You're talking in riddles.  What exactly are you asking?  Regardless, go out and ride some bikes and see what works FOR YOU.

Yeah the pace projections still show him beating The Ghost, was curious what he ran into late in the ITT that slowed him down. It all makes sense now

I wouldn't even be standing on those ankles!!

Whatever bike feels good to YOU going up and down hills.

It really depends on what you mean by hills and the type of terrain. A bike built to climb 20% grades won't be the same bike built to descend -20% grades.  And those wont be the same as bikes meant for chunky singletrack.  Trade offs in between to find a happy medium for everything above.

Haha, just picking up his new bike in Salida.  I'm sure he'll be back tracking once that transition is complete.

Seems like he took a longer way to get there than needed, meaning he will have to back track a bit more than if he had stayed on the route a little longer and cut over later.  I bet he's pumped to get back on the road bike.

I have to stop racing. I saw a physician in Seeley Lake. I apparently have really bad bronchitis and I would be risking permanent damage by continuing.

Good luck to all out there!!!!

Sorry to hear it, but smart move.  Best of luck healing quickly!

Was wondering the same thing. He was tweeting at midnight and 6am, sounded in great spirits.  Can't imagine he's just chilling out with Jason on his heels.  Maybe went into stealth mode but don't think that's his style.

Jason really put on some speed after his last sleep.  Impressive pace relative to the other front runners.  Caught up a bit on Mike but we'll see how the next sleep cycle goes...

Yeah, lost in Lincoln and returned in Lima so from now until Lima probably not worth much in reference but the difference at Lincoln is certainly telling at 16hrs (!!!) ahead assuming that Lincoln data is accurate for Jay.  Lima or maybe even Macks Inn will be the next best waypoint to watch. 

It should also go without saying that Alex Harris deserves some serious props as well.  Ahead of Jays ghost at Lincoln too by 6hrs and change.

Hmmm...

I've been waiting for you to comment

Jefe is totally killin' it, if we compare it with the ghost of JayP. I remember JayP lost his SPOT around Lincoln, MT - dunno how that effects the ghost's position - may be a little off.

Yeah, lost in Lincoln and returned in Lima so from now until Lima probably not worth much in reference but the difference at Lincoln is certainly telling at 16hrs (!!!) ahead assuming that Lincoln data is accurate for Jay.  Lima or maybe even Macks Inn will be the next best waypoint to watch.  

I grabbed an REI branded mummy down a cpl years ago, one of the cheaper ones but can't recall temp rating, maybe 50 deg?  I'm 6'2" and 225, fits me fine. Probably grabbed the tall/log version if there was one. Packs very small, I think I'm able to get my pad, bag, and ground sheet all stuffed into the pad bag.  I run pretty warm usually so was afraid I'd get too hot but have slept fine in 60 deg. Any hotter than that and I don't need anything more than a sheet.  I've also been fine in it down to 20 without needing many layers.  If I put on all layers I bet it'd be good for me to 0.

Gimmearaise - I've been having problems too.  Once you pick a new event try reloading the page. Works about half the time for me.

I think a lot of the guys pushing hard do it because they want to take advantage of the little time they have off.  Also that group of folks probably talk about it more than the casual folks. 

I'd bet there are lots of guys out there doing what you're talking about but they don't necessarily rush to blog about it or post about their 30 mile trip when others are talking about 21hr rides, which is too bad as it'd be nice to see what other mortals are doing.  I'm somewhere in the middle where I enjoy long rides but not much more than about 8 hrs.  I'd look forward to trip reports from you.

Sorry, didn't see that (still don't?).  Second part was poor wording, just asking what kind of background you had. Seemed like in education generally. Would maybe narrow down stuff but if you're just looking for any suggestion at all I'd suggest looking into just about ANY trade.  I'd assume you can find lots of seasonal construction oriented jobs for example.

If you're looking for office work I'm not sure what kind of enterprise would hire seasonally so would therefore say to look at temp agencies.  That would suck for year to year continuity though.

If you're a creative type there's options for making/producing and then selling stuff whether its art for arts sake or more utility based stuff you see a lot of metal and wood workers doing.

Looks like Mike grabbed a hotel last night after a little backtracking.  Full recharge before the long pull across the plains.

Katie and Sam are crushing it on a tandem!  Amazingly strong riders and I hope they make the whole length!

Wish the splits for JP and TP's tandem record were out there somewhere.  Seems like 18d 13h 50m may be within their reach if stars align with detours etc.  Long way to go still.

Because we're also looking at the race flow.  Gap was less than 40 miles at the start of day 5.  Gap was only ~40 miles less than a day ago.  Has since ballooned due to climbs, stopping etc.  I'll be waiting to see how they handle the plains.  Not much of a lag involved for some time so should be pretty clear who's engine is bigger.

Looks like the front runners have a ~10mph tail wind for awhile, probably turning to a side wind as they hit the plains.

http://hint.fm/wind/