Went for a training ride on Oct 3rd and this is what the top of Goat Creek Trail looked like.  Good thing the race is in the spring!

This route looks great!  Maybe someday when I can get enough time off I can get it done.  I know it rains a fair bit out there.  When is the best time of year to go...if there is one?

I don't have any experience riding the major bikepacking races (planning on TD in 2016), but have done some long distance riding with the loaded bike.  I did a training ride between Lake Louise and Jasper, then back again the next day on a 29er.  It is a paved highway with a fair amount of climbing and I used 32:16.  It worked quite well.  I was able to go at a decent speed on the flats and downhills and cranking up the hills was manageable.  I think on gravel 32:18 for the TD would work okay due to the higher rolling resistance.

Thanks for the great insight on the lock issue!

How about dynamo vs. buying batteries on the way?  I like the idea of a dynamo, but the cost is quite large for something I may not use too much day to day.  If I get a handlebar light and helmet light of about 250 lumens each that run on AAs, I can use those for other things like commuting and camping.  Would that be enough light for the race? 

The only other item to charge would be a phone and I could probably get a solar charger with a battery pack for that.

My plan is pretty similar.  Commuting 5 days a week with the average riding time being 1 hour total.  I will start training with the plan below about 5-6 months before the race.

1 extra long commute per week where I do hill repeats:  10-20m warm up; 50m hill repeats; 10-20m cool down. 
Another extra long commute per week where I do intervals:  10-20m warm up; 50-60m intervals (varied patterns); 10-20m cool down. 

Saturday is long ride day of about 7-10 hours on average at a steady pace.  There will be some weekends where I will try a 2-3 days of long rides in a row.  These would be fully loaded mini-trips to check the gear as well.

I think something like that might be the way to go too.  So far on overnight rides I have brought 2-Bordo lite locks that link together at 650g each.  It seems like too much weight, but I feel uneasy about locking up with something that can be cut by a simple pair of wire cutters.  I guess the type of thief to stop would be the guy noticing your bike and walking away with it.  I might start shopping for a cable lock that is a bit thicker so you would need a heavier pair of cutters to get through.

I may be starting this a bit early, but I am excited about the TD in 2016!  I was wondering what everyone brought for a lock...if any.  I am paranoid about having my bike stolen.

Thanks for the confirmation! All the best going for a new one.  Do you mind saying what gear ratio you are using? Or is that a trade secret...?

Does anybody know what the "official" men's SS record is for the TD?  The most recent I could find was Chris Plesko's run.  Does that still stand?