Jay P's Grand Slam

[Mathewsen]

http://noidletour.org/

Two out of three are bikepacking.

It's going to be big!

[bgiro]

Huge!

[6thElement]

Well that's one way to see 3 oceans in the same year.

[wookieone]

Damn...What a Nut, best of luck JP!!!

[Mathewsen]

Damn...What a Nut, best of luck JP!!!

What a nut sack!
If i had to guess, he also wants to become the first (...er, only) man to ride/push and mush the iditarod trail

[elobeck]

Wow....wish I had that kind of time. I applaud his efforts and I'm sure he'll crush. One event becomes the base miles for the next event? Pretty sweet. Curious about the "cause" though...."no idle." I'm probably wrong, but aren't the support vehicles for the RAAM racers basically "idling" behind the riders all the way across the country? Hope his support vehicle is electric. On the other hand if he did it unsupported I would donate some of my paycheck.

[ScottM]

Ambitious.  Nice Jay.  Will be fun to follow along.

[trebor]

insane

[jhl99]

Maybe I'm the only one, but these "charity/awareness/athletic" endeavors never appeal to me.  

I admire the atheltic/adventure aspect of many of these projects, but when they are mixed up with the sponorship/charity aspects... they sometimes seem fabricated.  The marketing required, the logos, the endorsements..... just seems like purity is drained out.

 

[Mathewsen]

Maybe I'm the only one, but these "charity/awareness/athletic" endeavors never appeal to me.  

I admire the atheltic/adventure aspect of many of these projects, but when they are mixed up with the sponorship/charity aspects... they sometimes seem fabricated.  The marketing required, the logos, the endorsements..... just seems like purity is drained out.

It's hard to sit in the judge's seat on this one...and there are the hidden costs of purity to consider. how long does it really last?

As un-organizer of TD, i have been troubled by the trend of 'caused-based racing' infiltrating bootleg ultras; for the way it may unduly expose it to a 'fundraising faction' that doesn't understand the genre, but also for it's potential to pull unqualified participants into the fray because they're looking for the hardest thing they can take on in the name of compelling their cause. Neither of these apply to Jay. Nor are any of his events unsanctioned. Jay is about as pure an outdoorsman as anyone i've ever met.

[Jilleo]

I admire the athletic/adventure aspect of JayP's endeavor as well. I also love the snow-road-mountain trifecta of his plan; that is what makes it really unique. It's also what makes it really expensive. Three bikes, three different trips, three different sets of gear. I've read that RAAM alone can cost something in the range of $15,000, and support vehicles and crew are compulsory. Iditarod demands a $1,000 entry fee and a lot of time, gear and travel, and GDMBR a lot of time and yet more gear. Sponsorships are a necessary evil to fund things like this. And the easiest way to achieve sponsorships is to tell potential sponsors that your crazy/inspiring/intriguing adventure will help support a good cause. It's a kind of "everyone wins" situation. Jay gets to attempt the adventure, sponsors get the exposure and endorsement, and some kind of charity gets whatever is left. Jay picked a worthy enough charity. I'd question its effectiveness but the sentiment is solid.

To demand that something must be self-funded in order to be "pure" is unfair. That's basically stating that only rich people or people with a lot of cash to burn deserve to take on these kinds of challenges. Ernest Shackleton had the financial support of the government. These days, adventure money comes from corporations.

I'm excited to watch this all unfold this year. It promises nonstop excitement for Jay and his supporters. Go JayP!

[Mathewsen]

Jay picked a worthy enough charity. I'd question its effectiveness but the sentiment is solid.

The cause may have picked Jay--a notorius no-idler if there ever was one! And depending on where you are, idling can be a problem. Towns notorious for winter inversion should all ban idling, IMO. Jay is living the dream in Victor, Idaho, but no-idle stands to benefit lots of big city bike commuters and small truck-stop towns along major highways. When Jay finally checks in here maybe he has some figures for us.

[Done]

Maybe I'm the only one, but these "charity/awareness/athletic" endeavors never appeal to me. 

I admire the atheltic/adventure aspect of many of these projects, but when they are mixed up with the sponorship/charity aspects... they sometimes seem fabricated.  The marketing required, the logos, the endorsements..... just seems like purity is drained out.

I used to feel the same way. I have wondered whether many athletes simply attempt to absolve themselves of the selfishness of their endeavors by claiming that they are doing it for a cause "bigger than they are." False altruism rubs me the wrong way.

But over the past couple of years, I've come around to something like Jill's position. Charities need exposure and money, and dedicating an adventure to their cause is decent way to help them get both. It also helps the rider garner sponsorship money, which is often necessary. Seems like a good deal all around, whatever the motivations may be.

JP's effort looks like hellish fun, and it seems like he's playing the sponsorship game fairly. An inspiring adventure by an inspired guy!

[robinb]

Tres cool JayP - all the best in your adventures.

robin

[DaveH]

Jay is the real deal.  He makes no bones about what he is after:  reclaiming a divide record and setting a new RAAM record.  It's an expensive endeavor too, more power to him for finding the energy to make it work.

What Jay is doing transcends any particular event genre.  He is creating the perfect environment to achieve his goals, and if he gets a positive message out along the way that's a bonus, no?

Damn. Tipping this hat in respect to Mr. P.

[Jilleo]

Agreed, DaveH. This is pretty close to off the charts. Few people really understand just how different and difficult two events like the Iditarod and RAAM really are. Almost like resolving to climb Mount Everest and ride the Tour de France in the same year. Then add the Divide ... almost an afterthought to Jay. Super ambitious although I have no doubt he'll be able to pull it off.

I missed the part about a RAAM record. Where does he mention that? Because that really is a huge goal ... Americans usually don't break the top three in RAAM, let alone win, let alone break records.

Also, is there any mention of an Iditarod record? The southern route record is still pretty soft, about 22 days I believe. Seems even in "touring" mode, Jay stands to break this one as well.

[DaveH]

Also, is there any mention of an Iditarod record? The southern route record is still pretty soft, about 22 days I believe. Seems even in "touring" mode, Jay stands to break this one as well.

http://noidletour.org/introduction, 3rd and 4th paragraphs. 

I'd think a record is always on Jay's mind when he tows the line.  Of the 3 events, I'd also guess he has the most respect for that Alaskan odyssey. 

[jhl99]

A good example of a big trip that was apparently funded without invoking a charitable cause:

March 2011 National Geographic article 
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/03/alaska-trek/koeppel-text
about Andrew Skurka http://andrewskurka.com/index.php
and his hiking/paddling/skiing loop of Alaska (4600 miles worth, 176 days self supported). 

[Marshal]

A good example of a big trip that was apparently funded without invoking a charitable cause:

March 2011 National Geographic article 
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/03/alaska-trek/koeppel-text
about Andrew Skurka http://andrewskurka.com/index.php
and his hiking/paddling/skiing loop of Alaska (4600 miles worth, 176 days self supported). 

charitable cause, post event lecture circuit, trust fund, between jobs, who really cares? 

I don’t get why you feel its appropriate to grind your axe on this thread. Quite frankly your, or my version of ‘purity’ is irrelevant to Jay P's endeavors

[Slowerthensnot]

charitable cause, post event lecture circuit, trust fund, between jobs, who really cares? 

I don’t get why you feel its appropriate to grind your axe on this thread. Quite frankly your, or my version of ‘purity’ is irrelevant to Jay P's endeavors

DITTO!