New Speed Record Set for Tour Divide Mountain Bike Race

The Tour Divide is one of the longest and hardest mountain bike races in the entire world. The ride begins in Banff, Canada and runs south along the Continental Divide Trail until it reaches its terminus in Antelope Springs, New Mexico, covering some 2745 miles (4418 km) in the process. It is a grueling affair with competitors traveling in self-supported fashion along single track, dirt roads, and jeep tracks.

This year's version of the race began back on June 13, with 159 riders setting out for the trail. One of those riders was a man named Josh Kato, who went on to set a new course record, arriving at the finish line last week. Kato was able to ride the entire course in an unbelievable time of 14 days, 11 hours, 37 minutes, which means he was able to average close to 190 miles (305 km) per day on trails that aren't exactly made for speed.

The 40-year old may have set a new mark with his impressive performance, but he wasn't alone. The second and third place riders – Jay Petervary and Neil Beltchenko respectively – were just 25 and 45 minutes back. That is practically nothing on such a long race. In fact, Kato caught both of those men in the final 100 miles (160 km), taking the lead on the way into the finish line.

To put things in perspective, there are no stages of the Tour de France that approach 190 miles in length, and those riders have plenty of outside support to assist them throughout the course. On top of that, Tour cyclists ride smooth roads, while riders in the Tour Divide are on off-road routes that are incredibly demanding and difficult.

Congratulations to Josh on setting this new speed record. Impressive work indeed.

Scott Jurek Sets New Record on Appalachian Trail

The Adventure Blog remains on hiatus for one more day while I continue to celebrate getting married this past weekend, but I did want to break radio silence to update one of the bigger stories that has broken in the past few days. As expected, ultrarunner Scott Jurek has broken the speed record on the Appalachian Trail, but he didn't smash it as it seemed he would.

Jurek started his quest to become the fastest person to hike the AT end-to-end back May 27 when he set out from Springer Mountain in Georgia. Ahead of him lay 2185 miles of trail, and a four year old record that was currently held by Jennifer Pharr Davis. The time to beat was 46 days, 11 hours, and 20 minutes. In order to set a new speed record, he would need to reach Mt. Katahdin in Maine in less time than that.

At the mid-way point of the attempt it appeared that Jurek would crush the old mark by three or four days. But the second half of the run didn't go quite as expected, and the ultrarunner's cushion began to evaporate. As the days slipped away, it even appeared at some point that he might not break the record at all. Jurek himself even told his support crew at one point that the attempt was over. He himself didn't believe that he had enough time, and could travel fast enough, to catch Pharr Davis' record. But in the end, he managed to finish the hike, and set a new mark in the process.

The speed record for completing the Appalachian Trail now stands at 46 days, 8 hours, 7 minutes. That's an impressive time no matter how you slice it, and Scott should be incredibly happy with his efforts. Congratulations to him on a job well done. His efforts were both inspiring, and a good reminder of just how difficult these types of endeavors can be.

Indian Ocean Rowers Rescued for Second Time

For the second time in two months, a pair of ocean rowers has been rescued while at sea. British adventurers James Ketchell and Ashley Wilson called for assistance today when they were hit by a big storm that rolled their boat on multiple occasions, possibly causing Wilson to suffer a concussion. 

The two men first set out on their attempt to row across the Indian Ocean back in May. They had hoped to set a new speed record for a two-man crew, but just one day into the journey they had to be towed back to their starting point in Perth, Australia when an electronic guidance system failed. 

After spending several weeks getting their boat back in order, the duo set out once again last Friday, but just five days into their second attempt, bad weather descended upon their route. The large storms rolled the boat, causing the crew to lose some of their gear, and Wilson to strike his head. The adventurer suffers from what is described as severe epilepsy, which means a head injury could be incredibly serious. It was under those conditions that the rowers activated their emergency locator beacon this morning. 

According to reports, a merchant vessel reached them within a few hours, and the duo are now en route back to Australia. A helicopter was standing by to evacuate either of them should immediate medical attention be required. 

Ketchell and Wilson had planned their record-setting attempt for three years before launching their rowing expedition. They chose this time of year for their Indian Ocean crossing as they had hoped it would allow them to avoid the big storms and cyclones that are common at other times of the year. Unfortunately, heavy storms can take place at any time of the year, and they just happened to get caught in one. Their goal had been to reach Port Louis in Mauritius in less than 85 days, 2 hours, and 5 minutes. 

The attempt was also meant to raise funds for a couple of important charities, including Young Epilepsy, the Scouts, and the Elifar Foundation. 

Scott Jurek On Pace to Break Appalachian Trail Record

When I set out for Alaska a couple of weeks ago ultrarunner Scott Jurek was in the midst of an attempt to break the speed record for completing the Appalachian Trail. Now, he approaching the end at last, and he remains on track to complete the long-distance hiking route in an unbelievable time.

Jurek launched his attempt on the AT back on May 27, setting out from the southern end of the trail on Springer Mountain in Georgia. At the time, he hoped to reach the northern end on Mt. Katahdin in Maine – some 2160 miles (3476 km) away – in less than 46 days, 11 hours, and 20 minutes. That's the current record held by Jennifer Pharr Davis, which she set back in 2011.

The ultrarunner passed into Maine a few days back, and is closing in on the finish line now. He's been running about 50 miles (80 km) per day, and should finish up very soon. Today is Day 43 of the run, and he remains on pace to break the record, most likely shaving a couple of days off the mark set by Pharr Davis. It is unclear exactly when he will finish, but it should be within the next day or two.

There have been some hints that Jurek may be considering retiring from competitive ultra-running. If so, he will leave a legacy that will be tough to beat. During his career, he won seven straight Western States 100s and two Badwaters Ultras, two of the toughest races ever. Completing the AT in record time would be a fitting way to end such an impressive resume.

Stay tuned for more updates as Scott nears the end.

Bradley Wiggins Sets New Hour Record For Cycling

With the 2015 Tour de France now less than a month away, it is certainly time to start thinking about cycling once again. If you've been reading my blog for any length of time, you probably already know that Le Tour is one of my favorite events to follow each year. It is cycling's grandest stage, and a daily dose of inspiration for those of us who like to ride.

This past weekend, 2012 Tour champ Bradley Wiggins, who has all-but given up road racing in favor of returning to the track, set a new UCI hour record. For those who don't know, the hour record is an attempt by a rider to go as far as possible in just 60 minutes. It is conducted on a track instead of the road, and the cyclist rides completely alone. The event has received quite a bit of attention in the past year or so, as last September Jens Voight set a new mark by traveling 51.11 km (31.7 miles) over the course of his ride. Since then the record was broken three more times, with Brit Alex Dowsett the current record holder at 52.937 km (32.89 miles) going into the weekend.

The 35-year old Wiggins, who is known for being a powerful cyclist both on and off the track, managed to smash that mark however, and by most accounts it didn't appear that he was even working all that hard to do so. At the end of the ride, Wiggo had managed to travel an astounding 54.526 km (33.88 miles), beating the old record by a kilometer and a half.

This is an impressive feat for a rider who has struggled with injuries since winning his Tour de France nearly three years ago. He was left off the Sky team altogether last year, and more recently he has expressed his interest in returning to track cycling, which is where he got his early start, and has continued to show his prowess.

After hearing that his record had been broken, Dowseet – who is a road cyclist himself – has already said he would like to try to regain the title. It is unclear as to when exactly he would do that, but it seems that there is a real arms race going on right now to push the hour record even higher. Wiggins has already indicated that this was his one go at the mark, and that he would not continue to try to extend the distance. Considering how impressively he handled the ride, it seems he could probably go further, but having shown what he can do, it seems Sir Bradley has other things he'd prefer to concentrate on.

Congratulations to Wiggins on this very impressive feat. Now who is going to step up to challenge the record next?