A Record-Breaking Ride: Robin Gemperle’s Tour Divide

During our last chat, you said you were most excited about the possibility of seeing a bear. Well, did you? 

Oh yes, I did! Just for a few short seconds but what made it special was the place: TD-racers usually get rid of their bear sprays around Pinedale – half way through the race. After that the more dangerous Grizzlies are inexistent and the black bears don’t appear often anymore. So when I hadn’t seen one by then I was half disappointed but also somehow relieved, as carrying this ‘weapon’ didn't really feel comfortable. 

I then saw ‘my’ bear at the very last possibility: Mining Mountain is the last real mountain pass and even though seeing a bear in the New Mexico part of the route is not common, a brown bear was casually strolling in my direction while I was climbing up. The fluffy creature saw me and immediately ran off. There’s more spectacular sightings I guess, but I’ll take it.

Other than bears, how did your expectations heading into the Tour Divide live up to the realities of the race? Any major surprises concerning the route, experience, or competition? 

Honestly, it was a truly smooth ride. I’ve been well prepared, knew what was coming next at basically every relevant turn and witnessed pretty much the country I was expecting. Not the answer one might like to hear when hoping for stories of wild adventures but my coach still likes it. I don't mean I was bored though; managing your bike, body and resources throughout this terrain is enough of a challenge even if everything goes according to plan.

What PEdALED kit stood out to you as particularly helpful during the race?

I am aware that the weather I met was exceptionally great. So a lot of my gear was not really put to the heaviest of tests. I loved riding a huge percentage of the ride just in my Odyssey Bib Shorts and Merino Jersey. And when there was terrible headwind within the last four days I pulled out my Merino Neck Warmer to cover my face. It’s the oldest PEdALED garment I own – from 2018 I think. Even though it’s still available in a similar style I love to use the one I have.

Did you expect to set a new race record? How did that motivate you to keep moving when times got tough? 

Yes, it was clearly something I wanted to go for. I like to put myself in these positions, as I feel like it adds quite a bit of spice to the adventure one’s going for. But we also have to keep in mind that at this point, my ride will probably not be an official FKT, due to the short fire re-route I had to take. As it still is very comparable, some say even more difficult, this caused a lot of discussions. I think it doesn’t really matter so much though. If you’re talking about fast rides down to Antelope Wells you will probably end up with my ride at the moment.

How does the Tour Divide compare to past ultra-races (and victories)? 

I like to compare its mental and physical aspect to last year’s Transcontinental. From a mental perspective TCR really is a walk in the park compared to the Divide: When after 7 days you’re starting to think about finishing off the Transcontinental, you’ve just passed TD’s halfway point. Luckily this discipline is more than one-sided though: the physical toll I had to pay was way higher at TCR as competition was fiercer and strategies had to be adjusted to opponents. 

What’s next? 

I enjoyed Maienzug (Aarau’s most important holiday), a stay in Champagne and Burgundy and got sick, which reminded me that in order to be the athlete I am looking for, I might have to keep a little amount of focus even after a highlight. Kind of a humbling setback I guess. So by now I am catching up for the Silk Road Mountain Race. Luckily after that there’s no big party in my city.