In the second installment of his 2026 Tour Divide field report, photographer Eddie Clark follows the race deep into New Mexico, capturing the defining moments of an unforgettable year—from Victor Bosoni’s composed march to victory to Meaghan Hackinen’s dominant ride and Felix Laberge’s remarkable singlespeed performance. Personally, I find it fascinating how the Tour Divide has evolved since its inception in 2008. While navigation has become easier and there are more resupply points, the race itself hasn’t become easier—it’s just different. You’re still pedaling a bike for 2,700 miles with nobody but yourself to rely on, and if you want to win, you have to go faster than ever before. What makes this particularly intriguing is the constant evolution of what it takes to win the Tour Divide. From Matthew Lee, Mike Hall, and Robin Gemperle last year, we’ve seen a continuous shift in the training, preparation, and mental fortitude required to maintain the speed and distance needed to win. This year, Victor Bosoni showed us what an amazing winning ride looks like. His ability to maintain a high pace while getting quality sleep and recovery is a testament to the mental and physical fortitude required to win the Tour Divide. The route was quite dusty, so I only passed him once on the dirt road, and then kept ahead and shot back with the 400mm and a 1.4x tele-converter to reach a 560mm focal length for this photo. What many people don’t realize is that the Tour Divide is not just about the physical challenge of riding 2,700 miles; it’s also about the mental and emotional journey. The ability to push through the pain, the fatigue, and the isolation is what makes the Tour Divide such a remarkable achievement. I’m here for the race and the racing. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the evolution of the Tour Divide and the incredible stories of resilience and determination that come with it. In the last couple of days, I’ve seen more than enough posts about how the Tour Divide shouldn’t allow hotel stops or even phones, and all I have to say to that crew is: go race the 1,000-mile Iditarod Trail or the Silk Road Mountain Race, tough guy. I’m here for the race and the racing. I spent a few hours out of my truck catching up with some friends in Del Norte after photographing Laurens, which was really quite nice. After some yummy sandwiches at the Vault 730 Cheese Shop, I said goodbye to my friends and headed to Alamosa for a grocery store restock and a car wash before switching to road warrior mode for another day of driving. The interesting thing about the Tour Divide is how much it has evolved since its early days in 2008. As everyone knows, yes, the navigation is much easier now, and yes, there are far more stores, hotels, resupply points, and ‘trail angels’ available to racers too, but I wouldn’t say the race itself is any easier—just different. You’re still pedaling a bike for 2,700 miles with nobody but yourself to rely on, and if you want to win it, you have to go a whole lot faster than ever before. I caught up with Laurens again in Del Norte, where he was stocking up on food. His rear shock had seen better days, but I’m not so sure he even noticed. Rolling out of the Everyday Gas Station with an ice cream cookie sandwich in hand, this was the last time I’d see Laurens during the Tour Divide. He maintained an extraordinary pace to take second overall with his ‘live slow, ride fast’ approach, which had him sleeping wherever he could for most of the route. I’d normally go further down the route to photograph the Plains of San Agustin, but the noon-day light wasn’t so agreeable for those photos. Instead, I opted to photograph Victor one last time on his next-to-last day of the Divide as he blazed around the northwest corner of the Plains of San Agustin. Of note, his bike was all about aerodynamics with no dangling wires or loose straps flapping in the wind to slow him down. Without question, it was the fastest bike to ever show up for the Tour Divide, purpose-built to suit his strategy of speed. With him guiding and powering it, they both slipped through the air in a way never seen in this race. A thing of beauty. I’m personally a huge fan of the Tour Divide, and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the evolution of the race and the incredible stories of resilience and determination that come with it. The ability to push through the pain, the fatigue, and the isolation is what makes the Tour Divide such a remarkable achievement. I’m here for the race and the racing. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the evolution of the Tour Divide and the incredible stories of resilience and determination that come with it. I’m excited to see what the future holds for the Tour Divide and the incredible stories of resilience and determination that will continue to emerge from it.
