Photo by Aaron Teasdale
Adventure Cycling Association
If you were as amazed as I was about the Great Divide Race (“No support for cyclists in Great Divide Race“), you might want to know that Jay Petervary, left, set a new record in the 2,490-mile endurance bike ride of 15 days, 4 hours and 18 minutes.
When he pulled into Antelope Wells, New Mexico, a couple of days ago to complete the world's longest mountain bike race, he had crossed the Continental Divide 28 times and accumulated more than 200,000 feet of elevation gain.
Riding a 29-inch wheeled Orbea, he beat the previous record, set by bike race organizer Mike Curiak in 2004, by about 21 hours. In making the announcement, Adventure Cycling Association spokesman Aaron Teasdale said Petervary “can now lay claim to being the fastest long-distance mountain biker on the planet.”
Actually the record was broken by two cyclists, but two-time winner Matthew Lee, sponsored by Cannondale, finished in second place to Petervary.
Eleven of the 24 bicycle racers who started two weeks ago in Port of Roosville, Montana, are still out on the course; 11 others dropped out.
The racers have been calling in to Tom Purvis at Absolute Bikes in Salida, Colorado, at checkpoints along the way (they're not allowed to make cell phone calls). Just 120 miles from the finish line, Petervary said:
“Hello all, it's 6:40. I'm in Silver City. It's JP. And uh, I'm going to Antelope Wells as we speak. This is my last phone call. I just wanted to give a big thanks for everyone who's been supporting me. Trace, I love you. Thanks again. Fitzgeralds Bicycles, thank you. Orbea, the bike flows like water. Crank Brothers for keeping me locked in. And uh, family and friends. We'll see you all when I come home. And uh, it's going to be an enjoyable 120 miles. Hope you all have a great day and uh, we'll see you soon. Thanks again. The trail treated me well.”
Reflecting Petervary's comments at the Great Divide Race update blog, Purvis wrote:
“I've grown accustomed to hearing Jay Petervary's confident voice booming into his messages. When I met him in Salida when he came into Absolute Bikes, he was focused, strong, and to the point. In this message today, the emotion was thick in his voice. He's clearly touched by the significance of this day, and of course he has to be tired and ready to go back to the comforts of home.”
The 35-year-old carpenter from Jackson, Wyoming, traveled ultralight. His bike and equipment weighed just 35 pounds.
The race course from the Canadian to Mexican border follows the Adventure Cycling Association's Great Divide Mountain Bike Route. I'm sure when the it was put to paper several years ago, no one thought it would become the route of one of the most challenging bike races in the world.
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