Looks like Mike H is well on his way to pedaling through the Gila on-route, even though earlier posted info here and on Gila NF website is that road is closed S of Beaverhead WC.  I see one detour available in a few miles.

Looks like he's just taken 159/Bursum Rd turn-off.

Edit: To clarify, looks like he's turned west on 159/Bursum Rd, which may be the Gila re-route.

Peter Haile just went off-course about 6 miles. Figured it out and is on his way back now.

Edit: zooming in on the winding route, may have even been 8-10 miles.

Odd...my TL map shows the 30day flag running about 25-30 miles ahead of the 25 day flag right now, even after a refresh.

edit: I see now that the 25 day flag hasn't updated for a couple days.

[[and bike]]

Yeah Mike is pretty amazing. Last year he completely smashed the record for cycling around the world. (UNSUPPORTED)
He is more than capable of smashing the Tour Divide record and his twitter profile indicates that he has unfinished business with this race.
If his mind and body [and bike] holds up he should really start pulling away as he has demonstrated that he has the endurance for this type of event.

fixed. never a given as we've seen year after year.

...we find them a place to rest, refuel, give 'em the ole Ovando pep talk and push them out the door.    So far they are still "racing".

 

edit: fixed quote

Hey who all is following the Single Speeders??   I have been because of my friend on the race but Araon and Scott seem to be doing great and are near the SS record. Those two have been back and forth since day one and have been pretty fun to watch.  Araon passed Scott while Scott was at Holland Lodge - and Scott past Araon last night and is currently 20 miles ahead of him.  Will be interesting to see what happens on the way to Lima.

How is the weather over there today??

C

Don't overlook NoBo leader Cjell Money on a SS. Just had a small setback with a cracked frame...repaired in Salida...10+/- hour overnight stop but looks like he's going strong again now.

Looks like SS C$ has been at a bike shop in Salida the past couple hours. Hopefully nothing serious.

This is from Cjell's account of last year's Golden Spike moment in the Great Basin of Wyoming.  Ollie and Craig may have a different story to tell...

"This is almost the exact place where I met Ollie and Craig as they made their way south. Side by each. I spotted them on a rise as they came towards me. I quickly laid down my bike and spread a few water bottles around the pavement (hadn’t seen a car for hours). I then laid next to the scene and looked as near death as I could."

This year Cjell is matching his 2012 pace so it might be another Great Basin moment.

Thanks. I had forgotten about Sjell's account. That guy's blog is a hoot.

No, northbound riders aren't factored in.  Northbound and southbound are two separate races, run concurrently.  I suppose it would be possible to rank folks according to total miles covered, which would be an interesting number, but not really too meaningful as far as racing goes.

Though Mr. Money might disagree with me there.  We'll see where the 'golden spike' hits this year!

Where exactly was last year's golden spike driven? Not much use for race analysis, but for curiosity's sake it might be interesting to see a symbol dropped on the TL Tracker and then another for this year's.

Just got to listen to Serge's call. Beautiful, and very inspiring!

This guy is all class!

Could not agree more.

Why is babe the tandem always a blue dot, we know who the spirit and inspiration for the ride came from.  The second women across the line.  go Caroline!

Cool! Bt is now pink. Go Caroline & Kurt!

Looks like Cjell's spot has gone offline for the past hour or so. Guess we won't get to remote-stalk him all the way to the finish. Here's looking for a local to put the word up when he rolls in to Banff.

Didn't look like he was in much of a mood to chat with some dork in a warm dry truck so I just gave him a toot and a thumbs up as I passed by.

@skogan: keep us informed!

Minor thing, I guess, but the Trackleaders>Status>Finished isn't listing Ollie yet.

What's the distance from Silver City to the finish line at the border? 

Go Ollie 

I believe it's about 120 mi.

Anyone know what the weather is doing in Silver City?

Weather for Silver City, NM
86°F
Clear
Wind: SE at 9 mph
Humidity: 14%

He wasn't able to find flat pedals at Wal-mart? Normally these stores stock at least one kind of BMX pedal.

I checked online just after it was posted as a pedal problem and walmart shows stock in Grants for basic flats. Could be bad info, or maybe he doesn't consider it a viable option?

That Walmart is decently stocked with mountain bike gear: tires, tubes, tools, lights, bags. I even bought a replacement rack which lasted me until Seeley Lake. Not sure about pedals, though. Maybe some flat ones.

Hope he finds what he needs and gets moving quickly. Part of me knows equipment failures are part of the race, but the rest of me would hate to see that be the decider with what these guys have done up to now.

they've got a 'mossy oak, men's hunter mountain bike, 26" on sale for $309... probably cheaper than the drivetrain on his rig.

Too bad...only available online.

He called me yesterday. Front wheel was seizing up. He was heading back to Salida to figure out what he wanted to do. He's got a plane ticket in Phoenix and with this mechanical he dosen't think he'll be able to finish the race in time to get there.

Any further word on AJ?

Wait until they get into the areas with forest fire smoke.

As of right now, the Gila fire satellite images begin at #7 here: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/fires/main/usa/index.html
Newest is several days old, but looking at the progression of photos from late May into June, it seems almost certain the smoke will continue to blanket quite a few miles of the NM section. Bad enough...but fingers crossed the fire remains at bay.