Jan Heine Sets FKT on Dark Divide 300

Photos by Ben Everett and Jan Heine

Jan Heine recently set a new fastest known time on the epic Dark Divide 300 bikepacking route, finishing on July 21st. Riding unsupported and alone, he covered the 330 miles of rough gravel and singletrack in 37 hours and 34 minutes, taking more than two hours off the previous best time. During his ride, Jan traversed six mountain ranges and multiple smaller peaks, climbing a total of more than 30,000 feet.

The mastermind behind the Dark Divide 300 route, Ben Everett, succinctly describes the challenges and beauty of this ride: “Resupply is limited, cell phones are useless, and the terrain can be steep, rutted, and utterly unforgiving, while simultaneously surrounding riders with profound and indescribable natural beauty and wonder.”

A bikepacking race across the Dark Divide 300 route starts on August 10. This date conflicts with the Paris-Brest-Paris 1200-kilometer randonnée, so Ben suggested riding the course as an Independent Time Trial. Jan set out from the start in Olympia on Wednesday afternoon in the middle of a heat wave that was gripping the Pacific Northwest. During the first night of the ride, he forded two creeks with knee-high water and traversed several large landslides before emerging at the foot of Juniper Ridge, where a rutted 11-mile trail takes riders high above the surrounding country. Jan reported:

“Hiking the steep trail at sunrise after riding on remote gravel roads all night was an incredible experience. I was the only person up there, traversing alpine meadows with wildflowers still in bloom. The Dark Divide felt incredibly remote, yet also the center of the earth. I was surrounded by the giant snow-capped volcanos of the Cascade Mountains, gleaming in the early-morning light: Tahoma (Mt. Rainier) to the North, Loowit (Mt. St. Helens) to the West, Pahto (Mt. Adams) to the East, and Wy’east (Mt. Hood) to the South.”

The key to traversing this forbidding terrain efficiently was combining the lessons of bikepacking with techniques learned from cyclocross and Japanese passhunters. Much of Juniper Ridge is not rideable, and pushing a bike on narrow, steep singletrack can be difficult. Jan carried an ultralight backpack and transferred his supplies into it at the start of the 11-mile trail to lighten his bike. He then shouldered his bike to portage it across the rough trail. He explained: “Being able to switch between riding and portaging quickly, cyclocross-style, was key to being efficient. Even if I only rode 50 feet at a time, that was faster than walking the entire distance.”

It took Jan four hours to traverse Juniper Ridge and emerge on the other side of the Dark Divide. After a resupply in the tiny hamlet of Trout Lake (with a cafe, small general store, and post office), Jan tackled the last third of the route, with overgrown singletrack, rutted gravel roads, and spectacular views as the sun set for the second time on his ride. After riding all night, he finished at 6:09 a.m. in Portland.

Jan rode a custom-built Rene Herse bike with Rene Herse Rat Trap Pass Extralight 26″ x 2.3″ tires, SRAM XPLR shifting, and Rene Herse cranks and brakes. He had no flat tires and no mechanicals during the ride. During his 37.5-hour ride, he stopped to resupply three times, spending a total of 62 minutes off the bike.

Shortly after finishing, he said, “The Dark Divide 300 is probably the most challenging ride I’ve done, but it’s also created some of the strongest memories. I’m already thinking of going back.” A full GPS track of the FKT ride is at Trackleaders.

Further Reading

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