Singletrack/MTB
Gravel/All-road
Dirt-road Touring
Fat-bike
2026 Tour Divide Day 1: Heartbreak Sprint
The 2026 Tour Divide is underway, and the pace is already astonishing. French rider Victor Bosoni stormed to the front on day one, opening a commanding lead before reaching Fernie, and defending champion Meaghan Hackinen quickly established herself as the woman to watch. Meanwhile, early mechanical heartbreak, freezing overnight temps, and a relentless opening-day sprint offered a reminder that anything can happen over the next weeks. Find our first recap with photos from Eddie Clark here…
PUBLISHED Jun 13, 2026
Photos by Eddie Clark
Low clouds draped over the mountains beneath a drizzling rain, but the mood was electric as 221 riders gathered in Banff for Friday’s 7 a.m. start of the 2026 Tour Divide. The group was divided into 10-minute waves to prevent bottlenecks, but the field rapidly spread out from there. Within 12 hours, nearly 150 miles separated the first and last moving dots.
After starting in a later wave, French cyclist Victor Bosoni blazed to the front. He took a short break at mile 50 to post a video on Instagram. “I made up a 20-minute delay after two and a half hours,” he reported (translated from French). “My pace is much faster than the others, and I didn’t feel like I was pushing myself too hard, so that’s a good sign.”
Bosoni rushed up the Koko Claims, completing the steep, chunky climb in about an hour despite reports of rain and running water on the road. He continued to build a solid lead over his competitors, arriving in Fernie, mile 156, before 6 p.m. He spent only about 10 minutes stocking up at a grocery store before sprinting out of town.
Alex McCormack, Xavier Chiriboga, and Angus Young rode through Fernie about two hours behind Bosoni. Young briefly stopped at the same grocery store, but McCormack’s and Chribogas’ dots didn’t even appear to pause in town. Doubtlessly, it will be a race to hold on to the blistering pace for as long as they can. But the Tour Divide stretches over 2,700 miles, and the race certainly isn’t won or lost on the first day.
Unfortunately, it was over for German former pro Seb Breuer, who left the route at mile 50 and took the highway back to Banff. On Instagram, he posted a close-up shot of the seat stays of his Rose PDQ mountain bike, which appeared to show frayed carbon fibers and scraped paint. He captioned the photo, “I don’t know what to say.” He followed up a few hours later to report that he wouldn’t continue racing.
“I got my bike caught on a rock while crossing a river on the trail, and it fell about two meters,” he wrote. The frame is broken. My mistake.” This is a tough break for the German former pro who put so much thought into his setup and strategy. He mentioned in his “Rigs of the Tour Divide” profile that his favorite part of his bike was a little Minion sticker on the frame, which he said would bring him luck. Luck often plays an oversized role in a Tour Divide finish, and sadly, luck was not on Breuer’s side this year.
About 20 women lined up in Banff, with 2024 Champion Meaghan Hackinen taking an early lead. Hackinen arrived in Fernie in 11th position around 9 p.m. At the time, she was about 20 miles ahead of Karin Pocock. Torin Lackmann, Alyssa Secreto, and Leah Goldstein were all close behind Pocock. Once in Fernie, Hackinen went a short distance off route toward possible lodging. South of Fernie, there is reported snow on the higher passes, and an overnight freeze was expected, so an early rest in Fernie could be a smart move. Hackinen is chasing the women’s record and a chance to reclaim her title, so it will be interesting to see how she manages her sleep strategy.
The pointy end of the Tour Divide is a decidedly international contingent. Hackinen is Canadian, and the top five men are from France, the United Kingdom, and Ecuador. Colorado’s Collin Hart was the only American in the top ten, riding in eighth position while coming into Fernie. The top riders are also a youthful contingent, with three of the top five in their 20s.
A small group of five cyclists lined up at a lonely chain-link fence along the Mexican border for the northbound race. A few fans stood nearby, ringing cowbells. One rider popped a wheelie and screamed, “All the way to Canada!” By holding southbound and northbound races simultaneously, Tour Divide organizers hope to thin out a Grand Depart field that has grown to more than 200 cyclists in recent years. But the sorthbound race remains a much larger draw. Northbound riders will face temperatures in the 80s and 90s on Saturday as they ride into the central New Mexico desert.
Back in Canada, cool temperatures and drizzling rain persisted into the early afternoon. Racer Peter Kraft reported that skies began to clear after the first pass, “and it’s been beautiful since then.” The clearing skies brought colder temperatures, which were expected to dip below freezing overnight. The chilly morning should give way to a warming trend, with intermittent clouds and temperatures in the 50s and 60s on Saturday.
The first day at the Tour Divide has long been a sprint out of the gate. The challenge sets in on day two, when racers begin to test the limits of how few breaks they can take and how much sleep they can forego. Last year, Swiss cyclist Robin Gremperle laid down the hammer and never let up. Will Bosoni and the others follow similar tactics this year? Stay tuned!
Report from Eddie
Photographer Eddie Clark sent in a quik report with the photos you see here early this morning. Because of the road closure south of Canmore and the seasonal closure of Highway 40, he skipped Banff and the Spray Valley section and instead intersected the race on Elk River Road before riders began the climb toward Koko Claims. He spent most of the day following the race along that stretch. Conditions started relatively mild with light rain, but the weather deteriorated throughout the day as isolated cells merged into larger storms that brought hail and temperatures in the 40s. Riders near the front benefited from pushing south ahead of the worst weather, while those farther back appeared to bear the brunt of the storm.
Fresh snow at higher elevations seemed minimal, suggesting Koko Claims wasn’t as challenging as some had feared. He narrowly missed Victor Bosoni in Fernie but caught Alex McCormack, who arrived second, and Xavier Chiriboga at a local 7-Eleven. According to locals, Bosoni spent only about five minutes in town before continuing south. Angus Young rolled through shortly afterward, although it appeared he may have opted for a stop at McDonald’s or the grocery store instead.
Stay tuned for more from the 2026 Tour Divide and be sure to tune into our Tracker to follow the dots!
Check out the 2026 Tour Divide Tracker page to follow along on the live tracking map, and stay tuned in for more event coverage. Find it here.
Further Reading
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