both take the Salsa tokens.

Which restaurants take the salsa tokens for free pie for the riders in pie town? Hours open? Thanks!

The Pie-O-Neer Cafe lists their hours as 11:30 am to 4:00 pm Thursday through Sunday. They may be open more days for the Tour Divide. Call and ask them.

http://www.pie-o-neer.com/hours.html

Wayne
Looking forward to the Green Chili Apple Pie with a side of Starry Starry Night Blueberry pie and whatever Josh had for dessert in Pie Town. Someday.

A post ride post about Lael :
https://gypsybytrade.wordpress.com/2015/07/01/keeping-it-real-on-the-tour-divide-with-lael-wilcox/

Thank you. Informative and inspiring. Bookmarked under the heading "How to Ride the TD" for future use.  

Wayne

Josh,
You are a genuine class act and an inspiration to us all!
All the best to you and Val.
Cheers!

Wayne
 

You're welcome. Glad to help.
Here is the link to the whole discussion.

http://forums.adventurecycling.org/index.php?topic=13266.0

Wayne

The new re-route was 5 1/2 hours faster than going through Rawlins for the racers. There is a non-technical bypass around the rocky section. Win-Win for everyone.

If you listen to  http://mtbcast.com/site2/category/calls/ ,  Billy Rice's is rapturing about a new section of double track that he calls the Basin Rim trail and describes as super-rocky, super-slow. I guess it refers to the miles 40-47 from Atlantic City and his description implies that it is technical.
If you look carefully to the local map (see http://ridewithgps.com/routes/7983582 ) there is a bypass of this rim trail over the Bison-Basin Rd  (TD racers will be relegated for taking this bypass).

I would prefer the reroute over the old route with a long wait at the construction site south of Rawlins. Aspen Alley is a rather overrated 0.5 mile. It is more a traditional photo opportunity.

If you alter the reroute on miles 40-47 as mathieu suggests, bypassing by continuing on Riverside and then going to Bison-Basin Road, it's almost the same distance and almost the same climbing.  This reroute looks like a good choice for all riders, with the option of the Basin Rim Trail for the racers and others looking for technical terrain, and Bison-Basin Road for everybody else.

I hope to have an on-the-ground report on the reroute before I have to make the choice.

The first southbound Tour Divide racers have gotten through the new reroute from Atlantic City to the Colorado border. Turns out it's a lot faster for the racers.  The section was five and a half hours faster, 11.5 hours for the Wamsutter route versus 16 hours for the Rawlins route, for Jay Petervary, the record holder and current race leader.

Possible location of a well 40 miles north of Wamsutter reported by the early racers.

Based on the TD cue sheets I think this is the location: https://goo.gl/UEvfeG

If anyone who has actually been there could confirm that would be great.

Sounds like a good new route.

Wayne

I've had the clement MSO X'plorer on my Fargo for about a year now. Didn't ride much over the winter so figure more like 6 months of actual riding. They're a great all-around choice. Much faster on pavement and most double track. Not great for single track but still fun. I've got a second set just in case they decide to stop making them.


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I recently installed the same tires. I'm curious to know what your rider+bike weight is and what pressures you are running front/rear. The only other example I can find online is Guitar Ted's review of the 40mm MSO tires. He said that he weighs 235 pounds and that 40 front & 45 rear worked for him. I'm only 145 pounds & the bike is 26 pounds dry. I am currently riding with 30 front & 35 rear. Curious to know if I'm in the right ballpark with my tire pressure.
Thanks for your help.

ps: Are you running tubes or tubeless??

Wayne

I agree, but mandatory rest breaks in effect automatically create a multi-stage event, even if the competitors start from different points each day.  Also, what would the parameters be?  Everyone stops from 10pm to 5 am?  Everyone rests for at least 6 consecutive hours in a 24 hour period?  Personally, I think the present "system", where racers monitor their own bodies and make appropriate decisions based on their own abilities is the best plan.

The Tour Divide is based on self-sufficiency and self-reliance. Two concepts we seem to be losing at an alarming rate in our society.
Keep it simple.   

Wayne

I make that a tad under 8 hours from Silver City. I think Josh had the hammer down! 
    

Wayne

I hope Josh & Val don't mind. If you have not read Josh's account of his ride in TD 2014, here is the link.

http://faroutwanderings.blogspot.com/2015/01/my-tour-divide-2014-story-ingredients.html

Good luck all!

Crush it, Josh!

Wayne

Yes. Josh & Val got Ti Fargos for the TD 2014. Josh built/assembled most of both bikes. It's all at Far Out Wanderings. I assume Josh is on the same bike this year. Salsa should be signing them to a sponsor deal.

Wayne

Josh has made a break on the last of the dirt. Positions came in 1 minute apart. Josh is about 6 miles ahead.
Go JOSH!

Wayne

I apologize for being late with my old news about Josh. That happens when you're attempting to get some work done at work. I should have been paying closer attention to the important things.
I read Josh's account of TD 2014 back in January. I was dumbfounded! Gobsmacked as they say.
Rock on Josh!

Wayne

I hope not also. Knowing how hard and how far he rode last year with a broken bone & a tree limb stuck in his leg, I don't think he went too early.
87, or less, miles to go.

Wayne

Josh has made a break on the last of the dirt. Positions came in 1 minute apart. Josh is about 6 miles ahead.
Go JOSH!

Wayne

Is the stretch from White Signal to Separ the last of the dirt? Pavement until White Signal & pavement after Separ all the way to the border?

Wayne

A quarter mile from JP to JK. Good grief!

Wayne

This might be a good warm up/practice for the GDMBR.
The Alberta Forestry Trunk Road. The road runs north-south, east of Banff & Jasper National Parks. It is shown on Alberta highway Maps.
You can get to/from the FTR on the south end from either Calgary or Banff, connect on the north end to Jasper, or connect to Saskatchewan Crossing on the Icefields Parkway in the middle.

The DIRT

Name: The Forestry Trunk Road

Distance: 1000 kilometers

Duration: 2 days (For folks on motorcycles)
 
Rating: class 2

Accomodations: Camping and lodges

Creator: Erik Schmidt

Location: Western Alberta

The FTR (Forestry Trunk Road) runs for 1000 kilometers along the foothills of the Rocky Mountains.  800 +- of the road is gravel surfaced with the remaining 200+- being paved.

For many the FTR is a destination onto itself, for many others it is used as warm up and a means to get to the northern roads like the Dempster.  The scenery along the FTR is outstanding at times.

http://albertascampgrounds.com/camping-along-albertas-forestry-trunk-road/

I hope this helps you plan your trip.

Wayne

does JK have the stones to hold his 3 mile lead?

very impressive riding.

as has been mentioned, some type of enforced sleep / stop time per 24 hrs. would probably not be a bad rule change, these are all fantastic athletes, but you can do some serious damage without enough (any) rest.

RULES?

Oddball: "Why don't you knock it off with them negative waves? Why don't you dig how beautiful it is out here? Why don't you say something righteous and hopeful for a change?"

 

The 3 riders at the front finally reported their positions at approximately the same time. No change except a bit tighter than yesterday.
That said, given Josh's one week effort last year in his first attempt at the TD and where he is today, he is truly an inspiration. To me, anyway.
All the best to everyone in the 2015 Tour Divide!

Wayne

Sounds as though spectators will be at finish? Is there an official line?

The border. Look around the web. There are photos of folks at the official border sign.

Wayne

Yeah, I don't think it has anything to do with gear.  I'd say it's mostly mental.  Races and records keep getting faster and faster because people believe they can do it faster and faster, building on the hard work and belief of those that came before.  TD evolution has been somewhat slower, IMHO, because of the length and the amount of luck required to pull of successful runs (e.g. course closures).  It is interesting to watch and think about.

Keep believin' out there, everyone.  This has been the best race to watch yet.  Both the women's and men's are still *tight*.

2015 conditions are the reverse of 2014. The riders have not crossed Colorado yet. That doesn't mean that they will be slowed any more than they were slowed last year at the beginning. It will be interesting.
All the best to all in the Tour Divide 2015.

Wayne

Given the late snowfall in Colorado, is anyone looking at possible detours around snow clogged mountain passes and, even worse, snow melt runoff swollen creeks & rivers? The Tour divide 2015 leaders are approaching Pinedale, WY this morning. They should be entering Colorado this weekend. Any local updates would be helpful.
Northbound hikers on the Continental Divide Trail are already bypassing Colorado and going north to Wyoming or all the way to the Canadian border and hiking south.
Or is this a case of everybody is on their own? Colorado is going to cause some bunching up.
Thanks.

Wayne