Michal Ozogan

Tour Divide 2024

Map of track Tour Divide 2024
898km
Distance
12,921m
Elevation
Download GPX

Tour Divide is the grand-grandfather of all bikepacking races. I have heard a lot of stories about what can happen on the route. I came to Canada with a great sense of humility. Riding trough vast and remote areas will be a big challenge. But before the race started I found myself in much bigger trouble.

A red mountain bike, fully loaded with bikepacking gear, is propped against a wooden fence. The bike has a large white saddlebag, a frame bag on the top tube, two water bottles in cages, a small black bag under the down tube, and a black handlebar roll with an additional white bag attached. The front wheel has a small black mudguard. The tires are dirty, indicating use, and the bike is standing on a patch of grass with some small yellow flowers. The overall impression is that of a bike ready for a long journey.

How Did it Begin

As I want to tell you my Tour Divide story, I need to do it from the beginning. Race of this magnitude cannot be told from start to finish. It’s the experience, the training, the focus that affected my life months prior to the event. Read more

    Two cyclists, a woman and a man, stand with their bikes on a dirt path beside a turquoise lake. In the background, a dense forest of evergreen trees stretches towards large, rugged mountains under a partly cloudy sky. The woman on the left wears a red and yellow cycling jersey, black cycling shorts, and a black helmet, smiling at the camera. The man on the right wears a light grey short-sleeved jersey, brown cycling shorts, a white helmet, and red and white cycling shoes, looking directly at the camera. Both have their hands resting on the handlebars of their mountain bikes.

    The Week of Hope

    After many months of preparation, I was nowhere near where I was planning to be. I had to deal with the last-minute gear acquiring and the worst thing was that I got sick. My first thoughts that it will be OK quickly diminished. Read more

      A gravel road curves through a forest with tall green trees and some dead, bare trees. On the left side of the road, the ground is covered in green grass and tree stumps. On the right, there's a field of yellow wildflowers alongside the road, and more trees further back. In the distance, snow-capped mountains rise under a bright blue sky filled with white cumulus clouds. The road appears to lead into the mountains.

      Day #1 Out of Breath

      Conditions for my lungs were far from ideal. They’re disastrous. Cold weather, clogged nose, and dust in the air made it very hard for me. Despite all of this I wanted to make it to Fenie at the first night. Read more

        A dramatic landscape photograph showing a paved road in the foreground, leading to a vibrant green field and a dark, dense forest, all set against a backdrop of imposing mountains shrouded in an approaching storm. The sky is largely covered by dark, heavy storm clouds on the left, but a patch of bright blue sky with white clouds is visible towards the right, suggesting the storm might be breaking or passing. A large irrigation system is visible in the field, along with a small white tipi or structure in the distance. The lighting is dynamic, with areas of bright sunlight contrasting sharply with the shadowed parts of the landscape, especially under the dark clouds.

        Day #2 Unstoppable Junkie Enters the USA

        It’s interesting to see my attempt from a different perspective. I was ill, I was coughing and my nose was painful and bloody from all the rubbing. I didn’t feel well, I wasn’t eating much. I rode through the snow and I was so cold that I was shaking. Yet I was riding for 17 hours. Read more

          A wide view of a vibrant green mountain lake with snow patches on the far bank, surrounded by dense evergreen forests. A dirt road runs along the right side of the lake, with a muddy puddle in the foreground.

          Day #3 The Last Resort

          Even though sleeping in pit toilets can be more comfortable than choosing a ditch in the woods, it can’t compare to a proper hotel room with a warm bed and shower. The weather was getting worse, and based on the forecast, I would get gnarlier. As my cough was getting stronger, I faced a dilemma: What to do next? Read more

            A dirt road curves to the right, leading through a dense pine forest. Patches of snow cover the ground on both sides of the road, which appears wet and muddy. Snowflakes are visibly falling, creating a soft, wintry atmosphere, even amidst the green foliage. The scene suggests a bikepacking adventure in a mountainous or forested region during a late spring or early autumn snowfall.

            Day #4 Speechless

            I was scared. For a few days I battled against cold and rain and I barely made it. I wasn’t even sure if I should continue as there was a warning about snow storms and risk of hypothermia. Stakes were high. My desire to finish Tour Divide was too strong and I tried my luck in the wilderness once more. Read more

              An aerial view from an airplane window shows a vast landscape of mountains and valleys, partially covered in snow and dense green forests, with several dark blue lakes scattered across the terrain. The white wing of the airplane extends across the top and right side of the frame. In the distance, larger, snow-capped peaks rise under a bright blue sky with scattered white clouds, suggesting a journey over a mountainous region.

              Day #5 The Extraction

              This day I started at Ovando and ended it in Ovando. It was my last desperate move to push me a little bit further. I have found something on lonely road. It was my limit. I have finally found them and it made me think… Read more