There are 14 recorded deaths by bears in Yellowstone...ever.  15 people have been killed by Indians.  19 people die each year in vending machine accidents.  Respect?  Absolutely.  Terrifying fear?  Nah.

MM - Thanks for the opinion.  Their regular eVent bivy is 12 ounces.  That's pretty darn lightweight to me, especially given the breathability of the eVent fabric.  In your opinion, how well would it hold up without a groundsheet?

It ain't cheap, but looks to be about the best Bivy I've seen.  eVent on top and cuben fiber for the bottom.

http://www.mountainlaureldesigns.com/shop/product_info.php?cPath=22&products_id=173

The site also has other UL products that look to be pretty useful.  Just wish I could get my hands on one of the RD UL prototypes.  Think RD Viscasha made from cuben fiber.  Nice!

Side note - I'm in no way affiliated with the linked site, just thought it looked like a great concept.

Couldn't we just say there's a metric sh!t-tonne of climbing on the TD?

I did the DK this year and finished, just wasn't sure of a 200mi race was advisable 2 weeks before the divide, but I guess it would be about perfect to end on.  Now if I can get the boss to give me one more day off for another bike race.  THAT'S gonna be the real endurance test, haha!

I was contemplating sending in a postcard, but then take a look out west and think: "naaaaaw" I have very interesting plans for the summer

I've heard Southern California is nice that time of year. ;-)  On a completely unrelated note, the DK is two weeks before the TD.  Since you're a vet, yes or no?

I heard it through the grapevine (ok, facebook) that JayP is racing both the Trans Iowa and the DK this coming year.  

sfuller and paul78 - Thanks for coming to the DK this year, and I hope you enjoyed Emporia!  Paul, sorry the airlines lost your bike, but then again, not everyone gets to race on the Warbird prototype!

I thought about doing that, but the earliest I can get to Calgary is 2:30 Wed afternoon, and I am planning on starting Thursday around noon.

Thanks for the info, sir!  Did you just pack your bike in a regular bike box, or did you use something else?

Anyone know if there's a place in Bozeman that rents fatbikes?  I checked Google, and it was pretty inconclusive.  Thought this might save me 30 minutes of calling bike shops.  Thanks!

Alright, it's official.  I'm in.  Vacation has been approved, and flight and hotel are booked, and I'll be arriving the 12th.

Here's some travel info I found while booking everything:  If you are planning on staying in Banff, I would book your room immediately.  I checked hotels.com, and most of the hotels in the area only have a couple of rooms left if they're not already sold out, and they ain't cheap (~$150+).  I'm staying at Irwin's Mountain Inn, and I think it was $125 (I'm splurging on a king-sized bed, though).  The Banff Y said it had 3 rooms left, and they were around $90.  Also, if you have friends in Calgary, or know someone who knows someone in Calgary, haha, I'd sweet-talk them because a shuttle from the airport to Banff was ~$55. 

For flying, I'm going Air Canada.  They have the cheapest bicycle prices that I found.  It's $50 for bikes, as long as it's under 50 pounds, so I'd stuff your carry-on to the max.  Man I hope they don't lose it! 

This is just what I found out while doing my booking, hope it helps!  See you in Banff!

hruss,

Good to see someone from close to home riding.  I'll have to make sure I remember my KU jersey ;-)

If you don't mind me asking, how much was the reservation?  I'm 99% sure I've got the days off, just waiting on the official word, just trying to get a cost estimate.  Also, if you'd be interested in meeting up for a training ride or what-not, I think you're only about 2 1/2 - 3 hrs away.

Got a point there. And zombies don't like fast food.

I'm not fast.  :-(

I'm in for the grand depart.  Been looking at buying my ticket into Calgary on the 11th but thought I'd see if anyone was driving up and needed a driving buddy.  I'm in central PA but could fly into somewhere closer.

I also hope to get there on the 11th.  I may end up starting on Thursday instead of with the grand depart Friday, just to get an extra day of riding in.  Would anyone else be interested in joining me for a mini-GD Thursday?

Due to a really screwed up schedule, every six weeks I have a week off.  My next one is from Oct 9-15.  I'm looking for suggestions on a good, solid bikepacking trip/race.  The three I have come up with so far are about the same price for plane tickets, so nothing TOO exotic, mainly because I don't want a whole lot of travel time.  Anyways, here are my ideas so far:

*Coconino, maybe with the group start on the 12th.
*Stagecoach 400 ITT (without playing dodge-car)
*AML ITT
*Attempting to find a ~400 mile gravel loop here in KS

All ideas are welcome.  Here's what you're dealing with for bike options
1. Karate Monkey with either 700x40c cross tires or 29" Nanos
2. Pugsley (would like to do a snow trip on this, but doubt there would be any significant snow this early).

Thanks in advance!

I have a 16" Karate Monkey, and have both a frame bag and a tangle bag.  What do you intend to do with it?  For overnights, definitely get a frame bag, bc like others have said, you won't be able to run bottles with a tangle bag.  Using a frame bag, you can carry up to 5L ( at least I can).  For overnight bikepacking, I use the frame bag, but if I'm looking for light and fast - day use - I use the tangle with a 2 or 3 L bladder.  My decision was to get a custom frame bag from Jeremy Cleaveland (Cleaveland Mountaineering- he's in the For Sale section here).  I think mine was $170, but you could get a base model, again, custom made for your bike, for around $150.  That way you know everything fits.  Hope this helps.

I think starting on the 14th will actually be advantageous, with hopefully less snowfall on the passes, BUT will make the NM heat that much worse.  50/50 trade, but I haven't ridden it yet either.  Maybe a vet could chime in on this?

No brakes listed so far, I'll kick off the running with Avid BB7s.

+1

I've had mine packed with everything from coarse snow to cowshit, and they worked every time, plus replacing pads in the field is stupid easy.

Thank you for posting this.  What an amazing journey, plus the leather frame bags are pretty awesome, but I wouldn't want to be the guy with the steel one!

Hey, CJ5,  what part of the midwest are you lost in?  I'm in east-central KS.  If you're ever up for some good gravel riding and you're in the area, let me know!