The 8th annual Grand Depart of the Super 8 took place last September. Riders had some of the best surface conditions we've seen in recent memory: a late-summer dry spell followed by a bout of rain just before/at the start to firm things up a little. Overall, the field was one of the fastest we've ever seen.

In case you missed it: veteran Super 8 rider Stephanie Hall spearheaded an initiative in partnership with Bivo to highlight women riders. See this excellent write-up that dips into the mid-ride thoughts and motivations of Stephanie, Sarah Skelly, Samantha Stohr, and Paige Redman.

The timing was good on this coverage, as there was something of an FKT-triangle between veteran riders Hall, Redman, and Skelly last year. The three (who purportedly hang out and ride together sometimes) have all been able to claim fastest known times on the course or its sections (south, north) over recent years. When the dust settled in 2025, Paige Redman reclaimed the South Lobe FKT from Sarah and the Full 8 FKT from Stephanie. Paige set a blazing fast time at 4 days and 3 hours (just shy of 100 hours 😊), which is the third-fastest known time recorded on the Super 8 for any rider.

Speaking of fast bikepackers, Dexter Kopas set the second fastest known time ever recorded. But the most amazing thing about his ride? 3/4-way through his south lobe ride, he broke his derailleur hanger, rendering his shifting useless. Following the self-supported rules of the ride, Dexter couldn't accept outside help, so he zip-tied the neutralized derailleur to his frame and re-routed the chain to the gear it fit best. Singlespeed! Dexter finished the rest of his ride on one gear and finished first place overall (and gets credit for a singlespeed completion of the north lobe).

You can check out all the rider finish times plus some links to ride reports over on the grand depart page. I'll leave you with these snippets from the post-ride survey results, specifically in response to the question: What would you do differently, gear-wise?

• Wish id brought a spare dry chamois. Wish id changed out my cleats before the ride. 

• Carry less food & water. I would also switch to a bivy instead of a tent. 

• bring a spare derailleur hanger

• wider shoes for all that walkin :')

Keep your eyes out for the 2026 Grand Depart announcement.