In the dark hours of Sunday September 10, 2023 Lachlan Morton reached the US/Mexico border in Antelope Wells, NM at 9:24pm. According to his sponsor E.F. Education-EasyPost’s recap on Instagram, his individual time trial (ITT) on the Tour Divide Route was about pushing himself in a sustainable way and during his 12day 12hr and 21min run down the divide, he stopped to rest for 12 hours out of every 48. While it is unlikely that his ride will be counted as the official record given the presence of a media crew, it should be noted that he went nearly a day-and-a-half faster than the late-great Mike Hall (13:22:51), with neither rider going over the now-notorious Koko Claims hike-a-bike section (Lachlan being forced to reroute due to wildfires in Canada).
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Reportage
The Altai Traverse Part 2: Two Towns with the Same Name and a Mongolian Paradise in Between
This is a continuation of Ryan Wilson’s Altai Traverse Reportage. Read part one here: The Altai Traverse: Finding Tracks in the Mongolian Countryside
In a remote corner of the Mongolian Altai, about 40 kilometers from the border with China, I set off toward a desolate valley from the small, windswept, and dusty village of Bulgan. My next resupply point, about 125km down the road, was, confusingly, another town named Bulgan. I never quite got the hang of the Mongolian naming schemes in my time there, as it was quite common to find a handful of towns and villages across the country with identical names on any given map, and sometimes each town had two or three names they might be referred to by depending on which map you’re looking it, which sometimes makes it tricky getting reliable information.
Reportage
Checkpoint 4: Stories From the Finish at the 2023 Silk Road Mountain Race
Held in the high mountains of Kyrgyzstan, the Silk Road Mountain Race is known as one of the toughest ultra-endurance competitions in the bikepacking world. It earns its demanding reputation as riders not only have to deal with a very tough course profile and terrain conditions, but they also have to overcome other obstacles such as high altitude, scarce and basic resupply points, sickness, unforgiving weather patterns, river crossings, and remoteness.
Tristan Bogaard was among the starting group in this year’s edition and his partner, Belén Castelló, decided to wait for him at the finish line while volunteering at the last checkpoint. Going into the event, Belén had no reference for what to expect and below she shares her experience dot-watching and soaking in all the first-hand stories.
Reportage
Updates From the CDT: 1,000 Miles of Singletrack Across Montana
One month in, 1,000 miles ridden and with Montana in the rearview, Kurt Refsnider shares stories from his progress so far riding the entirety of the Continental Divide Trail. As Kurt tells it, it’s been slow going but he hasn’t yet once questioned his desire to take on this monumental backcountry route.
Reportage
IRIS x Komoot Women’s Weekender: Lowlands Radical Rally
Forty-five riders, 280 kilometers with 900 meters of climbing, and two countries. Sleeping out in two (nearly) wild campgrounds, stops at two awesome cycling cafes and one well-timed heat wave. All the fruit pies, ice-cream, coffee, shared snacks and supermarket sweeps. Brightly-colored kits, wild swims, hardpack, ankle-deep sand, cobbled streets and everything in between. This is the story of the Lowlands Rally, a bikepacking weekender hosted by the European clothing brand, IRIS, in collaboration with komoot, and documented by renowned photographer, Ashley Gruber. If you couldn’t tell already, it was a weekend we won’t soon forget!
Reportage
I Don’t Want Anything That’s Fast: The Bikes of Spencer Connell
Spencer and I have been riding bikes together for 15 years. Since then, Spencer developed a career building and repairing guitars in Nashville, Tennessee. Back when we were younger, we spent a lot of time hanging around our local bike shop, Halcyon, and working on our bikes on their community stands. His bikes are deeply practical, very unique, and kind of clapped out. I’m not here to tell anyone what to do, but I wish more people built and rode bikes like Spencer. Recently I went to Nashville, and I took some time to document his bikes and ask him a few questions about his builds. Below, let’s check out what he had to say…
Reportage
Female Hygiene on a Bike: How to Prepare for a Multi-Day Journey
Cyclotourists, bikepackers, and other backcountry travelers love shaving down their gear to just the bare essentials, splitting toothbrushes in half, or rationing the squares of toilet paper with every wipe. But, when it comes to personal hygiene, I feel like I owe it to myself to splurge a little, given how much I put my body through day-in and day-out whilst on a long, multi-day journey.
It wasn’t until recently that I became aware of the lack of information around the topic of personal female hygiene and bikepacking. As I’ve been approached by more women with different questions on the subject over the years, I began to realize that there’s a need for this kind of information sharing, and that actually, there’s no distinctive guidance out there to help.
So, I want to share my knowledge and experience with the hope that it will help other riders better understand what female hygiene on a bike looks like. There’s no universal solution for everyone, and I can only speak from the anatomy that I know about, but perhaps you’ll find good tips and advice to integrate into future trips based on your needs.
Reportage
The Altai Traverse: Finding Tracks in the Mongolian Countryside
Traveling to Mongolia has been a dream for Ryan Wilson since he first got into bike touring. Vast open spaces dotted with interesting geographical features, dirt tracks as far as the eye can see, and a history and culture that runs incredibly deep all contribute to making this east Asian country a dynamic experience. Sandwiched between Russia and China though, Mongolia can be tricky to access and, as a result, it often seemed to get pushed down the list of places for Ryan to visit, but when he finally had a chance to spend a summer there, he jumped on it…
Reportage
Following Decade-old Tire Tracks: Kurt Refsnider Sets out on the Continental Divide Trail
As you read this, the last remaining dots on the 2023 Tour Divide are probably still trickling towards its southern terminus. Meanwhile, Kurt Refsnider is gearing up for a parallel but far more ambitious adventure of his own. An adventure that only three other humans have ever completed on bicycles. The Continental Divide Trail, like the Tour Divide route, runs from Canada to Mexico and tracks along the Continental Divide. But unlike the Tour Divide, the CDT is almost entirely singletrack.
This article will be the first of many that Kurt will be sharing about his ponderous trek. He starts by outlining the route, telling us where the idea came from, and detailing the years of planning that got him ready to take the plunge. Stay tuned. We definitely will.
Radar
We Wanted to Congratulate Hailey Moore for First Place Women North South Colorado 2023
Our very own Hailey Moore finished the North-South Colorado 2023 race in 9th overall and first place women. She rolled into the 608th mile finish at 1 AM this morning after averaging 160 miles a day. Way to go, Hailey! Rest up and nurse that knee!
Radar
Alexandera Houchin Reflects on the 2023 Tour Divide
It’s Monday. While you’re sitting at your computer, hit play on this video from Chumba Cycles on Alexandera Houchin‘s 2023 record-setting run!
Reportage
From the Start Lines: Kicking Off the 2023 North South Colorado Bikepacking Adventure
The North South Colorado Race kicked off Friday morning at 6am with about 60 riders taking the start at the grand depart from Lee Martinez Park near Old Town Fort Collins. Continue reading for an overview of this exciting event, along with a few insights from the field’s progress thus far.
Radar
Readers’ Rides: Hailey’s Bearclaw Ti Hardtail MTB
This week’s Readers’ Rides comes from within our editorial team. Hailey has been kickin’ ass over here at The Radavist for a while now and today, we’re featuring the bike she’ll be kickin’ ass on during the North South Colorado race this weekend, her Bearclaw Hardtail. Let’s check out her build, intent, and a full spec below!
Reportage
Joe’s Mason Cycles RAW Andean Touring Rig and a Colombian Overnighter in El Cocuy
It’s always great to get a chance to cross paths with internet acquaintances on the road and there are very few places like the Boyacá region of Colombia that enable that, thanks to Dean and Dang’s classic “Oh Boyacá!” route. I was heading north along the track while most are aimed southbound, which found me crossing with long and short-distance tourers on a daily basis while grinding up these infamous Colombian mountain passes. I spent some miles with two UK riders and, of course, we talked gear. Read on for a recap of our overnighter around the El Cocuy National Park and a closer look at Joe’s Mason Cycles RAW Andean Tourer.
Reportage
Kumis and Glaciers: Stories From Bicycle Touring Kyrgyzstan’s Tian Shan Mountains
Wild horses, high mountains, glaciers, and nomads—Ana Zamorano first heard stories of adventure and misadventure from bike touring in Kyrgyzstan while riding in The Andes. The allure of adventure was too enticing and she made a pact to experience the vast valleys and high passes of the Tian Shan Mountains herself. Read on for her retelling of a trip that included loaded high-altitude touring, a glimpse into the region’s nomadic culture, and endless mountains in the distance.
Reportage
The Bells of DOOM & Seth Wood’s Rodeo Labs Flaanimal Singlespeed
I knew nothing of the lore of gremlin bells when I signed on for Ozark Gravel DOOM, at the urging of a friend after a coveted spot opened in the sold-out 2023 event. The race had been on my radar for some time, though I was intimidated by its 390-mile, mostly dirt, route that starts and finishes at the iconic Oark General Store, in a small town by the same name, and traces the boundary of Arkansas’ Ozark St. Francis National Forest. Anything billed as a throwdown by one of the hardest riders around – route designer and event organizer, Andrew Onermaa – was sure to test my limits.
Radar
The Dust-Up: Bikepacking is Not Bike Touring No Matter the Bags Used or Terrain Traversed
Welcome to the second installment of The Dust-Up. This will be a semi-regular platform for Radavist editors and contributors to make bold, sometimes controversial claims about cycling. A way to challenge long-held assumptions that deserve a second look. Sometimes they will be global issues with important far-reaching consequences; other times, they will shed light on little nerdy corners of our world that don’t get enough attention. This week, John looks at a divisive topic through a historical lens to lay it all out in a column called: “Bike Touring is Not Bikepacking No Matter the Bags Used or Terrain Traversed.”
Read our latest edition of The Dust Up below…
Reportage
Cooking The Baja Divide: How To Survive On More Than Cold Bean Burritos
A magnet for riders all over the world, the pull of the Baja Divide is strong. The promise of oceanside single-track, larger-than-life cacti and endless fish tacos calls people like a siren’s song to this small desert peninsula. At times, the route is backcountry heaven: a playground to wander and roam. At others, it’s a living hell: full of rutted roads and deep sandy tracks that push the physical and mental limits of even the most seasoned two-wheeled tourists.
With an official Facebook page, umpteen WhatsApp groups and countless trip reports ranging from FKT’s to first dates, there’s a tone of information already online. But amongst the endless tubeless chatter and hydration hysteria, there’s a distinct lack of information about the FOOD—until now. Sam Rice and Bec Norman share some tasty camp cooking tips from their trip down the peninsula…