in 2009 a starter shipped his bike and it sat in customs for a week or so without moving a inch. i think he ended up starting a day late? pack it in a bike box recycled from bike shop and take it with you on plane. shuttle or ride to banff, i'm taking shuttle.

I got by in 2009 by the skin of my teeth.  My bike was out of customs the same day I arrived.
I rode down highway 1 the next day as a nice warm up.  I think there is an offroad route if you dig through the TD2011 thread.

Even Greener: ride your bike to Banff(search through the thread I think a few people are planning on doing that too).
I concur with Matthew, Do Not Ship Your Bike.
Also do not use a fancy expensive hard case, the post office in Banff can't ship large cases back to the states.

I need to study the route maps and narratives in more detail, I asked a few pages ago about concerns of "stream" crossings being in full flood.

The water in the flathead reroute will probably be pretty high, and/or covered in snow.  The other stream crossing is between Steamboat and Kremmling.  I can't think of any more.

Washed out bridges will probably be a bigger pain.

I guess I'll have to get to work in the basement and make some snow shoes that I can clip into with my Sidis.

I'm in!

I'm assuming they'll email them to me.
I need to get cracking on updating my cues.

We are now selling the 2011 narratives/cue sheets. Maps available to order later this week. I'll pass the word when they are.

are the cues digital or print?

are the cues that are currently for sale the latest version?

Hello everyone! I am looking for a lightweight alarm. Maybe on a watch but it needs to be simple to use and loud. Thanks, Jeff

Jeff I've found that being from the east coast helps with being awake at the pre dawn hours for the first few days on the TD(and the few days before while in Banff).
After a few days I got in tune with the environment and I was generally awake before my watch went off.
Getting out the the sleeping bag on the otherhand was a little harder.

I guess a little slower than to change a chain since I have to take the wheel most of the way off, and unbolt the rear triangle.

But,  a spare belt can be carried.

yup, and they're light.
mine is only 82 grams
http://www.stephenhuddle.net/2011/02/more-parts.html

crossmarks

On the Aquamira drops, the website recommends using them with a filter.....is that needed or do most just use the drops?  

probably a CYA/lawyer thing.  
Honestly I'd just go with bleach it has served we well on the AT and TD.
http://water.epa.gov/drink/emerprep/emergencydisinfection.cfm

ooooh.
yeah they should sell ones at the gas station, but I don't know which would be best for international calls.

Glad to hear i'm not the only one who doesn't mind lugging around a 4lbs hub.

Can someone recommend a place where I could buy pre-paid phone cards in Eureka? What is the most reliable brand? AT&T?

-- sigma7

I always buy one ahead at my local pharmacy.

Fancy, untested stuff i am blanking on could be an unknown weakness, too. Belt drive? internally geared hubs?

IGH have been used on the TD.  Tremblay with an Alfine and myself with a Rohloff.  There was another guy in 2010 with a Rohloff, but I forgot his name.  Steve Mcguire also ran a Rohloff in '09
The peace of mind is worth it to me(I tend to worry), and I hate front derailleurs.
The belt drive on the other hand....well....I'm still waiting to test mine....
http://www.stephenhuddle.net/2011/02/bike-porn.html

Nice job!  Very insightful!  Thank you for pulling this together.  It might be interesting to add snowfall to this.  I am betting this summer is going to be super more muddy with the run off after these one in a decade snows from this winter.

You're welcome.  
that whole el nino and la nina thing comes into play as well
http://iri.columbia.edu/climate/ENSO/currentinfo/QuickLook.html
La nina is to blame for the Australian floods they say.

Have some stats and projections.
https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0Ag4epxJKyBqcdHBMWmo5azlaTWZPTDdLZGpzaTZ2M2c&hl=en
I based this on 2008, 2009, and 2010 Grand Departs, sorry no ITTD.
2008 scratch state is based on where they called in from.
2009 and 2010 are based on the split chart, the last split time; unless it was something I personally remembered.  I didn't feel like digging through all the call ins to see exactly where someone scratched(2008 was hard enough).

Excel truncates so there are some rounding errors, but it's serviceable.
Let me know if you see some errors.

Stephen Huddle had to find someone to carry his box back from Banff last year as he got a nasty surprise when the Canadian Post Office said it was too big to mail.  Most others use cardboard.

Yes we can do heart transplants land on the moon and make cinnamon dental floss yet the Canadian PST office can't ship a bike box to Ohio.

So, Stephen,

Did you feel at all bearanoid camping in that spot?

Bob

No.  I was too tired to care.  I left my food in my backpack and frame bag.
And if I know Cricket(which I do) there is a good chance(about 90%) that she had food in her bivy.
We survived.