I hate to say it, but this sh*t is getting depressing totally epic.

I was hoping my ride report showed that even with that snow, it can be crossed with a cheap pair of snowshoes.

The minstrel/Chinook-like winds in South Park that were blowing me literally off my bike proved way more spirit crushing - going 4 mph on HW 24, hoping to get water and food in Hartsel.

Would you say you NEEDED those snow shoes for that section?

You're sure that was agreement?  Could have been just her trying not to upset the crazy man.

Well, at least down the road I can claim she was in agreement!

Send me a PM if you are still looking for a Fred Bar.

Unless I have missed an email or a posting or something I understand that as of now the route is still the main ACA route, allowing for the three alternates in the rules (Gold Crest Trail and 2 x NM).

Matthew did mention a couple of weeks ago that the Fernie alternate might be allowed and possibly one in NW Montana.

Anything else is just speculation, mild or wild, on our part by people who should be training - or packing in my case;-)

I guess we still need to wait to find out what the route will be in 2011.  Looking unlikely to count for overall GC but it is still going to be a great few weeks wherever we end up. My excuse for a second visit to the race is looking good, already planted the seed with my partner....

Same here. I made an offering to my spouse... "Sounds like this year might just be an adventure/tour then I can come back next year and whip it good."

She just nodded her head in agreement!

Who is planning on bringing snowshoes?

Seriously.

Totally sick.

“If you have a specific tire you like a lot, post a spare to Salida (and maybe also Pinedale, if you are nervous about its wear rate).”

Be careful chaps - best check out the rules (namely rule 2) if you are doing the TD.
You wouldn’t want to make it all the way to AW and not be eligible for the GC.

See rule #5. Posting prearranged resupply packages are ok for racers, so long as they are sent to a post office general delivery.

Perhaps we should just reroute for some random fire roads through the dakotas, nebraska, and kansas then finally back into NM.

Yeah, at this point I'm pretty sure the route is at least skimming a few of the outer circles of Dante's Inferno....

Not that I'm complaining, 'epic suffering' is my favorite sport.

i recognize it from here: http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=13631637

Is it just me or does this article make it sound like the TD route goes right through armageddon?

Do I detect a slight resentment in your humor for losing the right to say you raced the most epic snow edition ever? SoBos should def. get a patch this year.

Not to fear, though. TD is prepared to legalize the ACA Fernie Alternate as a way to lessen the blow. It doesn't mean riders can't travel the main race route throughout, only that TD will not DQ a rider who opts around the Flathead.

Hey Matthew,

Thanks for all that you are doing for the race despite the new kiddo and all. When can we expect that the TD will make the final decision about the Fernie alternate (and other changes)? I'm only asking because I will be traveling sans computer/electronics and I therefore will not be able to change any tracks in my GPS once I leave for Banff.

Just a heads up for those still making plans. The Banff Airporter guys were really cool and laid back. I would def recommend going with them.

The sky is falling ..... the sky is falling!!!!!!!!   

I can't wait!

What an adventure this is going to be!!!

Wait, is this true? Is the sky really falling? What type of reroute will be need to avoid the falling sky over union pass?

I have the updated cues. I am referring to the deviations that TD is using this year. I know that there is a deviation to take advantage of a sweet single track section and I believe there are others but I'm not seeing anywhere that they are all listed in one spot....

any word on the updated 2011 Gpx file???

There hasn't been any word yet.

Does anybody have or know where I can get the definitive list of changes that the TD will be using in leu of the ACA maps? I can't find the list of course deviations.

Here is a Stan's question:

This past week, I had a slow leaker on my front tire and Stan's wouldn't seal it.  After taking the tire off, Stan's had turned into a yellowish liquid.  There wasn't any of the latex left in the liquid.  The Stan's was only about 1 week old.  I had just finished a pretty long weekend out in the hill country of Central and West Texas, where it was in the 90's during the day. 

Has anyone seen this before?   Is this the issue with Stan's in high temperatures I have heard of? 

That's what happens when Stan's dries out. It can happen in high heat or over long periods of time.

thanks! i purchased them but was expecting to get an email with files to print. any idea how it works?

It takes a few days for them to process the order. Keep in mind you have to purchase the cues separately (Only 8.75 extra for the digital cues).

There are a few changes for the TD course that are not on the ACA maps.

I have had my Revelate/Epic seat bag (the large size) packed to the brim for a multi-day snow bike race and I have it on my summer rig currently. I've never had problems with sway.

If any of you riders out there are looking for frame bags and such there is a new company making them.

http://ride365ak.com/

They make great stuff and they are great to work with. I have been seeing their stuff out on the trail and it looks pretty sweet. I hear they have a quick turn around time too.....

Matt lee seemed to indicate that the "old" td track on topofusion was "certified" official in Feb in the thread here.

http://www.bikepacking.net/forum/index.php?topic=1666.0

But then I believe there are two small changes and then a bigger one in the gila.

I'm hoping Scott feels like updating a fresh GPX file, if not my plan is to take the aca gpx and add in the silver city re-route as I think that's the only change from the ACA, (I could be wrong altogether here).

I see.

I was under the impression they were going to notify us when the track was updated on the Topofusion website.

Anybody hear word about the 'official TD GPS track' yet?