Great update!

agree w/ bikingbakke and Climb On.

or are they both so comfortable with each other being around for so long and they are both feeling scared to pull away from each other...when will the games begin, sort of boring up there...start throwing punches boys!

I guess at the very least we're all front seat and center to watch it unfold.  They undoubtedly have all day for a week prior, and a week going forward, to stew on the decision, while we bouce in and out of observation and real world tasks.  I know Craig well, and he definitely has both the "every decision and tactic in realtime counts" race mind, and as well the super nice, super positive, every mile we ride is one more quality moment of life type of attitude.  Hearing Ollie on the call ins, but not knowing him, I think I hear similar.

I guess all that adds is that it's this guy's belief that it's not an anticompetitive truce or anything like that; can't take the race out of a racer (or these two!).

The only other window I've had into this race beyond Craig is Tori last year.  She was a finisher yet wasn't in a "tied for lead/course record" scenario, but did adjust her riding at times to be around the comfort of people than the sheer vastness.  Hearing that colors my perceptions of Craig and Ollie's decisions.

Also, this might be a bit dumb, but how much of their position relative to the group are they likely aware of?  Like when you guys who did prior years, did you check into lodges and hit the internet for 5 minutes?  Or just too tired and went for food and sleep and said it doesn't matter cause I'm already riding as hard as I can?  I'm not aware if either of them have iphones or the like.

Also, unfortunate for the cycling spectator, often the most dramatic to watch/boldest race tactics aren't the winningest...

Well...It's time for our co-leaders to find out who's the strongest/toughest climber. And I imagine the upcoming sections favor the racer with the best descents as well. What amazing rides the racers are throwing down this year!      

After this many days of riding together, let alone an hour in a lap race, I'd put forth that the racer parts of their brains already know who's stronger at what.  It's when to make a move.  One likely feels it'll be easy, and therefore why need to start it yet.  One feels it'll be hard/impossible, and therefore won't.  So perhaps it's a stalemate for a while.  Alternately, perhaps they feel entirely equally sized up... and many riders chase better than lead, so don't want to start that drag race yet.  Seems like a tough choice to me.  Also, if maximimizing the size of the "new record" if they're thinking about that, yes it's very far away, but they must at least dream given the pace so far, might be best done by maximizing time at least sort of together.

wow stappy, live news straight from the horse's mouth!  That's great.  Hope the tailwinds help across the high plain!

I forget that part just north of jackson, but they both appear stopped... camp sites or food or such at both locations?

Does it look to anyone like Ollie is waiting for Craig?  

Totally independent problems or feed times?  I'm sure it'll look like he waited if Craig catches him and they ride off together, but I suppose whatever Ollie is stopped for, when Craig rolls by, they'd say hi and probably roll together just because, unless Ollie had some sort of issue to prevent that, or didn't see him if he was resting roadside or whatever.

Why bother?  You end up with a drivetrain that is similar in complexity, but heavier.  The beauty of an internally geared hub is eliminating derailleurs and tensioners, giving you the simplicity and robustness of a singlespeed drivetrain.

Indeed.  And that response makes sense.  Not the best idea out there I guess.  I had thought it might a) eliminate the catastrophic mud inspired "wrap around" of the rear derailleur which is often a bit show stopper, b) if such a thing happened with the singleator, it can just be removed and go to 8 gears, and c) be a bandaid fix for being limited to 8 in the first place, in a cheaper way than going to Rohloff.  It's a bit of a scaleable or flexible approach that can have parts removed if they fail, yet still continue on.  Could also even not use a front derailleur and just finger change it twice a day if warranted (or if it failed).

Back to racing, I'm a friend (and of course a fan of Stappy), Tori who did it last year, and know Ryan Correy through his Alberta days.  This thing is dangerously growing on my mind!  Love the US west too.  Hmmm... this job thing... maybe needs a break one summer.

I don't know if there are any Alfine users this year but Tremblay used the 8 in 2010 and I will be out there next year with the 11. I have used the Alfine 8 on my mtb with great success. Good stuff and much more affordable than the Rohloff. Although, there is the obvious compromise in gearing.

is this completely dumb?  using an alfine (or i guess rohloff, but more sensible with an alfine) with a singleator for chain tension and a 2x10 style crankset to give a few options?  I acknowledge it's odd, and might only have certain applications, but was wondering.

In terms of iPhones...I think it comes down to you, either decide to adapt to the realities that technology is here to stay...or you don't.  I know initially there was some grumbling about having gps's instead of using maps/cues.  It seemed like an unfair advantage but people adapted.  For those very few people who wish to and have the capability to set records, possibly it is just another facet of the race that needs to be mastered...possibly there would be more strategy involved.  The bottom line is that effects very few people and for the rest of us, it allows a connection to the world that we are already connected to...allowing us to share our journey with others.  Not necessarily a bad thing in my opinion.

Back to the race!

at the end of the day, the body and the mind matter most.  it's probably easier for most riders to carry iphones, if they chose, than to ban them.  as long as it's a) known, b) accessible, c) not blatantly anti-sporting like doping, that's a level enough playing field it'd seem.

I don't think there's any magic or good "when" moment.  We've seen riders go 190 to 200 plus miles on Day 1 to set a gap and then hold it till the end, we've seen all-night 300 mile rides through Wyoming that didn't quite stick, and then there's the often-used "ride the last 200+ miles in one pull" tactic.  Attacks in this race are days-long, not minutes or hours long like typical/normal bike races, and it's up to each racer to find their own moment.  It took me 4 days, mid-race, Montana to Wyoming, to bridge a 40 to 60 mile gap in 2010, but that was with taking some long (6hr+) sleep breaks.  I will say, however, that mountain passes just after a major town, later in the day, are good moments to "attack" ... you go up and over while others hesitate and stay in town.

But, on the flip side, I think there's just at much emphasis and attention that needs to be paid to "just holding the pace and not making mistakes".  And by "mistake"  I mean: sleeping in at a hotel, or sleeping in while in the warm bivy, ordering dinner at a bar instead of rolling on into the night and losing an hour+ to a very slow kitchen staff, dilly-dally in town looking for the grocery store or whatever, etc..  It's limiting this "mistakes" that gains way more time (or limits loss of time) than picking the right time to "attack".

In addition to Ollie and the Tandem, I know of two other Rohloffs in this years race. 
Georg - http://kgdeck.blogspot.com/2011/05/29er-finished-in-time-for-td-2012.html
Jon Cox - http://www.paradivideride.org/

Are there other Rohloffs?  And anybody riding with Alfina 8 or 11 this year?

For those that have ridden these in the race, did you go with them with the standard oil?  I have one, and have found lighter oils/synthetics do help the feel of reduced rolling friction.  Of course Rohloff would scorn this, but I've experimented a bunch and have found a few improvements I think.  Synthetics leave it a bit quieter too, and with 'sweating' or evaporation or oil loss, it seems to work better with reduced volumes of oil. 

Interested to hear thoughts from those who have raced before... saw all the earlier discussion on "attack" or just wake up and go one day, to create a gap.  My question would be "when" more than "how"... murphy's law would tell me there's all the probability that something will happen to either Craig or Ollie somewhere in the next 10 days that will create a real gap, not from "racing" - a mechanical, a pulled muscle, a cold, whatever (but let's hope not).  And the attractiveness of riding with someone around (and simply safety issues of animals, hypothermia, etc) seems to be something that'd be worth keeping going at least through Colorado if possible before worrying about brass tacks racing.  But I haven't been there...

Yeah but it's Craig's Enve carbon race wheels that called out loudest to me from that pic - man, those are super fine!

Pending how those wheels last, he might be well on his way to an Enve sponsor set of wheels - this is potentially awesome proving ground advertising.

From the call ins and the photos, Craig and Ollie are smiling.  That's great.  Craig is a super positive guy to ride with, and two guys helping each other stay out of ITT mentality definitely appears to be helping.  Some people just bring others up, no matter what it is.  He's one of them.

As an aside, Erik L, right call on the achilles and too bad.  You can't heal that one on the trail, and no one event is worth jeopardizing years of future riding.