Mat, the closures I am referring to are due to the drying conditions in the NF.  In NM the course goes through numerous jurisdictions but the weather doesn't give a damn about political lines.  With the heat and drying more closures can come on fast.  No district supervisor wants to be the guy who kept his turf open and then has a fire.  Futhermore, it is cheaper to manage a closed park so there is a subtle motivator to jump on the bandwagon.

Yep, OK. Thanks SD. Thankfully the GDMBR is open for now. TD is fully dialed in with the boys at Beaverhead Work Ctr and the Black Range Mgmt office in T or C. Please keep us posted if you hear anything else in the news.

Eddie Clark just posted a MF article with some great pics:
http://www.mountainflyermagazine.com/view.php/2011-tour-divide-post-1of-3.html

Eddie's Josh Schifferly image is timeless and really says, 'TD day 10': http://www.mountainflyermagazine.com/img/upimages/eddie_clark/2011_TourDivide1/EClark_2011_TourDivide_1447.jpg

Also, man, Marysville, MT looks beautiful. Sorry I didn't get to see that detour.

More NM closure info: http://www.demingheadlight.com/ci_18259846

Thanks for mentioning the effect of the Wallow fire on the route thru the Gila. That Headlight piece is 10 days old now, but you find current info here: http://nmfireinfo.wordpress.com/2011/06/21/wallow-fire-update-6102011-1030-am/#more-2684 ...and the current closure map is here: http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5308057.pdf for now the eastern boundary of the Gila restriction is still NM 180/12/32 (west of the GDMBR). Let's hope it stays this way.

On the course closures side of things, the two roadies (Rob and Parker) and Josh mentioned to me today that several parts of the Yampa river bike path in Steamboat are flooded and 6-8' deep.  They wasted some time trying to figure that out.  I think it's fairly obvious how to detour around on parallel roads, and it must be what everyone is doing.

What I suggested to those who emailed me from 'the Boat' yesterday (yep there's been lots of emailing from course this year), is to stay on Lincoln Ave (40) thru downtown until intersecting with Mt Werner rd. A right on Mt Werner will put riders back on Co Rd 14, a.k.a River Rd, or Railroad ave.

I'm really near the place where the Wyoming reroutes start, I'm looking at 3 major passes, the first doesn't look too bad, but the third is insanity. 50 miles? I think I have to tap out and take the reroute. Adventurous is one thing. Dangerous is another.

Justin may be looking at the maps at the end of a long hot day across MT big sky country, or he's getting exaggerated local info. Union pass will only be 15-20 of snow, not 50. It's nothing he hasn't seen already. 50 would be the max between all three snow sections combined. Perhaps he'll have time to reassess b/f he 'taps out'. He's sooo close to being done with it. His best move is to ride to as close to the beginning of Flagg Ranch Rd snow as possible tonight (15mi in on the rd). It freezes in there at night so it should be solid till 11am or so.

I hope there wasn't any forward progress involved.

Oh, but there was. Only, I was running awkwardly behind the bike uttering 'MF', rather than pedaling it. The bike (and rider) got away temporarily, but I believe he moved laterally off route almost immediately (before progressing). The very slow-to-respond Grants police slapped me with a 2hr bureaucratic penalty so I consider it a wash. In the end it meant i didn't have to move on from Pie Town before the Pie-o-neer opened so there was a silver lining.

No funding required - just another rule about the use of performance enhancing drugs and supplements that is consistent with the spirit of the event being a solo adventure.

Fair enough, and I suppose it's worth it's weight in font. It falls in line with the other un-enforceables.

For the record, my take on Rx for TD is, if it's over the counter or you are carrying a medically justified scrip for it, it's fair game. Weed would be the only OTC exception that I could care less about. Though perhaps not true of a 3-500mi event, for TD it's simply not possible to excel by it (for very long).

Every considered a rule about racing clean, without prescription meds or performance enhancing supplements? I guarantee it would change the whole event.

TD can't even afford to pay the 5K environmental assessment required to obtain permission to use the Spray River trail in BNP. How would you propose Rx testing be funded?

so, if its common knowledge that a hoteling is slower, then there is no reason to change the rules to include or exclude hotel stays,  by staying in a hotel, one is by default slowing down, causing more mental difficulty etc.    If it were somehow giving people an edge, to stay in a hotel then it would be something to be concerned about,  but since its not....
Also, using local businesses is going to keep the locals happy and hopefully will continue to treat the racers/riders with respect.

I wouldn't say it's common knowledge. We forget that 75% of TD racers do not read this forum...but yep, it's a good, 'neither required or prohibited' element. They're just one of many trappings to steer clear of. It doesn't mean we can't try to help prospective racers see the light on the matter, or feel as if it bears negatively on the unsupported ideal. Many only have one shot at TD. Doing it right the first time is hard to do. Helping people mitigate regret is what some of these forum threads are all about.

Everything you said about sleeping out being faster, smoother transitioning and overall a better experience is true. Still, I disagree with your assertion that hotel use is simply a sign of weakness. The Tour Divide isn't a camping race. It's a cycling race. Each racer should be allowed to decide which ways they can best refuel and recover for the long days in the saddle this race requires. The Tour Divide also isn't a wilderness race — regular interactions with civilization are just part of the deal.
Of course if you really want to require "in-the-dirt style," the TD can set a "limited hotel stay" rule. But unless you want to go down that slippery slope of legislating "the TD experience," it's probably better to allow individual racers' experiences to happen organically. Eventually most rookies, especially if they ever return, will realize all the ways in which nightly stays in towns actually slow them down in the long run.

Organic is good, but i tend to disagree that towns are an organic part of TD (the race). Resupply intervals were not designed for today's ultralight/speed style. Every other interval is merely a speed trap. TD is a bikepacking race. An adventure race by bike. IMO, that makes it a camping race. The camping isn't required, like it is for CTR or some of the more wildernessy bikepacking ultras, but still, we carry kits for a reason--and its not for emergency use only. I would love to legislate out excessive motel use but as you say, how much does an event like TD really want to enforce that? Re. legislating experience, you say that like it's a bad concept. There's nothing wrong with legislating experience for a race. A race is a race, and rules are there to keep the playing field level, and to some degree, to 'legislate experience'. If one wants to experience the GDMBR without legislation, touring it is the way to go. Many TD challengers have defaulted to this, and there's nothing wrong with this. But regarding the 'race', getting motels is a sign of weakness because doing so limits one's mileage. The primary Divide racing objective is to get to the opposite terminus as fast as humanly possible. This is not accomplished by staying in motels.

Steve left very early this morning.
I am not sure about the time wasting, he got in eat and a phone call in 20 minutes, showered and crashed. Photo on website.
He arrived here at dusk left before dawn.

Once in a blue moon timing works out perfectly, particularly in Colorado, and these occasions are things of beauty.

Jefe has not yet spent a night indoors and not yet showered (as of Salida).  He might beat you to the punch on a truly dirty divide traversal

This just warms my heart to hear. It's no coincidence, then, he's where he is in the virtual GC.

How often did you change chamois/shorts? Did you bring extras or ship them to PO's. I am one of those 24hr racers that changes chamois/shorts/socks a few times in a race, call me soft but days on end, not to mention weeks in same clothes would be a mental for me. Fresh clothes is like fresh legs for a bit.

one pair of shorts at a time, replaced at the half way point. you get over the mental part of needing to feel clean.

Since we're making predictions, I'm going with Kurt for the SB. It will be interesting to see who finishes first Kurt/Jefe/ Ethan or Paul going North.

Paul intends to ride main route sections between Basin and Ovando, (and possible the Ca. Flathead) so me thinks he's not in contention for first to either terminus.

For the southbound route, I'm thinking Kurt since Ethan is currently around 100 miles behind. Not an insurmountable lead, but certainly a factor. Adding that to the fact that they were all riding together a few days ago, and it seems like things are not trending his way

E has been suffering from knee pain since waking up with K & J (super cold) on Ute Pass. He said he had to let them go on the run into Breck. He's been riding piano lately and said he hasn't the drive to sacrifice his knee with the summer work season just beginning in CB. It's easy for us to imagine him making another run at the front, but at this point in the race it's also easy to 'settle' for what nature and the body are dealing you.

Assuming that Jefe & Kurt are relatively equal physically, it just seems like Kurt (barring any mechanicals) is going to have the advantage with gears down the line.

Yep this will be huge come the 170mi pavement detour after Cuba. It's a shame it disadvantages SSers so, but i'm not sure what to do long term with the main route stretch thru there. Would love to mandate dirt, but there's LOTS of mud/sand and several deep arroyo crossings on the main route if wet...and Stamstad set the detour precedent, Curiak upheld it, so it's tough to eliminate it now. 

Sorry, not trying to shame anyone. Dylan enjoys the adventure of bikepacking. While I admire his in-the-dirt style, I certainly don't mean to disparage anyone else who does the race differently.

No, no, i was extending the shame. Although the counties with stiff motel taxes love the idea of TdH, 'in-the-dirt' style is what TD is going for. One or two nights in is reasonable. My record is one room for a full tour, but that required restraint a couple depressing nights as i rode away from the warmth of village lights/critter comforts to try and prove the point to myself.

I just chatted with Dylan Taylor this morning. He is feeling good and strong. A few minor maladies like everyone, but nothing that's slowing him down. Unlike some of the other "Tour de Hotel" riders out there, he's only spent one night in a hotel--and reports that he almost drowned in the bathtub after falling asleep! He had great day yesterday, and looks poised to work his way up the standings. If he does this like he did the CTR last year, I expect that he'll just get stronger as the race progresses.

'Tour de Hotel': it's a slightly shameful moniker. I don't want to judge folks for their use of motels in heinous weather years like this one, or `09 or the first half of `10, but sleeping rough should be an essential element of the TD experience. Not only is it faster in the long run, it's more steady, transitions less depressing, generally more even keel. Crossing over into civilization each night is evil. If motel use is trending out of hand, it might be a sign the event is attracting a different cloth than intended. Then again, it could just be a sign the challenge is much harder than most are prepared to endure, so they default to a more credit card touring mentality. Tough one to assess.

Now, full disclosure: I've known Kurt for a long time, and my company is one of his sponsors. I have the most tremendous respect for Ethan and Jefe and all of the TD and ITTers out there, but definitely have a soft spot wanting to see Krefs pull this one off in a big way!

One of the bigger things in Kurt's favor (particularly at this stage) is the 'veteran' tag next to his name. He has paid his dues, which is a big deal in TD. It's a very rare thing to return from Antelope Wells with both top rookie and GC honors.

"Una" as in one?  It is more fun not to count them.

That's true of the final 65 miles of lonely highway to AW. It's marked with mile markers but it's absolute torture to look at them.

BTW, the internet is a wonderful thing, look what I just found:  http://www.summitpost.org/hachita-rest-stop/376181

Hey, we have that pic on TD.org too! http://www.tourdivide.org/photos/new_mexico#697

It would be interesting to see Paul take the same set of detours as the sobos.  IIRC the detours are not the same for the nobos.

I never expected it would be necessary to make all detours bidirectional--the goal is always to ride as much of the main route as possible. But, from the sound of Justin's highly anticipated report of the main route, it looks like nearly all will need to be in play. The earth is just really cold in NW MT! Perhaps there will be a fairly straight-up comparison of Paul A's ride after all. We'll see what he wants to do. He told me by phone from Atlantic City he really wants to try and ride the Canadian Flathead if at all possible.

Hey Matt!

Vroom Vroom!

Re: reroutes for the NoBos, you can probably allow them to take the route
between Helena and Butte, it's snow-free enough to allow you to get
through without snowshoes, but I found this section, more than any other
section the most difficult to get through, since it's pretty ripped up,
even for a 4x4 track. Lots of mud, lots of downed trees, lots of rocky
ascents/descents - lots of just nasty stuff. Everything else is a defiant
NO -

Lincoln to Helena is completley snow-free, although again, some of the
route is pretty ripped up, especially leaving Helena up Stemple Pass - the
creeks are over their limits and go into the road. I was able to navigate
Lincoln to Helena almost all by night, only getting lost for a few minutes
at Stemple Pass itself (easy enough to find the route, though) Everything
else is a defiant NO -

Huck pass is no real big deal. Snow on the east side, but it's real packed
down - again, didn't use snowshoes. Probably ~2-3 miles of packed down
snow. Did it in the afternoon (double-check my Spot, as my IQ is a little
down from the miles), so it may not be necessary to what till morning to
siege it.

Everything else is a defiant NO - Richmond Peak is a mountaineering
traverse - very dangerous - my bike slid down while I was cutting steps
and then I slipped down while retrieving the bike. Lots of snow on the
east side. Eureka to Whitefish is impassable because of snow without a
huge snowshoe trudge. Whitefish is another snow traverse - extremely
beautiful though and Red Meadow Lake is a Winter Wonderland. I had to
bivvy up there, as I lost the track and didn't want to keplunk into the
Lake itself. Long long long slog.

Canada... The Flathead section was probably a highlight of my entire year
and a major highlight of my career of riding bikes, but it's also very
snowed in. That cabin was incredible. I was so glad there was dry wood and
a huge axe to chop it.

Elk Pass was no problem except for the mud, the snow there should be gone
really soon.

I'm really really glad you decided to make these reroutes - especially
Flathead in Canada - the amount of carnage of 70 cyclists going through
that would have been not-so-much fun for anyone. For me, alone, it was
just incredible.

Hope that helps,

Justin

Looks like they all went up to the creek, and turned back to the 134 detour.  Strange, because Paul callled that in on his NOBO route, and they saw him yesterday.

as creek levels can drop rapidly, riders were urged to sight-verify before skipping it on the paved road.

nice picture, just a wee bit more snow up there than last yr eh

humm, so once the leader board is back up (Scott where art thou) we might see EP and JB past Steamboat while KR's waits for a shop to open--ahh the suspense

yep, just a bit more snow. looks pretty consolidated though. patience grasshoppers on the live tracker...technical difficulties. we'll get it rolling again asap. thanks for the reports marko. good to hear from you! i can provide you all with this inside info: the sobo leaders are leaving steamboat together. paul is just entering the great basin north of rawlins

Golden Spike at Brush Mtn Lodge--wow 5 riders there

Fitting that one of them is an ITT'er from New England with the initials Dave B.

...that's all for now. We should probably be riding instead of having a party.

Woot. Party for Dave Blumenthal.

I hope someone places something at the site.

There's a lodge there already. kirsten hopes to video the guys, if she can manage while cooking for them. a cool moment, indeed.

I think that it's very clear that nobody should call Ethan--as much as we all want to. I remember when my wife thought that I'd gone off-course during the CTR (I was OK, just enjoying an overlook!), and she really, really, really wanted to text me--but she didn't because she knew the rules.

I don't want to start another rules thread, but I think it's worth noting that rules that limit what spectators do are going to be nearly impossible to enforce. What's Ethan going to do if someone calls him and blurts out that he's missed a turn? Should he really be disqualified? Tough one for sure, and I'm really glad that it's not my job to settle issues like this...

Yep, nobody should call Ethan or others when they get confused on course. It's one thing in an emergency, to fax or fed-ex a rider new cues because they lost their map or cue systems. That's OK. But, phoning a rider to help interpret maps/cues, inform them of their exact location, or assist in correcting navigational errors is, well, cheating.  How does TD stop it from happening? They don't. How does TD limit what spectators do? Simple: the only way they can--through the riders themselves. Just like grand tour road racers must never accept food or liquid from rabid tifosi along the roadside for fear of contamination/scandal, TD riders must also behave defensively towards well-meaning, but out of line SPOT-stalking superfans. It's not hard to decline everything from persons met in encounters clearly not a result of happenstance. Over time, education will keep everyone mostly in line.

FWIW, Ethan's error is a minor detour snafu, not an egregious main GDMBR error, so (unofficially) he won't be relegated for this one. It was decided during the creation of the detours, while trying to proof the turns/mileage, that if riders made minor deviations during detours that were NOT materially shorter, it would not be grounds for relegation. Was this announced to riders in advance? Of course not. But it's the reality of this crazy 'Tour Detour' 2011.

"WYO 70 closed to through traffic indefinitely" -From the WyDOT website
(note this is on the GDMBR. TD are talking with WyDOT, investigating detours)


Snow removal operations on WYO 70 over Battle Pass between Baggs and Encampment are expected to take another two weeks to complete, however, once finished, the highway still won’t be reopened to through traffic because of a landslide that has taken out about 200 yards of the road.

WYDOT’s geologists hope to begin drilling and mapping efforts at the slide site on June 27 to gather the  information needed to assess the alternatives for repairing the highway or detouring traffic around the slide damage.

District Maintenance Engineer Tim McGary said it could take until mid-July to get all the information needed to fully assess the options and choose a course of action, so the closure to through traffic will be indefinite.

The slide is located at milepost 30, just west of the 17-mile highway section closed during the winter