2016 Tour Divide Preparation

[kiwidave]

Tent vs Bivy vs Tarp - for me it comes down to what you are comfortable using in the race. Bivy - is a lightweight sleep only solution. Tarp - through hikers swear by them as super light and easy/quick to use (but they're also carry hiking poles for tent poles.) Tent - with the light tents (e.g Zpacks, Big Agnes) that are less than 750g, they are a pretty good option for those not wishing to bivy/tarp and are without a huge weight differential to a bivy bag.

I'm racing with a tent (Zpacks) as I am used to tents, sleep well in them and I get eaten alive by the bugs, so I need the mesh screen. I'm 5'5" so a tent is relatively spacious! My entire sleep system is up in under 7 minutes and down & packed in under 13 minutes.

I'm aiming for 24 days, so tail end of the mid pack, and yes, as Phil_rad said, I will likely hotel over 50% of the time IF I make it there at an appropriate time. But I'm riding long & steady, so I can't stop at 17:00 just because a hotel is there and pushing through the night to the next hotel is not an effective option for me, so I've chosen a tent as I know I'll sleep well in it wherever I stop. I'm also taking a Exped inflatable pillow which is a luxury item but one that helps with getting a good sleep.

Josh only used his tent once but said he'd take it again.

The higher risk bear areas where one might camp are only a few nights, and I'll absolutely avoid camping then, but predators are everywhere so I'll be bear aware, carry spray and hang my food.

[dream4est]

Tent vs Bivy vs Tarp - for me it comes down to what you are comfortable using in the race. Bivy - is a lightweight sleep only solution. Tarp - through hikers swear by them as super light and easy/quick to use (but they're also carry hiking poles for tent poles.) Tent - with the light tents (e.g Zpacks, Big Agnes) that are less than 750g, they are a pretty good option for those not wishing to bivy/tarp and are without a huge weight differential to a bivy bag.

I'm racing with a tent (Zpacks) as I am used to tents, sleep well in them and I get eaten alive by the bugs, so I need the mesh screen. I'm 5'5" so a tent is relatively spacious! My entire sleep system is up in under 7 minutes and down & packed in under 13 minutes.

I'm aiming for 24 days, so tail end of the mid pack, and yes, as Phil_rad said, I will likely hotel over 50% of the time IF I make it there at an appropriate time. But I'm riding long & steady, so I can't stop at 17:00 just because a hotel is there and pushing through the night to the next hotel is not an effective option for me, so I've chosen a tent as I know I'll sleep well in it wherever I stop. I'm also taking a Exped inflatable pillow which is a luxury item but one that helps with getting a good sleep.

Josh only used his tent once but said he'd take it again.

The higher risk bear areas where one might camp are only a few nights, and I'll absolutely avoid camping then, but predators are everywhere so I'll be bear aware, carry spray and hang my food.

Well Dave IMO Josh is strong enough to carry a tent to only use once. Most of us are not.
Your theory of riding well after 1700 to tent up will be tested the first night and almost ever night until Wamsutter due to the grizz. Just having the tent makes no difference in ones ability to leave town and forge into the night. Its the willingness to sleep in grizz country not the kit. And that area after Wamsutter sucks for dust at night from oil rig truck traffic.

I am not any harder than anyone else. Just trying to explain how the last 2 years racers slept in hotels night after night north of Steamboat and by then were hardened to the situation to not need full tent kits the other nights.

Bivy/tarp is the same rain coverage-wise, way faster and less bulky. And not $550 like the amazing zpacks tent.

[dskunk]

I would be very interested in hearing people's opinion on the tent vs tarp and/or bivy question. How bad do the bugs get?  

I'm still debating the tent vs bivy thing with a friend of mine. Both of us ended up staying in hotels a lot at the start of the 2014 TD. ( as in four nights in a row ) Over the course of TD I was in hotels almost exactly half of the time. I'll do the hotel thing again, hopefully less often, for this upcoming TD. It can be a challenge to roll in, sleep and roll out of one quickly unless you are disciplined.
You still have to carry some sort of sleep system. I'm going with a tent, a Tarptent Moment DW this time. Fast to set up and light weight even compared to bivies. I think the main advantage of a bivy over a tent would be that it's that much quicker to roll out on the ground and get to sleep in, and potentially easier to find somewhere to use it (smaller footprint). But I'm still going with a tent.
I only remember bugs once, just before Cuba, and that was during the day. Other than that I didn't have an issue with them.

[phil_rad]

Kiwi Dave, I'm pretty sure I didn't say you or anyone else would "hotel" 50% of the time. :-)

Anyway, tent vs. bivi, like a what a couple of others have said before its what your comfortable with. Back in 2012 Ollie Whalley used a z-packs, he won that year too and broke the existing record. Doesn't mean though that if you take a tent you'll be that fast, obviously. I'm still up in the air about which one to use, that's all.

On preparation for the TDR next year what are you guys/girls doing for physical training? I've been hitting the gym hard, running and on the weekends a bike ride.

Cheers
Phil

P.S. I just read Lael's blog, OMG, she is hard core! The real deal.

[kiwidave]

On preparation for the TDR next year what are you guys/girls doing for physical training? I've been hitting the gym hard, running and on the weekends a bike ride.

Phil - for TD Training, check out the training thread:

http://www.bikepacking.net/forum/ultra-racing/2016-td-training/

[phil_rad]

Phil - for TD Training, check out the training thread:

http://www.bikepacking.net/forum/ultra-racing/2016-td-training/

Oops!  Missed that! Sorry!

[Flinch]

Late reply LOCKS:

One easy method if you run disc brakes is to take a small padlock, and lock it on the rear disc rotor. Lock front and rear if paranoid. No, won't keep anyone from carrying your bike off, but will keep it from rolling easily. I took a small cable lock this year, and mailed it back home halfway.

Tent - vs Other: I used a Tarptent Moment, 30.5 ounces, and hoteled half the time. Moment had condensation issues but worked. Set up in two-three minutes max. Don't know re bivy, although I have two of them unused (!). DO NOT underestimate the need for good sleep! I did not sleep well at all this year (not tent's fault), and suffered as result. In 2013, slept like dead (tent). Go figure. You WILL get eaten by mozzies if tarping it!

Sleeping in grizz country: Get over it. How many racers/snacks have they had in the TD history? I slept in high density grizz areas both TD runs, and hardly got eaten at all! Do be food-bear careful though!

Rookie tip: Camp site outhouses ('Montana Hiltons') provide a semi-warm safe sleep area. Potty etiquette: Only sleep if the camp or camp near the potty is empty. Share with others if requested. Don't throw trash down hole. Leave your room clean and a tip for the maid (hah!).

One other thing, The Place Cafe before Pinedale is closed. I stopped this year, and they use it to feed ranch hands only.

Cheers,

Flinch

[krefs]

Here's my tarp versus bivy advice...

If you use a bivy, you will still need to find some sort of shelter (dense trees, bridge, porch, etc.) if it's really raining. And most mornings, you'll wake up with a rather wet sleeping bag that needs to be dried in the sun for 15-30 minutes later in the day. But a bivy is quick to set up, light, and simple.

If you use a tarp or tent, I'd say the best option out there is the ZPacks Hexamid Pocket Tarp. It'll keep you dry in the rain, you won't wake up with a wet sleeping bag every day, it's amazingly small and light (though you do need to carry ~6 small stakes and a tiny pole), and it can be set up in <2 minutes.

[Christopher R. Bennett]

Hi All,

Just doing the editing for Volume 7 of the Cordillera. Would be grateful for any photos you could e-mail me to include: chris [at] lpcb.org. I'm particularly interested in a good group photo from the Grand Depart - but also any action photos!

We are also light on contributions this year so if you know any riders please give them a gentle (or not so gentle) nudge. There is a nice short 'interview' they can do.

Thanks in anticipation.

Regards,

Chris

P.S.  Hopefully on track to be on sale early December.

[BobM]

Question to the Vets of 2015, there is a new section just past Elkford, BC. After the climb out of town you turn right on to a dirt road or is it single track? Whats this like? All rideable or is there HAB sections in there and is it longer or shorter than before? Also, does anyone have the cues for this?

Thanks!

Phil

Hi Phil!  Glad to hear you're back!

The alternate is pretty nice, not as easy as the main route, but a little shorter.  Remember the long paved climb out of Elkford?  At the top there is a turnout on the right and at the back of the turnout the 2-track starts.  For the life of me I cannot find my cues, but there is a point fairly early on where even the GPSers were having trouble.  After a wide spot in the road, singletrack goes off to the right.  It is real singletrack and goes steeply uphill off the dirt road, so it is easy to miss.  MANY riders passed it, got to a dead-end, and went back and forth trying to find it.  Everything else is pretty easy with either the cues or GPS.

Best of luck!

Bob

[SlowRide]

In 2014 there was a cairn marking the singletrack on the right, keep your eyes open and don't follow bike tire tracks blindly. It really was quite easy with gps.

[BobM]

In 2014 there was a cairn marking the singletrack on the right, keep your eyes open and don't follow bike tire tracks blindly. It really was quite easy with gps.

This year there was no cairn on Day 2 - gamesmanship from the earlier riders???

[ElijahGOFAR]

Holy Shitballz here we go again, big thanks to all the posters and info already!!!!

[Lincfish20]

This year there was no cairn on Day 2 - gamesmanship from the earlier riders???

The group I was riding with (and then a few other groups that caught up while we were looking) had some trouble finding it even though we had GPS. Definitely tricky as the singletrack begins on a steep climb/embankment that you would not think a trail would be on.

That said, the trail was great and it lead eventually to a long downhill section that brought the spirits up!

[BobM]

The group I was riding with (and then a few other groups that caught up while we were looking) had some trouble finding it even though we had GPS. Definitely tricky as the singletrack begins on a steep climb/embankment that you would not think a trail would be on.

That said, the trail was great and it lead eventually to a long downhill section that brought the spirits up!

Yeah, the whole Elkford to Corbin via Sparwood section is fantastic!  Easiest part of the Canadian section IMO.

[ElijahGOFAR]

Are there any other fathletes riding this year? This year Im currently 6'2" 400+ but who knows what Ill be by race day. I rode in 2014 but got completely numb feet and had to pull out due to all the cold and rain/snow and the wrong size shoes. I even had a run in with two bears. I know no one pays much notice to semi non-competetors but I would like to acknowledge and encourage a class and connection between the big men and women out there willing to punish their bodies and minds. I'd also like to compare notes, and see what the Grande riders do differently than the average sizers ;-) I would like to try to cook and eat more pasta along the ride. Im using a bivy, a rigid all steal fargo 3, a dyno hub, and GPS. I will also try to sleep out the entire route and avoid hotels, not for the advantage/disadvantage but for the personal challenge. I am an eagle scout and have "camped" all over the world so hotels, IMO, can take a lot of the fun/challenge out of the experience. I want to be clear though, I am not touring the route, I intend to keep up a race pace and mindset for my physique. Any and all suggestions, opinions, criticisms, and prayers are welcome.  

[taprider]

YEAH!!! GO FOR IT

Any way a few months back there was some age group and male vs female record time discussion
For some running races they have a calculation and award for how racers finish based on the world record times for each age group,. The age group racer that finishes closest (or beats) the predicted world record for their age gets a medal, and all age group racers can compare to each other (not that there are any medals for most ultra races, but you still want to be part of a race)
55 year old male  record time is ~1.15x current overall world record and 15 year old female is ~1.15x current overall world record (forgot race distance)
the point is, if you do some research on Clydesdale race results (many xc mtn bike races used to have that category, I don't know about running, but you might find something) you can come up with a number that would indicate a competitive race time
For example, if Clydesdale winners are typically 1.5 times the pro/elite winners finishing time for an xc race over primarily gravel roads and trails (I just made up that number based on the Test of Metal, you will still have to do the research). You can use that number for your own goal/motivation (21 days [14x1.5] would be considered world record worthy and 42 days [28x1.5] would still be competitive)

There are various stories about formulas for running, you would have to make your own for biking and weight category
here are some links
http://fairmodel.econ.yale.edu/aging/nyt1.pdf
http://www.runscore.com/Alan/AgeGrade.html

[ElijahGOFAR]

Clydesdale AWESOME I love it!!!!!! That describes me perfectly. Thank you for your kind words and info. All you rabbits out there give me something to chase.

[richpips]

Me and my Son have added our details to the Google Doc.

Leaving around the beginning of August NoBo. Would have liked to make the GD, but it clashes with his school term.

This is our bike (pictured just after we'd completed a 24hr race)

[GregT]

FYI - there is a new trail as you leave Banff Park, called the High Rockies Trail.  I have ridden it a couple of times now and the first part out to Buller Pass is complete.  Here is the link to the map and information.  http://kananaskisblog.com/high-rockies-trail/2015/  The first part from Goat Creek to Three Sisters Dam (approx 10km) is on reclaimed logging roads with some boardwalk sections.  The section from Three Sisters Dam to Buller Pass Parking is about 15km - all single track and super fun.  That's as far as the trail goes for now and this pops you back on the Spray Lakes road about 2km north of the road into Shark mtn Road.  Currently, the TD route uses the Shark Mtn Road to connect back on the Spray Lakes Road.

Greg T (TD 2013)