Meanwhile in hot, dry New Mexico, two fires to keep an eye on (plus a couple in the Gila): the Bonita fire has caused closures along the northern NM route south of Hopewell Lake. So far the NoBo riders have been able to get around the closed roads with a minor re-route, but if the fire grows...here is what the Forest Service had to say: "Forest road 45 northbound at the intersection of FR 42 and FR 45 is closed due to increased fire traffic. This will restrict bicyclists’ access to the Continental Divide Trail. Forest Road 111 northbound at the intersection of FR42 and FR45 is also closed."

The Cajete fire in the Jemez (southwest of Abiquiu) is probably not a threat, as much of the forest north of that burned a few years ago so I think it won't spread to the TD route. But, sometimes they close all nearby roads because of heavy firefighter traffic. Expect smoke, at the least.

So that was a Lauf fork that Ben S broke on Fleecer! I wonder if he had the Carbonara (heavier duty) or the Grit (more for gravel-grinding).
Watching the mechanical reports, I see a lot of derailleurs and a few brakes. Good argument for the Rohloff hub!

I caught up with Stefan near Kremmling in 2014 - he was riding with a broken frame! But he had ordered another and was, as you say, very cheerful.

Ah, I'm wrong. Looks like he turned it on again at the border.

I'm betting that Josh Kato dropped his SPOT tracker when he was climbing the wall. If so, we might be able to see him come through the border webcam with Ben.

Turns out Connor O'Leary has quite a story to tell: http://theolearytheory.com/speaking/

Hi Brian,  
People were speculating about what it would take to beat Mike's record - seems to me that he had a fair bit of mud, plus headwinds in Wyoming. If a strong rider has a lot of good luck with the conditions, I'm sure a bit of time could be shaved off. At any rate, it's fun to watch Connor for now. Clearly a talented rider with a goal in mind!

into Lima; Connor 4:05.23
                Hall     4:07.22

Connor might be taking advantage of a bit of a weather window. Was there snow on the route when Mike H went through?

It's interesting to look at each rider's Moving Average Speed for the whole route. For example, Jose B is at 8.4 mph, Tom R is at 9.8 mph, and behind them Bailey N is 10.3 and Justin C is 11.1. Just goes to show that if you can't ride fast, you have to ride long!

Is Brian Alder the fastest 50+ racer to ever complete the Divide?  The guy was ripping up the course for a fellow north of 50 years.  Gives me hope for the next decade of life.

Does anyone keep the "age group" records for TD?

Kudos to Pavel Macháček, of the Czech Republic, who went off route to Del Norte (had to fix something?) then back to where he left the route and is now plugging away. I just finished a long bike tour in his country, which is a great place to ride! Bike paths everywhere.

#‎TourDivide16‬ Mike Hall called in from the Beaverhead Work Center with a twofer! He left some change for riders coming in needing quarters for the coke machine!

http://mtbcast.com/site2/category/td16/

One of the biggest disappointments of my life was getting to Beaverhead in 2014 and finding that the coke machine was out of order!

Orange Seal is decidedly NOT made by the folks at Orange Peel in Steamboat.  It's made in Austin, TX.  When I was through Orange Peel in 2013 they not only didn't carry it, they'd never heard of it.  The new "Endurance" formula lasts even longer.  Once you've used it you won't go back to Stans.  I kind of hate to give away the secret.

Thanks for the correction! It is great stuff. Contains some sort of flat glitter thingys, analogous to blood platelets, that aid in clotting. And, as is the case with a bleeding wound, it often helps to put a finger on the outside of a leak when the sealant is oozing out - within a minute it sets up and stops spitting. If the hole is big and you just wait for it to seal itself, you can lose all the sealant and air before it stops.

I rode the whole TD 2014 using Orange Seal instead of Stans. Highly recommended! It is made by the folks at Orange Peel Cyclery in Steamboat Springs. Not a single flat, and when I took the tires off after the race there was a smooth coat of latex over the inner surfaces, not weird balls like Stans makes. Tires were Specialized Fastrak Grid. I did carry a couple of CO2 cartridges just in case, and I have been successful in reseating the bead in the field with a 16 gm CO2.

Weather report shows 102º in Antelope Wells right now. Ouch!

First 'snow report' that we're gonna get is from the lead group as they go over the pass between Brush Mtn Lodge and Clark, CO, which is still a couple days away.  

If you look at Billy Rice's Facebook page, he posted a video of his NoBo ride from Pinedale north over the new route...lots of snow there as of two weeks ago. Looks like Jay is already over that stretch, hopefully one of those early riders will call in a report!

Mostly they'll mean that when you get to Antelope Wells you'll still be able to grasp things.  Saving your hands from grasping tubing all day (nerve damage) is one of the biggest benefits. 

Roger that!  A friend of mine tried Tour Divide on a cross bike, had to call it in Silverthorne due to numb hands. I couldn't imagine riding some of that washboard on drop bars and skinny, hard tires - it was rough enough with an upright position and 2.2 tubeless!

Is Jim Trumpey the oldest rider? I'm rooting for the 50+ women and the 60+ men. You show the youngsters of the world how it's done!

Eric Nordenson, 75, is riding NoBo this year. He's in Pinos Altos tonight.

Lisa Downing and Rosemary Lee are ITTing northbound; wonder what happened to them just before Salida.
Go 50+ chicas!

Have to say, it kinda looks like they turned off the trackers in Sargents and rode on the pavement over Monarch Pass.

There's a great sailing adventure race starting tomorrow in Victoria. I'm at the start, and it reminds me a lot of the TD! http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/06/us/a-race-to-alaska-no-motors-but-no-limits-on-imagination.html?emc=edit_th_20150606&nl=todaysheadlines&nlid=38066634&_r=0