In the run-up to this year’s Tour Divide, I was very much lacking when it came to photographic inspiration, which is a personal motivation I try to bring to all of my photography work and assignments. In my earlier days, it was about going out there and trying to get nice photos, sometimes even just a snapshot of a key person in the race. The problem with consistently relying on that proverbial well is that it will run dry and only get you so far as a photographer.

Last year was the most challenging edition of the Tour Divide I’ve ever shot: a locked-up unresponsive laptop, my truck’s navigation and entertainment system quit working for days, things were going sideways, plans fell through, the weather was atrocious, and to top it off, a porcupine partially chewed through my trucks ABS wiring harness at 1 a.m. in the middle of the San Juan Mountains. When folks asked me about the Tour Divide, expecting a happy response, it was like I was speaking a different language when I tried to express just how hard it was.

My preparations—things I had control over—were much more thorough this year, but I struggled with the dread of knowing I’d be putting more into the 2025 edition than I ever had before. My inspiration was stifled.

With less than a week till the start, I watched a photographer talk with Nikon Ambassador Joe McNally. In reviewing one of his portrait photos, a square-cropped, tight headshot, Joe discussed the crop and his inspiration from old-school portrait photographer, Gregory Heisler. Bam, that was it. Additionally, thanks to my buddy James Stokoe’s love of the 16:9 format, I had something to be excited about. I hatched a plan to relay a personal intimacy of the Divide with very tight headshots using my 135mm prime at f1.8 with an in-camera square crop, and all of my landscape photos in 16.9, also composed in-camera, to accentuate the vast landscapes of the Tour Divide. If you go back through previous posts, you’ll notice most of the landscapes are in 16:9.

The photos that follow were all shot in the thick of the race with available ambient light (no strobes or diffusion), except for the portrait of Robin at the finish. I didn’t start on the portraits until Lima, where the racers started settling into their rhythm and became familiar with me. It proved to be quite the challenge shooting so tight with that focal length while accommodating the fact that these were not models, but instead tired, hungry, and hurting people, albeit happy too, racing their bikes 18 to 20 hours a day.

In order of time taken:

Jens Van Roost

I caught up with Jens in Lima, and he was happy to be having a good ride in good weather despite the stomach issues that had him a little blocked from his best potential. It was also good to see him again.

Max Riese

Max Riese was the next racer I was able to photograph at Lima, and for me, his eyes told his story.

Svein Tuft

I took Svein’s photo at the Love’s in Wamsutter. He was having a really hard time out there. On the eve of the race, one of his children got sick, and he’d been riding sick from the first morning.

Jochen Böhringer

Taken at Brush Mountain as he was about to head out. No telling how long that piece of wood had been in his helmet, but I let him know after taking this photo.

Robin Gemperle

It was a must-make situation for me with this photo of Robin as he’d just finished the race, sat down, and took his helmet off for the first time in who knows how long. The main light on his face was from the LED tube light I laid on the ground at a 45-degree angle to the sign behind him, and the rest was ambient from the border crossing. I probably took 30 photos while talking and listening to him tell me about his ride; it was still quite raw. This isn’t what I’d envisioned with the lighting, but it’s what worked.

Xavier Chiriboga

Taken at the cafe in Pie Town, this natural light was just perfect under the patio, and he was beaming with zest.

Mike Martin

I’d gotten one of Mike on the fly earlier in the race, but I much preferred this one from when he stopped on Pie Town Rd to chat and was in better spirits.

Andrew Onermaa

This is the light you dream of as a photographer, soft and golden. Andrew stopped on Pie Town Rd, and we talked a bit about Arkansas and his ride. This was one of the easier portraits I was able to take.

Dirty Dan

Dan was actually riding when I took this, and I cropped in a little to tighten it up. More great light and a lot of stoke.

Benjamin Hoehn

I was nearly out of workable light and struggling with high ISO and shutter speeds. It’s not perfect if you pixel peep it, but it’s as raw and real as it gets from the trail.

Nathalie Baillon

She’d just come out from the last refuel gas station in Grants and was freshened up and about to get back on the bike.

Ana Jager

One of my harder shots since I had little time or room to work on making this photo at the Circle K in Cuba. Sometimes, I’d be shooting at 15 frames per second, and really gambling with shutter speed because of the dynamic situations to pull off just one good photo. As I often say, “It doesn’t matter how many you take, you just need one good photo.”

Peter Abraham

Once I felt good about getting Ana’s portrait, I went straight into grabbing one of Peter with even less time to work.

Karin Pocock

Taken at Bodes in Abiquiu, the attitude and vibrance in the eyes really made this photo for me. A trait I’ve maintained for years with my photography has been a love of creamy bokeh (thank you very much, Nikon, for making the Z 135mm f1.8 Plena bokeh machine) and tack-sharp eyes. The eyes are a window to the soul.

Alexandera Houchin

It was really nice to finally get to talk with Alexandera at Bodes. At times, it was a bit emotional with her getting personal about life and her relationship with the Tour Divide. So much so that I just sat next to her and listened with my camera turned off. Afterward, I mentioned what I was doing with the portraits and happy pictures, and this photo was made just like that.

Quinda Verheul

The last portrait I made was of Quinda in some nice early evening light. There was a gentle breeze, making for a pleasant setting that happened fittingly at the end of the Continental Divide singletrack. I, too, had just finished riding it when I quickly ditched my bike and ran to my truck to grab my other camera with the 135mm prime just as she was closing the gate and getting ready to ride on. Freezing time that transpired in seconds to last a lifetime.

Many thanks to Otso Cycles for helping support this year’s extended Tour Divide coverage, and thanks to the race organizers and everyone involved in this magical event. To catch up on all our coverage, you can find it on our Tracker here.

Further Reading

Make sure to dig into these related articles for more info...