Mark ‘Willy’ Williams is riding in the 4345km Tour Divide mountain bike race from Antelope Wells, in New Mexico, by the Mexican border, to Banff, traversing Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho and Montana before crossing into Canada.
Williams, who’s competed successfully in many cycling and multisport races, set off last Friday and expects he’ll take up to three-and-a-half weeks.
Most people undertake the race in other direction, he says, "but starting in the desert and climbing up into Colorado appealed to me".
The route has over 50,000 metres of climbing, with the highest point at 3800m, which is about the height of Aoraki Mt Cook.
"I’m hoping to ‘enjoy’ it and cover about 200km per day," he says.
The race roughly follows the Great Divide mountain bike route, with competitors being self-supported.
Another Queenstowner, Adam Carlson, started the race last Friday in the other direction.
Williams says they’re hoping to meet up for a coffee in Colorado.
