That's fantastic news, Amy.

Excellent, hoping to hear good news but dubious that the road is still passable.

I've been wanting to ride Indians Road for years now, but I have a feeling it has become impassable, like so many other roads and trails after all these storms. And they're not maintaining it, are they?

The last time I rode the connector from Little Basin to Empire Grade, the gate was locked at the Empire Grade end. That's OK for you strong dudes, but I have trouble lifting my bike over a barbed wire fence- it's a heavy steel bike and I' m not strong enough to lift it. I ended up taking off the bikepacking bags, removing the front wheel and sliding the bike UNDER the gate. So, be aware there's a gate.

My Ortliebs have made it across the U.S. on pavement, up the Sierra and the Cascades on pavement from the Mexican border to the Canadian border, and from Banff to Abiquiu on the Divide. And they're still in good shape. If you choose to bikepack with panniers, Ortliebs are a good choice.

If I left out some luxuries, I wouldn't enjoy the ride more. I'd enjoy it less. That's why I bring the luxuries (or what you may call luxuries) along in the first place. I'm the world's expert in what I like, and I would not be happy following the ultralight style of bikepacking. To each her own.

I just finished 2300 miles of the Divide. I carried more than 15 kilos of stuff, and I have a heavy bike, too. I don't regret it, and if I did it again, I would bring the same stuff and (definitely) ride the same bike.  I like my heavy sleeping bag, which I bought to replace a lighter-weight sleeping bag that caused me to wake up cold in the night. I like my two person tent-- I'm damned if I'll spend another night in a one-person coffin, or being eaten by bugs under a tarp. I like bringing a stove, because I like hot drinks in the morning and a hot meal at night. I like my Tilley hat; when I'm in camp or in town, it keeps off the sun, and it keeps off the bugs pretty well too.  I like a filter rather than Aquamira, because the water tastes better. I like bringing along a few spices to make the food taste better.

I have no quarrel with the ultralight folks, except when they have the temerity to tell me they know better than I do about what I like. I know what I like. I know the tradeoffs I'm making, and I make them willingly, on purpose.

Is it so hard to believe that road tourists have different preferences than you do, and are buying the bikes and carrying the equipment that satisfy those preferences? For example, some tourists cook food while on tour, so they bring much more cooking equipment than you do. You might prefer worse food and a lighter load, while they prefer better food and a heavier load. You might be satisfied to wear the same clothes for days without washing them, but others don't like the feel of clothes worn for five days at a time.

Instead of thinking that other tourists have the same goals as you (lightness and speed) but are bad at satisfying those goals, consider instead that they have different goals (comfort, for example) and are carrying the equipment that satisfies their goals.

Looks like she is near Brush Mountain Lodge right now.

I agree with those who suggest sobo for those who live at sea level. You have a few days (or a few WEEKS if you're a tourist like me) at the lower elevations before having to go over 8000 feet.

As to the spills, maybe this is the non-racer in me speaking, but almost all the ride is on non-technical fire roads and pave. If you're crashing, what if you just dial it back on the more technical sections? Whatever speed gains you get by pushing it are not worth the increased risk of crashing.

Probably most of the women racers have less upper body strength that you do. The difference in upper body strength between men and women is large.

I'm sitting here at Holland Lake Lodge, enjoying a rest day in my totally not a race Divide tour. The daughter of the receptionist here told me, with great excitement, that she had gotten Josh Kato's autograph and was going to wow her mountain biking friends with it. She was obviously thrilled with her coup.

Jill Homer: "I am lying low in Silverthorne today. In deciding to give myself a rest day to recover from illness, it feels as though my body let go of whatever survival mode it was clinging. I feel like the last time I had bronchitis, in 2005, when a lead-like weight in my lungs reduced me to laying on the floor. Suddenly the tour divide feels so far away. I think about breathing fire up fleecer ridge in montana, eating miles with so much joy, back when I could breathe. It was just a week ago, and now I am a shadow of that, weak and small. It's a good allegory for life, and why I seek these experiences - to live while I can. Today i need to find strength just to ride to pharmacy for new antibiotics. Will I be able to get back on my bike and continue to Mexico? I will need to readjust my expectations and goals. For now I just need a few more hours of sleep, and maybe then some solid food." (from her Facebook page:https://www.facebook.com/jill.homer.1)


I'm glad she's back on the route. Go Jill!

I   

Sleep strategy: I completely get the safety issue, but you've got to let people race their race and choose their own risk levels. Some will ride down Fleecer Ridge; some will walk. Some will free camp with the bears; some will sleep in motels or camp grounds. Some will hang their food; some will fall asleep with half eaten food on their chests.

The problem with people choosing their own level of risk with respect to bears is that they are risking more than their own safety. People who are careless about leaving food unsecured are risking the safety of the other riders, because if a bear learns that camping mountain bikers have food, it will go after other riders. And that bear will soon be a dead bear. People should be able to put themselves at risk, but they shouldn't put other people or wild animals at risk.

bergersride, I sent you a PM about the Wamsutter alternate.

It's scorching out there, much hotter than typical for this time of year. I hope Jill and all the racers are OK.

Soul Ski and Bike is reputed to be a good shop in Banff. And they will accept your bike for shipping.
http://www.soulskiandbike.com/

However, if you talk to them, they will tell you not to ship it, because it will get hung up at Customs.

Lael Wilcox is sixth! Wow.

Nothing to stop you from riding a 29+ bike with 29 tires, then switching to 29+ in Steamboat. That way you'd have the faster tires in the northern section, and the cushier tires for New Mexico.

It's easy enough, as far as I can tell, for wimpy tourists to take the Wamsutter route but skip the rough stuff. Better than hassling with the road construction south of Rawlins.

-- Signed, A Wimpy Tourist

Although on second thought, I'm looking at that rocky stuff, I'm looking at 3" tires, I'm thinking, what's the problem?

Will the official ACA route include the singletrack section in the middle?

What kind of fork was Seb Dunne using? Steel or carbon?