Maarten Vanhaverbeke | Tour Divide 2025

Maarten Vanhaverbeke scores a 7th place in Tour Divide 2025

Of all the prestigious ultra races on the calendar, the Tour Divide is perhaps one of the most renowned in the world. From Banff in Canada to the US/Mexico border, the 2,745 miles (4,418 kilometres) of the Great Divide route is the setting for an amazing annual race.

Every year, MASON bicycles are on the Divide startline. The drop-bar ISO has long been a staple of ultra-long-distance routes like this, designed as the fastest way of getting from A to B on challenging terrain – though now, the flat-bar Macro increasingly makes an appearance too.

And so it was was that the ISO of Maarten Vanhaverbeke rolled out of Banff on 13 June. A bike mechanic from Belgium, Maarten is a privateer racer who decided that a MASON ISO was the best way to make fast progress across demanding long-distance routes like the Divide.

A veteran of events like the Silk Road Mountain Race, the Atlas Mountain Race and the Hellenic Mountain Race, Maarten last took on the Tour Divide in 2023, when he crossed the line, exhausted, in 11th position. 

While, of course, huge congratulations are due to this year's race winners – Robin Gemperle (men) and Nathalie Baillon (women) – we were particularly excited by Maarten's 7th place result, the first rider of a MASON to finish the 2025 Tour Divide – in 15 days, 4 hours and 12 minutes.

Numbers don’t do this ride justice: what a journey, there’s nothing like it, all the clichés you want: I’ll use them to describe this.

I came in with a bit of a different approach this time and I think I can say I reached most of my goals. What a happy ride it’s been! Was able to finish strong and recovery seems to be already going well.

We loved watching the progress of Maarten and his ISO along the route. Though a very tough ride, Maarten finished in better shape than last time, when he lacked even the energy for the traditional over-head bike lift photo. Very long, very hard adventures like this are precisely what Dom designed the MASON ISO to excel at.

Great work Maarten.