The tracks for both the 300 and the 750 both see minor changes most years. Generally they're posted a couple weeks prior to start, but even then there could be last-minute updates if anything unexpected along the route comes up. Patience... :-)

The water caches that are being mentioned are kept up by AZT enthusiasts and segment stewards year-round for all Arizona Trail users, and any "public" water in the caches has been permissible to use during the race since the race began. I don't think anyone pretends to not use it, but no one should be 100% relying on that water being there, and it's not fair for folks to fill up a gallon or more since the water is somewhat limited. Grabbing water at Beehive Well and then topping off a couple bottles at Freeman is far more reasonable.

In recent years, a few AZT racers or past racers will go out both before and after the event to pick up empty cartons and drop of dozens of gallons to stock the caches and replace what gets used (I've taken 20+ gallons out to Freeman right before or during the race the past couple years). In the early years of the trail, the Freeman Road cache was the only one on the trail, but more have popped up. But none are officially maintained in any way, there's no schedule for verifying that water remains, and no guarantees of any sort that one will find water at any cache, so as mentioned above, you'd best know where else you might find water (per the ATA water datasheet  - there are a couple stock tanks a bit off route north of Freeman), or carry enough to get to the next reliable source.

I see water sources listed in the AZT water table, but having ridden twice through this area, I have never seen (nor looked for) any of them. Has anyone used anything else than the Freeman cache in the past? What are "tanks"? Do you have to climb up and into them? Is green water bad for you?

Those AZT Association water tables are pure gold, especially the reliability ratings they include. Just because it's been dry doesn't mean that some sources will be unreliable.

"Tanks" can mean almost anything in the Southwest. They could be big earthen tanks that were excavated and fill with runoff, they could be metal or concrete tanks into which water is pumped by windmills or gravity-fed by pipes, they could be trick tanks that gather rainwater and store it in any number of ways, and you'll likely find other styles. But if they have water in them, that's all that matters. If that water is green or brown with algae or has a floating cow pie, it's still water. Treat it generously or filter it and you should be fine. But in some tanks, especially the earthen ones, algae and sediment can clog water filters very quickly, so I'd recommend a back-up water treatment option like Aqua Mira.

As mentioned above, do your homework when it comes to water. Never count on any of the water caches to be stocked - have a back-up plan for where to get water if a cache is unexpectedly empty, and plan to have enough water to execute that back-up plan should the need arise.

This NPS website has some good updates on water availability in the Canyon. They've been doing repair work on their fussy water lines, so some of the normally reliable water spigots are turned off.

https://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/trail-closures.htm

Cursing at the trail will never get you anywhere.

It's finally time for me to have another adventure on the 750!

Scott, I think the Kaibab Plateau is going to be snow-free by April unless there's a big Spring storm. Maybe we should axe that snow detour for this year and put the most rideable miles of AZT into the race for real! Whaddya think?

And my thoughts on a few questions folks have asked...suspension front and rear and knobby 2.4" tires with reinforced casings are what I'd strongly recommend for this route, as well as shoes in which your feet will be happy hiking miles. (And there are still hundreds of miles of rugged trail after the end of the 300!)

Nothing about the AZT is similar to Tour Divide, or any other bikepacking race with which I'm familiar. Come expecting *slow*, challenging singletrack, lots of rocks (and then add a lot more rocks for good measure), ample hike-a-bike, hot days, and cold nights. There have even been blizzards out there a couple different years! It's absolutely amazing, but, as mentioned above, do your homework so you show up with your expectations set within the realm of reason.

And join the Arizona Trail Association if you haven't already. Without all their work, we wouldn't be doing any of this - they deserve a donation from all of us.

I'm going with an MRP Rock Solid fork on my next build. Round tubes makes it easy to mount multiple water bottle cages.

I used the MRP fork in TD back in 2012 absolutely loved it. It smoothed out washboards better than any other rigid fork I've ridden!

Happy holidays to all you TD schemers out there. 6 months to go...time to nail down your training plan and double down on the prep work :-D

I am wondering how many riders were on a 1x configuration at this years race? anyone have any info on that?

Sandstorm, more and more riders have been using 1x11 drivetrains in bikepacking ultras in the past few years. For TD, it seems common that a 34T chainring with a ~10-42T cassette works well. Some riders prefer a slightly easier gear, and others have complained that a 34T ring didn't let them go fast enough.

My word of caution: I wouldn't consider running a 1x setup without a stainless steel chainring. Many of the aluminum 1x rings wear out amazingly fast and probably wouldn't last the full length of the route for most riders, especially if the weather is particularly wet. But the nice stainless rings last much, much longer.

The new singletrack definitely adds time so if it does become part of the official race course it could make comparing records a tiny bit harder.

True, but other parts of the course have gotten substantially faster over the past few years, specifically the Highline Trail. And plans for rebuilding sections of that trail will just make it faster yet! So maybe the route will just have to keep getting slower in some places to "keep up" with other parts getting faster ;-)

Dave, if you're not able to commit at this point (for whatever reason) to tackling the race, what about planning on riding one or two state's worth of the route? The planning and preparation would not be as daunting or taxing, and touring at your own pace would let you decide when you want to ride at a concerted pace all day and when you want to take a day off and enjoy where you are. After a week of that sort of experience, I am willing to wager that you'd be in a better place to decide whether or not you want to race the full Divide route.

Best of luck with the decision!

For washboarded dirt roads, the extra volume of the 27.5+ tires won't necessarily do a lot more to dampen vibration. They do a much better job with that sort of damping on chunkier surfaces. For the Divide, I'd recommend a 2.3 or 2.4" fast-rolling tire, a plush but efficient fork (like the Lauf), and the right grips/handlebars/aerobars/gloves for your hands (and that takes experimenting with different options and configurations. Also make sure that your fit on the bike is appropriate and does not put too much pressure on your hands. That's my two cents...and there's no shortage of pennies around this forum 

There were ~12 riders that started off this morning with 3 doing thru rides, and another 2 thru riders will be beginning tomorrow morning. Right now, at least on the tracker, it's thru riders Hunter Keating and Kaitlyn Boyle at the front and already 40 miles in!

What tires (model/width) would folks recommend for this race?  Sounds like there are some sandy sections.  I have a hardtail 29er I plan to ride.

From everything I've heard from folks who have ridden this route (I haven't myself!), some sections are quite sandy, but something like a 29x2.35" Maxxis Ikon is an ideal tire. It's not really worth pushing the weight and rolling resistance of a plus-sized tire over all those mountains for just a small part of the course that's soft (although everyone has their own opinion about this sort of thing).

For flying one-way somewhere, just get a sturdy cardboard bike box from your local bike shop. Ask them to save all the shipping materials from the bike that came in the box, and that should be more than enough to get your bike safely packed for a flight. I'll always put a bit more gear in the box, but keep it under 50 pounds since that's often airlines' limit and cardboard boxes aren't *that* sturdy.

I'd love to, but March 11 is likely the only start date that would work for me. And what are the odds of a big storm at that time of year two years in a row?!

+1 for flying with your bike rather than shipping it to Banff. Customs can definitely slow things down, and with most folks just arrive a couple days ahead of the start, that doesn't allow much time to sort out a missing bike. I've flown quite a bit with bikes over the years, and I've had bikes lost by airlines, but never for more than 24 hours.

John, please post here if you hear anything! I'm considering doing this one next year, and I haven't been able to get a hold of the very busy organizer!

I've spent a lot of time riding on the AZT, and navigation by GPS (an eTrex 20 is my preference) is so much easier than any other option, especially when riding in the dark. If you don't know the area, I'd strongly recommend carrying some maps in addition to the GPS so you have a better idea of the big-picture geography out there and can get off the trail and to a town/road should something go awry.

Congrats to the first riders that are about to finish! Neil absolutely smoked it out there...very impressive riding and focus!

I saw a couple photos of riders/bikes in Silverton, and the bikes were spotless! No mud, no dust, nothing! It seems like it was a great year on the weather and trail condition front. Lucky dogs.

Also 1 for 3.
Right knee pain day 2 and only got worse.   Still not on the bike at 4 weeks.  See ortho tomorrow.  #bikegatheringdust

Sheila, what have you learned about your knee? It's interesting to hear that the pain started up on the second day (so soon!) after all your training. Had you had any problems with that knee in the past?