Alex Howes, former WorldTour pro turned privateer, sits down to discuss his attempt at the Tour Divide—one of the world's hardest ultra-endurance races. We dive deep into how he prepared for three weeks of self-supported bikepacking across 2,700 miles from Canada to Mexico, what gear actually matters when you're riding 16-hour days, and why bike fit becomes exponentially more important the longer you stay in the saddle.
Key Takeaways
- Equipment setup matters more than fitness for ultra-distance events—small fit issues on a 5-hour ride become serious problems on 16-hour days, affecting everything from hand function to mental resilience
- Sleep efficiency is a critical variable that separates Tour Divide competitors more than raw power; riders who need less sleep gain an insurmountable time advantage that fitness alone cannot close
- Minimize gear by starting with a 'wish list' and cutting ruthlessly—bring one item per category (one good rain jacket, not two; two pairs of shorts, not one) rather than redundant options
- The Tour Divide is surprisingly accessible to non-pros; completing it in 30 days on basic equipment is realistic, and ultra-distance racing levels the playing field compared to short, hard efforts where aerobic capacity dominates
- Mental resilience and mechanical problem-solving beat pre-race training; unknown challenges (broken spokes, cold hands, equipment failures) require adaptability more than taper protocols
Expert Quotes
"When you take that level of talent and then like the experience and that talent it's like yeah he smashed the record you know but when you just have good legs like me and no experience you know you're coming in a week behind."
"It's so long that I feel like things kind of level out... there's very little to do with V2 Max I think. I could put three hours into Leo on a 200 mile race but she beat me at divide handedly with way more problems than I had."
"Humans are meant to just travel long distances. There's something about us like we want to do that. We need to get to the other side of the mountain."
"If you can stay dry, dryish, you'll stay warm... the biggest thing is just like knowing your equipment. It sounds stupid but like just really having your hood position dialed."