Laurens ten Dam is making significant progress in the Tour Divide, a gravel race spanning 4,481 kilometers from Banff, Canada, to Mexico. The Dutchman is among the front runners and is taking necessary rests, as seen in daily updates from his brand Live Slow, Ride Fast. Stefan Bolt tracks his friend’s achievements in these updates.
First of all, what exactly is this Tour Divide? "The route begins somewhere on the border between Canada and the United States and finishes at a fence on the border between Mexico and the United States," Ten Dam explained earlier about the race from Banff, Canada, to Antelope Wells, New Mexico. "Once a year, there’s a mass start, but you can ride it like a time trial the rest of the year. For the mass start, whoever reaches the fence first wins. The clock doesn’t stop in between."
Day 1: Ten Dam slightly late for the start
On the first day, Ten Dam was not ideally positioned for the start but soon found himself near the front. "Tough guys," he called the men riding ahead of him. After one day, he had covered 426 kilometers and was in fifth place.
Day 2: Ten Dam riding well in the cold
On the second day, Ten Dam reached the United States, where it was quite cold. He lost his gloves and light but managed to resolve the issues. A Lithuanian, Justinas Leveika, was still ahead of him in the chilly conditions. After two days, Ten Dam had covered 848 kilometers and was in second place.
Day 3: "Tour Divide takes its toll"
On the third day, Ten Dam showed that the race was tough and he was struggling. "The Tour Divide takes its toll," he noted in his daily diary. With 1,068 kilometers completed, he was in third place behind Leveika and Ulrich Bartholmoes. The forecast for the coming days showed snow, so the riders had to prepare for that.
Day 4: cold, hellish conditions
On the fourth day, Ten Dam and the other participants rode into the snow. "The descent is really hell. I even did a few somersaults. I can’t get down. My pedals, brakes, and derailleur are frozen, and I won’t make it to the hotel I booked," he reported from America.
Day 5: walking through the American mud
The fifth day involved not just cycling but also a lot of walking through American mud. His tire wasn’t cooperating, and he had to use his last inner tube. Leveika and Bartholmoes were still ahead, and Ten Dam, still in third place, had covered 1,625 kilometers.
Day 6: pumping up tires, hitching a ride, and returning
On the sixth day, Ten Dam spent much of his time pumping up his tires. "Every half hour, so it’s almost time again," he was heard saying. The nail from day five caused more damage, so Ten Dam got a lift with an American, Mike, to a bike shop. His bike was repaired, but he had to drive an hour back to continue. With 1,858 kilometers covered, he had 2,560 to go!
Day 7: Everything hurts for Laurens ten Dam
A week in, Ten Dam began to feel the strain. Having covered 2,249 kilometers, with over 2,000 to go, he was over halfway along and had to push through a tricky section that would turn into a "peanut butter mud stretch" because of the rain the next day. He had to ride for a long time to beat the rain, with extensive resupply, blisters on his hands, and "a wound on my butt."
Day 8: Ten Dam passes crucial point
He made it! By covering 670 (!) kilometers in two days, Ten Dam passed the dreaded section in dry weather, where it did indeed start raining as he slept on Saturday night, stopping many riders. On day eight, he had another 280 kilometers to go to reach Silverthorn.
Day 9: Ten Dam oversleeps
Laurens ten Dam had been on the road for nine days in the Tour Divide, and it took its toll. On day nine, he overslept and had to trek through American mud. "From hell to heaven," he ended his muddy day on a positive note. After nine days, he was in third place with 2,681 kilometers covered.
Day 10: Ten Dam brings mostly good news
After a good night’s sleep, Laurens ten Dam continued his journey, now comfortably in third place. "I have a lot of good news," he said positively from the United States. "I had less pain in my wrists and Achilles tendon. Even my butt felt better, so it seemed my body understood what it needed to do. However, one downside: I kept losing my water bottle from the holder. At one point, it fell out again, and as I picked it up, I was on freshly laid gravel. You guessed it: I slipped again, hurt my knee! But I was in such a good flow, I was back in five minutes. Bandaged and on my way!" With 3,092 kilometers done, 1,326 km remained: the final week was about to begin!
Day 11: tough last mountain range, fortunately a nice stay
We have another update from Camp Ten Dam, where the Dutchman completed the last mountain range on day eleven. "The Tour Divide is never boring, folks," we hear the veteran say. "I’m now on top of Carnero Pass, at an altitude of around 10,000 feet. It really hits you, phew… I’m completely shattered." Fortunately, Ten Dam stayed in a well-organized lodge with plenty of food and drink. He is also still on the road: still in third place, but the two leaders seemed to be getting slightly weaker. With 3,265 kilometers covered, 1,056 remained!
Day 12: Ten Dam is pretty relaxed: "Decided to take it a little more live slow"
The latest update from Ten Dam is quite reassuring. He has eased off the gas a bit and is riding more slowly. "I’m now in the town of Cuba, had some pancakes, and did some shopping. I decided to take it a bit more live slow," he said, staying true to his motto. "We’re in the middle of nowhere now. Rushing didn’t help at all. The legs felt good today."
His tracker was broken for a while, so he was briefly untraceable. "It happens, batteries die, but don’t worry, I’m okay!" In his Instagram story, the veteran also shared a restful sleeping spot in nature where he retreated into his sleeping bag. "Goodnight!" We’ll hear from you soon, Lau!
Day 13: Leveika finishes, Ten Dam has 448 kilometers to go
Laurens ten Dam won’t win the official Tour Divide edition, as the Baltic steam engine Justinas Leveika has reached the finish line at the Mexican border. It took him 13 days, 2 hours, and 16 minutes. 'Don Lorenzo' Ten Dam still has 448 kilometers to go but is taking it a bit easier now. Hang in there, warrior!
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