Some running events have an age graded/weighted calculation
don't know what the formula is and how it changes with distance, but as an example lets say add 0.5% per year over 35 years old (but less than 55 years old) to the overall winners time (and add exponentially greater time per year for those over 55 years old)
You would basically graph a line showing the result of the World Record holder and how he/she would get slower over the years of aging, providing that athlete kept training and preparing equally to when he/she became the record holder

So by using that formula we as individuals can compare our result to that formula/graphed line and estimate what our time would be if we were younger
For example a 75 year old finishing in twice the time of the World Record holder would be an amazing achievement, but finishing in five times the record time would still be amazing but would not be considered to be fast
you can further modify the formula for being female, under 21 years old, one-legged, on a unicycle etc.

No recognition would be reported for how individuals compare to this formula, it would just be for the entertainment of Spot Stalkers and a personal (privately recognized) carrot for racers (with the exception of if that 75 year old racer is above the formula/line, then it that case (or similar case), it should be noted by the ultra race community)

What I need/want are a Spot tracking device, head light, GPS, camera, and a device to access internet (more for my bike tour to the start of the race to keep me informed of race updates/communicating with home/finding food and accommodation along the way/entertainment while waiting for weather to change)

My limited knowledge indicates that a tablet might be able to do all the above (minus the 600 lumen NightRider and low-light lens quality and zoom of my cameras), but the drawback is limited battery life (maybe the tablet GPS app is limited too? do they use satellites or just cell phone towers?)

Most of my current gear is now ancient
(6 year old Garmin that was a top of line mapping/back country device at the time,
5 year old NightRider headlight with internal rechargeable battery but would need external battery/charger device to be useful for more than one night in a row
2 digital cameras, one with medium resolution and light weight and the other high resolution and medium weight)

What device(s) are now recommended?

[some Q's:]

some Q's:
starts April 15 2016?
what do people typically do when they reach Utah? (middle of no-where isn't it?)
what is best method to pack your bike through the Grand Canyon?
does rain turn any portion into gumbo mud?
I don't yet own a cell phone (roaming charges would kill me with a Canadian phone) or tablet (can you skype with one?), would there be any wifi along the route that may be useful for finding supplies?

Is there a 2016 Planning thread? I have a few questions I'd like to ask.

x2

I like it.  Starring John Wayne?

Bozo and Crusty
cream pies at high noon

Tiana Tallant is about to finish a Sobo ITT in 9 days according to Trackleaders
even following back to a Banff dot, it looks like about 20 days, so isn't that a record time?

Green tent symbol = stopped time of 4hrs or more.

how about green square with triangle inside? (not the tent symbol!)
and what about yellow square?

how is the dog doing? and what it the pink dot abbreviation for her?

Thanks for adding a legend to this year's live tracker.   

http://trackleaders.com/tourdivide15

what is an alternator and a guide?

And Grim Reaper dots for those over 60!

WOW for a tortoise, posting that graphic was sure fast

Oooo, I like that idea. I'll chat with the TL boys and see what we can do. Probably not for Bluedot for this year's event - any changes to the client app requires a full re-download of it, so I try not to impose that on anyone during a big event - but I'm all about the visual aesthetics of the apps There are an impressive number of 50+ riders this year, all out there getting after it.

keep it 60+
being 53 myself, I don't think there is too much handicap for 50+, I still think I am fast compared to the average 20-40 year olds
50+ is just an age group
60+ is more significant when comparing marathon mountain bike race results to younger riders.  Actually it's 70+ for marathon running races, but mountain bike downhill racing has a much younger noticeable drop in speed with ageing, so 60+ is probably fairer, more of a true race with the Grim Reaper

[Tour DiVide]

This is how they compare the crossings for RAAM as they change the route year to year.
in reply to
Quote from: SlowDave on June 26, 2013, 05:42:49 AM
I am no math whiz (the slow in Slow Dave isn't just bike speed) but it seems to me with a varying course that a better way to compare rides for record purposes would be average speed calculated with elapsed time for riders that cross both  end points using only the official course and approved reroutes.  Not perfect but closer.

you would also have to take into account pavement is faster than gravel road --> faster than jeep track --> faster that singletrack --> faster than pushing your bike through snow
so time calculation might be distance/(velocityXroughness element)  (d/vR=t) for each segment of the course, then add them all up (with R being something like 1 for pavement varying to 0.05 for wading through hip deep wet snow)
I don't like the idea of having "official" records for this type of event
even if the whole route was paved and there were no detours from year to year, the weather alone would add so many variables that you couldn't compare one rider from one year with another rider from another year and say exactactly who is faster
maybe in addition to the roughness element modifier there needs to be a calculation for for how "pure" the self sufficiency or ethic of the racer is
so (TD time) divided by "purity"  = time for comparison sake  (so who is the real record holder? C$ or LongRanger?)
so Tour DiVide not Tour DeVide

be great to have an unofficial leader board

over 60 deserves a separate category than open men
be interesting so see what the over 60 times are this year with some competition

shimano
uses ball bearings, not custom pressed in cartridge bearings, and serviceable at any bike shop
even if the worst happens and you break the freehub, you can get a new one and replace it easily
most quiet, much much quieter than Hope
coast faster for me than loud hubs

I can see the Race Flow and Elevation in Firefox but not in IE8

yes, that is the solution, firefox works

for Race Flow
I see the x and y axis, and the colour key, but no lines

how does the race flow feature work on trackleaders?

how many over 60 year olds are racing?
is there an age group record?

Good Day Eh!

I'm also a Canadian from North Van

I've been piecing together a route from Williams Lake through Churn Creek, to Yalakom, to Shulaps, to Spruce Lake, to Goldbridge, to Pemberton, to Whistler to Squamish.  Have done many portions (but some in the wrong direction).
Do you think it would make a good bike packing race route? 
It would be fairly technical for a bike with 15 to 20lb of extra gear.
Figure 4 to 5 days racing, and 7 days touring.  Churn Creek to the Yalakom would be very remote, but mainly ranch roads with some horse trails (haven't figured out a creek/canyon crossing yet).

Also could do Yukon to Vancouver. 
There is a railbed (never any rails) from Dease Lake to Fort St. James.  not sure of the state of bridges or washouts, but heard at least part of it is a 4x4 or ATV route.  Likely 3 to 5 days without supply for that portion.