Just bought my plane ticket.  I'll be flying in the afternoon of June 12th out of Portland, OR.  Any other confirmed PDX racers out there?  Now I need to research where to stay once I've landed...

I'm wondering how most people have packed their gear for the trip to Banff. Getting the bike packed is obvious, but what about the rest of their gear (i.e. bikepacking bags, food, all the stuff going into the bikepacking bags, etc...)? Do you get everything into a large carry-on? Do people plan on having some extraneous items that they'll simply send/mail back once in Banff?

How have the veterans done this in the past?

For the rookies, what's your packing strategy for this year?

Hello fellow bikepackers!

Joshua Goodlett here. I'm originally from Chattanooga, TN but moved to Portland, OR just over a year ago. Came across this site while searching for more info on the Tour Divide, which I'll be doing this June.

I'm still adjusting to the Pacific Northwest weather - though I doubt I could ever go back to the absolutely horrific humid Summer's of the south. Riding as much as I can of whatever I can (road, gravel, dirt), rain or shine.

Hello all!  Count me in for the June 8th, 2012 Grand Depart!