Local riders jump into epic mountain bike race from Canada to Mexico

“I hear it’s all downhill”

You think linking up a set list of trails in the Gunnison Valley is epic? Three Gunnison Valley residents are taking it to another level during the month of June.
Crested Butte residents Ethan Passant and Josh Shifferly and Gunnison resident Jefe Branham are on their way to Banff in Alberta, Canada for the Tour Divide bike race starting on Friday, June 10.
The Tour Divide race starts in Banff and finishes in Antelope Wells, N.M. on the U.S./Mexico border. It covers the high and low country of Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico.
“Decidedly not for sprinters, this battle royale braves mountain passes and windswept valleys of the Continental Divide from hinterlands of the Canadian Rockies to badlands of the Mexican Plateau.” —Words of inspiration from the Tour Divide
It is a seriously long, solo, self-supported bike race that follows the Continental Divide, linking some pavement between extensive stretches of dirt road and trailriding.
Passant and Branham are no strangers to this type of race having both competed in the Colorado Trail Race (CTR). Branham has one CTR title to his name and Passant has two CTR titles to his name.
But the CTR is a five or six-day ride, if all goes well. The Tour Divide covers over 2,700 miles with 200,000 vertical feet of climbing and can take anywhere from 15 to 25 days.
“I hear it’s all downhill,” says Passant.
Passant has no specific game plan for the race as far as mileage per day, or hours in the saddle, or hours of sleep per day.
“I’ll see how it goes,” says Passant. “I’ll just try to get down to New Mexico as quickly as possible.”
The course hits Colorado north of Steamboat Springs. From there it heads through Silverthorne, Hartsel, Salida, Poncha Pass, Marshall Pass, Doyleville and south to Del Norte.
The local contingent of riders will be wearing SPOT trackers so you can track their progress and hit the road to cheer them on as they make their way through Colorado.
Check out tourdivide.org and click on the leaderboard tab to keep an eye on our local hardcores.