Question about the route. Does it really go through the grand canyon? I thought they put you in Gitmo if you road down the trails.. Just looking a the trackleaders map...

I was talking to a friend that did the TD last year and he said that all the guys he was with had problems with their Achilles tendon. Any good ideas to prevent this and tape up after you get it?

Or was it just them? They were going pretty hard all the way. Did any others have problems on long races like this?

Kurt R seems to be taking it leisurely the last 50miles or so...having gone 30miles in the last 9hrs ... and still 18 or so from the finish. 

If you look at his speeds at each point they are really slow.. Maybe he's running/walking with a broken bike? Now that would be an epic finish! Don't know what that trail is like but pretty slow for sure!

I'm cold sitting here watching them.. Gotta go get a sweater on. That is my worse fear is rain at higher altitudes--even 8,000 like you said where it is colder. I would much rather be at 12K now in Colorado as the snow wouldn't melt on you. Hope everyone is OK and has a great story to tell!

looks ok now!
http://www.wunderground.com/webcams/pocomas/1/show.html

watch the movie below it.

What ia the elevation of mt lemon?

Most of the snow pack is average or below.....in MT and WY

http://nris.mt.gov/NRCS/snow/watersheds/ShowMap.asp?month=3&year=2012

Colorado is low and NM is dry also.

Just quit and get a new job... I did that and my life has been so much better.

And I have finally decided to reveal my TD secret weapon and Miracle cure! Check it out

http://livethinline.blogspot.com/2012/03/jarrals-miracle-cure-tour-divide-secret.html

http://www.mountainflyermagazine.com/view.php/eszter-horanyi-s-tour-divide-letter-of-intent.html

go for it! A power bar and banana! Actually i tend to eat much more than I normally eat after a few days of hard riding. One day you can eat normal, two days also, but the third and fourth (and 20th?) you may be getting really hungry. I also ate too many power bars and gus on the CTR and my mouth took a beating from the sugars I guess.
Oh and with the gluten free diet, I'm pretty sure Jefe Branam doesn't eat wheat either. He doesn't seem to have problems. I'll have to check that out....

go for it! less wind resistance for sure. fast on flats and downhill. they probably said the first one to race the divide was nuts....

OH SH#$!!

You may

Question on .GPX files - I'm a mac guy, i've downloaded the ACA files for the route, but getting them to convert to readable tracks on my Garmin Oregon 450 isn't working. They have been read by Garmin and added to the part of the "route planner" .... but i need them to be added to the "track manager" ....any help would be appreciated.....
thanks in advance.

Garmins can only have 9999 data points I think. I had to open the file in something like mapsource and filter it down to under 10,000 and then it uploaded fine. Maybe that is the fix.

I am going to drive up to Banff from Gunnison, CO a couple of days early. My parents will pick up their car as my Bro is in MT and they want to see him... Anyway I have room for a bike/riders in a Honda CRV to share gas $. It is about the same distance going up the front range or through Salt Lake (I'd rather go that way). Let me know. And I wasn't going to stop much to get there faster....

Yeah he fell off the "bridge of eternal peril" or something. Maybe he'll do it again with better results hopefully... A friend of mine from NZ with type 1 did it a few years ago in a two yr tour.... anyway just curious. As people noted here you are needing lots o' Cals...... So....
Should be a fun ride!
JR

Just a side question. I have type 1 diabetes (Shameless self promotion--i'm also raising $ for research http://www.crowdrise.com/RaceTheTourDivideforDiabetes) and was just curious if anyone has done the race and finished with diabetes. I'd be interested in comparing notes. Also a girl from Crested Butte doing the race this year can't eat wheat and seems to do well in these sorts of things.

You can mail stuff to post offices? Nice!

Hmmm I may see if we could do something like a webinar as we come from so many places.....

Suggestions welcome:
Who would you like to see on the web? Eszter? Jefe? Ethan? others?
Gear?
How to set it up?

Here is another blog a friend from NZ sent.. http://restroomraider.blogspot.co.nz/2012/02/kiwi-brevet-day-1-molesworth-monotony.html
Curious about some of the words! metal roads? etc. My sister is in Christchurch so one of these days gotta go over an ride a bit.

I live in Gunnison CO and was just having breakfast down at the Firebrand delicatessen where Jefe Branam works talking about the TD and was chatting with Eszter Horanyi about getting some riders together for a symposium on ultraracing. Among our locals we could probably get Eszter, Ethan Passant, Jefe, and several others that have finished the CTR together to discus/show their experiences for others interested. Maybe Mr Lee and Refsnider? And others? Just a thought that popped in my head as I was discussing the idea with people (and college students) that thought the whole idea of the TD should put me in the state mental hospital.

We could probably put something on at Western State College in March or April for a small fee to help the presenters cover costs.... just a thought. Any interest?

Sorry for the guys overseas (maybe a webinar?) as you probably couldn't come.

Jarral Ryter

Thanks! Easy enough to make a new Excel file...
And yes I did see that web site at one point....

Thanks,
jarral

Just noticed the tourdivide site is down.... ??
On a side note. I did purchase the Narratives. But I'm too lazy to look as people were talking of resupply points. Anyone have mileages of the towns handy?
Thanks,
Mr lazy.