Ulrich's Winning Ride

14 days 3 hours 23 minutes

That's how long it took ambassador Ulrich Bartholmoes to ride 4,345 km (2,745 miles) with over 51,000 meters (167,000+ feet) of climbing.

Not only did Ulrich win the prestigious race, he did it through torrential rain, unprecedented headwinds, knee-deep mud, and many more unexpected challenges.

This was Ulrich's first Tour Divide — a statement of what he can achieve, and what's to come.

Images by Nils Laengner, Ulrich Bartholmoes, and BikesorDeath

Rain from Day One

One of Ulrich's first photos from his ride.

Relentless climbing has its perks.

Day 9

#FitCheck

Challenge From the Start

On the first day of Tour Divide, Ulrich covered over 450 kilometers (280 miles). Only Justinas Leveika was able to keep up. One reason for this: Ulrich and Justinas simply rode through the first night.

Despite the large distance traveled, the beginning of the race posed its own challenges - the rain started at kilometer 160 and it didn't stop, resulting in unrelenting mud.

"The mud-clogged drivetrain made riding really hard and exhausting. Add to that the brutal climbs and the cold at night, and I was already suffering"

Shelter in a Porta Potty

Seven days into the race, Ulrich had reached the the half way point, averaging 326 kilometers per day. Perhaps the toughest section of the entire Tour Divide lay ahead — 150 kilometers of straight road consumed by a crushing headwind. And thanks to the rain, gravel had turned to mud. Ulrich had planned on 9 hours to cross the expanse, it took 26.

The mud was knee deep, it was raining, it was windy, and it was cold. The horrible conditions forced the leading riders to seek shelter in a Porta Potty. Wrapped in their emergency bivys, three riders squeezed into the toilet – and spent more than 10 hours there waiting for the rain to pass and waiting for the mud to dry up until at least walking or pushing the bike became possible again.