Mountain biker passes 2,000-mile mark in Tour Divide

YAKIMA, Wash. -- Yakima mountain bike rider Eric Bruntjen passed the 2,000-mile mark of the Tour Divide on Monday morning, not long before he crossed into New Mexico — the last state he will traverse as part of the 2,780-mile race that began in Banff, Alberta, Canada, and ends in Antelope Valley, N.M., at the U.S.-Mexico border.

At least a third of the original 42 riders have dropped out, and Bruntjen, 38, is in 10th place. He is also well along the way to achieving his other goal: generating enough pledges to purchase a specialized all-terrain wheelchair for injured Iraq war veteran Evan Mettie.

To read more about Bruntjen’s race, see the Herald-Republic’s “Out There” blog at sportsyakima.com.

-- Scott Sandsberry