Singletrack/MTB
Gravel/All-road
Dirt-road Touring
Fat-bike
Congratulations to Alex Kowalski, who just became the first singlespeeder to finish the 2024 Tour Divide. Learn more about his ride and find a few photos from the finish at Antelope Wells here…
Finish line photos and additional insight from Alexandera Houchin
Out of 225 riders registered for live tracking on Trackleaders, just 12 singlespeeders (11 men and one woman) took on the Tour Divide this year. As Alexandera Houchin shared in our 2024 Tour Divide preview, there were a handful with lofty goals to finish in 16 days. Those included Johnny Price, Zachary Del Greco, and Alex Kowalski, all rookies. The singlespeeders had a tight race, with frontrunners Alex, Zachary, and Johnny all riding neck-and-neck for the last few weeks. It wasn’t until the Santa Fe National Forest just outside of Cuba, New Mexico, at around mile 2,187, that Alex put some distance between himself and Johnny.
Two nights ago, the racers in the Gila National Forest were caught in a massive deluge. Flooding and lightning left them seeking out any shelter they could find. Alex, Mateo Páez, and Raymond Friedrich opted to take refuge in a port-a-potty to avoid the weather and peanut butter mud. From the looks of Mateo’s Instagram stories, it looked like a pretty awful time. But things dried out and they were able to keep moving.
Early this morning, Alex finished the 2,700-mile Tour Divide in 17 days, 22 hours, 34 minutes (17d:22h:34m). Alex is no stranger to grueling singlespeed efforts. In 2022, he was the first place singlespeeder at the Arkansas High Country Race’s Ouachita Triple Crown. He also finished the North to South Colorado Bikepacking Race last year riding a singlespeed.
This year, he rode his custom Black Sheep hardtail set up with 29 x 2.2″ Continental Race King tires, Dispersed Bikepacking bags, and the newly released Mica Rack. He was running a 34x18T gearing setup, which is the second most popular option next to 32x17T, according to our Stats Analysis article. Alex mentioned on Instagram that he’s also considering a Triple Crown (Tour Divide, Colorado Trail, and Arizona Trail) attempt this year, which should be interesting to watch. Congrats, Alex!
Check out the 2024 Tour Divide Tracker page to follow along on the live tracking map, find our Rigs of the Tour Divide roundups, and stay tuned in for more event coverage. Find it here.
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