Just wondering if a senior member(or someone appropriate) might like to open a 2015 Race thread so that those of us coming from international locations can set up our families and friends with the thread link?

Good idea... I went ahead and created it. Have fun out there boys and girls!

http://www.bikepacking.net/forum/ultra-racing/tour-divide-2015-race-discussion-thread/

With numerous ITT's already rolling and the GD just around the corner it's about time for a TD15 race discussion thread! 

Have fun out there racers, I'll be in the armchair at home watching the show, cheering you on, and wishing I was out there with ya!

I'm in.

I just learned that my cell phone service provider (Straight Talk) does not have roaming services. Does anybody know where one might go in Calgary or Banff to get a cell phone calling card?? Can that be done with cell phones (temporary international plan through your an alternate service provider)??

I set up a free google voice phone number and installed the google voice app on my phone so I could make/receive free voice calls and txt over wifi while in Banff and along the route where there was wifi but no cell service, worked well.

My guess is that because both are on the device and are very similar they are interfering with each other. Try moving the version one file off of the device and putting just the version two file on the device as opposed to using enable/disable with both residing on it.

what's that yellow roll under the TT? Tent, tarp?

It's his sleeping mat, he said he rolls without one most of the time but with the weather he stopped and bought one. That under the top tube position he came up with is a great stash spot for it.

Robert Orr and I got the pleasure of riding some miles with Billy Rice today. We rode down to greet him a couple miles south of the Clark Store and gave him an escort through Clark and up RCR62. Billy was in great spirits and was making his way up to Brush Mountain Lodge to spend a couple days with Kirsten and Greg before moving on.

Here are a few pics:

Billy making his way up 129 when we rode up on him:



Billy's rig at the Clark Store:



Robert Orr and Billy Rice riding up RCR62



Billy and Robert with some big smiles!



Tour Divide fever has officially begun in Clark, CO.

Scott, do we just download it then drop it into the Garmin folder on the  eTrex, then Enable the map in the settings? Thanks. Dave

Yep, the map should be enabled by default(at least it is on my eTrex20 which is what I tested the img on when I built it), so really you should just have to remove the -v1 image file from the Garmin directory and replace it with -v2 image file. It should show up in settings as GDMBR-basemap-v2.

Does anyone know if there will be "official" cues for the two new sections or do we have to sort them ourselves?

Cues will be forthcoming, as with all the non-ACA reroutes.  It is possible these could become the ACA route in the future, esp. with the construction mess and endless pavement their current route faces south of Rawlins.

Poked over the cues and reroutes that bypass Rawlins this year. Looks like the reroute means no Aspen Alley this year. I'm seriously bummed.

Don't worry, there are many more aspen alleys in the Clark and Steamboat area, two of note are one that is after Brush Mountain and just before the descent in to Hahn's Peak Basin before Clark. The other is just as you start the final climb to Lynx Pass. So even if the iconic first Aspen Alley is now off-route, there are still plenty to look forward to.

I have a Garmin Oregon 650T.  I have been trying to upload the 2015 route and have been running into a snag.  I was able to upload the 2014 route with no problem, but the new route will not upload properly.  I am a mac user and utilize basecamp to interface.  I install the new route into base camp and then into the device and everything look good until I unplug the unit and go into it to review the route.  What I get is only the first 705 miles from Banff.  I have deleted, reloaded, updated, reloaded, etc... and still no joy.  It always only uploads that first 705 miles.  Anyone else familiar with this problem and have any solution.  Thanks.

Mike, you might make sure you are using the reduced 10,000 point file(TourDivide2015_v2_10k.gpx). If using the full resolution gpx file the Garmin may be having issues due to too many waypoints. If you need me to have a look let me know.

Sorry for the niave question but, where is the 2015 route available for download?

Here: http://topofusion.com/divide/gps.php


Also, a logistics note... I noticed yesterday that the Clark Store just started their summer hours and are now open 6:30am-8pm instead of 7-7 and also that Clark Stote ice cream season has begun!

I use an eTrex 20 as my on-handlebar follow-the-purple-line GPS device and use my iPhone as a backup. I like the Garmin interface for actual moment-to-moment navigation, it's simple and it's lack of a lustrous interface may be a good thing. I also like that it's waterproof, pretty darn shock proof, and uses AA batteries(which I can carry extras of and have predictable life from). As you mentioned the interface on the phone is excellent and when I want to look where I am overall on a long route it does much better than a zoomed out Garmin does for detail and overall map visualization and usability. I've been using the Motion-X GPS app(which is only $.99) and it loads long trail tracks just fine and has the ability to cache maps for offline use which is perhaps the most important thing. As far as battery life for the phone, I carried a small external rechargeable battery pack with USB outputs that would charge my phone fully about 3-4 times. I found the phone quite useful as a backup on the AZT this year, and my eTrex 20 took the beating of all beatings and it's still running great. I don't think I'd recommend using the phone as primary though, something just doesn't feel right about it.

Hole Shot - The holeshot is a motorsport terminology to describe a driver who has the strongest start to get up to racing speed.

Racing Ralphs are about a 400 mile tire before the knobs burn off... the compound the tread is made with is extremely soft. Great tacky XC race tire but I would personally rethink your front tire choice for TD, there are many, many complaints about sidewalls going bad on them, too. You might give the MTBR review thread for them a look. My trail bike came with one on the rear and I cooked it in 2 weeks. 2.2 is definitely plenty of tire for TD... stepping up to a 2.35 IKON from the 2.2 is probably overkill but if that's what you like, roll it. IKON's are great no matter what the width.

I rode IKON 2.2 EXO's last year. Excellent all-around tire. I'd do it again on either IKON 2.2 EXO's or Crossmark EXO's.

Here's another recent thread with some input on the subject.

Looks to be a cheap and easy $40 ride on Greyhound from Edmonton to Banff. Usually just a few extra bucks for bike to go with in a bike box.

Does anybody bring baby powder?

Yep, I always have some Gold Bond medicated powder with me, works great to combat swampiness when needed, also works great to powder up an inner tube should you need to put one in. Most of my human repair kit has a dual function for bike repair, too.

Just a reminder to everyone that it's not a bad idea to pick up a Colorado Outdoor Recreation Search and Rescue (CORSAR) card before adventuring in the Colorado backcountry. It's cheap(only 3$) and helps offset the (non-medical) costs of a S&R deployment.

http://www.colorado.gov/cs/Satellite/DOLA-Main/CBON/1251592090523

Cheers all.

Signed and passed on to some other folks. Thanks Scott.

Where are all the prog metal people?  Between the Buried and Me, Scale the Summit, Russian Circles, anyone?

I had all of Russian Circles albums going for AZT also. I'm from Chicago originally as are they so I listen to them a lot. Used to record some of their live shows.