled the route in 13 days, 22 hours and 51 minutes. Tragically, he died a year later after being struck by a vehicle while cycling across Australia.
Until Leveika, many came close to beating Hall’s record. But Mother Nature put a stop to that several times when wildfires across the West and flooding in Yellowstone rerouted the entire course – specifically in 2022.
Follow the racers’ journey on Track Leaders.
Many bike packers cycle the course recreationally throughout the summer. Check out Wyoming Public Radio’s recent Modern West episode that looks at how these cyclists are boosting business in an old gold mining town.
