Alexandera's 2023 Colorado Trail Race

After Alexandera had her heart broken on the Tour Divide, her nerves were aplenty at the start of the 2023 Colorado Trail Race. She stuck to her race plan-- which was to rest early and try hard towards the end to make sure her body would hold up to the extreme altitude and unrelenting terrain. What ended up being her fastest Colorado Trail effort to date wasn't enough to pull a race win. (though she did set a new singlespeed women’s record.)

Alexandera placed 4th lady overall, losing her 3x CTR title to Katya Rakhmatulina, who set a new women's record with an incredible 5 day, 1 hour and some minutes.

“It's wild how many races one can do and still feel like a rookie! Lessons learned, heartbreak felt, but pure joy in the reaffirmation.”

Alexandera still sees herself as a bike racer despite questioning her identity following the TD. Stay tuned to see what her final effort of the Triple Crown Challenge looks like when she races the Arizona Trail in late October 2023.

Race Report: Tour Divide - "This is what setting a women's singlespeed record looks like."

Alexandera Houchin lined up for her 5th attempt & 4th finish of the 2700+ mile Tour Divide Mountain bike race on her Chumba Yaupon singlespeed bicycle. She had her eyes set on setting a new women's singlespeed record and managed to pull it off lowering the record she previously set in 2019 by two hours.

The trip was an emotional roller coaster. She self-filmed this video on her iPhone 12. Nothing went according to plan, and the video was edited to reveal the emotional roller coaster one rides while chasing the Divide. The edit is not chronological, rather representative of what her memory of the effort felt like. She chose the wrong gearing for her body and the 34x17 (2:1 ratio) required her to completely change her race strategy.

This is what setting a women's singlespeed record looks like.

Race Report: Strempke's finish Highland 550, Andrew takes 1st Singlespeed!

From Katie Strempke:

I finished the Highland Trail 550, something I wasn’t sure was possible a few days ago sitting on the shore of Fionn Loch.

Ultimately, I had to make some adjustments to my race plan to better manage my asthma and a painful swelling leg.

I decided to take a mid-race reset by stopping for a 12 hour night after my 4th day on the bike. I’m not going to lie, I was pretty upset and frustrated that I wasn’t having the ride I hoped, but after a good cry and a long night’s sleep, I was able to continue the next day with improved lung function and a mostly cooperative leg.

The rest also allowed me to get the mental recovery I needed after watching my hopes of meeting my time goal slip away. I was really surprised how effective the reset was for both my body and mind.

The next few days of riding were incredible- I enjoyed the scenery, moving my body though the challenging terrain, and taking more time at camp to relax and recover. While it wasn’t the performance I hoped for, I’m proud to have been able to adjust my plans to enjoy and finish the route.

Thanks @ht550alan for putting the race together and for reserving half the spots for women. It’s the biggest women’s field I’ve participated in and it felt special to be part of that. Thanks to @a_girl_outside for convincing us to come- she had an amazing ride and set a new women’s singlespeed record!

From Andrew Strempke:

Andrew has raced his trusty Sendero Ti to an FKT on the Monumental Loop, 1st on Pinions and Pines, the new Triple Crown singlespeed record (Tour Divide 1st, CTR and AZTR 2022) and now the Highland 550!

I spent 4 days, 1 hour, and 30 minutes working my way around the Highland Trail 550 last week. This race has been on my list for years, but the notorious weather and terrain have been intimidating factors. Feeling incredibly grateful for the opportunity to travel to Scotland and participate this year. Fortunately conditions were very un-Scottish - I never put my rain pants on! My race went really well, it was fun to chase some speedy dots. I think I had a smile on my face almost the whole time.