Time-trial season on the Great Divide Route begins annually with Grand Départ, occurring on the 2nd Friday in June from both termini of the Route; the main Depart takes place in Bannf, Alberta. The goal of these Solstice common starts is for athletes to challenge the Route in situ, under similar weather conditions and maximum daylight. If one cannot make a grand départ, there is a season-long ITT-Divide format to contend.

Tour Divide requires no entry fee or formal registration. There are no prizes for finishing. A toll-free phone number with voice mail is provided to all riders for field reporting. Voice messages are podcast on the Race Updates blog. Riders who carry SPOT GPS Messengers are tracked via the Live tracker.

The Tour Divide challenge is simple: race the rooftop of North America by mountain bike; travel self-supported along all 2,745 miles of Adventure Cycling Association's Great Divide Mountain Bike Route. Divide racing format requires no designated rest periods or set distances a racer must travel daily. The clock runs non-stop. With an average time-to-completion of three weeks in the saddle, Tour Divide is one of the longest and most challenging mountain bike time trials on the planet. It is a challenge for the ultra-fit, but only if ultra-prepared for myriad contingencies of backcountry biking.