Pierre Rolland wins 1,200km IncaDivide ultra race

Pierre Rolland has added the IncaDivide title to his growing ultra-distance record, three years after retiring from conventional professional racing. The former Tour de France stage winner completed the Peruvian race in 83 hours and finished ahead of the event’s local multiple champion.

The BikingMan course covered 1,200 kilometres and 24,000 metres of climbing. It began at Urubamba in the Sacred Valley near Cusco and Machu Picchu, and took riders across high-altitude gravel roads. The route reached 5,200 metres, while reduced oxygen and difficult weather tested Rolland during his first race longer than 1,000 kilometres.

The result continues a strong year for the Frenchman, who won the 510-kilometre BikingMan event in Brazil. In May, he also took the revived Bordeaux-Paris, covering 660 kilometres. Rolland further set a record on Corsica’s 592-kilometre GT20 route, completing it in 20 hours and 54 minutes, three hours faster than the previous mark.

Rolland, who won two Tour de France stages and the 2011 young rider classification, said after the IncaDivide that the challenge had been extremely demanding but rewarding. He also thanked those who had sent messages of support during the race.