Thanks Marshal, that post would make your mother proud.

I 'avoid' b/c  i'm sloppy with food when Divide racing. Without a backpack to contain, hang it all, I have grease and crumbs in nearly every jersey, vest, jacket pocket, and pouch on my bike. I darn near live off grease. For me that's the nature of constantly eating fatty/messy food while riding. At the end of an 18 hour day i am just too tired to follow true bear country protocol. Nor do i want to sleep too far away from my bike. I think i would probably have to hang my bike to be in compliance.

I sincerely hope TD never experiences a bear attack. But if it ever does, one thing's for sure, the armchair army will be there to cite some stat about how poorly the victim mitigated. For my part in rerouting the GDMBR into the upper Flathead (known for its highest density of large animal carnivores in the world), i must say at the very least, please be ultra-cautious in there. No joke.  

which is a good 8-10 days in?

There is Gmap of GDMBR griz territory that color-codes the route by likelihood of encounter: http://tinyurl.com/22tfhdh

Note: kml file is so big map is broken up into 3 pages. It doesn't yet include the final Griz territory: Yellowstone & the Winds

My rule of thumb is, try not to sleep in red zones.

I have, and will sleep in orange zones, but prefer yellow zones so i can afford to be sloppy (read: lax) with bear protocol.

What time does Elkford stores close up in an evening?

back in the day when i was prologue-ing canada for the GDR and overnighting at tobermory cabin or elkford, the grocery store closed at 8pm and the restaurants at 9pm, however, those times may have evolved. hot tip, the campground in town has hot showers and if the picnic pavilion is not rented (rare), you can bivy inside it (three walls), either on one of several picnic tables or on the concrete floor. it's very common to see rain in elkford by evening so the pavilion is quite nice for early day 2 motivation

...which leaves Sparwood on Day 2 (not nearly far enough) or Butts Cabin (could be occupied already on a Saturday).

"Best-laid plans of mice and men oft(en) go astray" (on account of creature-comforts); ie. where to camp/eat and how to avoid reducing your miles by 'settling' is TD's greatest challenge...and why if one chooses to use motels, one will never realize their (timed) potential.

Does anyone know what the Ram-Wigwam campground is like (just after Cabin Pass at the junction of Cabin Road and Wigwam Mainline in the Canadian Flathead)?  It's supposed to have a table and toilet.  I'm wondering if it has bear boxes or if the outhouse is big enough to sleep in.  

Bob

The road (cabin pass) is officially called Ram creek Rd at that point. I have seen the table when cruising by (with the Eureka, MT Subway on my brain), but not the toilet. I wouldn't count on it being like our more posh MT Hiltons. The campsite vibe is 'primitive'. That area is dank down in there, too, so if the toilet's made from wood, it could be dank and 'stank'...and maybe maxed.

Can you speak to a schedule that would place you there for an overnight? If this is night 2 for you, i would urge you to make the push to the border. As you know, overhead is always far less if you're not looking for water, carrying breakfast for day 3...not to mention the grizz factor there. IMO, the only good night's sleep between Sparwood and Roosville is the Butts cabin. With all the pave between Elkford and Flathead Pass, Eureka is not as far (time-wise) as it may seem. There's approx. 40mi of flat pavement in there. Get a 0530 start from Elkford and don't dawdle in Sparwood and you should be close to the US by darkness. It may be 140mi but it's not so bad with the exception of Cabin and Galton passes. Ksanka Inn is a nice Eureka carrot, too.

Steve's photos on FB gave me the idea.  Seems like I should be able to sneak up on some deer on the singlespeed.

Hmm. In the East, i believe you must be handicapped/disabled in order to hunt from your vehicle...and as much as some riders like to lean on it, SS is not a legit handicap. Better check your regs!

If you're going to be navigating using a track, you need to be 100% sure that it matches the most current cues and TD course changes exactly! Getting relegated for missing a short section of the course is not something anyone wants to deal with!

The above-hyperlinked TD track from Topofusion will be certified 'official' for 2011 by early February. There are two major, 1 minor route changes. Two mods are official ACA, one is purely a TD race route change. All changes should improve QOL and increase the singetrack quotient by a whopping 2,000%.

As Scott says, it's important to understand the route on paper. TD's official stance is, purchase the map set for study and/or (if you wish) navigation, purchase the digital files of the cue narrative for on-route navigation/custom notations (or as back-up to GPS), and most importantly, make the purchase to support ACA.

Stefan,
Can you remind us of the full intel. on Colorado monsoon season? I know it's tied to dewpoint in NM/AZ but what is the 'historical' season again? They seem far more thwarting than lingering snowpack or diminished light. Can you say if you *think* it's trending earlier and/or concluding earlier? It seems to be that case for NM. July 4th was the old start date but the past 5 years or so dew points are ripe by June 30th or even earlier. IIRC in 2010, third week in July was a really bad time to be on the CT.

As the (un)organizer for TD, i admit i am biased towards 7th of August so that the double or triple crown of ultra bikepack racing is more feasible (with good form). I know Ethan Passant for one has his eye on this, and perhaps Kurt? Maybe Ezster, too? (Apologies to Chad, et al)

I am hoping to fly to North America about 3-4 weeks before the race to acclimatise.  What is the weather like towards the end of May in the Calgary / Banff area?  Suitable for 2 weeks hard riding and a rest week?  (I am looking for somewhere warmish and dryish at ~4,000ft ideally). Another option is to fly to NM for a couple of weeks and then fly North for the start but logistically probably a bit more difficult - and expensive!

May is a sketchy month to expect quality riding in Alberta. It can be very wet/snowy/windy. Illness could be a risk. It probably makes the most sense for you to pre-ride some of the US GDMBR (unless you're taking the whole 'race' notion lightly). Why are you only looking for only 4k of elevation?

One rewarding leap-of-faith move would be to go to Denver (@5-6k), hang out there for a few days, do one of their off-the-hook weekly urban booze-cruiser rides, then head out hwy 285 to Salida (7-9k) to ride south on the GDMBR for a couple days before trying to catch a ride up to Calgary with other (colorado-based) racers. There will be riders from Boulder and Crested butte heading up. You could even pick up lower elevation sections of the Colorado Trail outside Leadville or BV and do a supreme section of that route, possibly figure-8 looping the GDMBR and Colorado Trail.

what is the URL for the LOI page? I can't seem to find it.

stephen, there is not a url yet. a pretty good batch of LOIs came in this morn, but we haven't posted them yet. it will likely be /2011_letters_of_intent

if you're in a hurry to submit, but are suffering from witty LOI writers block, just send in your name / what autonomous region you hail from, and we'll put you on the start list (also not yet up).

matt, few questions:

did you first obtain your 'satellite fix' by successfully sending an OK msg?

did it ever work for tracking or messaging? if yes, can you please send your shared page link to info@trackleaders.com. i'd like to see the data the unit did produce just before/at the time of failure.

which msg signal were you trying to send at the time it fritzed? an OK msg, or the more custom msg?

where did you purchase, or come by the SPOT2?

when SPOT2 was first released last fall they had a problem with the low-battery sensor registering low even when the batteries were fresh. (low batt registers as a red signal on the GPS LED). it may be that you have one of those units--though unlikely. the result of that defect was that they recalled all those units.

perhaps it's worth checking the serial # (called an ESN, listed inside the batt compartment).

either way, you should be able to warranty it.

good luck.

An event like the Crush really should be held on the GAP rail trail + C&O Canal tow path. All off pavement, 300+mi from Pittsburgh to DC or vice versa, but yo-yo it. 650mi of pain. ~72hrs of suffering. cyclocross or mountain bikes would work. A ti Fargo would be sweet. Plenty of services. It would make a great mid-May event or early October event.

Anyone know; how much lighter is #2?

a couple ounces. the real bonus is size, IMO.
if i was buying one, i would still go orange, for trail visibility in case you lose it.
spec sheet for SPOT2 here: http://findmespot.com/en/index.php?cid=102
spec sheet for SPOT1 here: http://findmespot.com/en/index.php?cid=101

we track sled dog races annually where it gets pretty freaking cold. the SPOT1 is considered to be rated to slightly lower temps but not exactly sure why (probably b/c AA batts perform better at xtreme cold). since SPOT is sort of 'banned' for bikepacking up there, maybe it's a non-issue for you...though, we will be tracking the yukon arctic ultra for the first time this year.

jefe, if you talk to santa about spot2, and mrs. claus is looking for xmas eve sleigh-tracking sevices, have her email us! we'll do `em up a killer replay worthy of CNN coverage.

Jefe, SPOT2 is probably worth it if your primary use is for ultra racing.

Having been the person to call your family mid-CTR to relay "please reset" messages to you, i'd say you're a good candidate for SPOT2's more intuitive controls

You may not appreciate the increased battery expense, though. My experience has been about 4-5 days batt-life on continuous track mode (less than half of SPOT1). SPOT2 uses AAA instead of AA (it seems AAA is harder to find in gas stations).

The biggest bonus is weight/size/packability.

At TL we certainly appreciate the higher resolution data SPOT2's more powerful antenna affords. It also tries to send each message 3 times (if not transmissible in the moment). To wit: with a SPOT2 you will look 'smoother' and more course-compliant on Scott M's swank replay videos. That counts for everything, right?

...However for me this in-depth prep was a great way to spend some cold winter nights and paid off big time during the race.  
edit--each profile/track started at mile zero--greatly simplifying on the fly calcs to the next whatever

717's one-off "soothsayer" stage guides are a prime example of why bikepack ultras like divide racing are only a good thing for adventure cyclists as a whole; certainly for the GDMBR, and for nouveau-touring in general.

ACA finally saw the light on custom cue sheets and is now selling the files (pretty cheap) for 2011.

I think a little more clarity regarding food and shelter assistance would be good. On one occasion, I was offered food (mentioned in the video) and on another occasion, I was offered shelter. I didn't partake in either of them because I didn't think it was legit. However, it wasn't clear to me what was OK and what wasn't. On both occasions, I would have been much better off had I accepted the offers. I don't have any thoughts on what the threshold should be, but, whatever it is, I just want it to be clear to everyone. I think providing several common scenarios in which food or shelter is offered and then stating whether it would be OK to accept would really help clarify things.

Yes, more clarity is always a good. On the Rules page there is an FAQ link after each item to serve almost like a 'footnote' each rule, take the brunt of 'what-if' hairsplitting. They haven't become as populated with hypotheticals as we expected. Feel free to help us get some 'quality' in there now that you have on-course experience with the rules.

I have read many accounts from racers who accepted assistance from pure random strangers on the route, such as water from their hose or a barn to sleep in. I hope that stuff is OK, because it is a wonderful human interaction. But the Rule is clear: " No private resupply, no private lodging."

Slippery slopes everywhere! The TD stance is this: There is a discernible difference between 'Trail Magic' and 'Resupply', and between 'Shelter' and 'Lodging'.

'Magic': Abuse of a trail magic gesture to resupply with calories for the next 50-100mi is not appropriate. Feel free to oblige a gesture so as to participate in (what many describe as) a 'feel-good, breaking-bread moment', but don't gain material advantage from it beyond a good blood sugar spike. Much has been written within the hiking community about trail magic. Suffice it to say it's not necessarily 'all good', or a 'holistic' component of higher-trafficked long trails. Water: private (non-commercial) water resupply is viewed a little differently than food. It is discouraged, but there is no outright ban on it. TD advice is first, 'try not to get shot', and second, consider VERY carefully the quality of the water source. Editorial: TD racers should exemplify the height of backcountry savvy and preparedness (outwardly, at least). ALWAYS consider the effect your conduct has on all adventure cyclists touring the route for years to come. Beer: I've gotten this FAQ before! For better or worse, there is no limit (as of yet) to the amount of beer you may accept, unless it impairs your judgment enough you break other rules. It's not exactly an ergogenic aid. We'll just say 'spirits' fall under the 'break-bread' rule. Let intake be ceremonious, not material.

'Lodging' and 'Shelter': Lodging implies luxuries like a bed, heat, electricity, the ability to bathe (bathing makes a big diff. in overnight recovery). Private lodging is not appropriate. Shelter implies much less and, though not encouraged as a crutch, is not prohibited. One must still employ the full survival kit when seeking 'shelter'. This could be a picnic shelter, an overhang of any building, an abandoned bus, a barn even. The primary moral compass in self-supported/self-fulfilling racing should always be, "OK, how pure do I want to do this thing?" What a great feeling it would be to complete TD having never even sought shelter. I tried to do it last year but fell 'weak' due to that nasty low pressure system parked on Montana day 4/5.

I also have read about folks riding with local friends for a while or being met by family/friends for a meal etc. (clearly shown in the TD movie) That didn't seem fair to those who do not have local support. That rule is: "Only route town locals may visit with, cheer on TD thru-racers. Out-of-town visitation to the GDMBR mid-race from family or friends—even if only a remote possibility for rider rendezvous—is prohibited."

This rule was added for 2010. We live and learn as Divide racing evolves. If we want to keep the emotional landscape part of the same level playing field, this ban is important. Besides, who really wants to be visited by family and friends with such bad hair and B.O.? TD is only ~three weeks away from home. Big kids can do that. Note: Anyone local to a town on the route is allowed to visit with racers as they pass thru that locale. This includes cruising by bike with racers to the town limits sign (or thereabouts). We're not trying to split hairs on local camaraderie. Route town locals who like us and understand the economic driver we can be are our long-term TD allies.

Edit note: added Beer to the trail magic clarification

Great stuff, Forest. I look forward to finishing the second half (instead of netflix) before bed tonight. There's lot's of great 'what to expect' content in your vid. Please send me a link to your stills if file-shared anywhere. I thoroughly enjoyed kicking it with you this year at the end.

For the record, you did the right thing in Polaris when you passed up the High country lodge's TD Superfan 'snack stash' out on Polaris Hwy. I have spoken with the lodge owner already, and he knows that since he's not offering the cooler-cache all season long, he should not be setting it up for the Grand Depart. It's potentially a significant stash too, as the lodge itself is like half a mile off-route and hours of all local Grasshopper Valley services are limited. He's a new lodge owner and stoked about the contest, but now down with 'the plan'.

As for using GPS--or not, the conventional wisdom is that IF--and ONLY IF--you can keep a very accurate cyclometer is GPS 'totally unnecessary'. Though increasingly sacrilege, I still think a GPS-free TD would be neat terms to race by. It's one surefire way to level the navigation playing field...but yeah, 'why spend time lost', instead of riding. I see both sides.

Thanks again for producing your excellent TD`10 Doc. We were a special GC in an emotional year. We can really benefit from the 'processing' that storytelling affords us.

...I would think that a thru rider would end up either losing time or not really meeting the stagers anyway.

Mmm...losing time to temptations! I'm guilty of it. But, part of the 'trappings', right? I love the trappings! It's when the weak get weaker

I'd imagine by the end of day three (Williams area) even the slower thru-riders would catch the back of the stagers pack.  

...thru riders should have to start early if anything to keep them on the straight thru game. IMO if they are not stage racing it should be more like an ITT ie no moral or other support from the lowly stage racers. Just my .02.

Trad. self-support rules were turned slightly on end for Coco in favor of 'sociability', right? So, calling a 'thru-ride' something more than the average ITT, replete with indigenous *and* peer distractions, wouldn't be too far off the mark. There could be be a 'no sharing with stagers' rule if organizers really want to stymie all tendency for co-dependence.

for stretches it might pair together riders who ordinarily never 'race' within sight of each other due to differences in physical/mental trajectory.

[and]

I guess you could move the whole thing to happen during the week. It means taking more work days off but people have to take time on either side of the weekend as it is so it might be fine.

If you want to make it really nice for stagers and ITTers (thru-riders), Thursday stage-start is my vote, and encourage 'optional' Thursday or Fri ITT start. It twould be neat/more social for slumming ITTers to attempt to 'ride-thru' the stage-start field instead of bidding farewell at the beginning, plus they're the ones most in need of a carrot and/or flexible start window.

On back-end timing: It's likely that everyone will have to use the Monday holiday for travel anyway. ITTers need Sunday to sleep/recover. Stagers would finish Sunday eve, but should be recovered enough to start the drive home that night or fly home Monday.

Editorial: Not to appear in favor of ITT by saying this, but Coco is one of the more attainable long-weekend events for out-of-staters to bust out an incredible ITT (thru-ride) quickly due to the ease of DIY travel required. Fly into Phx, cheap 2hr shuttle up to Flag, cheap front/back end Flag motels. It's very plug-n-play.

Seriously though, good call - maybe sometime soon we can get a different background photo.  I'll have to break out the camera and the bike gear and try to find a good local trail to photograph before the snow really flies here...

Just looked at the line-up. Solid squad. You may just secretly have an AK Ultrasport challenger in there--or so he's threatened--if Sram will furlough him long enough to giterdun.