A lot has already unfolded on day one of the 2025 Tour Divide. With three riders charging out front ahead of Justinas Leveika’s record-setting pace—and Robin Gemperle launching into the race with an all-out effort—it’s clear that this year’s contenders came to make bold statements. Find a full recap of the opening day’s action, complete with a fresh set of dynamic images from Eddie Clark…

Photos by Eddie Clark

There’s an adage along the lines of, “You can’t win a race on the first climb, but you sure can lose it.” The idea is that going out too hot can ultimately cost a rider in the long run, and the sentiment applies Tour Divide. Many riders, fueled by adrenaline, excitement, and getting to start something they’ve been planning and obsessing over for months, if not years, will toast their legs and bodies to a crisp early on, never to recover as the miles wear on. But gone are the days when someone can take this race out with a measured approach and still expect to contend near the front. It’s fast from the bike path leaving the parking lot of the Banff YWCA, and the idea that there’s time to sit down for one square meal per day is also a thing of the past.    

The first 24 hours after leaving Banff are often a statement of intent. They’re a great barometer of relative fitness levels and sometimes a display of complete foolishness. There’s another quote, often attributed to one of the Stoics, that says, “Courage is knowing it might hurt and doing it anyway. Stupidity is the same. And that’s why life is hard.” And Tour Divide is hard. 

The front of this year’s Tour Divide field has taken it out faster than any year prior, as indicated by Robin Gemperle of Switzerland being well over Flathead Pass in Montana, 310 miles in, with just 24 hours elapsed. This is the first time a rider has broken the 300-mile barrier on the first day. The record dot of Justinas Leveika is still just descending to the U.S./Canada border somewhere around mile 260. Gemperle, who has made his intentions of wanting to win the race in record time clear on his Instagram account, has led from the start, skipping any real sleep on night one.

Clockwise from top: Robin Gemperle, Svein Tuft, Jochen Böhringer

Robin isn’t the only rider well ahead of the record dot. Also across the border are Svein Tuft and Mikko Kainu, both of whom seem to have taken a pit stop in the small border town of Eureka, often remembered by riders for the Subway in the gas station on the north end of town. It looks like Tuft took the opportunity for a little snooze. It’s no surprise to see Gemperle, winner of the 2024 Transcontinental Race (TCR), and Tuft, former World Tour Pro with a Giro d’Italia stage win to his name, up front. 

Behind the three leaders, a gaggle of men who’ve traveled across oceans to be there—including Jochen Böhringer of Germany, Jimmy Ashby of Australia, Xavier Chiriboga of Ecuador, Jens Van Roost of Belgium, and Joe Nation of New Zealand—are sitting just behind record pace. This group represents the majority of the men who’ve put their goal finish time in the 13 to 15-day range, and there’s a lot of experience in those legs to know what it takes to cover the miles at that pace. 

For the women, Nathalie Baillon of France leads the race with 230 miles covered. Baillon won the 2023 Silk Road Mountain Race and finished second at the 2024 Atlas Mountain Race. Although the Tour Divide is a beast in a league of its own, she knows how to measure her effort during longer events. She took a two-hour nap overnight at Butts Cabin, a shorter stop than Lael Wilcox, who currently sits in second, about 15 miles behind. Wilcox, who probably has more experience on the Divide route than anyone else racing this year, led for most of the first day and stopped for a full four hours at Butts Cabin. She arrived well before Baillon and left after, giving up her lead for now. Sleeping four hours a night seems to be the generally accepted amount for keeping things sustainable, and any less can result in the Sleep Monster gaining ground faster than wanted. The two women are deep in the Canadian Flathead, a stretch of road known for its remoteness, climbs, and bears. 

Both women are sitting behind Wilcox’s record dot, which she set during an individual time trial in 2015. The current fastest Tour Divide Grand Depart time was set by Meaghan Hackinen with a time of 15 days and 23 hours. The overall women’s FKT on the route is held by Austin Killips, who established it during a 2024 ITT with a time of 14 days, 23 hours, and 12 minutes. Wilcox has set her intention of setting a new overall fastest women’s time and will be setting her pace accordingly. 

Behind the leading pair sits Quinda Verheul of the Netherlands/Italy, who took fourth at the 2024 Highland Trail 550 and 2023 Silk Road Mountain Race and won the 2023 Hellenic Mountain Race. She’s just ahead of Ana Jager and Alexandera Houchin. Karin Pocock is just a few miles behind. This group of women has countless miles of bikepacking experience, and none of them are giving up significant distance. 

Riders faced relatively fast and comfortable conditions leaving Banff, as far as Tour Divide goes. Past years have seen copious amounts of snow on the higher passes, rain, mud, and misery, but the sheer speed at which riders are passing through this area indicates that roads are clear and fast. 

Moisture overnight led to atmospheric conditions and riders milling around the YWCA parking lot in jackets and tights. Although roads were damp, skies were blue, and nearly everyone was down to single jerseys and shorts as they made their way from Banff to Fernie, the first major resupply on the route. While the leaders, especially Gemperle and Tuft, were in and out quickly, most riders stopped for a quick reset and break. It’s somewhere about this time, 150 or so miles in, that the reality of Tour Divide sets in. The adrenaline spike is long gone, the legs—regardless of fitness level—now have some miles in them, a good number of hours have passed, and it’s still a long way to Mexico. 

This is where the physical game becomes less important, and the mental game begins. The distance still seems impossible, and riders must commit to the mindset that the only way to get there is one pedal stroke at a time. It’s time to settle in.

Check out the 2025 Tour Divide Tracker page to follow along on the live tracking map, see our Rigs of the Tour Divide roundups, and stay tuned in for more event coverage. Find it here.

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