I just saw the sign-in sheet on Hub Cyclery's Facebook page:

Eddie O’Dea 11:27 p.m.
Guy Sutton  2:18 a.m.
Jay Petervary 5:15 a.m.

Sold.

Are you thinking about racing the Arrowhead 135, Susitna 100, Iditarod Invitational, or simply doing some snowy bikepacking next winter? It's never too early to start planning! I'm looking to sell a Marmot EQ CWM -40 sleeping bag. I bought it used in late 2007; I believe it's a 2006 model. It has been packed through several winter races and training, used lightly during this time, and stored hanging up in a closet. It weighs about five pounds (specs list it as 4 pounds 8 ounces), and was listed as 6 feet long, although it seems long enough for someone significantly taller than me (I'm 5'7") Here is a link to reviews of this specific model of the CWM: http://www.buzzillions.com/reviews/men-marmot-cwm-eq-sleeping-bag-40-degree-down-reviews

I've slept in it down to 35 below with wind; it was nice and toasty, although it does not have the same outer waterproof membrane that current models have. But it will get the job done if you're looking to do some winter racing or touring on a budget. Retail was $679 when it was new. I am asking $200 or best offer. USPS shipping included to lower 48 states. Alaska, Hawaii and international will be extra (sorry.) Will come with compression sack.

PM me if you are interested or e-mail jillhomer@gmail.com

So Dave is in and out of Nikolai at 6:30 p.m. That gives him an ~11 hour window to get to McGrath to break the record, if I understand right. It doesn't seem doable — that's faster than his Susitna 100 pace — but he's almost certainly going to come in under five days, which is awesome. Go Dave go!

The thing about Steve Reifenstuhl's 4:15 pace is that he held it, virtually without stopping, all the way to McGrath. Didn't Steve say he slept only about four or five hours in the entire race? I think it's still a tall order for Dave but he's certainly strong this year.

It seems conditions have been generally soft due to warm temperatures on the coastal side of the Alaska Range, at least according to brief observations and a few of the cyclists and runner I chatted with at Skwentna Roadhouse yesterday afternoon. If the trail on the other side of the pass is similarly packed and temperatures are cooler, the cyclists could make great time. Wind is always a boondoggle.

I shot a few pictures from the sky on the way to Skwentna yesterday. They're mostly of runners but there are a few cyclists in the mix. Link here. http://halfpastdone.com/2013/02/26/iditarod-trail-flyover.

Also like Sean I rode out the first ~12 miles of the Iditarod Trail and caught up to some of the runners. Not a single cyclist took the main trail fron the start this year. I wonder if that's a first? http://halfpastdone.com/2013/02/25/iditarod-trail-invitational-launches.

Probably because Fairbanks to Dawson is the official span of the Alaska Highway. Mile 1,400 to 0. The highway is well-maintained, only gravel would be short sections that are under construction (usually there are several in the summer.) I have the opinion that veering onto the Cassiar Highway would be a better stretch of road for fast-touring, but I understand the aesthetic of riding only the AlCan, especially in the context of a race precedent. Sounds like a great event, and June is a particularly nice time for all-night road riding up there. Of course, you have to keep a constant vigilance for clueless RV drivers.

I'm also interested in early September. I was already looking for potential local weeklong bike tours in that time period, and this route looks intriguing. I'd love to join a group event if one forms.

If somehow I get a snow bike this winter, y'all watch out.

Richmond Peak would be less than ideal (ie: bat-shit scary traverse), depending on the nature of the snow. It would be a no-go in Colorado-type snow. My feelings are skewed by our dangerous-type of snow.

I would move the start to more around March 1st - April 1st, than December 1st, to get some sort of semblance of stability in the snow. Any place that gets snow, will still have snow, but perhaps it'll have some sort of consolidation. Maybe a S->N direction would make more sense. That gives us ~5 months to plan. WHO'S IN?!

and, GO JAY! Hellafaride.

I'm guessing there would be a lot more traverses similar to Richmond Peak in true winter. There are plenty of side-sloping roads on the route that would become 50-degree angle slopes at peak snow cover. Down trees and debris would be rampant. One positive about winter is you will have some level of powder, instead of summertime icy concrete turning to slush. You're right that iffy snow conditions and avy danger would be the biggest issue; dragging a sled would also likely be impossible. The bike would have to go on one's back. Either way, I don't really know how to ski ... and in those conditions I'd rather leave the bike at home. ;-)

Agree that Dec. 1 is too early for a test of true winter conditions. Give recent winters' precip patterns, there's a at least a small chance the route will be drier than June.

But I'd seriously love to SPOT-gawk that effort, Justin.

Also enjoying checking in on JayP's progress. Thanks for the splits, Rich.

Now for the divide snowbiking record, Dec. 1st start date. Any takers? (Wink)

Parts of it would be rideable. A few of those roads in Montana and Colorado are definitely trafficked by snowmobiles in the winter. Great Divide Basin and most of the paved sections would be dry. Others, well, nothing a pair of skis, ice ax, and avy beacon can't take care of. A packable sled to haul the bike while skiing? Totally doable.

From Jill's Facebook page: "Freak crash on a descent between Kenosha and Georgia Pass has me sitting here with ice on my left foot and a disappointed heart. Pushed through the pain by limping up to a bailout near the top of Georgia. Continuing on another 400 miles would have only furthered the injury and slowed me more and more. Looking to next year....."

Yep, that's exactly how it works. I never need to think about gray areas, or contemplate the repercussions of a difficult decision. I just instinctively know exactly the right thing to do. /end sarcasm

On the CTR this year, everyone made decisions that reflected their relationship with the ideals of "self-support" and "equal opportunity." On one hand, some people chose to forego all "trail magic," never accepted anything from another rider, didn't call home when they felt emotionally drained, and etc. On the other hand, some chose to accept copious amounts of "trail magic," called ahead to have food prepared in advance, called to get help with navigation, etc. To me, these latter decisions are incompatible with the ideals of self-supported racing. If these are the sorts of moments that you find so full of gray that you want to flog me with sarcastic hyperbole, then we probably won't find much common ground. Which leads me back to my original argument:

Those who want to ride as close to a self-supported ideal can do so. Those who don't, are also free to do so. There's room for two very different approaches to the CTR, and neither one is inherently superior in the grand scope of the universe. One is closer to a Carnival Cruise (a very popular means of travel), while one closer to the Vendee Globe (a rare style of travel). Pick one, announce your intent, and go at it. Again, that's what I did this year, and I had a terrific experience. I crossed tracks with those who chose very different styles, and they were having a blast too. I don't dislike those who ride supported--but I do think that it's worthwhile to distinguish between those ride with support and those who ride without support. It's simply not the same race.

I think JoeyDurango was just trying to point out that the rules currently in place have fairly broad wording, so not everybody is going to arrive at the same interpretation as you. If you want everyone to conform to your strict interpretations, you're going to need more specifically worded legislation. Until then, you can't possibly expect most people to interpet "calling home" as a blatant rule violation, for example. 

Lately I've been doing more research on fastest known times. That community has widely accepted three categories. "Supported," "Self-Supported" and "Unsupported." "Supported" means as much support as you're willing to pay for. If you want to have buses full of food and massage therapists at every trail junction, pacers the enter way, etc., your record is recognized the same as the guy who has his wife meet him occasionally in towns.

"Self-supported" follows mainly the same aesthetic as the bikepacking community has adopted — food purchases in towns, hotel rooms, technology, etc. "Self-supported" casts a wide net and it doesn't appear that the FKT community spends much time quibbling about details. If you don't have a support vehicle, you're self-supported.

 "Unsupported" means alpine style — you start with everything you need, making no purchases or outside stops along the way. If you want to fastpack the Colorado Trail in 18 days, you have to start with 18 days worth of food, all of your water purification stuff, all gear, etc. Some purists even forgo all technology in favor of maps and compass.

Rather than continue to nitpick rules where a consensus will never be reached, perhaps the purists in this community can establish a similar unsupported category. It's the ultimate challenge — planning has to be perfect from the beginning, you have to be absolutely prepared for all mechanicals, and there are no questions about trail magic or calling ahead for meals, no gray areas about hotel rooms or mailing packages, because these issues don't even factor in the first place. It's certainly not the fastest way to go about these challenges, but purists can take satisfaction in being the most self-sufficient.

I was returning to Frisco after mountain biking near Boreas Pass and bumped into Tracy Burge and Jim Stansbury as they were pedaling up Boreas Pass Road. Completely random ... no SPOT stalking. I actually didn't even know they were in this area. I was trying to outrun a big lightning and graupel storm, and they were pedaling right into it. It reminded me of all those little moments of bravery that you constantly have to conjure on the Divide.

They looked good — said they're just trying to have fun and make it to Mexico after recovering from illnesses. Jim said he was going for the "oldster" finish. When I told him about Rich Wolf, he replied, "Oh, you just broke my heart." Anyway, it was fun to bump into Tour Dividers on the trail. Sounds like they're both set on bringing in the red lantern. I wish them the best on the rest of their journey.

Dave Nice just pulled into Banff a little before 11:30 p.m. My friend Keith was there with a group to greet him at the Spray River Trailhead and sent me this picture. I bet he's enjoying that beer.

AmyL: I've enjoyed your detailed race analysis. The numbers are interesting. Just this evening, I was researching touring routes in Northern California and came across this: http://northwestcalloop.blogspot.com. I'm assuming this is yours; I recognized the avatar photo. I did a short tour near the Lost Coast last week and am intrigued by the idea of trying something longer in that region. Thanks for posting all the info.

Also, I missed the last week of Spot dot stalking, but I wanted to offer my own congrats to all the amazing ladies in this year's Tour Divide. The sheer speed of the leaders and never-quit attitude of others is inspiring.

Is it something like 2am over there right now? Garret and Kurt and still hammering along. About 40 miles to catch up with Craig. With plenty of altitude on their side, I'm thinking they could have that knocked off by 5am. Some sleep in Milan perhaps? All this speculation is fun!

I listened to Craig's call-in. I didn't even know that crank eyes didn't come in a standard size across the board. Lame. It sounds like he's really stuck, such a bummer. Garret and Kurt will most likely catch him before his pedal arrives in the morning. Of course he'll have a lot more rest ... but that part of the race could get really interesting. Unless something happens to Ollie, though, at this point it's almost certainly a race for second.

Might be that his subconcious is telling it'd be a good idea to give his body a break in Grants while he mulls the problem over for a while. If Ollie had made a convincing break before they arrived in town (and Craig had been maxed out for several days) the pedal might just be the final straw.

Hope he gets it swapped out and is on the road soon.  

This theory makes sense. If you're already pressed up against the bleeding edge, any setback is going to feel like a huge blow. Maybe he feels like he doesn't have the steam to chase Ollie, and at this point he'd rather just wait for better options. Ah, armchair speculation.

As far as switching from clipless to platforms being uncomfortable, I don't disagree, but if platforms are an option I don't understand why anyone would reject them when there aren't other options. In 2009 I broke my saddle a little north of Grants. Actually what happened is a huge chunk of foam fell off, so every time I tried to lean forward into my aero bars, I slipped off the foam into the hard edge of the nose. That was uncomfortable. But I didn't consider it enough of a problem to bother waiting out other options. I think if you're intent on forward motion, minor discomforts become less of a concern.

As for flagging someone down and offering to buy a pedal, or even knocking on random doors and asking —  that seems like a gray area as far as rules go. They emphasize relying on commercial services, but make no specific mention of bartering. Still, I'd be leery of trying it because of the "no private resupply" wording. Buying from private citizens may fall into this stipulation.

I know last year at about the same spot Russ McBride had to hitch a ride to Albuquerque to find a replacement pedal. But he was NoBo so he had like 2400 miles to go and flat pedals wouldn't have done it.

Flat pedals could get him to Silver City, or all the way to AW if needed. He could even get a cheap pair of running shoes at Wal-mart to make the pedaling more comfortable. In a city like Grants he might not have much of a choice.

Maybe the Wal-mart is really out of stock. If he is laid up because he's not willing to consider platform pedals as a viable option, honestly, I think that's a little silly. I rode the entire 2,700 miles on flats. They're not useless.

Craig just called. His pedal is "shot". No where to get one. More than a little discouraged. Trying to figure something out.

He wasn't able to find flat pedals at Wal-mart? Normally these stores stock at least one kind of BMX pedal.

How many calories do these racers burn per day?

Obviously it depends on the individual, but the answer is a surprising lot. In normal (i.e. <1 day) endurance events, I can get away with running a calorie deficit and I usually feel best when operating in fat-burning mode, getting by on 100-200 calories an hour. But I think after three or four days of all-day efforts, instinct takes over and you just start plowing mindlessly through food. Conventional wisdom says you can still only process about 300-400 calories an hour, but there were occasional times when I'd buy a 16-ounce bag of Sour Patch Kids intended to last for two days, start munching, and suddenly the entire thing would be gone. 1,600 calories and it wouldn't even make a dent. I never kept track of consumption, but I wouldn't be surprised if it averaged 5,000-6,000 a day. I still finished about 15 pounds lighter than I was at the start.

I think in the perfect situation that just can't exist on the Tour Divide, healthier whole foods would be ideal. I can't see liquid nutrition working for many people in the long term, especially because it can be so difficult to resupply and carrying enough between reliable stops would be detrimental. Even if your liquid nutrition had the perfect balance of carbs, fats, proteins, etc., I can imagine it would start to feel so unsatisfying that it would be impossible to take in enough. Plus you also have to take into account what actually sounds appetizing when you're in the thick of it, which can also be limiting. I can get plenty of energy eating junk, but I do believe now that over time the mounting nutrient deficiencies, digestive distress, and constant huge fluctuations in glucose levels start to wear down on my body.

Lynda is absolutely right that it's all a game of efficiency, balancing needs and convenience, forward motion and recovery. It can take an hour to buy and consume all of the vegetables you'd need to fulfill a 1,000-calorie quota, or two minutes to buy and consume two King-sized snicker's bars. Plus after eating 1,000 calories of veggies, you're going to feel full and sluggish for some time afterward. Is it worth the time loss for the recovery benefits you'd gain later on? Probably not. Which is why everyone on the Divide consumes crap.