ITALY DIVIDE 2025: Second place for Tomas Novotný and new name for his gravel Pells Raw 1
Italy Divide 2025. From Pompeii to Lago di Garda. 1,260 kilometers across Italy with 23,000 meters of elevation gain, completed by Tomáš Novotný in 4 days and 51 minutes. He secured 2nd place, despite missing the official start by 15 minutes.
"The hardest part of the race? Just getting to the start and checking in..."
Good preparation is half the battle. But sometimes, it’s not enough. Tomáš didn’t know if he could even make it to the race. Two days before the start, he booked a last-minute flight from Prague to Naples, grabbed new cycling shoes (“not ideal, but better than barefoot”), packed his bike into a box, stuffed everything else into his vest, and flew to Pompeii—not speaking a word of English or Italian.
After the long trip, he managed only six hours of sleep—“not ideal before a race this long.” He checked in and then, true to his ritual, went sightseeing. But in Italy, races don’t wait for stragglers...
“An hour before the start, I decided to ride around Pompeii a bit and buy food for the first 24 hours. I do this at every race. I returned to camp at 9:49—11 minutes before the start. But the registration stand was empty. I started to panic: the race isn’t supposed to start for another 10 minutes!”
Following tracks in the dirt, a woman waved him toward the road, yelling “Italy Divide!” He followed the direction, rode a few kilometers without seeing anyone, and returned to camp. At 10:13, the race had already been underway for more than 15 minutes—without him.
"I was pissed, but in a good, healthy way."
Motivated, he caught the last rider in about half an hour. “Climbing Mount Vesuvius, I passed roughly a hundred bikepackers. It was an incredible experience and a perfect warm-up. During the descent, I started catching even more riders. I was fully immersed in the race.”
But soon, the reality of the Italian climate and minimal gear hit him. “Besides the jersey and shorts I was wearing, I only had arm and leg warmers and a rain jacket. I regretted not packing a down jacket. But as I always say—If I don’t have it, I don’t need it. I’ll survive.”
A few kilometers later—porcupines. “I passed one, then another, and then a third just around the bend. I stared at them in disbelief. I had no idea porcupines lived in the wild in Italy.”
Snow came next. “As I approached a mountain summit, snow began to appear. It was 2°C. The descent to Lago di Scanno, nearly 1,000 meters lower, felt like cryotherapy. At the bottom, it was even colder, foggy, and damp. I pulled out the gloves I’d been saving for the worst moments.”
Then came the crossing of Rome. And finally, the lead. “A call from home changed my mood. Klárka told me I was in first place. It had taken me almost exactly 24 hours and over 400 km to get from last place to the lead. Now I just had to hold it... for another 800 kilometers.”
He didn’t.
"It's not even dark yet, and I’m already losing it."
600 kilometers in the saddle. 36 hours with no sleep. Déjà vu, disorientation, dizziness... He missed a turn and ended up in the bushes. It cost him half an hour—and the lead.
Then came one of the worst crises he’s ever had in a race. “After about 38 hours and 650 km non-stop, I completely cracked. Klárka later told me I called her, confused, asking where I was and what I was doing. I had no idea. Thankfully, I listened when she told me to stop immediately and go to sleep.”
"Too bad she didn’t also tell me to turn off the headlamp and charge everything..."
He woke up six hours later—headlamp still on, electronics dead, and a six-hour deficit. In panic, he looked for electricity—and for his rivals.
With some luck and help from kind strangers, he managed to charge his gear. “The store was supposed to open in more than two hours. I knocked. A shop assistant came out. I tried to explain in Czech. He didn’t understand at first, but then kindly took my phone and GPS to charge them.”
In the meantime, Tomáš fixed his bike and briefly chatted with the eventual winner, Benjamin Schmetz. “When I turned my GPS back on, I realized Benjamin was the only one who passed me during the night.”
Re-energized, Tomáš rode toward Florence. Near Siena, it started raining. “After three hours of riding through gravel paradise, the dust turned to drizzle. It was a pleasant refreshment. It even cleared out the tourists from the streets of Siena. The ride became more enjoyable. I even had time to admire the architecture. It was 5 p.m. I hoped to reach a nice spot before dark for a warm pizza and a cold beer.”
"Here it comes—micro-sleeps."
He stopped in Greve in Chianti for food and charging. “The local pizzeria was amazing. Lots of outlets. They even lent me a charger. A dream! I stayed 20 minutes longer just to charge more. Next time, I won’t skimp on power banks.”
After dinner, he prepared for another night without sleep. “If I wanted to stay in the race for the win, I couldn’t afford to rest. Looking at the map, I saw one big climb ahead—the kind you don’t forget.”
Flat terrain along the Arno River brought the first serious micro-sleeps. “I switched my light to the lowest setting to save battery. But I started nodding off. No music either—to save my phone. So I sang. Really badly. At least it kept me awake. Then I found a vending machine and bought two Fantas and dino-shaped chips. Life savers.”
Then came the Apennines. “The dino crunch got me to the climb, which really woke me up—almost ate me alive. It wasn’t one climb. It was a series. Long and steep. I passed one rider in Florence. The next was just ahead. If he’s not Chuck Norris or his dad, there’s no way he can keep going.”
He met Benjamin again. “We chatted for a bit. I didn’t understand him, he didn’t understand me.” Then more micro-sleeps. “I fell off my bike and had to walk a bit to stay awake. Benjamin’s light disappeared into the distance. But according to the GPS, the worst climbs were behind me. And dawn was near.”
"I'm shaking like a leaf. I need a boost."
Dawn brought the worst sleep deprivation yet. “I had no food left. My last dino snack was long gone. I only had a Red Bull and water. I desperately looked for a village with at least a café. I’d been climbing for seven hours. It felt like I wasn’t moving forward at all.”
Eventually, he got to go downhill again. But it wasn’t much relief. “The descent was rough, technical, full of rocks. I was slower downhill than uphill. For the first time, I really wished I had my full suspension bike. I was freezing and exhausted.”
Salvation came in a small village called Luicciana. “I arrived at the door of a pizzeria, tempted by the smell of fresh bread. Closed. Disappointed, I turned back—only to hear the door unlock. A smiling man waved me in. Though he wasn’t open yet, he brewed me coffee. No pizza yet—the oven was still cold—but he shared his own breakfast biscuits with me. I was so happy.”
“Then he brought me warm focaccia, and later, a steaming loaf of fresh bread. I stuffed it under my jersey to warm me up. I was freezing. When I tried to pay, he refused to take my money. I was speechless. The kindness recharged me 100%.”
More climbing followed. He passed the German rider who had been leading—he was off course. After a long descent along the Reno river, Tomáš reached Bologna. Then an endless flat road toward Verona.
"I can’t accept finishing second, so I push harder."
But flats favored Benjamin. He slowly widened his lead. “It hit me mentally. I didn’t want to finish second, so I tried to go faster. But I was tired. I had to stop to charge my lights. Had two coffees, chatted with the restaurant owner—he admired my bike and wanted to know where I came from and where I was going.”
More stops followed. At 1,150 km, his derailleur battery died. “I stopped at an Indian restaurant, ordered food, and charged everything I’d need for the last 90 km—at night, in the rain. Just after I sat down, the sky opened up. A total downpour. I prayed there wouldn’t be snow at the summit ahead.”
"A terrible, unforgettable experience!"
The final climb: cold, wet, hallucinations, and micro-sleeps. “Verona was surprisingly easy. Then came the climb I’ll never forget. Steep, rocky, impossible to ride. I walked most of it. Hallucinating. I thought there were two people behind me slowing me down. I even told them to hurry up—until I realized I was alone. Then I wished I wasn’t.”
“I was crawling—2 km per hour. I tried to nap: set a 10-minute timer, lay down on wet ground, and immediately fell asleep. But the cold woke me after 7 minutes. I repeated this four times. Never made it the full 10. I never thought of pulling out my sleeping bag. I knew Klárka was waiting at the finish, and I didn’t want her to wait.”
“It was freezing, near zero. Wind blowing. My clothes had dried, but my shoes were soaked. I couldn’t feel my toes. My hands were just as bad. I reached the summit at 7 a.m., 50 km from the finish. I realized I had started that climb at midnight. It took me 7 hours to cover 38 kilometers. All night. It was terrible. Unforgettable.”
"Hail and snow started falling!"
On the descent into the Adige valley, he feared rain—but it was snow and hail. “It was below zero. But the lower I got, the warmer it became.”
25 kilometers to go. Flat. “I couldn’t feel my hands after the descent. I stopped for one last coffee, a croissant—and a popsicle. For the final stretch, I put on music. No more saving batteries. I wanted to enjoy the ending.”
Tomáš reached the finish in second place, 7 hours behind Benjamin. “I only realized it was the finish because Klárka was there, waving. No banner, no organizers. Just a snack stand with clapping waitresses. Then Giacomo—the route creator—showed up. He congratulated me and said he’d take my finisher photo once he prepared the throne.”
“Benjamin had finished 7 hours earlier. It was a close battle, but once I knew I couldn’t win, I slowed down. I was disappointed—but now I’m satisfied. This was my first long-distance race abroad, and I proved that what works for me in Czechia also works out here.”
“There are things to improve—bigger power bank, maybe a down jacket. I’m already looking forward to the Highland Trail 550 in Scotland and planning more adventures. Thanks to everyone who cheered me on during the race—it was an amazing ride!”
"I usually don’t name bikes, but this one’s got a name!"
Tomáš rode the new Pells Raw 1. “I want to give a big shoutout to the new-generation Pells RAW. I usually don’t name bikes, but this one deserved it. The déjà vu, the hallucinations, and the speed—it all felt like time travel. It reminded me of *Back to the Future* and the DeLorean. So my RAW is named DeLorean.”
We congratulate Tomáš on an incredible performance, wish him continued success, and thank him for giving a name to our new gravel bike. You can follow his adventures on his blog barzkam.cz or on Instagram @tonovotnymas.