When the US American Jay Petervary swings into the saddle, it usually takes days to get off. The 44-year-old with the goatee is the star of the ultrabike scene. "RIDE Forward" is written on his business card, which has the design of a wheel.
Bikepacking is the new craze for adventure biking, crowned by the crazy self-support races. Start together, then it's every man for himself. Sleep? Everyone's own business, but not necessarily provided for in the race concept. Whoever reaches the finish line first is idolised in the scene.
There are many tough ultra-bikers. But no one has perfected non-stop biking like Jay Petervary, who even earns his living with long-distance adventures. For the 4418 kilometre long cult race Tour Divide from the Canadian to the Mexican border took him just 15 days. Unimaginable considering the challenging route along the Great Devide Mountain Bike Route follows the ridge of the Rocky Mountains.
The tension was correspondingly high at the Italy DivideThe US star would cross the finish line in a fabulous time. The race is one of the new endurance tests in the self-support scene. The key data give an idea of the exertions: almost 850 kilometres and 20,000 metres of altitude from Rome to Torbole on Lake Garda. In addition, the cold and wet weather made the race hell for the starters. There was even snow on the final summit of Monte Altissimo. None of this seemed to bother Petervary. He reached the finish line after just 82 hours. In our Adventure report by Walter Lauter the rigours of the tour become clear.
We asked him how long he had slept. "All of it?" Petervary grinned in anticipation of the astonished reporter's face. Then he answered with relish, knowing how crazy this information would seem to mere mortals: "Seven hours. During the entire race." Petervary explained the intricacies of his bike exclusively for us. Because without the sophisticated details, the insane time would not have been possible.
More information about Jay Petervary: jaypetervary.com
