Yes, yes and yes

Awesome! Are you ready, Woodland?

Anyone as excited as I am for June? I am jumping out of my skin to start! Hoping for healing for my back so I can start riding again.

Just remember that if the bear decided to give chase, you can't outrun it even on a downhill- they can go 35mph.

No doubt!

I saw 5 bears last year. 2 black between cabin pass and the border. 3 grizzly's - 2 between eureka and Tukchuck campground and 1 on the descent off of Richmond. All, but 1 took off as soon as they saw me, but the 1 that didn't really got in my head. It was on the climb up Whitefish divide. He was going up the road at dusk and so were we. We just walked a distance behind him with bear spray in hand, and he finally got off the road. Biggest bear I've ever seen. I was paranoid for the rest of the night, but I was fine by 4am when I wandered out of the Montana Hilton. I actually use a bluetooth speaker on my bars and play music when riding by myself in bear country, although given my experience last year maybe it doesn't work all that well.

Last June I saw 4 bears, one of which was a massive brown bear. He was about 25 yards away. He stood up and sniffed the air then turned his head towards me just as I passed by. I had a strong tailwind and was going about 12mph but dropped the hammer as hard as I could. He just stood there watching me go.

Thank you, Chris! I can't wait to get my copy!!

Loving all of the final finisher photos! So proud of all who took on the Tour Divide this year!
Many thanks to Blackfoot Angler Fly Shop for the Ovando updates and photos. So much appreciated!
Jeffrey Sharp - Thank you for the finish line photos!!

Cheers to all still out there!

Even if my body/mind were willing/able I will never go faster than 13:22:51.  Time of finish seems less important than the why we want to finish.

Exactly. I will always be slow due to medical conditions but my reason for racing has never been to win. It has been to give to the trail all I am, to give to others all I can, and to experience one of the most amazing opportunities of a lifetime. See you soon.

It's still very hard to believe Mike is gone.  Please continue to keep his family in your thoughts and prayers.

I was in most of those groups. I ran into a bit of an elitist attitude and it reminded me of why I don't do much on facebook.. This place has always been a bit more laid back.

Sorry to hear that. Please let me know about any specific experience you had etc and I will see what I  can  do  to  help.

10th anniversary of the TD is this year.

Just gets better with age.

The perfect year to race it!

I am one of the admins for the Facebook groups mentioned above.  I think there has been so much information and educating in regards to  bikepacking, races, gear etc that we have seen a notable lull in information exchange.  As new gear and innovative  technology continues, activity  levels will rise and fall respectively.

I love my groups and the people they are comprised of, along with the international information sharing. I also love this site as I easily tire of the distractions on Facebook, to include politics, ads, photos etc. I come here often to scan the posts and read up.

It's great to be a part of so many wonderful groups.

The re-routes will be on the gpx track right? I won't have to just know exactly where they are? Theoretically as long as you follow the gps line you should be fine...?

That is correct. Be sure to get the correct gpx, which will be released around mid May.

Well. If we’re talking about wrong turns, I’ve done four of those on the same day. The first occurred because my head was down and I was walking up a steep pitch, the gps was swinging wildly and I didn’t realize that the track turned off to the left before the top of the climb. Ooops. The second occurred when I got back down to the turn and followed the track the wrong way. The realization that I was at the bottom of the climb that I’d just spent the morning walking was a bit painful. My third wrong turn occurred because I had the wrong track loaded. I had an older track in the GPS and was following that instead of the current race track. It took a while to figure out that I wasn’t on the course even though the line was there on the GPS. Fortunately I did have the correct track in the GPS and I knew just enough to switch back to it. And once I got back to where I’d left the correct track … yeah I turned and went backwards.
Incidentally, I was watching the track of a friend of a friend on an ITT two years ago. He had a long slow slog into Lima, checked into a motel, got up in the morning and rode back out to Bannock Rd. Actually he rode backwards for eight hours before realizing that he’d messed up. That was painful to watch. At least he got to sleep in a motel two nights running.

I had two wrong turns. One was due to being distracted by an attacking rattlesnake. The other was because I was enjoying a descent too much. Luckily I realized within a quarter of a mile that since I wasn't climbing, something was wrong.

I'm in. Just have concerns about the navigation. Got any tips !

The GPX file you can upload to a Garmin 30 etc is fantastic. I get lost very easily but found my way to Antelope Wells without any course deviations.

Loving the energy, interest and pre-race discussion here. I am super excited to race again this year!
I'm glad to hear the maps will not be changing.  Less expenses for this free race.
If you want to stay true to the race course, be aware that there are a couple of sections that are not in alignment with the physical maps. For example, one is around 40 miles long. One deviation from the physical maps also completely bypasses a city.  You will need the GPX file to stay on course.
Enjoy the journey to the start line and I will see you all there!

Thoughts on adding the Tuscobia 150 (160 miles)?

It was nice to catch you in New Mexico and do some yo-yo'ing to the finish line, Dieter! You are one fast and strong rider!!

I love my Big Anges Fly Creek 1 Platinum.
I'm 5'5" and fit it perfectly. I wouldn't want to be any taller but I'm also very sensitive about anything touching my toes when I'm trying to sleep.
https://www.bigagnes.com/Products/Detail/Tent/FlyCreek1Platinum

I'm nervous, excited, still tired from this year's finish, and already planning my approach!

For the triple crown, is the ATR 750 required or the shorter distance?