The Carbon Strykes have the unusual ability to adjust the pads rearward, I have center of pad about 1.75" behind center of bar.  Its definitely a compromise, but I don't know of a better solution without custom fabrication

just make sure you can take decent hits from potholes and washboard with pads fully weight-loaded. btw, TT bar accessory mounts make great spots for lights and/or computers.

maybe this will be the way to go, after all if it ain't broke don't fix it.  I can see the point about them taking on water, but mine has always seemed to dry out pretty fast (i do live in the PNW after all!). 

maybe try this cover for the downpour times. it's cheap and fits the b-fly: http://aebike.com/page.cfm?action=details&PageID=30&SKU=SA2040

my favorite so far has been an old terry that I have on my road bike, but i'm thinking of trying something new... brooks maybe?  

On Terry, I rode with Trish Stevenson in `04. She used the traditional 'spongy' Butterfly. I think it was fine comfort-wise (for her) but the rather porous outer uptook quite a bit of water during downpours allowing saturation. Suzanne, you mention ITT bars up thread. I suggest you arrive at your ITT bar selection (+1 for Synatce C2), then integrate saddle from there. You must find something that's comfy back on your sit bones as well as out 'on the rivet'. The only way to do that is to test together. One quality you'll be looking for is stable sit bone roost even when nose is tilted slightly downward (for TT position).

Scott does already hold the record for this route, though.  I'm not sure he's obligated to race it this year given that he's already got the time to beat!

That's true.  Maybe he should repost his original trip on here for all to see.  I remember the first time I read it.  Blew me away.  Talk about guts.  Man...

that his pilot run was at 'race-pace' is exactly what he'd have you believe of that 'tour'!

So scott does that mean you're going to step up to the plate again?  

no matter how often 'conflict of interest' is asserted by the 'outside world', any self-supported, multi-day MTB race organizer worth his/her salt leads by example (at least on the 'inaugural').

i ditched the TT bars for brevet riding after my first season on them... drifted off a few times on the 400k and 600k. that was enough for me.
but... i will be experimenting with them on the mtb setup for TD... but i'm a few years out. need to get some smaller goals knocked out first.

TTbars for Divide racing are certainly to reduce frontal drag but are equally a critical rest position for your back and hands.

I was interested in the kinds of lights that are necessary to take along for the Divide Race. Right now I'm using a petzl light on my helmet, basically a backup or to fix flats/set up camp in the dark. Its kind of weak alone for riding in the dark but in a pinch it would work for short distances.

OK. IMHO, as much as you need lumens, you want a good spot (beam) to pick out your line on dirt roads at 15mph. Some prefer helmet-mounted. I find the angle too high to sufficiently gradate road features/potholes and it reflects into my (tired) eyes when cruising in dew or dust-laden air. If bar mount, seek a reliable/versatile mount (hand-tiltable as speed changes, yet free of migration when rattling on washboard). For me, I get away with 50 lumens total, 3 AAA Lith., mounted out on the end of the TTbars. Folks' night vision abilities vary so one must test (@ speed) 'minimal-style' solutions for oneself before getting out there. I use a 1oz 1/2watt mini-LED headlamp off the bike.

now to work on the sleep while moving problem.

oh, that will come naturally. particularly late afternoons while perched on the TT bars. it's how gracefully one wakes up and on what 'side of the bed' that becomes key.

I'm curious as to how night riding was done in last year's TD.

i can't speak for others re. last year but for me (as in other years) i did not do enough time at night to rightly budget for anything weighty or bulky. if you're serious about getting in quality night riding, divide racing threads are not where that discussion is evolving. forum threads on 2-5day singletrack 'thru-race' events is the place to query.

What I'd like to know is how many finishers went stove free vs not.  Or, what was the comparison of those that carried stoves and those that didn't.  Joe put up a little video on his blog with his "how to" coffee thing, but was this even used and if so how often during the journey?

Travis, a stove is merely the tip of the cookset iceberg...but, if you can keep one lit/manage to cook on it while riding the bike, it's good for Divide racing.

(said with a slight far east accent) Confucius say: "It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop", and "He who will not economize will have to agonize".

You get pretty good (sadly?) at thinking about time to next resupply, grabbing "meals" of sandwiches or otherwise and then making a pile of snacks to get you to the next town.

It's best to make rough lists about an hour out from towns. They help you be efficient at resupply. Know where you need to go, what you *think* you need there and and how much. I can only describe the feeling when one walks into a grocery and suddenly face millions of calories and choices as a kind of pallete/palate- high. You're worked over, hazy-brained, hungry, and nearly the full gamut looks tasty--much of which is buy one, get one free (a slippery slope). Phil' it also helps to understand generally how American grocery stores are configured so you don't spend too much time searching aisles. Quick pits are a big decider over the course of three weeks.

In reality sometimes you don't eat for a while, other hours you'll devour 1500 calories and still be hungry!

One way to conserve stores/minimize caloric demand is to make sure you dress on the warm side, just shy of sweating. Same for hydration. Keep the skin and eyes protected from wind and sun and it can actually assist in hydration. Ride with your mouth closed as much as possible. Lots of moisture is lost that way and dust is everywhere (in a normal weather year).

You can buy cliff bars once and a while but I'll be darned if they're very appealing to eat when you're suffering. Candy and chips and the like really hit the comfort food spot when you're constantly hungry and facing yet another big day.

In towns with strong outdoor scenes you can find decent (unexpired) energy bars. In cowboy towns the energy bars are likely to have been on the shelf for years. True of candy bars too. Snickers see high turnover, are usually fresh everywhere. Chocolate milk at every chance, is the bomb! I've mentioned this product before and I'll say it again, Pearson's Peanut Roll, for the money and the weight packs the biggest punch. Two 3.5oz bars for a dollar is common at Conocos. That's almost 1,000cal for a buck. They're not super healthy but high in fat and protein.

Awesome.  Thanks for the search.  Give us a heads up when you get it updated!

The fella sent me all he had (pt. 2): http://tourdivide.org/files/BR_west_is_west_moe4TD_1.pdf Sadly, his BR collection began with the second part of the Moe story. The images are better than I imagined, though, and bring the story to life. Pics suggest they represented for Diamondback. Tires: Armadillo? The kicker: check out the babe on the cover page of the mag. The legs don't say ultracyclist--but who cares! I love how the tag line is 'The Grand Touring Magazine'. Excellent.

I hate giving bad press but I've had the same issue.  As someone who has a seatpack and a handlebar bag and has recommended him to many people around here, I was somewhat upset that even I didn't get a call back for a frame bag after leaving a message and waiting patiently for him to reply.  I finally just gave up.  I'll be either making my own or going with Eric.  Eric has been great to chat with over email the few times I've asked him questions.

the ultra racing section of the forum is focused on speed. this is about being slow.

I tried my best to read it.  My eyes were crossed by the time I got to the first page.  I just couldn't finish it.  Looks like a good read...

yeah. it's brutal. pt 2 is G2G, though. update: did another google search this morn and found an old-timer in PA that has back issues of Bicycle Rider. He refuses to part with any issues but is willing to scan the story for us. Pretty cool.

One thing I haven't seen addressed anywhere is transportation to the race. I assume most are flying into Calgary, but what gets you to Banff? I'm assuming there are busses, but I'd like to make sure.
Also, how did you handle shipping? Big $$$ to take the bike/gear on the plane so I was thinking of using UPS. Is there a "go to" shop in Banff that would be good to ship my bike to?

Chauncey, welcome aboard the 2010 start list. Be sure to share with us your rig when you finish crafting it. You'll be the 1st person to join Rick Hunter in taking DIY Divide racing to Nnth degree. I see RobinB, first (tentative) Banff local to race TD has chimed in with some goods above.

Travel resources: TDdotOrg has a section under "Resources". Some of the advice might be a bit outdated as 'best deals' is a fluid concept.

Things not likely to change (and listed in proper order): Banff Airporter is the best shuttle service, the Ski Stop is still the official TD bike shop (ask for 'new' co-owner Jason kucey), the Elk & Oarsman is the offical TD Bar, where Kokanee flows as cold as the Bow river, and Banff YWCA lodge is still the offical hostel. Book with Donna Hemmings and tell her you're with TD. We have a block reserved. TD STRONGLY recommends arriving no later than Wednesday 6/9. Time flies once you get there. ...and Banff's a spectacular world heritage site with lots to see + a nice public sulfur hot springs right in town. There is a locals-hosted cookout Thursday 6/10, however there is not a pre-race meeting. Please attend to all rules clarifications, etc. before you leave for Banff. There will be no geeking out on rules at the cookout. Rig-coveting and beer drinking only.

Shipping: Ski Stop will receive your bike. Problem is, customs is quite sketchy for timing. Jason can tell you many stories of touristas' bikes tied up in red tape. One `09 start lister missed the grand depart due to problems. If it were me, I would not trust this method. Flying w/ bird in hand is safer. I break my bike into two boxes and fly for cost of normal luggage. It's the way to fly w/ bike anymore. pay YOURSELF to be proficient at removing your fork from your frame, boxing those together, wheels separate. All your gear can go in these boxes as well. For readers other than Chauncey (NM local who will probably ride home), consider how you can plant like boxes in Deming or Lordsburg, NM on the back end. The logistics of long trail end-to-end racing seem like a bitch but with a bit of planning, its smooth *enough*.

Flight info in travel section on TD site is also fluid. For international (non-North American) racers, an open-jaw ticket is still probably the best advice. During domestic sales on 1way tickets you may have luck saving even more purchasing separate legs. Either method, you still have to schedule your return flight far enough in advance that 'making that date' is a crap shoot.

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.

Marshall, I don't have Mike and Dan's route.  Although I do have a couple ice axes that I found on Baffin last summer from their final expedition.  We'd have to get a look at their maps and journals to figure out their route.  But part of the magic of their trip was that they didn't plan much out in advance.  They had topos following the Divide, and they picked their route as they went.  Sometimes it worked well, sometimes they got stymied by private property or pack trails shown on the maps that didn't exist in reality.

Not sure if anyone has linked to the Moes' Divide ride write-up elsewhere on this forum but you can find a really bad copy (the only one known to me) in a .pdf here: http://tourdivide.org/GDMBR_origin
I got it from ACA's Michael McCoy a few years back. It's a 25 year old photocopy (rather, mimeograph) to the 10th degree. The 2nd part of the story (West is West) is more readable than the first. I would kill to have the two issues of Bicycle Rider mag the story was printed in --if anything, just to see clearly their bike set-ups. I have spent literally hours on the phone trying to back track with publishers of Bicycle Rider without any luck. It was only in biz for a few years at the height of the touring boom.

At any rate, you can glean their general route from the story. It's nice to read that 'Grand Tour' sensations they experienced in 1984 are still very much alive in Divide riding today. Here's a meaty, but worthy excerpt from the story conclusion:

The thought of reaching our destination is exciting, but sad as well. It will mean the end of a trek we've grown accustomed to. We've shared many frosty mornings, exciting days and fiery sunsets along the Divide. In a way, it will be like leaving friends when you move away from your hometown. You know you'll see them again, but things will never quite be the same...Canada is just 12 miles away. We push hard for the border, flashing up and down the last hills like we're riding 19lb racers. The wind has eased up, and only a whisper in the trees breaks the steady hum of our chains. Neither of us speaks. Vivid memories of the last two months fill our thoughts.

In my mind I can again taste the sweet waters of the Firehole River in Yellowstone, and laugh out loud recalling when we pushed our bikes over the steep snow at Tincup Pass in Colorado. It seems as if we were riding over the high plains of NM only yesterday, and I can almost feel the cold rain pelting my back as it did when we left the Mexican border 2600 miles ago.

Suddenly, the border is right in front of us. For Dan and Me, this is the end of one very special dream, but the beginning of many others. We grin at each other, raise our hands high and coast into Canada.

I just wanted to point out I was referring to The Great Divide Basin stretch, not the whole race.

10-4 Wilko. We know you're a lover.
There's a couple other story glitches too, like comparing TD course record to the border-to-border record, but in general Eddy did due diligence with facts and I liked his approach. His pics are excellent. I recall he worked hard for many of them. In the pg.44, strangely-lit night time pic of me eating dinner just b/f bed, he hung a remote strobe-type flash up above in the branches. I was so tired at the time i thought he was going to a lot of trouble, but the end product is pretty pro.

I feel most concerns of the Basin are built on preconceptions - If you think you’re going to suffer and hate it, you probably will.

great point. this applies to other stages of the course as well. There was a near-death dehydration a few years ago in NM but in general people seem to be getting better about management (mental and physical).

Making a plan in advance in anticipation of hot weather, and then it turning out to be cool weather could cost you a lot of time. Always expect the best until the situation is immediately in front of you. Get on with assuming you can ride, and only when it really does become too much for you, adapt. You’re tougher than you think, certainly once in Divide mode.

Well said. I used to struggle with these 'negative' expectations in the moments entering huge rainstorms. i wanted to power on, but also tried to convince myself that total muck and drive train decimation always lay in waiting; that stopping would improve things. eventually i learned that rarely was destruction the end result. that i was always batter off irrevocably determined not to alter my pace no matter what the weather hardship, until i was literally off the bike, reduced to pushing.

Race anyone? Darwin to Melbourne? (Anyone else been thinking about big ITTs/races on other continents?)

The answer is yes. If you establish the double-dares, peeps will challenge them (eventually). One toughy to international draw (ie merging hemispheres) is the relatively seasonal nature of racing fitness/attitude. I've heard tell of 1,000mi dirt tracks in Patagonia, and other parts of SA seem ripe for the next logical step: Unsupported expedition MTB 'racing'.

I’m pretty sure I have seen pictures that show some racers used a sus seat post (Thud Buster, or other type seat post suspension) one yr but not other years.  Why?

The short answer is, 'taint' necessary (esp. if you can leave the backpack at home). I went from a Scalpel to an HT for `05 and thought a Thud would soften things up. It did. I thoroughly enjoyed my time on them (3x), with the exception of cracking one somewhere btwn Rawlins and Steamboat in `06.

Alas, they are heavy.
Plus, any way you can simplify/eliminate points of failure, `tis good. It's another one of those grand tour leaps of faith. your lower back will answer the call of duty.
If going the HT route, think Ti posts if made in your seat tube diameter.

On basics, many haven't had a chance to read Eddy Clark's printed story on `09 TD in the 9/09 Mountain Flyer so here goes in pdf: http://tourdivide.org/files/Tour%20Divide%20by%20Eddy%20Clark.pdf

It's 2010 now, and easier to ask forgiveness than permission so TD reproduced it --until or when MF asks it be removed.
It contains good fodder for better notions of 'basics', as does the `09 media coverage list: http://tourdivide.org/dividenews/td09_press_coverage

Would a park tools self adhesive patch work for a big Agnes clearview air pad ? Or should I get the specific patch kit from big Agnes?

The sleeping bag I'm planning on taking is rated to 20°F, I would rather be too warm at night than freezing my buns off but seriously, is that maybe too much over kill? How cold does it get along the divide in June and July?

Whats the filling of choice? Down or synthetic?

i would patch only with a manufacturer spec'd fix--then duct tape it. there is no time to waste with patch failures. plus, those park adhesive's are 'not all that' for any application. it's best is to avoid punctures altogether. as LW says upthread, clear your bivy spot of protrusions religiously. consider some tyvec or some other condom underneath.

20deg is pretty warm if you are truly racing the route (100+mi/day). i wake up in leg-sweats sometimes in my 45deg bag + goretex bivy.
choice of stuffing all depends on how light and compressible you really want to be. IMO all divide racers should accept nothing less than a 1lb sleeping bag. they're widely available and not hard to keep dry. route climatology data are linked to on TD: http://tourdivide.org/weather_resources

I have used hammer stuff in the past, and still use their salt mix, but never any supplements.

However I have been thinking of using some type of joint supplant ‘pre-race’.  But I hadn’t really thought about carrying some during the race. 

Anyone carry and use joint supplements?

i've only used emergenC with glucosamine and MSM. as you say, pre-race is best. too many intra-race supplements dehydrate you.

the studies i've read suggest that no more than 500mg of glucosamine can be absorbed at once so i have to wonder about 1000mg doses.

i've found alieve to work the best for pain. though, pain will happen. there is a shut off point for knees each day that is different for everyone. it improves as the race goes on but you must be in tune with it. 20 miles too much can injure you for the following day.

marshal, i would say with your time on the CTR you should be pretty aware of your limits. the only diff. will be 2x the crank rotations/day in TD.

knees are a leap of faith. plan to push thru some pain. plan to stand up as well as sit. in their varied cadences and muscle recruitments they both have their way of relieving knee pain. if you sit too much your booty will hurt mucho.

degrees of rotation in SPD style pedals can have an impact on knees as well.