2 months to train for the Divide

[mr cowboy]

Is it enough time? I've been riding for over a decade both mountain and road. For several years I competed in a local mountain bike series. So I know how intense the training was when I started racing at the upper levels. I've known of the Divide race for quite some time and have given it some thought. I can say I've never gone bike packing in my life but it doesn't scare me from wanting to attempt this race at sometime in my life. Whether that's in two months, a year or more is well up in the air. Basically I haven't done what I'd consider training. Instead its been riding and riding for pleasure which is what I honestly enjoy more as I've aged. And I look at the Divide race as something that I'd do for myself, not to finish first. If I happened to be first cool but that wouldn't be the goal. The goal would be to finish and to enjoy all it has to offer with what I assume would be many ups and downs. If any veterans of the race can speak to the thought of is two months enough time to get it together for an attempt I'd greatly appreciate any input - even if it's you're nuts thinking you could get ready in two months.
Thanks for your time
Mr Cowboy

[Slowerthensnot]

I hope this is april fools?

[THE LONG RANGER]

DO IT!

[mr cowboy]

not an april fools joke. more like just an inquiry about is it doable, if i started seriously training right now. 

[Slowerthensnot]

not an april fools joke. more like just an inquiry about is it doable, if i started seriously training right now. 

well i'd shoot for as many hours as i could in the saddle for the next month and then chill it down by 2/3rds for the month before the race... and by hours i mean back to back 8-12 hr days in the saddle ect...  I dunno what sort of base mileage you have for the past year?

Perhaps tour a state or 2 this year and see if the route captivates you or if your bored ect...

[veezeman]

i've been training for a couple of years now and i'm still not ready!

[THE LONG RANGER]

Here, I will extrapolate:

You know, sometimes it's incredibly fun and ultimately worthwhile to go all Kerouac and just take on an adventure, with little preparation and flag down the first car that is going the direction you've coin-flipped chosen just the minute before, with no idea what you'll find, see, experience - just blown that horn, man! You won't exactly where you'll even end up! Ultimately, you're life will have changed and your personality, shifted.

I'm not sure if the Tour Divide is like that. It *can* be like that (and if memory serves me, it has!), but I'd say that if you're serious on racing the thing, whatever that means, it's going to be a whole hell of a lot more FUN if you are Boy-Scout prepared. People are putting in months of prep for this, with exceptional commitment in time and money. I think as the Tour Divide site says, don't make this challenge your first foray into ultra endurance events. I can tell you there's enough little emergencies that happen in a simple rambling tour through the French countryside - you don't want to be borderline hypothermic, with a broken something-or-other in the middle of nothin' but rednecks. Well, I dunno, with time comes humility and hilarity.

Back in being serious: I would consider writing a draft of your own Letter of Intent and then see if that Intent is truly honest.

Also remember the challenge can be done any time you want as the ITT! And I do believe it'll be around in some way/shape/form next year to await you and others.

But whatever you chose, I send good luck your way. Whatever I do for my own personal training, I never think it's enough. Never-ever.

[mr cowboy]

The idea of touring a state or two sounds fun. And likely more doable this year as a tester. I don't want to die by any means and if I were to show up in June this year I'd be prepared gear wise - that's something I won't ever mess around with. I've had to walk home from up on the ridge before because of a chainbreaker tool breaking. Can't say I enjoyed it and I wouldn't want that to happen off in the middle of nowhere!  There are some routes I can do where I live that have some huge climbs and good miles all on roads through the forest. Anyhow I'm rambling. I guess this afternoon I read something that made me wonder if I wasn't living enough. Made me question am I taking enough adventures while I can. And I started to think maybe I haven't been. It's easy to in a routine with modern convenience. Not saying that's bad but sometimes you just need to go out and have a random adventure. Thanks for your thoughts on this.

[ericfoltz]

I haven't raced the TD so you can take this with a grain of salt, but last year I rode from San Diego to Florida then back to New Orleans (5300 miles) pretty much on a whim with about three days notice.

I didn't really train, I just had a good base of miles. I had long days (18+ hours) and I had short days. I had hot days going across the desert (100+), rode through ice storms in Kansas, huddled in a tent as a tornado went past in Texas and dodged aggressive drivers the whole way.

It turned out being one of the best experiences of my life with plenty of adventure. If you have the time and interest, do it. It will be an experience you'll never forget.

[DenisVTT]

Physically, if you have a good base of miles, decent fitness and you enjoy and are generally good with endurance, I'd say 2 months is enough. Nobody, even pros, maintains peak fitness year round. What you have to do is to peak right at the time of the event. For that to happen, at least for me, the intense training has to be in the last 2 months. So again assuming that you have the base miles and you can jump into intense training without much transition, I'd say you're right about where you need to be.

Gear-wise, well, I guess you can never be too prepared, but then again no matter how much we prepare we're all going to make some wrong gear choices, forget stuff we should have taken, taken stuff we didn't need, etc....

You know what counts most to do well in those events? Experience! Someone like Mathew Lee doesn't even look at the maps (I'm not even sure he takes them) and doesn't carry a GPS because he's done it so many times he actually knows every single turn. Can you imagine how much time he saves simply by not having to stop and study the map several times a day! And you know what, experience isn't something you're going to acquire by not doing it....

See you in June...

[Groundshine]

No.

1) If you have to ask......  People have "walked on" and finished the race.   But these people show up with a pretty good resumes... and I'm not sure any of them would claim to have only "trained" 2 mos. 

2) If you think you could WIN - beating people who have been training for years...  You are either totally delusional about your abilities and what this race is about; or, you are in such awesome shape you should be participating in a race that has prize money.  The Tour de France or World Cyclocross Championship comes to mind.  (Please remember my advice when you become fully sponsored!)

3) This is a bikepacking race... which is slightly different from a mountain bike race.  You sleep on the ground, eat crappy food, try to locate  drinkable water, carry a whole bunch of crap,  and go days without bathing.  You are living outside where there is rain and snow and bears and lightening and mosquitoes.   You really need to try bikepacking before setting off on a 2745 mile bikepacking race.  Yes, it is fun... but it is also a serious ass-kicking, day after day. 

4) If it turns out your not prepared - because you didn't have time and miles to shake down your equipment, or you are not mentally prepared, or not physically fit enough; you could be placing a burden on others in the race or the race infrastructure itself.  Same goes for people who haven't saved enough money and plan to "dirt bag" the race.  Leaving lousy tips in restaurants or bike shops hurts everybody else in the race (and future races) that is counting on those services.   If you are too weak, or unaware of the camping etiquette, that requires you to pack in and pack out your trash - again it is a black eye for the event.

5) Patience.  If you don't have the patience to wait till next year you might not have the patience to make it to the end of that endless road far off on the edge of the horizon.  I spent one year training (coming from a long racing, camping, and randonneuring background.)  It was a great year - an endless amount of motivation to ride, saw some beautiful places I had never biked through in my state, and I learned a ton - especially from Dave B who was also training for 2010.  It turns out that one year we spent training together would be the last... and if I had to pick one year to know such an amazing person it would have been that last one.  The trips, the rides, the exploring, the equipment testing...we had a blast.   No need to rush.... go out and enjoy some rides.

[mr cowboy]

@Groundshine

I'm not arrogant enough to believe I'd show up and win.  I was good and sometimes great when I took racing seriously. My goal would be to finish and if I happen to be near front fine, at the back fine. That wouldn't be my driver.

I asked because I was curious and had heard this was a great place to talk with bike packers and divide racers.  I've decided to use this summer to try some bike packing rides and log some serious miles. When fall rolls around I'll have a much better sense of if I'll show up at the start line in the future.

There is a strong possibility I'll ride a chunk of the route in Montana.

[Groundshine]

I can say I've never gone bike packing in my life .... And I look at the Divide race as something that I'd do for myself, not to finish first. If I happened to be first cool but that wouldn't be the goal. ..... I'd greatly appreciate any input -

  I just got stuck on the above quoted part of the OP... maybe I was too harsh... but harsh words are nothing compared to harsh mother nature.  At least with the words you're warm and dry and at home....   So if you take winning out of the equation - yeah - maybe - depending on who you are and what other experiences you have.  People HAVE done it... signed up and raced last minute.  Mat Arnold and Reuben Kline come to mind...

so...On the other hand....

I haven't classic nordic skied since 1981... and I signed up for the 104 mile Canadian Ski Marathon back in November - the race was held on February 12 &13.  I planned on getting 600 miles on skis before the race but we had nothing skiable until mid January.   With less than two months, I put 300 miles on my skis, learned how to wax, tried to learn how to ski and then showed up at the race.    It went fine - I finished in just under 20 hours.  Great training for a Tour Divide.   I know my technique sucked and it probably showed but I had fun  and nobody got hurt.  So take what I say with a grain of salt.... I'm just saying what I know...

There were some amazing, well trained cyclists who did not finish last year: Pete Faeth, Heather Dawe, Devian Gilbert, Phil Rad, and Mike Gibney come to mind.   All people who could have easily beat me.   In most races I am near the front, in the TD I was near the back.  Normally I can race faster than other people just by picking a better line; on the TD the 30 people ahead of me were ALL picking THE perfect line, the fastest line, the winning line... these people were all top notch riders, they had some miles under their belts.

[mr cowboy]

no worries. i'd rather hear the brutal honest truth than everything will be roses and etc. like i said before i'm just going to do some long adventure rides in my state and perhaps one in montana this summer.  sketched out a few overnight ride possibilities near where i live that i'm sure i can get one of my friends to go along for the ride. i'll more than likely be researching other parts of this forum and asking questions about set ups and such. in the end it's about having fun on a bike, seeing beautiful places, and meeting new people.

[DenisVTT]

I don't know, maybe I'm wrong about that, but it seems to me it's a little bit like lining up for a marathon: a few guys are there to win it and they actually stand a chance, the rest of us are there to finish it in the best time we can, and maybe break a personal record.

I mean, to win it, you'll need to do an average of close to 160 miles a day. I know right there and now, I don't have that in me for almost 3 weeks in a row. I'll be happy to be on the finisher list.

[THE LONG RANGER]

Same goes for people who haven't saved enough money and plan to "dirt bag" the race.  Leaving lousy tips in restaurants or bike shops hurts everybody else in the race (and future races) that is counting on those services.   If you are too weak, or unaware of the camping etiquette, that requires you to pack in and pack out your trash - again it is a black eye for the event.

Ouch! "Dirtbag" should only be used as a term of endearment and not as an pejorative. A true dirtbag makes it work, regardless of standing of personal income. Being a dirtbag means making due with what you have and perhaps making it up as you go along. That doesn't mean ripping up of the fine server at a restaurant, but it may mean forgoing a hot, prepared meal for something a little more economical, when the situations allows. A true dirtbag does not get caught up with the fanciest this or flashiest that, knowing well-enough that the most important thing is the CPU (yer brain), the engine (yer legs) and your heart (yer heart). Being a dirtbag means making intelligent, educated decisions, it means doing it yourself, or making it yourself. Sometimes this means inventing and reinventing and sometimes the methods are insanity and sometimes insanity works. It certainly means, in this "race", learnin' to sew, learnin' to wrench and learning to live without before the race to be able *to* race. That may mean that there's no home to go to, after the race. The true dirtbag accepts this as a part of life and would have it no other way.

Dirtbags to look up to: Yvon Chouinard, who didn't climb Fitz Roy by laying seige to it with an expedition army, nor by drilling bolts throughout the face, but rather by reinventing mountaineering tools, who became so successful at his business, he now helps vast parts of Patagonia become National Parks. Emil Zátopek, whose training regime while in the army was absolutely crazy, but incredibly effective. Göran Kropp, who rode his freakin' bicycle to Mt. Everest, *climbed* it, solo, without oxygen or sherpas, while *fifteen* perished that same year, many of them paying guides (who were among those who perished) 10's of thousands of dollars to be pushed/pulled by sherpas to the top.

I think someone who abuses the ethos of the Tour Divide because of lack of planning would be called something a little more harsher, than, "dirtbag" - just, "lousy" would suffice. Dirtbags are the heart and soul of Tour Divide(s). I 100% identify as being a dirtbag, but in no way, shape or form would I do any of the things you list. Yvon (and company) are my copilots!

Sorry to take such offense (and so much space), but I don't want people getting the wrong idea when I purposely and repeatedly use this phrase!