In fact, I doubt that I'd ever qualify to ride the TD by your standards--if for no other reason than I'll never be able to "put down a fast time" compared to elite riders like you. For that matter, I doubt that more than a 5-10 riders would be able to hurdle the bar that you set.

I think you missed his point - it's not about your absolute pace but your level of application. Jay is talking about pushing yourself to a "fast time" for your own ability - Divide racing has never been about a comparison to anyone else.

memory plus 20 home made profiles (see attached),

I am having trouble opening your .emf file - can you post it in another format?

Ventana offers a pivot dropout to be used with normal or belt drive singlespeeds and I think has a derailleur hanger as well. Just ask for cables stops, v-brake bosses etc and they should be able to build it up quicker than most other custom shops.

What is the correct length for the newer Canadian section? The TourDivide.org splitchart says its 263 miles to the border, yet the distance to AW is 2796 miles. I thought the US section was 2490 miles, not 2796-263=2533 miles?

Sweet.

Percentage on asphalt?

Passed by how many cars?

It will be interesting to see how much weigh Cracknell loses - I was a similar build and lost about 9kgs.

I just watched them race to the South Pole and I have to say I am a little disappointed in the tv show. Its pretty melodramatic - the environment and the situation creates enough drama without having a stupid voiceover. I would have had only had the three skiiers commentary - requires good recollection or a good producer to ask the right questions when out on the ice. Seems like cheap relativity tv with the dodgy voiceover - not like 'Touching the Void'.

The td is a different event. I am not sure riding in a duo or having a film crew would give you the real divide experience. To me its riding alone, removed from friends be it a film crew or a phone to call your family - might be better to have self filmed (you can get hd video out of digital still cameras).
Also, setting a goal of breaking the record sets you up for depression when you start to fall short (may be what you want when you are having it filmed)

I hope they do the ride for themselves and not for tv.

I also read that one shouldn't do this on a shoestring... to have the means to at least take care of needs/contingencies.

You wont skimp on food - its a self preservation thing.

The easiest way to save is to stay out of motels, but several $5 showers are still required.

Its a really cheap race, even the travel costs are not that bad. A half day Ironman race is about $700 just to enter and road races that are on closed roads are expensive when you consider the length and what you are getting out of it.

I think I spent around $1500 including $4-500 worth of repairs. A credit card with 55 interest free days should cover you - you can always sell stuff when you get back home.

How much does Cracknell weigh these days?

www.universalcycles.com  

These guys burned me before the 2007 GDR - they guaranteed me delivery of a tyre in 5 days to Eureka, it took longer, I started and rode to Steamboat with a cut sidewall.

Caution to all TD racers: I talked to a bike tourist today in Kremmling who was sick with food poisoning from the Mexican restaurant there. This is not the first case of bad food from this locale I have heard about either. FYI. Eat there if you have an iron stomach.

Best mexican I have ever eaten

I was fine for two washes the entire way using these Ibex knicks. They also do bib knicks, tights etc. Wool is the way to go.

Question to all veterans:  what are some of the day-to-day dangers other than bears?

Cows! Especially the young ones that are more easily scared, though any cow will get freaked by you and will run along the road and then make a move to both sides of the road at once. Definitely slow down and let them disperse.

After breaking my hand and three ribs in 2008 after being taken out by a dog, I now stop and deal with the dog/s before moving on. I had four come after me in '07 and worked out the best way of dealing with them is a squirt from the water bottle.

Wiggle sells their DHB event jacket pretty cheaply.

A friends interesting take on hand positions. No, I don't know the name of the stem.




Poor bastard it was six trucks.

I encourage other fellows of successful 'Antelope Wells escape' to share their experiences on extrication. They're often colorful, trail magical and almost worthy of a separate thread.

I rolled into Antelope Wells at about 1300 to a guy sitting in a chair, baseball cap pushed up, chewing on a stick. He didn't know who I was but knew exactly what I was doing. Calling in for the last time was anti-climatic, after which I stood there - no plan, no idea. I had heard of shuttles from the border and it was Tim who informed me of their services. The white vans I had passed than morning could ferry me to Tucson or Phoenix, but a little confused I expressed some desire to get to Deming that night. Tim offered to give me a lift, though I snapped to the realisation that it was 65 miles to the I-10 and he lived at the border. I was ready to ride back after catching some kip on the ground, but Tim again came to my rescue: "Wait until 4 and you can stay at my place".

I didn't really see the point of having a border post that someone could just drive around between 4pm and 8am, but as four rolled around the guards closed the gate and drove away. I propped my bike up and Tim thrust in my hands a couple kilos of meat. Again confused (it had been a long day), we walked across the line and concerned, I was just about to ask if I was going to have to show my passport when the Mexican guards came out with a couple eskies of beer. Me - no spanish, them - not much english, but I picked up what was going on. We sat on a couple chairs on the road, a little Mexican mama came out, set up the barbie and gilled up some corn and the meat. Fantastic meal, couple of Bud Light's and I was wasted enough to try the pink dip that they were devouring - I spent the next 30 minutes smearing pork fat on my tongue to stop the burn. It was dark when the dominos came out, thankfully a game that doesn't require communication. A quick tutorial, a lot of laughing and... I don't remember what happened after that.

It was warm and I was happy to sleep on the ground - by this stage my legs had seized up after spending most of the morning out of the saddle (the only way I could hit a decent speed), but I must of hobbled back into the USA and taken Tim's generous offer of his second house - a brand new mobile home, hot shower, warm soft sofa.

I didn't set an alarm and woke up to see a white van at the window. Tim translated that they were transporting family members of Mexicans working in the US from Chihuahua to Phoenix and that they could drop me off in Tucson. My bike struggled to fit into the trailer, then a too brief thanks to Tim and I was soon passing SteveW and Allan G? coming the other way. Sitting there next to mini Mexican cowboys in their Sunday finest, my clothes must have smelt terrible - but I was riding high and spent the six hour drive stuffing my face with whatever I could buy.

Worst thing about the whole ride was that I met some really cool and generous people and I had to leave them soon after.


One thing I haven't seen mentioned in this thread: rear lights. A Cateye LD600 running 2xAA (lithium) was switched on when it became dark - I rode most nights and the batteries lasted the whole way. You will be glad for its extra weight when a 40 tonne truck moving 60 mph faster than you in the rain, switches over to the middle lane. There was a story a few weeks ago in Western Australia of a guy on a bike that was run over by a few road trains in a convoy. The trucks didn't stop but talked about hitting something like a big roo on the UHF. All was left were pieces - two lane rural highway, guy had no light or reflectors.

I ran a DiNotte 3W using 4xAA (lithium or alkaline) and it was enough for me to make full speed (55mph) descents into Butte and night riding no problem.

Google "gps tracker". You can get ones that will store a weeks worth of travels (i.e. batteries will last a week but you can find ones that are replaceable)

BNT:

I did the sections north and south of Jenolan Caves in 2007. The sections between Melbourne and QLD are meant to be the best for bikers - after talking to a few guys that have walked the whole thing, there are several sections that are too overgrown/reclaimed or rocky? to be ridden by bikes and that is why there are recommendations on alternates.

I used the newer guidebooks that have accurate maps and some GPS data. The older maps are just sketches, though they are being upgraded. Some of the remote sections hardly get used and predicting your pace having to bash through undergrowth (and getting lost) would be impossible. I wanted to ride the whole thing in 2008, but came to the conclusion that riding it quickly would be difficult. I was considering doing a pathfinding mission using a friend in a car as support, in order to determine which sections were suitable for bike racing, but that would have been too expensive.

The trail is designed to be used by horse riders and walkers (40km/day) that move at a slow pace. Moving through private and some state lands you are meant to ring ahead and get permission for grazing and such, but I never did. Biking is much lower impact than horses or walkers, there is no point calling a large number of owners to tell them you are going to cross a single gate or be on their land for 20mins. I was doing 100-150km per day but if you are moving slower, calling ahead may be in your interest.

I am currently in Townsville but am unsure of the trail quality. The trail is very remote at times, up here you would have to have major considerations for food, lack of water in winter, flood in summer, and salt water crocs. The Victorian sections are meant to be great for riders, have great views and alot more oppourtunities for re-fueling (am not sure of current conditions after bushfires).


The CSR:

Interested in this after reading that guys report, but its an expensive undertaking. Difficult to get to the start and from the finish, hard to organise the required drop can and slow going due to the amount of food and water you have to carry. The guy ended up catching and eating lizards.


Munda Biddi:

Not yet finished, but a decent (fireroad quality with sandy sections from my inquiries) quality, huts along the way, well used, but you would have to venture off course (or take a trailer) to get food.


Other trails:

If you are close to Melbourne, I can recommend a few rides:

http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Stratford-to-Wangaratta-via-Alpine-NP
Catch Friday afternoon train from Southern Cross (pick up pizza from across the road), ride from Sale (or Stratford) to the National Park boundary by nightfall, ride Sat/Sun and catch train home from Wangaratta sometime Sunday. There are some fantastic trails and roads around Mt. Hotham/Buffalo and it works out to be a cheap weekend.

http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Ballarat-to-Melbourne219392
Train to Ballarat, ride dirt roads and singletrack through Brisbane Ranges or Lederberg.

Train to Ararat Friday night, ride west to Grampians (some sweet hilly road or mtb rides), train home on Sunday.