3 ms·

That rider took 77 days. Each year there is a race along basically the same route, Canadian border to Mexico border. The current race record is around 13 days.

flowingfocus 2y ago
Ultra-endurance cycling like the race you mentioned is fascinating. I once met a few contestants in a European bike race and drove alongside one. He said the best in the field sleep around 4 hours per night and do 500+ km per day.
- 0_____0 2y ago
  Depends on how long you're doing it. For a Divide length race, you're going to need more than 4 hours a night. 5 would be sustainable. 4 would work for events 3-5 days long I think.
  - skeeter2020 2y ago
    Either way, the sustained output is ridiculous. These racers go harder than me on my gravel bike, fully self supported, often on rough tracks, for 20ish hours a day, day after day. Then at the other end of the spectrum there are lots of people who go quite slow, but for months. I'm not sure which is more impressive; both show tremendous grit but in different ways.
    - 0_____0 2y ago
      Both those ways of approaching bike travel require a particular mindset. I've been at 6 hours of sleep in 72 hours, been soaked through my layers in torrential summer rain, woken up with my feet in 2" of water in my tent, and loved it all. The only thing that truly sucks is when you can't continue. Like getting two irreparable flats 20 miles away from town in rural New Mexico, or getting an injury that ends your journey. Hard to explain to people that don't experience it like that, but even if it doesn't feel good all the time, it's basically always still somehow fun.
limaoscarjuliet 2y ago
There is also RAAM, but across the country https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Race_Across_America https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Race_Across_America
- seadan83 2y ago
  FWIW - Trans-Am is the bike packing equivalent of the RAAM (unsupported vs supported): https://bikepacking.com/event/trans-am-bike-nonstop-2024/ https://bikepacking.com/event/trans-am-bike-nonstop-2024/
hackingonempty 2y ago
That would be the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route and Tour Divide race through the Rockies. This journal follows the Eastern Divide trail through the Appalachians. https://bikepacking.com/eastern-divide-trail/ https://bikepacking.com/eastern-divide-trail/
- stevage 2y ago
  Oh! I misread. The Tour Divide goes through the Continental Divide (hence the name). Didn't realise there was an "Eastern Divide".
deleted 2y ago
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flowingfocus 2y ago

Ultra-endurance cycling like the race you mentioned is fascinating. I once met a few contestants in a European bike race and drove alongside one. He said the best in the field sleep around 4 hours per night and do 500+ km per day.

0_____0 2y ago
Depends on how long you're doing it. For a Divide length race, you're going to need more than 4 hours a night. 5 would be sustainable. 4 would work for events 3-5 days long I think.
- skeeter2020 2y ago
  Either way, the sustained output is ridiculous. These racers go harder than me on my gravel bike, fully self supported, often on rough tracks, for 20ish hours a day, day after day. Then at the other end of the spectrum there are lots of people who go quite slow, but for months. I'm not sure which is more impressive; both show tremendous grit but in different ways.
  - 0_____0 2y ago
    Both those ways of approaching bike travel require a particular mindset. I've been at 6 hours of sleep in 72 hours, been soaked through my layers in torrential summer rain, woken up with my feet in 2" of water in my tent, and loved it all. The only thing that truly sucks is when you can't continue. Like getting two irreparable flats 20 miles away from town in rural New Mexico, or getting an injury that ends your journey. Hard to explain to people that don't experience it like that, but even if it doesn't feel good all the time, it's basically always still somehow fun.

limaoscarjuliet 2y ago

There is also RAAM, but across the country https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Race_Across_America https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Race_Across_America

seadan83 2y ago
FWIW - Trans-Am is the bike packing equivalent of the RAAM (unsupported vs supported): https://bikepacking.com/event/trans-am-bike-nonstop-2024/ https://bikepacking.com/event/trans-am-bike-nonstop-2024/

hackingonempty 2y ago

That would be the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route and Tour Divide race through the Rockies. This journal follows the Eastern Divide trail through the Appalachians. https://bikepacking.com/eastern-divide-trail/ https://bikepacking.com/eastern-divide-trail/

stevage 2y ago
Oh! I misread. The Tour Divide goes through the Continental Divide (hence the name). Didn't realise there was an "Eastern Divide".

deleted 2y ago

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