Check out the instragram video  clip with the fat bike.
#blackhillsexpedition 

Splash! That is awesome.

I noticed this area is big on the whole Sturgis thing during the bike rally, but does anyone know of a good cheap place to camp? I need to set up something short term I can use for postal and UPS shipping as I have to get some gear there and don't plan to bring a car. I'm leaving by bike and heading south west.

I'd like to be able to tour parts of the route after the race until the weather starts to scare me off. If anyone is interested in racing with the grand depart and doing some riding and camping before or after let me know.

This route looks amazing. Nice work to the people who put this together. (Jason?) I can't wait. Fat biking this.

I have this overwhelming desire to run this on a fatbike. I've been wanting to build one for winter.

A nice video about GDMBR late in the year: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oa_28YltsuY


-- sigma7

"It's November 15th. It's -15 degrees Celsius. I'm on the Great Divide in a snowstorm... and I'm drunk!"

Love this guy.

You know who else only sleeps one hour a night? Right?

Nice run Matt!

I just want to point out that the current 4-7th place in the field are all rookies. Joe Grant, Sam Koerber, Pappa Murphy and Alexandre Lussier. All around the 400mile mark. That doesn't factor in spotless riders but is still pretty cool. GO ROOKIES!!!

Huge congrats to Jesse. Amazing to see these top guys continuing to push to new levels. I'm stunned by that time like everyone else.

I heard he turned around and is heading back to Durango. Something about his ride not being there yet and he didn't feel like waiting. Someone should stop him, he might be out of his mind.

 

3:20:46 is just insane. Great job Jesse!

About 30 hours to finish from Georgia Pass to tie Jefe's record...holy crap those guys are fast. Their ability to deal with sleep dep amazes.

It looks like he might be sleeping now. I haven't looked at the weather but I think we might see a new northbound record.

I too would like to hear from the rider that had the encounter with the dog. I'd be willing to place money that dog wasn't leashed, was playful as hell and chased him down without him knowing for a while.

It's my understanding that dogs are to be leased on some sections of the trail, where others its ok for verbal commands. Doesn't sound like this hiker was doing either very well.

Seriously, mid-race in the CTR is a strange time to make such a life altering decision.   

The CTR is the perfect place for a spiritual experience. :;

I'm 74 and average 25mpd/1650 elev on a regular training loop; double the values twice a week. I've started TD in 2012 and 2013 with DNF's(took spills and returned home to heal). The biggest difference is that I'm training at essentially sea level; I envy the folks that train in the mountains of Colorado. I would appreciate input on nobo vs sobo. I've started slowly increasing distance & elevation with a century being longest. I have 1 year to get this old bag of bones ready for my final go at TD. Any recommendations for a sub 30 day run would be appreciated.

Yea Gramps, you're the other guy on here who impressed the heck out of me.

I'm in my early 40's and every time I've spilled was due to upper body fatigue or just outright lack of upper body strength training. I never see it coming, but as soon as my hands are off the bars and the wheel is going somewhere it shouldn't, I have a surprisingly long time to think it over while I'm waiting for the ground to say hello. I would get with a well qualified physical therapist over the off season. I think they are more qualified than personal trainers. Just explain to them what you want to do and let them show you how.

I'm curious what your two prior injuries were on your previous attempts.

I'd also look into the latest motocross, BMX, Cyclecross body armor type clothing. It's not really armor. Just thin flexible kelvar and other high tech fabrics that might make the difference in staying in the race or leaving due to a rock cutting a gash in your hip. Anything that could minimize the damage from a spill.

I'd also look into special tires. Ask around on here with some of the top racers. I think it would be best to maximize for traction as opposed to rolling resistance. It's just a split second of slip that can catch you off guard and end your race.

Oh, and acclimation. How long did you give yourself to acclimate to the altitude in your last attempts? You might need a lot more time. A lack of oxygen will definitely effect your reaction times. Spend a couple months if you have to.

I wish you the best of luck in 2016.

I'm 72, have a bad knee, and max out at about 20 miles of trail riding at a time. My dream would be to be 30 years old again...

I bet half of the 30 year olds couldn't ride 20 miles. In fact, I know it.

You should look into electric assist. Prices and capacity have come way down. With a cheap mid-drive and a triangle battery pack, you could more than triple your range. That opens up a lot of options in terms of routes, terrain, range, etc.

I know the purists here probably don't like e-bikes, but who cares if it opens up some options for people to get out on their bikes.

20 at 72 is impressive. Keep riding man!

I wish I could watch all the excitement but this year I will be busy pushing my bike up a hill in the race.  I hope my blue dot will create some interest.  I figure the leaders will finish before I get to BV.  I should be easy to spot near the back of the pack. Probably "CD" Let me make my pre excuses now.  Just remember I'm 53 years old, a rookie, and I have a "no training policy".  I'm not in great shape (I prefer the term "well rested") I'm not racing anybody.  It's about me and the adventure.  I think I'll get plenty of that.

Have you been camping out at the trail head the last couple days? That's some dedication!

On the whole spectator thing...

It can get a little creepy when you're riding down a dirt road at night, a truck passes you, and then skids to a stop up ahead and a couple of people jump out. The immediate thought that comes to mind: "Are they superfans or are they about to knock you off your bike and steal it?" That sort of thing has happened to me more than a few times on the Divide. It's less likely on the CT, but I think as long as people want to come out and cheer, that's fine. They just should be careful not to do anything to spook racers (as Matt says, the mental state can be a bit tenuous at times) and shouldn't expect racers to necessarily do anything more than nod as they pass.

I'm beginning to think that the whole public internet facing spot tracking is a pretty bad idea. It's kind of against the spirit of a couple of the race rules and I'm concerned about potential safety issues. I haven't heard of any major incidents happening, but I've seen some things this year that I found to be a bit unsettling.

Joe Grant's starting on his new Reeb setup. Grant's known as an ultra runner here in Boulder, so it should be interesting for blokes like me to see how he transitions to something like the CTR. His rig looks very TD worthy:

https://instagram.com/p/5gPuUzH7fi/

He's not playing around. That rig looks very light.

Carbon drive. Interesting choice.

Do you have a link to somewhere with more info on the bike?

Well I'm out for the Grand Depart. I got hit by a car on my good rig and the bike is completely trashed. I had hoped to put something together just to ride during the race, but I'm just not going to be able to put it together in time. I got a bit behind with work.

I am planning on a Denver to Durango ITT somewhere around Aug 20th just to post something for this year. I'd like to stick around for that Durango race put on by Velorution.

Just wanted to wish everyone a happy GD!

Wow. That new Bustang service does open up a lot of possibilities on the front range and the I70 corridor. I didn't see any racks in the pictures? Are they on the front? How many do you think it would hold?

Awesome story about Dave J. How much of the GDT is he planning on riding? Some trail magic needs to happen in the form of new tires.

Scott says I made the spreadsheet, and should be good to go.  I guess they haven't uploaded the batch just yet.

I think they only activate the ITT's. The GD riders will be activated on the 26th, otherwise there would be dots all over the map.