Anyway, at least 5 of the 6 SoBo riders that have passed through the Gila have run out of food and/or water well before the end of the new singletrack section above Pinos Altos, so if anyone out there reads this and talks to riders yet to reach this section, strongly advise them to make sure they have ample supplies before tackling this last slow section of the course. In this heat, it's downright dangerous to push for several hours without water!

Thanks Kurt. We hope you're getting in some good 'active recovery' in Silver City. Great place to decompress.

Regarding water and the final push into Pinos Altos, thanks for the warning to riders. I would add there is water 2 miles or so off-route west on Hwy 35 at Lake Roberts Store. When this section was included, there was a spigot in the Sapillo campground that was 'supposed' to be active this summer, but alas, it didn't have the pump volume required. Anyway, my presumption was that all but the gonzo would need to re-up at Lake Roberts. It's 16 or so tough miles to P.A. Average times to Silver are about an hour longer than the old route, and no Mimbres Store to re-up. The Sapillo is a critical strategic point: carry on if you have *some* water, resupply off route if you don't. I hope those still to come play it smart. Thanks again.

Doubt it.  Unless RG stops for a LONG time in Silver City.  They are roughly 80 miles apart.  Looks closer on the screen, but you know that's 1/2 to 3/4 of day apart.

When judging distance and time in TD, (esp. manic NM) it's all about the average speed along a given section. Beaverhead Work Ctr to where RG is currently pushing up the Sapillo CDT hike-a-bikes are slowish miles. 7mph avg., maybe, which means 8-10hrs (or more) gap, esp. with a healthy AH pit at the Work Ctr H2O spigot.

You'd have to send it quite early.  A rider a couple of years ago had his bike held up in customs.

I have to ask (again, and with all due respect), what is the aversion to flying with one's bike? it's the only way to go for the type of high stakes/tight tolerances a TD attempt dictates.

Where's Dejay Birtch headed now...?  Did he miss the turn on to 197 whilst frolicking with the elk?

he is knowingly, or unknowingly ponying up for the main route. it's beautiful in there, but rarely used by TD racers. good on him for going for it. it's nice to see at least one gangster travel it annually.

Thanks lmc81224 for the Mountain Flyer link!  Exciting to read about Kurt's and Jefe's final suspenseful moments!

The TD`11 finish was what ESPN calls an 'Instant Classic'. Congrats to Kurt...and Jefe. And yes, it was nice to finally have a journalist at the finish, especially one who takes ace pics.

TD has a working list of 2011 press here: https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreadsheet/pub?hl=en_US&hl=en_US&key=0AkjYTTBAyG5KdGxhT0FNN0gwMVFDNVFRcTlYeXA5MFE&output=html

I'm sure there's lots more out there, so please mention new items as you read/hear of them.

Good info. I am hoping for a call in since Matt had the inside magic crystal ball info in regards to Jefe water situation. Hope ethan keeps the water filled!

I wonder whats on the menu at Grinder Mill - Silver City - tonight. Its great Kurt and Jefe seem to be hanging together when possible.

Mmm...the Grinder Mill. One burrito for there (smothered), two to go. For anyone who hasn't visited Silver City, i mean really hung out there for a few days, you're missing out.

Here's all the reconn. images from the Sapillo CDT addition: https://docs.google.com/present/view?id=dgjmpj64_264dgqk4hgs

It's 7 miles of fairly rough half track, marked with cairns and CDT emblems. Riding sobo there are a couple hike-a-bikes to get up on the ridge. Trail offers amazing views of the 'Gila Conglomerate' rock of Skates Canyon. Most of the ridge trail is pretty exposed. Eventually it moves into Ponderosa forest. I believe up thread one of the Nobo riders was complaining about this segment. Not surprised if what one is expecting is SoCal-style groomer trail.

Ouch. How does a rookie figure out all the water options/strategy?

Obsessing, i guess...but, gotta say, that was a bit of a sleepy omission on Jefe's part. Generally any FS Work Ctr is going to have water. The North Star Rd (FR 150) following the work ctr. is notoriously climby, hot, rough. Stamstad called it one of the hardest segments of his `99 ITT. And to magnify things, riders now take the CDT an additional hot, exposed 7 miles along Skates Canyon rim before reaching Pinos Altos. I'll try to upload some of the reconn. images from the new CDT stuff. It's called the 'Sapillo' segment of the CDT. There's a couple mean hike-a-bikes in the beginning.

Looks like Kurt and Jefe just finished ice cream in Pinos Altos and are headed into Silver. Rumor has it Jefe never resupplied with water at Beaverhead Work Ctr and has ridden the past 5 or six hours without water. Ouch.

should have known Mathew (and others in the USA?) would be glued to their screens even at 4am to see how the grand finale happens...

Ha! Yep...though I'm Eastern time, and with a 10week old in the bed with us, 6am is standard rise.

Waiting for Jefe to catch him to ride in together to the finish? Succumbing to the heat of the desert?

Doubtful. Just resting up himself for the final push.

Less rested than Jefe who had a hotel stop and shower ready for his final push to the finish?

No, now more rested than Jefe who 'worked late'.

Camped in the middle of the trail so Jefe has to ride past, hoping to play on his heartstrings so he wakes him up, then Kurt uses his gears in a sprint finish to the line?

Basically. If they reach Separ (I-10) together, no way it's a sprint finish unless there's a 25mph headwind.  

:-) Exciting stuff!

Oh yeah.

[0352 am, Beaverhead Work Ctr. Gila NF.]

0352 am, Beaverhead Work Ctr. Gila NF. Situation with the leaders: Kurt is sleeping in the pkg lot at the water pump. Jefe is just up the road. Jefe doesn't 'pass go' without checking in with Kurt, then. Pretty good strategy on Kurt's part. It's fitting that it comes to down to water on the CD. 75 miles of extremely hilly terrain including 7mi of challenging CDT singletrack remain to reach Pinos Altos. It should be neat to watch them tackle the Black Range's relentless climbing if together. It will be morning cool-ish for the bulk of the nasty hors category pitches. The idea of Pinos Altos serving as a mountain top finish for TD has been discussed at times in the past. But ultimately the lonely highway to the Mx border has been deemed integral to the experience. My, what an uncertain outcome this edition would hold if it actually ended with CDT singletrack!

The bunch has long since passed Butte, but none will forget what The Outdoorsman does to support Divide riders. Leipheimers know well the dedication required to podium in a Grand Tour.

http://pushpedalcrank.com/?p=124

"Looks like PA missed a turn near Holland Lake.  "
Is this another reroute situation?

Not a new reroute situation, but not to worry. The first release of the Detours GPS track omitted that segment down low along Holland Lake due to an exaggerated snow report. Track was then updated, to include it. It's utterly gorgeous in there. So, Paul may not have input that edit. He will not be penalized. In the meantime (since Sobos passed) we received notice from Fish/Wildlife that the segment was 'closed last week due to active bear trapping'. One wild and crazy year on course. It's been quite a headache. Payback, I guess, for all the years i 'organized' and had too much fun racing, too.

What is the "proper" course of action to take when riders encounter an unexpected route closure like this?  Do they risk being relegated if they go off route without prior approval?  And who should they be contacting for advice and approval?

The goal when unexpected detours are required is, to the best of the riders judgment, to take the reroute that results in the soonest (safe/legal) return to the main route. In the case of this O`Haver Lake Campground fire, taking Hwy 50 does result in the soonest resumption. It's unfortunate those affected must take 50 as it's pretty darn sketchy, but there's no telling how long it will take for Marshall to open back up. It's a shame the dim-wit responsible couldn't wait 30 more minutes, and none of the riders would have been affected. Such is life on the Divide. Mother Nature levies another schism in the peloton.

The report from firefighters is the fire is small, but not yet contained. They have not requested back-up yet. Danny Hill's blue dot is pinned to the site of closure, so perhaps they have given him hope he'll be able to pass soon. Not sure. Two riders squeaked past just prior to closure.

The plan for those riders that follow in coming days is to require the main route if it's back open. The time penalty already felt by those affected more than makes up for the pavement detour, plus the pave amounts to nearly 1k feet more climbing, so it's probably a wash.

This morning's update on fire restrictions / closures from ABQ Journa:
Cuba Ranger District: All forest lands in Sandoval and Rio Arriba counties are closed except for:

Areas north of N.M. 126, with the exception of the area north of N.M. 126, south of Eureka Mesa and west of F.R. 126S to the forest boundary.

Thanks for the reminder about fire closures. Right now the only part of the route proximal to a closure is FR 70 and NM126 (the former rainbow gathering location) coming off the back side of Polvadera Mesa into Cuba. I can confirm thru my contact at the Cuba District office that the route is OPEN (only stage II restrictions).

Is there any word on the two ITT'ers starting today?  One nobo and one sobo.

Dave in the South has run into a similar delay as Karlos B. and is awaiting his sled in Lordsburg. Stephen H. up North is riding out a wait period so he can assail the full route without (too much) snow hiking.

The "Sheilas" et. al. are in Atlantic City.  Still about 4 hours of daylight left.  Wonder if they will push onward or call it a day.

Hands down the best way to tackle the Basin is with an evening resupply in AC, an early bivy as far out in the basin as you can get, then an early (noonish) arrival to Rawlins...followed by a quick exit b/f afternoon thunderstorms and wind get too heinous.

Paul has thus far taken the snow detours - so he has ridden the same route as the Sobos.  It looks like he's doing it faster too!  Here's the latest data crunch from the combined nobo/sobo's in the not yet released next version of bluedot.

Will he do the Flathead instead of taking the detour?  He is simply flying, and has basically ridden an ITT since northern NM.  A brilliant ride!

Paul called me to put in a request for the full detour cue set. We've cleared the full detour option for Nobo's (not originally the route plan) so it looks like Paul may treat us to a straight-up comparison. I have to wonder if the Stryker hike will not be slower/more rotten for him.

What is Tony Cervati doin' ?

I'll let him share his story. Think bears and whitewater. Look for him to do a restart tomorrow, (we hope).

Of course you realize don’t you that for some the addiction doesn’t stop just because your spouse isn’t racing in a particular race...Now she and I both watch and compare notes when ever a race is on/tracked with racers she has come to know through Spot tracking and bikepacking.net forums....a fan is a fan is a fan i guess

Do I smell a fantasy league brewing?

"and Stamstad set the detour precedent, Curiak upheld it, so it's tough to eliminate it now."

help...does not compute. The route in it's current form is considerably different from when Stamstad and Curiak pedaled it. Significant Sections have been added- Canada for example. Soon possible new sections after wise river-gold dust, new mexico CDT. Why is TD  adhering to precedent by retaining this particular stretch of New Mexico pavement, a notorious drunk driving corridor? Help me understand....

You should ride it and you will understand. Ideally a whole new route is created--which TD is not against. It's really the sum that conspires to keep it out of TD. Main route thru here is dangerous in a different way. There are 3 or 4 deep arroyo crossings that run deep with mud during monsoons; San Mateo closes at the drop of a hat for fire danger, and the past two years this section was 'closed' according to ACA for private land problems. It simply hasn't been aggressively pursued. There is also a section of road in there that must be 3-4mi long and is 6" deep sand, totally unrideable and hotter than blazes. More than any desert section, it's one where things could go wrong and you'd wither.  There is no water for the entire segment. When I rode it in `04, I was hazed by the same drunken fools that cruise the highway. indeed there's perhaps a more lawless element in there.

It looks like Jefe's batteries crapped out, and Kurt extended his lead a little also.  Kurt rode later and (I think) started earlier.  In any case from my eye there is no chance that Jefe is in front of Kurt.  But I could be reading it wrong too...Jefe's last few points are flakey...
...Maybe I'm wrong and Jefe is in Cuba!

Flakey is right. When you're that tired sometimes you forget to turn off the unit, which could be a partial explanation for the blackout (no reset). He didn't show many points overnight but it's possible flagging batteries make the unit appear as if it were shut down when it wasn't. Last point at 6am could be a typical time for daily reset. Don't recall Jefe traditionally having been one to veil his location, but this event is new territory for him.