{"id":249995,"date":"2026-06-25T12:03:01","date_gmt":"2026-06-25T12:03:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/25\/connecting-the-dots\/"},"modified":"2026-06-25T12:03:01","modified_gmt":"2026-06-25T12:03:01","slug":"connecting-the-dots","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/25\/connecting-the-dots\/","title":{"rendered":"Connecting The Dots"},"content":{"rendered":"

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We here at Tan Tenovo\u2019s Contrarian Font of Velocipedal Bloviation are huge supporters of ultra-mega endurance racing<\/a>:<\/p>\n

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And so the entire staff\u2013that\u2019s me, Antonio the Helper Monkey (Vito\u2019s successor and third cousin), and Trek Bicycle Corporation President and CEO John Burke\u2013would like to congratulate what\u2019s-his-name, winner of that big thing they do, who completed the whatever-it-is in record time<\/a>:<\/p>\n

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In fact, he beat the previous record time by over a day:<\/p>\n

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Hats off to Victor Bosoni, who just finished the 2026 Tour Divide in record-breaking time! Riding with remarkable speed, discipline, and composure from Banff to Antelope Wells, the young French ultracyclist completed the route in just 11 days, 8 hours, and 27 minutes, more than a day and a half faster than the official previous men\u2019s record. From his recovery-first approach to his meticulously dialed setup, Bosoni delivered one of the most impressive performances in the history of the race.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

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I\u2019m also fairly sure that when the above article went to press, Laurens Ten Dam was in second place, still out riding, and a full day away from finishing. Now, I realize most people will conclude from all this that Victor Bosoni is really fast and deserves a huge amount of respect, but all it means to me is that these \u201craces\u201d are too long. Sorry, margins of victory should not be measured in days. Where\u2019s the suspense!?! It\u2019s like the Olympic Hide And Seek<\/a>, but even that ended in a tie:<\/p>\n

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Oh, and here\u2019s a screenshot of the action:<\/p>\n

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Thrilling.<\/p>\n

Following these things is like refreshing the UPS site when I\u2019m waiting for a new bike, but at least with that I actually get something at the end<\/a>:<\/p>\n

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Also, if you\u2019re tempted to point out that the Tour Divide takes much less time to complete than the Tour de France, the crucial difference is that with the latter there\u2019s a thorough accounting at the end of each day and a ceremony, which at least gives you a reason to check back in and see what happened. But 11 straight days of cycling is simply too long, and there\u2019s no way I\u2019m following that. If someone sets out on a bike in the morning and they\u2019re not back by the end of the day then as far as I\u2019m concerned they\u2019ve ceased to exist and it\u2019s time to move on with my life.<\/p>\n

Or, to put it another way, any cycling event in which the participants carry toothbrushes on them while they ride should not count as a bike race:<\/p>\n

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(At least I hope they brush their teeth\u2026)<\/p>\n

Technically that\u2019s called a \u201cvacation.\u201d And that doesn\u2019t take away from the arduous nature of the event, either, since there\u2019s no law that vacations have to be fun. <\/p>\n

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And if you think my disdain for competitive ultra-endurance cycling means I support laid-back \u201calt\u201d cycling, well that\u2019s where you\u2019re wrong:<\/p>\n

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