David - where did you go for so many days!  The pictures and updates from the ComoDepot stopped almost a month ago, I was a bit worried.  Good to see you back.  Is there any chance we will see and hear about the riders between the Italians and Giorgio?  Your updates were wonderful glimpses of the participants.

Today I noticed an anamoly on the Trackleaders page that hopefully has a simple explanation.  Jon Cox is showing as the 10th rider on the race flow, shows as having the 10th Finishing Place in his stats.  The race flow diverges quite a bit to include his trace and doesn't go to final time and distance.  His Spot wasn't updating after Del Norte, but he was in the company of riders that finished 28-36 most of the route.  My theory is that his last update 20:02:34 in Del Norte was right after Babe the Blue Tandem finished in AW at 20:02:18 in 9th place, thus mistakenly making him 10th.  From what I can tell Jon Cox finished on day 26th, in the 32-36th group. 

Brings up another Trackleaders issue.  Wouldn't it be nice to choose the riders who appear on the Race Flow chart?  The first ten riders get the trace.  It would be helpful to be able to pick a custom set and see how riders further back along the route "flow out". 

Nathan's spot is tracking him as he headed north. Plan was for him to catch a ride with Tom Thomas and his wife Betty to rent a car and do some touring to Zion, Yellowstone etc. then make to LA to fly to NZ.
The picture of Ollie sure makes it look like he is ready to roll!
That Minty rechargeable must have used a few hundred AA cells.

Tom and Nathan will finish by dusk. He probably planned it for the best pictures!  His wife is hunkered down in Lordsberg waiting for his word to move out for the finish.  A cooler day down there today with storms forcasted for the next few days.

Zohar is finished.     He rode with TT and NM for a few days early on but pulled ahead by a day on the route.  I have been tracking Toms neighbors and I am also wondering about John Cox.  Thanks Herbert for sharing your information.

Here is a picture of Zohar from the Grasshopper Valley - posted earlier.  Congratulations!

This thread and site seem to be back after an all day absence.  The Trackleaders page also.  Seems to be a result of a change in the servers.  Great to be back seeing things.  Hopefully Trackleaders will soon follow!

Amy - I also love and reposted your analysis as I cheer on TT - 57 years old. 

Tom and Nathan have been riding amicably since Canada, separating at times for delays getting bikes fixed etc.  Today/tonight they are having a Ollie/Craig dilemma.  Tom's Bottom Bracket is having some problems.  He is riding out of Grants with Nathan after several attempts to snug it up without good bottom bracket tools.  Shimano XT.  He toyed with my texted suggestion of driving the bike to Fat Tire Bikes in ABQ which is open Noon to 5 tomorrow.  Opted to "go nocturnal" apparently. I also suggested some locktite from WalMart - Craig's difficulty and MTBCast was a helpful warmup for this.  Tom's wife is heading out from NorCal early Sunday.  Tom recently predicted a Tuesday morning finish.  I calculated 6:36 AM Wednesday......  But the mechanical development will make it a nail biter. 

Stay tuned - any further suggestions??

Does anyone have any more pictures to post?? They are the definite best highlight for me!

Here are some concentrated picture links from this thread.

Como Depot : http://www.bikepacking.net/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=5117;sa=showPosts

Montana High Country Lodge (Russ Kipp):   http://www.bikepacking.net/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=7351;sa=showPosts
His pictures are not showing up the same - you can click on the "Re: TD'12 Race Discussion" link and it will take you to the post with picture.

I can't thank you two gentlemen enough for hosting the riders and providing us with pictures and other information.  Both have less posts lately and I know the Depot has got to be busy, but I'm anxious to see some updates from the bottom of the Gold Dust Trail.

I am missing the pictures and news from David at the Como Depot. 
I honored him with this shortcut on my desktop:  http://www.bikepacking.net/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=5117;sa=showPosts

But nothing in three days.  Is all well? 
I would love to see the pictures he took since then (especially the morning of the 25th)

That Muni (mountain unicycle) is a singlespeeder from the looks of it. No need to adapt the two speed crank, they make a two speed unicycle hub so you just need to build up a wheel with one and bingo.

http://www.schlumpf.ch/hp/uni/uni_engl.htm

Honest, I did think of it independently.  But this company has it covered.  Amazing stuff.

I found a picture of the unicycle setup - different than the others from the earlier unicycle ride.

Disc brake, bars.  He has treking poles along.  

Perhaps a Schlmpf crank like Cjell has, would be helpful - but a tricky adaptation.  

TB and Fixie Dave passed each other. Question to those who race... do you stop to chat with someone coming from the other way? Just wave? or just continue on?

When the fellow I'm following (TT) passed Cjell I noted a collection of coincidental spot updates for about ten minutes on both of their tracks.  Perhaps that is what led to Cjell casting the rant that southbounders were clueless about northbounders.  

As for someone reporting on the race.  It would be difficult to produce anything interesting to the whole audience.  I am obnoxiously tracking TT and 'helping' his wife update his facebook Divide page.  I glean information from the tracks, here and the casts and she gets phone calls.  
I called the ComoDepot and they had left 30 min before - then the spots updated....   Thanks to David and others for helping all the riders and passing on pictures and stories.  The dedication of the hosts along the route helping to report has made a terrific difference.  A few more like this at other must-stops like the Outdoorsman, PieTown etc and a cohesive pass through reporting system would be in place.  

Craig - where are you?

Just checking in this morning and seeing TT and NM recently made it to the ComoDepot from Breckenridge today. Riding since 5 am.  I'm sure they will enjoy David's hospitality.  Pictures please!  And let them know the last MTBCast from Tom was from Seeley Lake. 

Two things:
1 - what happened to the miles.  Someone posted something about the miles changing after Ollie finished (I envison a cartoon rug piling up behind his rear wheel) This morning TT was in Kremling and was listed at 1720.  He is now 48 miles down the route in Silverthorne and is listed as 1708.  BS is now in Kremling and his miles are listed as 1660.  Seems like the distance of 2700 miles was pullllled toward Antelope Wells and removed from the Banff end.  (but CM shows 268 mi to go and he is NoBo almost at the Border (go Cjell!))

2 - the Streetview thing has me wondering when Google will 'view' the divide route.  I know they adapted a bike for doing bike paths.  It might take a more rugged design for TD!

This might be the night I stay up late to watch the action.  Ollie still moving - may make the run to the border in the wee hours of the morning.  My bud TT and NM are making up for an afternoon start out of Steamboat (mechanical issues - broken spokes and derailler respectively) and are still moving now at 11 pm.  ZK is in Kremmling, but maybe still going.  LR has thrown himself into hyperdrive and found out in Como that he is ahead of MF and can relax a bit, if that is possible for him - now still riding.  
Great fun to watch and hear the whole race and in TT's neighborhood specifically.  Donations made tonight.  Thanks!
David - Enjoy Tom when he drops by the Depot.  Compliment his light gear set (he has made at least three shipments home!)

At mgasman
Someone mentioned this earlier in the thread, can't remember who it was but they said the route they are on is the course and the red line is incorrect.

Thanks - I'll look around more.  70 pages without a discreet search term left me scratching.

I have looked around for an answer and I know I can find it here:  
TT and NM are south of Steamboat and on a stretch of trail that is not on the red trackmaster line - is that optional or are they off course??
Ollie and others have usually one spot on that trail section - his track is pretty spaced out there.  Some rider's spots miss it completely. LR etc.  

According to his Facebook page, this is Georg Deck's bike. He is in Salida. Not too sure what's next for him!

Too bad, he was having a good race.

Was the duct tape an attempted fix? - or perhaps hid the fracture for a while?  Looks like the down tube near the head tube. Aluminum?  Could be mended - on a weekday.  Looks like the fork is pulled to prep it - get those cables off too.

Garret caught up with Craig.  BUT Craig headed out of Grants, NM at about 7 am, right on his tail. Kurt close behind.

I don't know how a vegetarian could survive out there.  At a remote lodge in Montana "What do you have on the dinner menu?  Oh, we have everything, sirloin, t-bone, ribeye, prime rib"

More Tom Thomas info:  He is a vegetarian, not sure what he is eating, other than a few things his wife has posted.  Omelets, the candy bar that caused his crash etc.  There is likely no shortage of veggie pizza being eaten.

[Occupation]

Tom Thomas :
Lives in Redding, California, a secret recreation mecca. 57 years young. Tom took up endurance events, mostly adventure racing, as a mid life passion. He has formed and competed with several PrimalQuest teams.  He organizes a regional group to promote and host events called SOAR, Shasta Orienteering and Adventure Racing http://www.teamsoar.net/

His Bio from the SOAR site :

Occupation: Anesthesiologist
Favorite Events: 24 hour to expedition length races
Favorite Disciplines: Navigation; Trekking
Favorite Race Food: Anything I have in my pack on day 6
Favorite Races: Primal Quest Utah 2006, my first expedition race; 2009 Mother Lode Expedition Race, an expedition race win
Race Experience: 2001 Gorge Games 24 Hour AR; 2006 Primal Quest Utah; Mountain Adventure Race-Montana 2007; 2008 Primal Quest Montana; 2009 Primal Quest South Dakota; 2009 Mother Lode Expedition; 2010 Wenger Patagonian Expedition Race-Chile; 2010 XPD Australia; 2010 National Championships Moab; Many sprint to 24 hour races throughout California

Once he heard about the Divide Ride he started planning the possibilities - Biking much more, a new 29er hardtail and then Tom did the most difficult part: convince 17 other anesthesiologists to part with coveted summer vacation weeks. He predicted finishing in 25 days, and he has a very stable pace toward that goal. He is a VERY friendly, social guy and it isn't surprising to see him hang with the tag team of four riders he is riding close to. Several of his nearby trailmates predicted 20-25 day rides, so he is in well prepared company. He has incredible stamina and wears down the youngsters "after a few days". Tom has an innate navigational, topographical ability.  His hospital coworkers are tracking his progress and preparing the break room for his recovery.