Stoked to catch up with my good friend Mateo Paez. 2022 was Mateo's first attempt at any ultra endurance bikepacking race and that experience quickly changed his life. Over the past two years he's gone head first into the world of ultracycling, writing his own story and tackling these rides with his unique approach, fondly referring to this niche sport as "Competitive Exploration". He raced this year's Tour Divide and finished the route from Banff to Antelope Wells in 17 days 22 hours 17 minutes.

Today we chat through his experience as a rookie on the Tour Divide and more on his approach to racing. He shares many fantastic tails from the trail, as well as some particularly vulnerable person reflections that happened along the way and just how much these rides have the power to transform your life.

To keep up with Mateo's adventures check him out on Instagram @whatswrongwithpaez_

He also does a fantastic job of sharing post race write ups on his website https://ultrapaez.com/, where he also shared his Tour Divide Kit List

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