Singletrack/MTB
Gravel/All-road
Dirt-road Touring
Fat-bike
In our latest video, Neil catches up with Ulrich Bartholmoes, the 2023 Tour Divide Winner and runner-up in this year’s edition. Neil and Ulrich sat down after a ride to talk about his quitting the Colorado Trail Race and success on the Tour Divide, mental fatigue, the worldwide ultra-endurance community, and more. Watch it here…
Ulrich Bartholmoes recently had to end his ride the 2024 Colorado Trail Race early, resulting in a DNF (Did Not Finish) result. This wasn’t just the conclusion of this particular race for him but also the end of his dream of completing the Triple Crown Challenge, making it a double or even triple disappointment. Still, despite the setback, Ulrich takes pride in knowing that his equipment or body weren’t to blame. However, the Colorado Trail delivered a harsh lesson: even with excellent gear and thorough preparation, mental strength is paramount.
Ulrich acknowledged that the lack of motivation was his undoing. Over the past few years, he’s continually pushed himself to take on increasingly difficult challenges, raising the bar higher each time. Concurrently, he’s faced personal setbacks and low points, adding to the challenge. All these pressures eventually built up, and last week, they finally came crashing down. After ending his ride, Ulrich sat down for a short interview with our YouTube host Neil Beltchenko and reflected on his experience. Give it a watch below.
Failures and setbacks are part of the sport, something many athletes struggle with but rarely discuss. While some might spin their failures into a more palatable narrative or simply ignore them, it’s clear that Ulrich takes these setbacks seriously and faces them head-on. There are many good lessons here. Thanks for sitting down with us, Ulrich!
Further Reading
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