Tour Divide

Extreme

Date

2026-06-12

Location

Banff, Alberta, Canada

Distance

4418 km

Elevation

60000m

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▌ RIDER INTEL DOSSIER

ID: TOUR-DIVIDE

GR SCORE

/ 100

TIER 1

~/dossier/tour-divide $ cat briefing.md

▌ 4,418 km along the Continental Divide. The original modern ultra.

The grandfather of self-supported bikepacking ultras — Banff to the Mexican border on the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route. Dot-watched, weather-beaten, and never the same race twice.

EFFORT70/80

EXPER.58/70

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15 SCORING DIMENSIONS

· Inside the rating

$ ./radar --plot

TOUR DIVIDE

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EFFORT MATRIX

· Physical demands · 8 vectors

$ ./bench --effort

LENGTH10/10

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10/10~4,418 km — Banff, Alberta to Antelope Wells, NM

~4,418 km — Banff, Alberta to Antelope Wells, NM

CLIMBING10/10

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10/10~60,000 m — Rockies south through New Mexico

~60,000 m — Rockies south through New Mexico

DURABILITY10/10

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10/1014-30+ day effort, sleep on the dirt, body in deficit

14-30+ day effort, sleep on the dirt, body in deficit

ALTITUDE10/10

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10/10Multiple passes above 3,000 m; Indiana Pass at 3,600 m

Multiple passes above 3,000 m; Indiana Pass at 3,600 m

TECHNICALITY06/10

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06/10Mostly forest road; a few hike-a-bike sectors and bog

Mostly forest road; a few hike-a-bike sectors and bog

COLD09/10

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09/10June snow possible in Montana; freezing high-pass nights

June snow possible in Montana; freezing high-pass nights

HEAT08/10

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08/10Great Basin and New Mexico desert sectors

Great Basin and New Mexico desert sectors

RACE PRESSURE07/10

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07/10No prizes; tracker fame and personal stakes

No prizes; tracker fame and personal stakes

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EXPERIENCE MATRIX

· Race quality · 7 vectors

$ ./bench --experience

ADVENTURE10/10

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10/10The most varied bikepacking route in North America

The most varied bikepacking route in North America

SCENERY10/10

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10/10Rockies, Great Basin, San Juans, New Mexico mesas

Rockies, Great Basin, San Juans, New Mexico mesas

ORGANIZATION06/10

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06/10Grand Depart only — no aid, no support, by design

Grand Depart only — no aid, no support, by design

VALUE09/10

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09/10Free to enter; gear and travel are the cost

Free to enter; gear and travel are the cost

COMMUNITY09/10

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09/10Tight global dot-watching following

Tight global dot-watching following

ACCESSIBILITY05/10

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05/10Free Grand Depart, but the gear curve and time off are real barriers

Free Grand Depart, but the gear curve and time off are real barriers

FIELD DEPTH09/10

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09/10Sofiane Sehili-era field — the world’s best ultras show up

Sofiane Sehili-era field — the world’s best ultras show up

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GREEN FLAGS

$ ./pros

[+]The benchmark bikepacking ultra in North America
[+]Free to enter — open Grand Depart
[+]Spectacular varied terrain across two countries
[+]Strong Trackleaders dot-watch following
[+]Self-supported purity — your race, your decisions
[+]GDMBR route is well-mapped and resupplied

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RED FLAGS

$ ./cons

[!]Grizzly and black bear country in Montana
[!]June snow can close passes for days
[!]Resupply gaps requiring 100+ km of food carry
[!]Weeks off work — not a vacation event
[!]Sleep-deprivation injuries are common
[!]Mechanical self-sufficiency required

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RIDER FIT

· Match by archetype

$ match-rider --types

BikepackerPRIME · 10/10

The race that defines the category

Endurance MulePRIME · 10/10

Multi-week metabolism + sleep tolerance

Adventure TouristPRIME · 9/10

Many ride the route ITT or touring style

ClimberPRIME · 8/10

60,000 m of vert rewards patient grinders

Crit RacerAVOID · 1/10

Hard pass

Altitude LoverPRIME · 9/10

Multiple passes above 3,000 m — acclimation matters

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⚡ SIGNATURE CHALLENGE

Sleep is the lever

Tour Divide is decided less by watts than by how little sleep you can survive on for two-plus weeks. Top finishers run on 3-4 hours; cracks come when the body or mind says no.

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TIRE INTEL

· Setup recommendation

$ rubber --recommend

WIDTH

2.1-2.4" MTB

PRESSURE

18-25 psi

PATTERN

Fast-rolling MTB tread with strong sidewalls

The GDMBR is mostly forest road with occasional rough sectors and hike-a-bike. A 29x2.2" hardtail or rigid setup is standard. Tire weight matters more over weeks than rolling speed.

▶ TOP PICKS

1.Maxxis Ikon 2.2"[MTB]— The Tour Divide standard — fast and durable

2.Vittoria Mezcal 2.25"[MTB]— Lightweight option for fast finishers

3.Schwalbe Thunder Burt 2.25"[MTB]— Race-day rolling speed

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WEATHER PLAYBOOK

· What the sky throws at you

$ forecast --race

Mid-June start: snow possible in BC/Montana, summer heat in the desert south. Plan for every condition — packable shell, real puffy, sun hoody, gloves.

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