Dang. I was finally going to do this again this year but I totally understand if that's not possible.

Just some info, Waterton canyon is closed until further notice up to the dam but the CT can still be accessed via Indian Creek or end of segment 1 for those those wanting to ride it.

I used to use backpacks for all my biketracking trips but got tired of all the sweat on my back and the strain over time on my shoulders.  TDR '17 was the first time I went without a backpack.  However, I couldn't fit everything I wanted to take on packs attached to the bike so I used a Mountainsmith lumbar pack and it worked out great.  Gave me just enough extra room I needed and kept everything off my back and shoulders.

Steve,
Good to hear from you again.  Congrats on all your great races and especially TDR.  My path took a different turn after we departed though. I ran into lots of issues leading up to Holland Lake and made up my mind to quit there.  After spending half the day there contemplating, I decided to push on but went into semi touring mode into Antelope Wells.  TDR was an amazing adventure and wish I could do more races like that but alas, family life keeps me too busy.  Cheers!

Way to go Steve! 

I met Steve the day before TDR started.  He caught me on the long climb after Fernie and rode with me who is a much slower rider and talked for quite awhile on the way up and camped together at the pass(can't remember the name).  He lost a lot of time on because of a broken rear derailleur and had to wait in Elkford.  I was amazed when I saw that he still finished 4th (I finished just under 30 days) Great guy overall.  I'll be rooting for him.

I was camping this weekend just a few miles beyond Lynx Pass south of Steamboat.  I was making breakfast this morning when my dog started barking suddenly.  I looked up and there was a bikepacker that just passed.  I didn't think anything of it but then a minute later realized that must've been Ashley.  Finished my breakfast then started driving home and saw the same bikepacker starting his climb up Trough pass from the Colorado River at Radium and sure enough it was Ashley.  Chatted with him for a few minutes and he seemed like he was doing great and still having fun.  Props to him for finishing this sucker four times consecutively when I struggled to finish it just once!!

He done good.

Don't know why he's claiming foul though .. he did miss part of the course ( from Moran Junction past Turpin Meadow lodge up to Tog Lodge ) ...  he also went down Tog Pass to Lava Mtn Lodge, figured it out, went back uphill and down Brooks Lake Road like he was supposed to ... that's a piece lots of folks have had trouble with in the past, gave rise to a lot of complaining a couple of years ago.  One of the gals missed the Gold Dust piece, figured it out, got a ride back to redo it and she got alternated. Rules are hard.

But you know, he did good, at 60 something he rode 2700 plus miles, self supported, in a lot of funky weather, something no other presidential, or congressional candidate has ever done. Kudos !

With course deviation or not, anyone who finishes TDR has my utmost respect.   

I had dinner at McDonald's with Gary and a couple riders in Fernie.  He was pretty cool and down to earth and acted just like anyone else.  That was before the next day when I was told that that was the presidential nominee Gary Johnson. 

KO, good luck out there! I'll be following along, if not for you the fact you're livin' on the Front Range! Do double-check if Greyhound charges extra for hauling a bike - they used to, which has thwarted a lot of plans of mine - I wanted to take Greyhound just from Denver to Summit County, but the bike fee add-on was more than the bus fare for the human! Bustang fixes this, now! ($12 w/bike!). I def. know what it's like trying to do this on a budget!

Re: Ankle Injuries (in general). Man, we're too close to do anything helpful, but I would concur that walking in hyper-stiff cycling shoes for miles isn't the best. I would throw in a pair of el-cheapo, beat up trail runners or something just for this long HAB section. Cyclists seem to have over-tight achilles to begin with and have awful ankle dorsiflexion and that really shines through when they're off the pedals.

It may behoove the ultra-prepared to look into ankle dorsiflexion PT stuff specific to tight achilles before the race (I know y'all have all the time in the world!), as well as techniques to relieve Achilles Tendonitis while on route - a big standby is to move you cleat back - but with the huge warning sticker that you don't want to change your setup this close to your start date!. It's a damn shame when someone needs to tap out because of achilles issues. Listen to your body, and keep the Vitamin I intake to a minimum!

Thanks for the Front Range support!  I've talked to Greyhound in Las Cruces and they said as long as my bike is boxed up and under 50 lbs it gets to go free.  

As far as the achilles goes, I had to drop out of CTR '14 because of achilles and knees and I definitely don't want that disappointment again.  I'm gonna bring along a pair of light trail running shoes just for that first HAB.  

...wait 'till you get to the really hard part of the route ! 



messing with rookies...I'm a baaaad boy!
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Don't worry me.  While shorter than TD, the CT has much more hike a bike so I'm pretty used to it. The Koko Claims hab sure looks nasty though.

Yikes!  You guys are really trying to weed out the rookies early this year.

[/quote]  

The "Spirit of the race" is that a reroute should take the shortest path around an obstacle and rejoin the route.  In this case the obstacle is a bridge that has been removed in the Flathead.  It appears that starting the reroute prior to Elkford rather than going south on the main Highway (the start of the ACA official alternate) from Sparwood is unnecessary and has been done to make the race more "fun".  The reason that the Wigwam route was not taken is that it would have cut a large portion of the Flathead, including Cabin Pass, unnecessarily.

Please don't take this the wrong way, but that sounds like a contradiction.  We want a reroute as short as possible yet we're unnecessarily cutting off 24 miles of the route starting 3 miles north of Elkford to Sparwood where the reroute can actually begin.  It makes more sense to me to leave those 24 miles in and then cut out the 26 miles of actual TD route by taking the Wigwam detour instead of heading towards Flathead.  Again, I'm just trying to make sense of this.  

Reroute takes off ~ 3 miles north of Elkford. Looks like a gnarly climb at the start: Paul walked ~3 miles, could be snow but the percent grade is > 10% for last 2 miles - so says Google Earth, summit at 6700' or so. Uber available??

Total detour/new route is 53 miles. Two climbs, at the start (4300' to 6700' over 5.5 miles) then near finish (3500' to 5300' but gentle). Then looks like we then take Fernie reroute for 10-15 miles, to Lodgepole Road, then to Flathead north of Butts Cabin, over Cabin/Galton - can you say 'Snow', I knew you could! Resupply may take some imagination day one.

However, nothing written in calc-alkaline compressive margin intermediate rock yet (I'm a Geologist, humor me). Supposed to get final route in a couple days, the boys/gals are working hard.

By rerouting, what is the main part we are avoiding?  Also, since we're rerouting, wouldn't it make more sense to take Wigwam Forest Service Rd south of Morrissey rather than continuing straight on Lodgepole Forest Service Rd and making that big u turn heading west south of Flathead which brings us back to Wigwam Forest Service Rd anyways?  I'm a TD rookie and I've never been out there or am trying to make the route any easier, but just looking at the map this makes more sense to me.

I still think that they are working on parts of the route still. If I read anything on any of the facebook pages, I will pass it along.

I still think that they are working on parts of the route still. If I read anything on any of the facebook pages, I will pass it along.

Thanks.  I'm one of the those curmudgeons who don't have a Facebook account and are always out of the loop in all social gatherings.

Maybe I missed it or just too early, but any info/links to sign for a spot yet? 

Check out Bikeflights.com for shipping bike. You box the bike and buy postage online, they pick up from most residential and businesses. Shipping is via one of the major carriers (Fedex, UPS...). I've used them twice. My 55 pound bike box from Deming NM to Reno NV = $65, three day delivery. Beats $150 airline fee.

Unless I'm mistaken , Greyhound will take me and my bike from Las Cruces back to Denver for around $50. Just need to get a bike box from one of the local bike shops.

I used this:

http://www.eplalimo.com/

Which has to be the cheapest way to go.

Get your biked shipped out of Gila Hike & Bike.

And prepare for an adventure!

I used this:

http://www.eplalimo.com/

Which has to be the cheapest way to go.

Get your biked shipped out of Gila Hike & Bike.

And prepare for an adventure!

Website says $65 while Greyhound is $44-$53 and I'd like to take my bike with me because shipping a bike is expensive.

Has anyone taken a Greyhound from Las Cruces?  Lordsburg and Deming are closer but what's another 60 miles to save approximately $100 coming back to Denver.  Anyways, I've never taken a Greyhound before.  Since I don't know when exactly I'll finish, is there an station/ticket booth when I can buy tickets when I get there or is it only online?  Looking at Google Earth it looks like just a gas station with seats under a booth for the Greyhound. 

Not sure what a databook looks like, but the ACA cues are cheap and can be adapted to your needs.

I don't know much about the pros and cons of the various GPS units except to say that unless you have a super-duper one, you need to be sure to load the 10,000 data point file rather than the complete file or your route will end near Butte.

You don't exactly follow waypoints so much as stay on the loaded track.

The CT databook is just a really small lightweight, convenient book broken up in the 28 segments and it has the only necessary info you need such as cues, elevation profile and map.

The maps are (IMO) the least necessary navigation aid.  Cues are nice, GPS track is great, compiling a list of services with phone numbers is good.  The maps are most useful for giving you a sense of where you are in relation to upcoming things on the route and also have services listed.  Most people (I think) who bring the maps mostly unfold them at the end of the day to plan the next day's goals.

EDIT:  I should add that the maps have almost no detail off the exact route, even a few miles.

That's what I figured about the map.  For the CT I've always used the trail databook and that worked great but I don't see databook for Great Divide.  Maybe it's time someone made one.  Also, I've only previously used a Garmin Edge 305 and 500 before just to gather info about my rides.  I just got a eTrex 30x so this will be my first time trying to follow waypoints.  Pretty straightforward I assume?

Don't know if this is already posted and I just missed it, but when or where do I reserve a Spot tracker for the race?  Also, anyone using just gps waypoints and no map?  I have the second edition of the Cycling the Great Divide book and thinking of just copying the narratives and adding the updates since the book printed and using that along with my gps rather than having to stop and unfold and refold the map often. Good idea or should I fork over for $100 for all 6 Great Divide maps along with my gps?

Hey.  Did anyone just see Ben Parmen sneak past Jefe?  

Haha.  He got passed up while sleeping in the exact same spot I slept in my first time on the Cataract section.  Can't fault him though, it's an excellent camping spot.