Hi everyone I am in for the 750. Looking for a 6th finish and a better time than 11d5hr. I am looking for a ride to start from finish willing to share gas etc.

I am making commercial bike bags on industrial sewing machines now for the first time as well!! I live in Naturita, Co now and have a full production shop ready to roll out bags. I am up and running so if anyone wants a custom bag I am fully capable to deliver in a short window of time. I can make all the bags I have for 5 years now and raced many events on my own creations including two straight triple crowns. I will only have one production model at first- a dual purpose bag thats a dropper compatible seatbag with rub protector or a vertical front storage bag that has a one hand user friendly bag attached for easy access. The bags will be used in the 750. Pictured is a prototype that worked perfectly in testing in Moab.

I also sell domestic sewing machines as well and I even will sell X-pac material to those who want to make their own bags. If you are looking to make bags I can help you decide which machines to buy or materials to use.

Mark Caminiti
Divide Bike Bags
dream4est@msn.com

Trail conditions and weather the worst since first year of race IMO. That year was monsoon and rained all the time. This one may even beat that. Good luck all out there its great theater. I am glued to the screen or phone!

Good luck to everyone out there I had to bail I have some issues with hand and neck post TD and the rain made the trail too much for me in my less than 100% state. I still had a great year with finishes in TD and Azt300.

I am all in! Going for #7. I will see you all at the start. My body is not fully healed from TD but I am racing anyway. This is just a little jaunt I will start soft and work into it lol.

Mike is pretty much correct.

1. All damage my fault bars too low.
2. I slept when body said no mas.
3. The trucks whizzing by is scary when not in the woods and bonky. 

I am in bad shape after TD. I can't really do the Ctr as my left hand and neck are messed up from going too hard. I couldn't stop myself as I wanted a decent finish. At 47 I feel pretty good but I need months of recovery it seems to be 100%. The night riding can be too much for most bodies.

Mark

Just like any tourist I expect to be treated correctly. I have kept my mouth shut on this subject for way too many years. Hire competent employees or I am going to complain. Gone are the times where I just leave shaking my head. Now I look everyone right in the eye just like they do to me. With the same attitude.

I spend thousands of dollars in these states and in these stores. For 10 years. I am just as important as the family in the Escalade Bob M. and that is what YOU dont seem to get.

I have to add that during the race I also had some bad customer service at mcds,wal mart and the dollar stores. Starting in Colorado. Always young employees but it was everyone at silver city wal mart. I work in tourism - Moab bike shop- u have to be kidding in how people who work in these businesses in the southwest act like punks to grown adults who have jobs families lives etc. I would be fired for treating people the way I was treated the last 10 days. I demand a lot more respect than I was given.

I just have to say that I have never been treated after a race like I was today in Arizona. Like a homeless bum everywhere I went until I bought a t shirt up north. I literally had to buy a used car or end up in a tucson park for the holidays. It wasn't just hotels and car rental places it was every fast food rest and gas station and dollar store too. I am totally done with this state and will not be coming back ever again for the Azt race. I am not sure if the new prez has anything to do with Arizonas new attitude, but I have never been stared at more, short handed change, stood far away in line from and literally tailgated a dozen times at least on the highways. Pathetic AZ just sad I saw a young homeless man who looked just like me thrown out of Taco Bell for loitering. He drank 4 cokes or something. I was shocked he wasn't even acting up. I actually was followed by cops twice in tucson waiting for a guy to buy a car from in parking lots near my bank?
It was surreal.

Edit: buying a car in tucson. I ain't playing around anymore with businesses that refuse US currency like all the car rental folks. It's cheaper to buy a used car and sell it later. It was always my never used emergency backup plan, but maybe I should been sling this all along. Lol

Mark

Hi everyone I rode all night from about 35 miles before the Beaverhead work center to the finish for a 22:10:30 or so. That is my first time doing a true no sleep overnight run. I have done many like it but I always slept and hour or two. So I nailed that MFer. The employees at Wal-Mart didnt like me bringing my bike at 330am in but that is how I roll.

Third TD finish in a grand depart. 14th triple crown challenge event finish. In 14 starts. Still the only failure I have had in a grand depart was the 2007 CTR. Not many folks have 3 TD finishes so that makes this one pretty special.

I raced solo the whole event. Went out at night many times and even battled with Brett Stepanik at night a few times that was sweet. 

At Jeff Sharps house. Chilling. He is the man BTW. What a great guy to hang with after riding my bike way too far lol.

At brush mtn bill peschka made me a burrito at 3am after riding  from Atlantic city to here. I am feeling really strong already had a 200 mile day Lima to colter bay, I plan to ride nearly all night through Colorado so watch out everyone.ahead of me I am getting faster each day lol

I live in SLC, and am leaving on the 7th to go up, you are welcome to join us.

Thanks for the ride James see you all in Banff.

So I am looking to get to Banff for the grand depart. I live in Utah. Anyone who is heading northbound want to drive my car back to the southwest US after getting to Banff/Calgary ?

I am thinking of just driving up. cheap old compact car that gets 30 mph highway.

I am in for a Southbound GD. Still need to send in my LOI.  I was torn between this and the new ATR5000. Anyone driving up from Ut, Co, Nm or Az and have a spot available? I am in Moab.

A few thoughts on the race:

1. The trail is improved. 300 course seems faster. There were a few ? trail builds that had me shaking me head (new switchbacks past Oracle were a joke for example). But overall the work that the ATA is doing is improving the route. The canelos flowed so well for me i had a record run through there (6:38 to patagonia but maybe quicker). It was obvious the first half had major improvement as I barely hiked compared to my five previous attempts. I know I was faster than before, but the trail is quicker too it seems. I attempted a backwards 300 starting 4/2 (was thinking yoyo) and although I didnt do as well as I did at my 300 ITT my avg moving speed was super high (6.0) and the trail flowed well until Oracle Ridge.

2. This was my first ITT since 2008 CTR. Back then I was just off an almost finish of the 2007 CTR and I wanted to just make it without the pressure of the race. I missed a short section but got a 9d15hr run to Durango and it gave me the confidence to go back and finish the race, which I did in 2009 and then five more times. This time it was similar. I had not raced since August 2015 after completing two triple crowns. I was not sure I even had the ability to finish a 300. My speed was up but motivation was low. I left around noon on Thursday with no expectations at all really. I dont know how to explain it really but I had a day one I will never forget. I was strong all day, rode till 330, slept 2 hrs and made La Sevilla spigot in 24 hrs. I think the ITT let me relax and really focus on myself.

3. The people of AZ are great. I got a hitch from Ty (2013 TD finisher Tucson resident) from Oracle to Globe after bailing on the yoyo attempt. And I was in a low state in my 300 ITT when I ran into Max Morris. I had been going hard for a 1.25 days to stay ahead of Pete Basinger when he showed up behind me out of nowhere after Oracle Ridge. I rode deep into the night to Freeman. By the time Pete caught me I knew I had nothing left at all at the overlook in Gila canyons. I was gonna have a sweet new personal best, but I couldnt even walk and the 2nd to final descent I lost all hand/eye coordination. Then I see Max coming up fast his headlights blazing. He had no spot. I had seen him once before in hills after Oracle (headlamp behind me) but didnt know it was him until Pete caught me and was worried about Max knowing he has amazing speed and power. I yelled out "Is that you Max?" and he replies super loud "Fu** Yeah!!!!". He was so fired up I was instantly happy again. We talked as he blew me away real quick and I bam I was able to crawl down the final hill for a my best bikepack finish ever. And of course Scott and Eszter. I had never met her, but they just made me feel really peaceful and ready to ride at the start.

4. The other ITT people. There were a few others out there I ran into who were great to be around. Rhino, Sol and Martin were all having a good time out there like me.


Thanks to everyone who helped me out. Evan saved the day for me I got to the start without trouble thanks man.

Mark Caminiti

Evan S. (Evdog) just finished his ITT of the 300. Cheers!! Nailed it on your first try.

Well I had an amazing run out there. I think I finished around 1020pm for a personal best 3:10 something (ITT start thurs noon). I wasn't even sure I wanted to race, since I had been collecting dust since 2015 Ctr.

Well I shouldn't have doubted my ability. Now I have a 6th 300 and my time didn't suck!!

I was trying a backwards 300
Got blown off oracle ridge yesterday  winds so fierce I had to bail couldn't even hike into it.
It was fun
Still may race the 300
But I am in globe with my car
Anyone going from picketpost to Pcl or tucson today or tomorrow ?

Mark Caminiti
7twozero-635-7429

I just used the search function and I found the azt water table on here posted a bunch of times in various threads over the years. Also search Fred Gaudet on the internet. One needs to do store research on their own IMO. That way you know the route.