Even Vermont has ticks now... and of course we have black bears in case you haven't heard: http://www.wcax.com/story/17409406/gov-shumlin-chased-by-bears-in-backyard 

I did see three rattlesnakes on the trail!  And the day before the race someone had been bit by a copperhead!

But the poison ivy... it kinda blends in with the Kudzu.  One of the racers who had done a pre-ride of the TNGa was sporting some nice P.I. racing stripes on her arms!

In the end it was the heat that got me.  I am just not acclimated to that kind of heat and humidity. I would really like to do this race another time of year- if I can find a hunting season friendly window.  I'd love to hear local knowledge on other times to ride the TNGA...

Eric - what raft is that with the fat bike on it?

No!  It wasn't me... who else is there?  Wil?  George La.?

Time for a Vermont roll call!  Vermont Bikepackers speak up!

I got the 500 mile Massachusetts  to Quebec - Vermont Bikepacking route all mapped...

Looking at September 7-10 as the inchoate first ride.

Looking for riders, racers, constructive criticism, suggestions, ideas - all welcome.

[MTBCAST: TD12 - Serge Chiasson called in with a final call:]

Calls: Serge Chiasson called in to recap his finish!

Joe Polk... I don't know how you were able to transcribe all MTBCast calls back in the day!  I thought I'd give it a try with Serge Chiasson's final call.  He did a great job illustrating what makes the Tour Divide so special and I appreciated his appreciation of the 2010 TD'ers.



MTBCAST: TD12 - Serge Chiasson called in with a final call:

Hello everyone, this is Serge phoning, this will be my final call.  I’m just calling for thank-you’s and acknowledgements and final thoughts about the route. 

It seems like such a long time ago I was sitting on the start line in Banff with tears in my eyes happy to finally begin the adventure of a life time. It was an incredibly tough ride, I have much respect for riders who take longer to do it, it is probably a lot harder to go slower than fast, spending more days and nights out there.
Everyone who had to scratch, be proud of yourselves for taking on the challenge.  The true life changing event of the Tour happens when we decide to commit to this huge adventure where failure is a greater possibility than success.  Not many people in the world would take on a risk like that.

Thank you Matthew Lee and TrackLeaders and everyone involved for making this happen. This might be the greatest sporting event in the world and it certainly is the most beautiful bike race in the world.  Participating in this was a dream come true. Henry Desgrange, the founder of the Tour de France would  love this race; except he would have crowned Dave Nice champion because he is the only one using a fixed gear.  Big thank you to my family and friends and the community of Ferne. Ferne is mountain bike heaven where everyone understood the need to take on such an adventure.  I received a lot of kind and overwhelming gestures of encouragement before I left and it really was a big push in the back. I realize in those last few miles to the border that most of you believe in me more than I did myself.  And this really means a lot to me. I would not be the cyclist or the person that I am if I were not surrounded by all of you.

Special thanks to Paul Attalla I would never have made it to Banff with out you.    Straight Line Bicycle and Ski, my bike worked perfectly the whole time.

And I am sure it has been mentioned a lot by other riders, but the one key ingredient required to complete this ride is definitely the kindness that is found everywhere on this route.  It’s absolutely overwhelming. It’s everywhere and this ride would not be possible without it.    This is a ride through the heart of America and it is beautiful and its people are beautiful.

Finally, my heart goes out to all the riders in the 2010 Tour Divide.  I thought of Dave (Blumenthal) a lot out there.  I can only imagine how hard it must have been to keep riding; it was very courageous, and I am sure that is what Dave would have wanted. 

This is Serge … signing out for the final time from the 2012 Tour Divide. …what a ride… thanks everyone. Bye.

Stephen Huddle should be starting any moment now!  This will be his 4th TD.  Go Stephen! 

What a great race this year with a 100% open course plus the new sections.  Exciting with so many racers to watch... keep the photos, info, and analysis coming!   

I am thinking I'm going to have to do it again... maybe in the >50 category - seems like a fast age to race!  Dave Goldberg (TD class of '10) is ripping it up this year.  Go Dave!

http://tctrail.ca/explore-the-trail/

Canadians are planning on finishing the Trans Canada Trail in time for their 150th Confederation Anniversary.

~10,000 km / 6,000 miles?

Anyone interested in a gentleman's agreement on who can ride from Victoria to St. John's the fastest?

July 1, 2017,  8:00am sharp at Clover Point Park, Victoria, British Columbia.

The TNGA is a great route and the race is a really fun time.  (although I only did half because of Tropical Depression Lee)  Dave and the Mulberry Gap folks are wonderful.  It is for sure a mountain bike route.  A perfect mix of roads, trails, and single track.  Southern Appalachians are very similar to where I ride in Vermont - yet I was surprised by a few things: 
1.The mountains are higher!  Many of the passes are > 3,000 ft.
2. In the first 11o miles the trail crosses the Appalachian Trail 5 times!  There are several other gap climbs as well and each time you are dropping > 1,000 ft back down to the valley floor... a lot of climbing!   
3. Poison Ivy - it grows really well here and is hard to avoid riding and camping.
4. heat - this was a major suffer factor for me.  I'd like to complete this route someday - preferably not in the summer but apparently Georgia's long deer/ hunting  season is a limiting factor... which I didn't really believe until I saw
5. the number of people out enjoying nature.  When people say all Americans do is sit around and watch tv - they weren't talking about Georgians!  I have never seen so many people fishing along one section of a brook. - 2011 TNGA was run on Labor Day weekend so that added traffic - especially up the paved Hog Pen Gap (3400 ft) from Helen (1400FT). 

I rode my rigid Tour Divide bike with a 2x9 gars instead of the 8spd Alfine.  Next time I would probably add a front suspension.

I am also looking forward to a family trip to Mulberry Gap just to kick back and ride and eat.  If you are considering racing TNGA one day I highly recommend a visit to Mulberry Gap as a shake down ride.

Eszter is approaching the Canon Plaza snack shack... should make for good call-in material.  It's possible she could clean the whole place out.

My goal this year was to attempt to ride a version of the original Dave Blumenthal Vermont Bikepacking Route.  (The DBVB? -it needs a name too!)   The premise is to connect a bunch of single track with nice dirt and class 4 roads somewhat between the style of the Tour Divide and Trans North Georgia... though probably closer to the later.  Originally we wanted to ride Mass border to Quebec border but then came up with the idea to make it car free by starting and finishing in Montpelier. 

It does not go into Chittenden County but it is open to suggestions.  Should be better when you can take the train to Montpelier.  So far we've linked:
Montpelier to Northfield old ski trail Turkey Hill to Berlin
Millstone
to the Washington 55 bikepacking loop
Upper Valley Class 4
STAB (ascutney)
Grafton/Putney Ridge to Mass Border
Harriman Reservoir through Green Mountain National Forest Southern Section
Plymouth 4 Corners to Notown, Vt
Pittsfield/Rochester Midd Gap
Mooslamoo - Natural Turnpike
Lincoln Gap
Mad River Trails
Waterbury
Little River to Cotton Brook (in the works legally)
Stowe
Morrisville

From Morrisville I am up in the air on design...
could take rail trail to Hardwick and up to Border or to Kingdom Trails.

At this point it is a 80/day 1000 mile route...

Anyone interested in a Vermont Bikepacking Route send me a PM and I can send you a .gpx - tell me what you think
or go out and map some of the northern section and send ME a .gpx

-David

Sucker-punch to the gonads is how I remember it best.  All that "easy" spinning from Flagg Ranch along Jackson Lake via pave, then a little dirt, then a long pave climb to Tog Pass, only to be crest the top and walk 3 to 4 miles in snow and mud.  That took some mental hardness, or helped develop it, i'm not sure which anymore.  Just glad a got through before it got too dark. 

In 2010 I found Togwotee Pass at night to be the spookiest section of the route. I have never seen so many eyeballs reflected back at me. Hundreds and hundreds of little glowing eyes.  I figured the bears in this area were well fed as it was difficult to walk through without accidentally stepping on a jackalope... really I could almost reach out and grab them!   It was the last long snow push in 2010 and a real a**kicker.

Aaron Hershberger, Louis Nicholson, and Andrew Hazen are missed the turn to Butts Cabin and have hit the end of the road at the US border.   

The full range of age is represented in this group 22 years to 67!

A quick backtrack will get them back on course.  I gotta root for fellow New Englander (and old beer brewer) Andrew Hazen.   Come on guys! 

http://www.montanaaero.com/services.html

Anyone want to go in on putting Crazy Larry in a helicopter and get some Tour de France style coverage?

Trans Canada Trail in 2017!   
http://tctrail.ca/explore-the-trail/
Very few have biked the route across Canada - and no one has yet to race it.
A lot less traffic than the RAAM route and none of the politics.

Alfine 11; EBB was a bigger pain for him if i remember correctly.
I've done it twice on a Rohloff.  It has it's draw backs, but the piece of mind it gave me was worth it.  I'd probably feel the same about an Alfine.

Alfine 8! and yes the EBB failed in Wy not fixed until Steamboat.  The Alfine 8 was flawless - never even adjusted the cable the entire TD.  If only they made them a bit lighter... or maybe a bigger jump in gears.   

If you are participating in the Official Start TNGA then everything can be arranged through Mulberry Gap... ride to the start (at crack o' dawn) as well as ride from finish (or wherever you bail)  They may be able to arrange ride from ATL if dgjessee can't make it.  Great place, great people.

If you are planning on doing an ITT in September - keep in mind Archery Season starts September 10, Black Powder Oct 15, and Firearms Oct 22.

If you'd rather do an ITT this spring -  let me know - I am considering riding it some time in March myself.

If I race the TD again I will go fully rigid.  Personal preference for sure.

However... I am thinking next time I do Trans North Georgia I'll have a front suspension fork.  (I am open to suggestions here!) 

And since I'm in the market for a new fork I was just thinking about the TD and who rode rigid and who had suspension and what they rode... I remember seeing several forks that were no longer functioning in New Mexico - maybe even as early as Montana... can't remember what model or whose they were.  Maybe there is already a thread on what fork has made it through the TD without an oil change?

Great article.. I will also add a needle and thread to my bikepacking kit.  Looking forward to your approach on a broken bead.

http://winterbike.eventbrite.com/

I'm thinking of going to Winterbike and thinking of making it into something of a bike packing trip.  Should be a fun time either way... anyone out there in NY-VT-NH -Quebec going?

You were looking for the trails that connect Owl Creek Rd to West Morrell Rd.  I remember lifting my bike over a few blowdowns in 2010.  I believe this is what part of that section looked like... maybe the "steep hill" of cue 219.6?



https://picasaweb.google.com/108377311123808474629/TourDivideRace2010?authkey=Gv1sRgCMC1vfjPtofuUg#5528371132501341890

That was wild! FYI anyone watching my Spot1 stuck in Ellijay,  I was out on course, mostly with TDers Cricket, Huddle, and Porter.  Had a great time while it lasted.  Different animal from TD but same good times. Got pulled off course at mile 205 (thanks Dave for finding us)  Definately coming back here to ride/ finish. Last day was end times amount of rain with creepy sky . . . Tornado touching down a few miles from us. Now stuck on airplane trying to fly back to Vermont through the same storm.  Hard to believe the sky can even hold that amount of water.  Like there was a lake up there.