At 4am today, riders left Waterton Canyon and disappeared beneath the trees.
There are more than 300 miles (483 kilometres) of singletrack, repeated journeys above 10,000 feet (3,000 metres), and long stretches where riding gives way to pushing and carrying. The new course also means the first riders into Durango will establish the initial records for this version of the route.
At the time of publication, Alex McCormack and Brian Elander are leading the charge around 65 miles into the race, south of Wellington Lake and skirting the edge of the Lost Creek Wilderness. Xavier Chiriboga’s tracker started but appears to have a fault, so his position is unclear.
It’s far too early for any of that to tell us much, but two of the leading challengers have already placed themselves at the front and started strong.
Despite the uncertainty around his tracker, Xavier’s previous victory and recent Tour Divide result place him in pole position among the contenders. Alex McCormack and Brian Elander lead the challenge.
The women’s field has a very simple question. Can anybody beat Nicolette Jones here?
