Well that got interesting. Is there a bike shop in that area?  Mechanical, the draw of a hotel bed, or stealth mode for JB?  Nice move Seth but Chris is reeling you in. Let's see if Chris can hang with the gears to the finish.

Chris just texted a few minutes ago and said "JV at Conoco need food" -- I assume that means that he found out from Seth as he passed him that JB had to stay in Copper to wait for the Conoco to open to get food. He'll be well-rested at least when he gets back on the trail.

Looks like Plesko is getting a quick meal at Mount Princeton Hot Springs.  Nothing like pulling up to a fancy restaurant smelling like days on the CT.

He had ice cream...haha!  I guess that qualifies as a meal these days. He said he has had zero calories since sometime last night. Surely the ice cream will help a tiny bit!

32x20

He posted this on his Instagram account. I'd bet this is his final setup.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BW4kTbUl79U/?taken-by=pivvay

That's it. Minus a few PBJ sandwiches he shoved in his back pocket in the morning.

Oh no, not Kurt!  I'm so so sorry to hear that!  I know Chris was really excited to be riding with Kurt when he saw his name on the tracker. I truly think he's going to be really sad to hear that he's out. And what an amazing start to the race he put in! Wow! 

Chris is feeling really bummed at the likelihood of the sub-4 finish being out of reach this year. He worked really hard with that as his focus and I'm trying to keep him focused on racing the best race he has in him and being happy with that. What's he's managing to do on his rigid single speed is amazing to me...but I guess I'm a little biased

Congrats Mark, impressive.

I truly think one of Chris's main reasons for riding the SS is simplicity. He likes that there's not a lot of stuff to break, not a lot of places for things to go wrong. He has had some issues with various aspects of his bike this year (the completely frozen BB bearings and he had to rewire his dyno hub one morning) so taking potential drive-train issues out of the equation helps some. He watched geared bikes have major issues in the mud in 2009 and really appreciated not having to deal with that stuff. 

That being said, anyone that knows him also knows... it's just him.  If you want to try it, I'm fairly certain he'll pay YOU to take his bike off his hands in a few days. Ha!

I'm also not going to say he hasn't regretted the enormous gear a time or two this race but he's still turning it!

Happy Father's Day to all of the Dads out there being great examples for their kids!

Here's Chris Plesko when he's not out ripping it up on the Divide!

Thanks for the photos, Russ! Chris was VERY happy to have your lodge and food available.

Indeed.  Wicked fast ride so far, for a one-speeder.  Dude is seriously representing those of us in the married-father-of-two-bikepack-racer crowd.  Go Chris!

I know that is probably the crowd he is most proud to represent. He takes a lot of pride in being able to show people that you can still do this, and do it well, with a demanding job, a wife, and little kids. His training for this wasn't easy on any of us, but we're all SO proud of him!

Sorry to hear that, Josh. I know Plesko was really disappointed to hear about what happened. He was enjoying chasing your shadow. I hope you heal up quickly!

Thank you for the pictures, Angler!  It's good to see that my husband's ever present smile (Chris Plesko) is still there. Even with the intense training he has put into the race this year, he still smiles like a little kid when he throws his leg over his singlespeed. Every. Single. Time.

You mean bad in that he might realize he could get hours and hours of uninterrupted sleep on the trail 

Haha, you got it! 

Where is Neil going? Weird SPOT data points or is the red track wrong?

Chris last rode the CTR in '08. I got a brief text from him while he waited for food at Stagestop, saying he was very wet and very cold and he had to hide from some intense lightning for a little bit before getting there. Something about seeing it strike a rock across the valley, but as his wife I had to glaze over that part and forget he ever said that . He's way ahead of his '08 pace so he's happy with that. I can't wait to see what shakes out as the sleep/no-sleep thing becomes a factor. We've got a 9 month old at home so he's used to getting crappy sleep... could be good, could be bad!

 

Here are a few (not very good) pictures from the start -- including Chris Plesko's rigid single speed  

As of last year there was a 29er tire in the box at the toaster house. It's worn but still good if by chance he destroyed a tire out there. No where else to get one out there really.

We live in Denver and can help his wife and daughter out however we can.  We're coming back from St. Louis but will be home by tomorrow night if they need anything -- lodging/food/transportation please message us and let us know. 

Boy it's a bummer when your internet goes down! No blue dots to watch walk over passes!! Can't wait to get a call in about Togwotee/brooks lake (or find the one I missed).
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I'm not going to weigh in on the rules discussion too heavily but I'll make a few comments.

1) The racers are under obligation to know and follow the rules. If they don't like them they can ride independently from the race. If they toe the line then I expect my fellow racers to follow the rules.

2) The rules are to try to make the race fair. They are not for the benefit of the spectators. The change of a large number of people participating in the race has in effect caused an increase of rules and rule clarifications. This is unfortunate because it makes things unnecessarily complicated. I'm not sure what a practical solution to this problem is because it is fun to have a race and a "record" to strive for but that's still secondary to the experience. Racer driven self-relegation is still the ideal and we'll always have situations come up that could not have been envisioned (see Pete vs Pilot car).

3) If you have not been part of self supported endurance racing in the past, you should think twice before excessively weighing in on the rules. The history of these events plays a huge part in why certain rules "are the way they are." You may not like, agree or understand that and it doesn't mean they may not need to be changed to reflect new realities but before you adamantly start arguing about them I'd suggest instead maybe spending that energy cheering on the racers. At the very least, let's argue about rules in a new thread.

In the end we have all this to argue about because MikeC and Matt have grown this race from nothing and now it is a popular summer pastime, both people racing and SPOT spectating. For many it is a magnum opus to strive to achieve. Overall the GDMBR and self supported racing have been an extremely positive thing. Let's try to keep those positives in mind and keep rule discussion minutia in focus. Racers have all day to think about their actions out on course and by the time they make it to AW they'll certainly have come to terms with their rides and be proud of them regardless of what anyone else says.

Ride the entire course under your own power is and always will be the guiding principle. Everything else is truly secondary IMNSHO.