I just updated the services on Ride With GPS if anyone wants to take a gander.

http://ridewithgps.com/routes/11144042

awe yeah 

For those who can stomach riding on pavement, this is a fantastic way to see the far reaches of Oregon.

http://steensmazama1000.com

The etrex used to be the old standby, lot's of folks using the 810, all Garmin products of course.  Lots of people using a dedicated cell phone, everything after iphone 4 can be run off network in airplane mode.  Lots of apps like OSM, gaia, galileo.  I've not used any newer gps devices, used an old etrex for the Trans Am.  So yeah, a good start is learning to use an app on yr phone in tandem with looking for a dedicated GPS to purchase, or like some just put a ton of faith in your phone or a spare. 

Anybody have some guidance on the best GPS unit for this event?  I have never used one but the organizer strongly recommends it.

Thanks!

Jason
Chicago

If anyone wants to do the road bike thing, next year ought to be fun.  Options for pairs and touring as well.  

http://www.transambikerace.com

Thanks again forever and always!  The outback is 5/22/15 fyi.

I would think we could agree on something not too far from this, but I've been known to be painfully idealistic.  

Maybe for some. But for me, it always seems pretty damn real.

Very true Toby.  The realness of it is not so much what I'm getting at though.  But the importance with with which a long bicycle ride matters on the cosmic scale.  I would argue it is very small no matter how much it means to us personally and the ones around us.  It is this bit of sanity that reels me back in any time I get too worked up about what others are doing.  Yes greatness can be achieved through the race, but that greatness can be achieved many places in life.  No one's ride is more important than another, we are all on it together and we all will perceive it in different ways.  Some rides may seem more magnificent than others, that is without saying but trying to get everyone to follow the rules and the bitterness which can ensue when others don't can feel painfully detracting.  Especially when we're involved in nothing more than a long ass alley cat race.  All of this said I do feel personally integrity matters on the cosmic scale and that's really the crux of the issue in all of this.  The silly ride is pointless, but how you act on the ride is of the utmost importance.  And I think that's what most of us are really striving for here, that the ride forces us to act better and make wiser choices.  I can say this, endurance riding is better than buying some self help book and I'm proud to know anyone who chooses that path to find their place in the world.  For me the spirit is this, it's a ride, have fun, don't fret about what not, constantly seek improvement. 

A big problem for me with all of this sort of racing is the massive epicness combined with the miniscule fact that the ride barely compares to other much more pressing issues in the world.  I in no way mean to detract from it but as long as it's a back of the pants sort of agreement to ride our bikes real fast, making it out to be much more in the grand scheme of things can be quixotic. 

Inline with Christopher's original struggle.  I must attest to delaying several months before posting the results of this years trans am on the website.  The personal struggle I've had to deal with in managing a race and being officiator has been a bit more than I was willing to deal with.  Results have been posted, no asterisks were made despite vocalizations during the race of violations.  In the long haul I left it up to the racers to call out their comrades, no one stepped forward with a direct complaint calling out another racer and results were posted.  This is mostly me playing nice guy cop out.  I don't get paid jack to do this and the amount of stress it causes for me to worry about a bunch of people's integrity, let alone their safety on a bike ride of this magnitude is not worth it.  If we had some sort of formalized organization that had rules laid down in stone, small entry fees similar to the TCR then I would feel much more strongly about published results.  But once again this sort of back of the pant's, gentleperson's bet is bound to draw those who break the rules.  Pirate bike racing is filled with pirates, some more noble than others, but all pirates nonetheless.  If no sanctioning body exists, we are all merely on a ship with no clear captain.  That is the darkness and beauty of what we do. 

I think if folks want to see accurate results lists that are meticulously maintained, we need to form some sort of sanctioning group.  Otherwise, we should be content with the ship we set sail on and have fun with the crew because it's an unknown for everyone. 

Any time I get too worked up about what riding a bike is and isn't, I just repeat Bill Hicks mantra.  

"It's just a ride!"  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMUiwTubYu0

Hey ya'll I'm in. Still no MTB yet, working on it, but hey, maybe a better geared dirt drop Cross Check?
No no no no no no, let's not do that again haha

Y'all better start training cuz there are two vegans out for blood this year!  #teamvegan

Firm believer in caffeine pills, but in the Trans Am I only used them east of the rockies, cuz you know, shit coffee.  Why bother drinking crap joe!   Really never used them to beat others, just when it was go time and I had no go left in the last week.

BUMP.  Hit that trackleaders sign up if you've been meaning to, the window is getting narrow.

http://trackleaders.com/transam-signup

For anyone else who didn't get the memo, get yr tracker stuffs straighten out here.

http://trackleaders.com/transam-signup

I am planning on under 30 hours for the course.
DocTrike

You gonna have a spot tracker for that 30 hour ride Teajay?  http://trackleaders.com/oregonoutback-signup

Nathan Jones - have you been in touch with any hotels in Astoria - some sort of group rate for all of us for the day or two before the race?? if not… where do you recommend?? Paul and I are pedaling from Portland on the 5th, via seaside, then up the coast….
talk soon,
look forward to meeting ya!

Unfortunately no I haven't gotten any hookups yet on lodging up there, maybe next year.  I've never stayed up in Astoria before so your guess is as good as mine on rooms.

I highly recommend going to Astoria by way of Vernonia as opposed to taking 26 to Seaside, worth a thought.  Between banks and vernonia is a 23 mile paved car free rail trail.  It's quite lovely.  26 kind of sucks if you ask me, but it's all riding so whatever.

Is it just me or do people keep going in and out of commitment? This is a hell of a journey and I think it's alright to have a bit of fear and respect for the road.

Downloaded maps last night. Final bits and bobs are in the mail. Doing a 24 hr. Fleche this weekend, hoping that I can get a test pack/ride next weekend. This is coming up fast!

(So are people planning on riding from Portland? Looks like I might do the same. Also what are accommodations like in/near Astoria? Are people planning on camping before it?)

Yes it's down to the wire and folks are finally starting to make up their mind one way or the other whether this is want they want.  Sometimes you just have to bag it and say next year, other times you have to realize you have a small window to do this sort of thing and just commit. 

I do believe a handful of folks are going to ride up to Astoria but there hasn't been any level of coordination, I think Richard and Brian are paired up to pedal to the start.

Greg, this is clarified on the rules page, all alts are legit.

 
"Trans Am Route: The official route is the shortest possible route on the trans (there are a few alternates) Additionally all alternates are legal alternates for a racer to choose."
http://www.transambikerace.com/rules/

I recommend taking the MAX, the ride across east Portland is chill, but the west side of town, well it kinda sucks in terms of suburban sprawl.  You've got the right route, hop on the Banks/Vernonia rail trail and then follow hwy 47 to Astoria, it's got some good hills between mile 50 and 80 but nothing too bad, pavement the whole way.

Nathan,
    When I signed up a few weeks ago, I received a tweet with lots of info, but I lost access to the tweet after the first viewing and didn't have a chance to review the information.  I tried to access the tweet with both my telephone number and my e-mail address, but your message doesn't appear in my Twitter account.  Can you resend the info that was on that tweet, maybe to my e-mail account this time?

Greg I resent you the initial sign up e-mail information.

Greetings, all.
    I was planning on a repeat Tour Divide this summer.  I finished last year's effort, but I crashed hard just north of Steamboat Lake, about 25 miles north of Steamboat Springs, CO.  After nursing my wounds overnight in Steamboat Springs, I didn't feel any worse than the day prior, so on I went.  But from that point on, I was only good for about 100 miles a day.  If I tried to go beyond that, my right arm was getting pretty sore.  It turned out I fractured my Radius, chipping off a little wedge right at the elbow.  I definitely want to get back out there now that I've rehab'd my arm.  I was even contemplating running the route single speed after encountering Cjell, Ron, Prentice, and Scott Thigpen, among others throughout last year's ride.  However, my Tour Divide thoughts were totally derailed when my good friend and fellow bikepacker Ed sent me the Trans Am Bike Race link.  Like so many other respondents, the thought of getting in on the inaugural event is very appealing.  I think it's my must-do event this year.

    That said, let's talk equipment.  My road bike didn't survive a road-sharing encounter with a VW Beetle three years ago.  I've since invested my time, effort, and resources on my belt-drive Spot Honey Badger 29er.  It's a bomb-proof commuting machine right now with rigid fork, Rohloff hub, and Schwalbe Big Apple 2.3 slicks.  It's very, very comfortable and I'm confident I can put in 200-mile days on the pavement, but I'm not sure how to fine-tune my wheels for long-distance pavement.  I live in eastern Virginia and have to find bridge spans just to get some vertical terrain.  Because of my very flat route from home to work, I will often swap the Rohloff wheel for a single speed setup.  The straight gearing is so very efficient and there's about a 2 lb difference in the bike's rear end.

    I love the way the Big Apple tire volume soaks up the seams, cracks, and other surface imperfections I encounter in my 38 mile round trip commute, but I wonder if I should down-size to a more representative road-touring tire for Trans Am.  I also wonder if I should leave my heavy Rohloff wheel at home and use my 50:20 single speed setup.  When considering a 4,000+ mile endeavor, it's a question of payoff.  Is the comfort of the high-volume tire set worth 3x the weight penalty imposed over a reinforced touring tire weighing 1/3 as much?  Is the range (low gear climbing, high gear straightaways) of the Rohloff wheel worth the weight penalty imposed over a single speed wheel with only one gear ratio?  My own limited wisdom has me thinking the Rohloff wheel will be more of an asset than a liability since all the weight is at the axle with minimal inertia and the nature of the route will have me using the more efficient upper gear range vice the low range where the less-efficient gears kick in.  So that leaves the question of tires.

    Any recommendations from those of you with Trans Am route experience?

Stoked to hear your enthusiasm Greg. 

I would recommend gears all day, single speeders would survive the big climbs, but I can't imagine the winds of east CO and KA and only one gear choice.  Okay, I can imagine it, and if that doesn't sound so bad then hey, you might be on to something.  I wouldn't be caught dead, love my gears. 

As for tires, I'm a bigger guy, load me and the bike up and things will weigh around 250 pounds at least, I raced/ITT'd a Schwalbe Marathon Racer 35c kevlar on the Trans Am across Oregon just last August, I swear it's the perfect tire for my needs.  I suspect a set could make it across the country if they were rotated half way through.  I shy away from a meatier touring tire or a full on 29er tire.  Though something like a 2.0 that has like an inverted tread with a smooth center strip could be a major comfort factor resulting in less rider fatigue.  I like the big tire strategy as well, but I've spent the past 3 years trying to decide on tires for this and I'm pretty certain I'll go with the Marathon Racer or Marathon Supreme in a 35, I feel like the Racer wears better but the Supreme rolls faster and allows lower pressure. 

I like the idea of something like the Dureme Tandem in the 40mm size, that would look to me to me a good choice in terms of durable, weight, and volume.  I ran the old regular Duremes as a 2.0 on the divide and 2010, loved them for the most part, super fast, but realized I'll never run tires that slim on the divide ever again, super stupid on my part, beat me up too much.  I'll never run below a 2.4 again on the divide, I swear it!!! 

These days I'm riding fat bikes and though I'm loving the virtues on wider tires, I'm still sold on a fast 35c tire for the trans am.