Good to see that "The Wall" is still in there.

Vale Mike. A truly inspirational,yet immensely humble guy. Everyone is gutted for his family and friends down here. 

Go Dave W! He will be wondering what that funny white stuff is on the ground. It has been/is still hot downunder this year.

Cortvald -- Just an ITT -- they are all ITTs, technically, right? I'll see what I can do to add ITT comparison features, but I don't want to confuse people since it isn't quite comparing apples to apples (different start conditions, etc).  That said I do want to encourage ITTs, and they are ranked in the same year results.

flyboy -- I'll try to avoid Easter, though presumably you'd need to fly up much earlier than the weekend.  I try to maximize usable (early night) moonlight, and center around a full moon if at all possible.  This year we're set on Friday, but next year I'll go to Thurs or Weds, I think.

xcracer -- it's up now, 1 month out: http://trackleaders.com/aztr-signup 

Yes, need a few days to get there from downunder but it is what it is. While I am keen to do the race if it takes a few years to get there, so be it.

Scott, maybe target the Wednesday start for 2018?
As an international, the start day doesn't really worry me. Being Easter makes it really hard to get leave though here in Australia. Easter is almost bigger than Christmas leave wise. Easter Sunday in 2018 is the 1st of April so a start the following week would be super.
That said, anything that keeps bicycles seperated from badly driven vehicles is a sound idea. While one could always ITT, there is something about a grand depart that adds to the whole experience.
I hope to see you on a Wednesday in April, 2018.

I'm very jealous of all this year's starters. My leave didn't get approved so I will be reduced to dot watching and making notes for a 2018 attempt.
Good luck out there and enjoy it!

Robotfury, the thing that makes him so popular is because he is so normal and down to earth. I gave him the benefit of the doubt in my earlier posts as I thought maybe he was doing a Stamstad rerun and that is fine and commendable. As you point out, in the finest spirit of the ride in fact. I was just confused as to why he would bother with online tracking if that was the case though. Your meeting with him explains a lot and I feel for Guy. He must have felt gutted.

Yes, he rode an incredible ride, leaving nothing in the tank. I have no doubt he followed the ethos of the race but everyone that has done the TDR knows that there is much more to this race than just riding your bike. Navigation and route knowledge make up a big portion of the challenge and many a Rookie has learnt this the hard way. They usually come back the next year to make peace with themselves.......

Well done to everyone who finished this year. It sounded like a tough grind with the weather, making it something to be especially proud of. You will all be changed forever, hopefully in a good way!!  

WTF - Guy Martin is claiming a TD finish after skipping Spray Lakes / Brush Mountain / CDT Alternative / not following the route around Fish Lake/Union Pass or Atlantic City, or out of Steamboat, plus others!?! Certainly it is not "proper" and I am surprised no-one else is calling him out on it. #followtheroute. He's clearly relegated and the dot should have changed colour on day 1 when he missed Spray Lakes.

Dave, I was channelling Toby Gadd a few times on here and pointing out TS's "excursions" but nobody seemed to care or get it. Cutting the CDT alternate north of Silver City is swapping a massively hard section of trail out for smooth, sweet blacktop. It just ain't right!

Beat that sneaky 20 day marker! 19 days 22 hours 19 minutes.

(Oh and Dave, the knee is feeling a lot better - the plan is next year for me. It looks like Jackie's set a pretty solid time for me to have a crack at.)

She smashed the green flag at the end! First lady across the line this year too.

Glad the knee is getting back to normal. I look forward to seeing you roll down that red line next year Megan.

Jackie Bernardi is powering to the border with one last push! Looks like a 19 day+ change finish for her. Well done!

I think Chris' ride is a clear candidate for "ride of the 2016 Tour".  I expected Mike Hall to be really fast...maybe not 13.23 fast, but still...

To beat the old single-speed record by 4 days is hard for my brain to process.

Yeah, that is simply mind boggling. I bet Mike and Chris sleep for a week now.

I don't remember this has been posted before : http://www.motorcyclenews.com/sport/tt-road-races/2016/january/video-guy-martin-talks-tour-divide/
Great guy doing the TD as a celebrity but clearly as a rookie! After finishing in much less than 20 days, he can be very proud of himself. His sideburns remind me of Sir Bradley, but his facial expression is more like Sir Richard.

I don't want to be a spoil sport but while he did it in less than X days he DID NOT follow the race route in many places. Notably he took the easy road around Union Pass, not the CDT alternate and the easy way around the Sapillo CDT amongst 3 or 4 others.
Rule 5. TD Route: Aside from the 4 permitted deviations listed below, challengers must always ride 100% of the Great Divide ‘main route’ as denoted by the most current map edition published by ACA. For TD`13, the 2011 printing is still the most current edition. Previous map editions may not be used unless updated with the most current ACA Addenda. Addenda 'sets' are specific to each map printing edition. *Don't disqualify a perfectly good time trial simply because your maps are outdated and/or you paired them with the wrong addenda. There is a supplemental GPX file of the official TD 'race route' revised annually. Refer to it, even if not navigating by GPS.

 While still a huge effort to ride from Canada to Mexico, we can't compare his ride with any of the racers. (End Toby-esque rant)

Great effort by Chris P. I thought I saw somewhere that he was pushing 32-16 gearing?! How did he climb those mountains? He must be an animal!

Going to be very close for sub 14 days. Come on Mike!!

It looks like it will be about 13 Days, 23 hours?

Will there be anyone there to meet him?

Awesome effort!

Dark technical riding is where the fun begins! Keeps you on your toes, if not... on your face

You think he'll be under 13d 20h? It'll be close. Get it Mike!

That particular technical single track is not fun at all. With 2500 miles in the legs it is sheer torture and forces many a rider shed a tear. I am almost finished my CDT counselling sessions......

On another note- Go Mike!! It is all downhill (almost) fromSilver City!

Gah, you guys, we're not allowed to get a little excited about a Tour Divide champion from last year kicking ass in another endurance race this year? It's outrageous!

As for Tour Divide racing talk then - my Australian friend Jackie is kicking ass in the female race, but it looks like she's now the only female still racing. It's not quite the same as the strong female field of last year, which was a really exciting competition to watch. But I'm still watching Jackie leapfrog to and fro with the 20 day mark, and cheering for a sub-20 day finish.

I am rooting for the 20 Day flag.........I know where it will stop each night, unlike Jackie!
I kid.  I hope Jackie smashes it into the teens for her finish.

Your turn next year Megan? How is that knee?
Dave.

It looks like TS has camped at Elwood Cabin, just over Indianna Pass.  That is one of the most picturesque section on the route. I hope he gets to see it in the daylight.
Meanwhile, MH is cruising past Hopewell Lake at 2:30am!

No one has mentioned it but it looks like the golden spike was driven in Salida this morning.

A lot further south than ever before.

Does anyone know much about the Northbound riders this year? I have seen no mention of them at all on the forum.

hi folks!
looks like i'll see mike sometime this afternoon...ready as ever for the onslaught!

on another note, anyone have any idea what has happened to "Terry Smith"...?
it looks like he's taking the columbine alternate??
which is a bummer, as i was looking forward to getting his story...(and feeding him some pizza!)
better luck next time, i guess!


more soon!

Yeah, bummer for us too Kirsten as a photo would have been nice. I noticed that he has taken the old route 3 times so far, twice on day 1 near Spray Lake and Elkford and then again on Union Pass. (Edit: Looks like he cut South Pass and Atlantic City off too) He must be just doing his own thing as he hasn't been relegated yet(orange dot). But why bother with tracking in the Tour Divide Race if you aren't going to do the race route? His time will be slightly irrelevant.......and half the point of doing the TDR is to stop in at Brush Mtn to see YOU!
I hope you are progressing well and feel great. Looking forward to photos of happy riders after their BML experience!
Dave H.

Nice work, everyone!

Yes, yes indeed.

Golden Spike In Breck this year? Mike is haulin'.

It looks like Mike Hall has finally found a bed and checked into Lava Mountain Lodge. He is at least half a day in front of Josh's flag from last year. It is going to be interesting to see if he can sustain the pace for another week.