Also, on the topic of back pain and bikepacking.

1) Keep all weight off your back. As in, do EVERYTHING you can to get all you gear on your bike and avoid wearing a backpack.

2) Learn to stretch on the bike and stretch whenever you get off the bike to eat/poop/sleep (if you're racing properly all three might happen at once).

3) Find a good saddle with padding, give, and Ti rails. The WTB Laser V worked wonders for me.

I have a very bad back, two obliterated lumbar discs with associated nerve damage. The roads on the TD just aren't bad enough to warrant full suspension (heck I only wished for a suspension fork for about 5% of the route).

I would suggest looking into either a Ti or carbon frame. Carbon is a bit harsher than Ti, but it also "feels" faster (which I like). Look into a Niner or Orbea carbon frame (both can be ordered as completes) or maybe check out a Salsa Fargo in Titanium. I know JP has used both a carbon Orbea Alma 29er and Ti Fargo and he ranted and raved about the Fargo. I have an aluminum fargo I use for commuting. It's not too shabby but I probably will use my Niner Air 9 carbon frame when I race again. 

Hey,

I used a Niner Air 9. Full carbon with no suspension. I'm going to do the route again soon and I will go with no suspension again. I would second the above poster... Think about at least riding a hard tail bike with a suspension fork.

Only you can know your particular riding style and weigh it against your experience but I would seriously reconsider full suspension.

just ride as far as you can each day-have extra food and sleep where you bonk-I have finised this 3 times all around the same 21-22 day time frames but slept in completely different spots each year except maybe the first day you should push past Elkford to Sparwood -it is an easy extra 20 miles with minimal climb. You will have 200 mile days and also 90 mile days so don't overplan it-just ride it as it comes.

This is TRUTH.

My shortest mileage day was post Brush Mountain Lodge. It was raining heavily for two days prior so I had to hike through ankle deep mud for 10 miles until I hit 8 miles of snow and then hike through mud down the back side of the pass. It took me most of the day just to get to Steamboat and then I was in town forever getting my bike fixed up right. By time I hit the hay I had only covered about 60 miles.

My longest day was through the Basin. I did something like 230 miles. I literally didn't even touch the ground of the Basin with my feet and going in I was sure it would take two days.

You just can't ever tell. The most important thing is that you know where you can get food and water. Then take enough from one pit stop to make it to the next.

Unicyclist Gen Shimizu made it to AW:

Just when i thought nothing could beat the epicness of JP's ride this year....

ANIMAL.

First off:

For anybody considering this race, DO IT. The epic single track on this route is unforgettable and absolutely worth the trip to Alaska.

Second off:

Why do you guys have to wait until I move out of state to set this up???

I trained for the Tour Divide like so:

Trained for full length Xterra off road triathlons, complete with tempo, interval, and strength training.

On top of that I did long rides starting about 9 months out from the race. Initially they were 4 hours, then 5, then 10, then 12, then two days, then three days....

That pretty much did it for me.

I second the DT Swiss 240. I put about 4,000 miles on mine last year training for and racing the Divide. I still have the same hubs on my bike now and they are rock solid.

Come to think of it, maybe I should service them since I haven't done that at all....

It really varies from what I've seen but my worst fatigue was between Cuba and Mimbres. Hot, tired, close but not enough to really feel like the finish is right there. More than one nap on the side of the road to keep from falling asleep at the bars.

That ain't no joke..... I passed out twice in the heat post Beaverhead/pre-mimbres. Talk about a sufferfest!

I will say though. It varies by rider. I just suck in the heat. All of my chasers caught up to me quite a bit during that section but when it was colder, I was putting some serious time on them.

Guess I'll be doing some heat training before my next attempt!

From a fatigue perspective, my worst days came south of Salida. I had one sub 100 mile day and one 200 mile one. The rest fell +/-20 from my average really.

That ain't no joke. The last 1/2 to 1/3 of the course is when the race really heats up. (literally and figuratively!)

Oh, I forgot to mention the obvious.  Silver City is a nice place to hang out but you have few options for leaving other than taking the bus (Greyhound's motto; "Let us lose your bike for you") or riding to Tucson (hot), Albuquerque (hot), or El Paso (hell).  The only other quick exit is to ride to Lordsburg or Demming where you can catch the train to go west (Tucson) or east (El Paso) to an airport.  Last time I checked the train didn't run everyday.   

You can also take the bus from Lordsburg or Deming. FYI, last year I talked my way onto the bus with my bike in one piece but in Phoenix I had to get off and get it boxed up.

Sunday cycles in Phoenix was awesome for that by the way!!!!

Just a few miles down the road. Easy ride.

Thanks Toby! I still have a feeling I'll be stopping for a nap in the parking lot before I ride into town though....

So, how far is it from the finish trail head to the actually city of Durango? I don't have any friends down that way, so I imagine I'll be riding it all the way into town....

Takes you right to the front door of one stellar bike store.....

does anyone carry any kind of shoe/sandal/fivefingers for camp/long hike-a-bikes etc or do you just stay in your cycling shoes for the whole trip?

I used carbon fiber xc race shoes. I'm a big guy and I live at sea level so I did a crap ton of walking. My feet were messed up by time I got to NM. My feet would have done better with a more hike friendly shoe I think. But the trade off for the extra bulk, weight, and logistics of having to change shoes would be a serious hassle.

If you think about it, you can't really ever tell how long a hike section will be until it's over. Several times you probably would stop, change shoes, hike 50 feet, and then stop, chane shoes, ride.

As far as camp times goes.... Do NOT bring shoes just for that. That would be a total waste.

At most, I would wear two pairs of thin socks to help avoid chafing.

You use the small size?  I was thinking medium...how do you go about sizing these?

It's based on forearm length. Maybe they have a chart on their website?

And no, I don't use a small. At 6'04", 230 all of my gear comes only in the large variety.

I cannot find any of these available online.  Anyone else have any luck?

These guys have all sizes in stock. Buy an adapter kit to fit mountain bars.

Booyah!

http://3-athlon.com/product.php?cat=82&page=1&productid=245

I cannot find any of these available online.  Anyone else have any luck?

These guys have a size small in stock.

http://www.gottaridebikes.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=SYA0025&Category_Code=SYA&Product_Count=1

I'd be interested in how TD veterans have handled being caught in lightening storms. I was in one a few years ago on Brazos ridge in New Mexico and it was the most terrifying experience I've had. Do you shelter in place, ride, get on your knees and pray? All of the above???

I rode through three stroms last year where I saw lightning hit on both sides of the road. Worst was in the Gila, NM. It was just an electrical storm and it started a few smoldering fires. I was so worried that I'd either get hit by lightning, burn to death, or BOTH.

The next day the fire crews at the work center (Beaver Head?)were talking about all the fires they put out the night before!