On the fence about racing the TD

[Giegs]

Every year when the weather turns cold, I always get an itch to race the Tour Divide.  I know I’m not the only one, whether it’s the TD or another trip/race.  I’ve been on the fence for the past few years and I feel stuck.  I'm filled with a mix of fear, excitement, and doubt about the TD.

We always hear of the racers who start, and either finish or not.  I’d like to hear from the "almost racers" who are in my position, or racers who spent a few years in the "almost" category prior to their first run.  What convinced you to follow through with the race, or how do you deal with the internal struggle?

Long story short-ish:
I toured the Great Divide in 2010 as a complete novice.  Since then, I’ve really upped my strength and bikepacking game.  I want to see what I’m capable of now compared to then.  What better way than to race the same route?

I considered racing in 2014, half-trained for it, but backed out prior to the start due to lack of preparation and motivation.  In 2015, I was 95% sure I’d race and trained accordingly.  A few weeks before the race, I backed out once again after losing confidence in my gear and questioning whether I’d be happy flying past the sights/food/comforts.

The notion of racing resurfaced this year (2016) again, but I ruled it out early on.  It was a good decision, since I ended up down with Mono from February to April.  Instead, I enjoyed the comfort of an unloaded bike with (gasp!) front suspension.

Once again, my thoughts have turned toward TD 2017.  I’m worried about committing to the race, training, and once again backing out.

Dave

[bikelite]

You are not alone. I know I cannot compete and really don't care for a June start (no race for me probably), but one of these years I will do this trip as a tour only from Canadian border. It is fun to think about strategy though, esp charging options (dynamo versus no dynamo).

[kiwidave]

I was looking at it closely and thinking about when to do it in the "future" when a close friend was diagnosed with cancer. I realised that health of oneself and one's loved ones can quickly change and put this dream out of reach. I trained as hard as I could and raced it 18 months later. He sadly died a month after the race.

[HartR]

I've not done TD but my response to you would be this, you can do whatever you put your mind to. You need to decide. Anything endurance related is a mental game. I once read "never quit anything you set out to do for an injury that will heal in a week". I've lived by this and the last time I didn't finish a race was in 1996. I still remember it and regret it.  They have a saying at the Leadville races "you are stronger than you think you are and can do more than you think you can". So....what's holding you back?  Is it fear of failure?  If so, push past it and decide you are going to do it, then decide you are going to finish. Lastly, decide that if finishing will cause long term pain or problems, or isn't reasonable (you are in the hospitable because you are dehydrated and vomiting), that you aren't going to beat yourself up for withdrawing.  I hope you don't fault me for chiming in despite my not being your target audience. All the best!


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[krefs]

Dave, if you're not able to commit at this point (for whatever reason) to tackling the race, what about planning on riding one or two state's worth of the route? The planning and preparation would not be as daunting or taxing, and touring at your own pace would let you decide when you want to ride at a concerted pace all day and when you want to take a day off and enjoy where you are. After a week of that sort of experience, I am willing to wager that you'd be in a better place to decide whether or not you want to race the full Divide route.

Best of luck with the decision!

[MikeI]

I vote that you go for it.

The reason is that tomorrow may just not come. Life has a way of sometimes throwing curve balls at us, and I know of several people who had plans to "do something" and had those plans wiped out by cancer or some other big life altering thing. We never quite know what is coming around the next bend, so if riding this thing appeals to you, then by all means, get out there and do it.

[Giegs]

Thanks for all of the replies. 

I knew that I would once again face the question of "is next year the year?" and planned a ride in September from Kremling-ish (a day's ride away) to Platoro, then back to Salida.  Simulating a race pace for ~5 days would certainly answer the question of whether I want to do the full race and highlight training gaps.  Unfortunately, an injury got in the way of that ride.  Maybe I need to do that next summer and postpone to 2018.

Another option I've considered is to tour the route again, but much faster.  Push myself hard through some sections, but then take rest days in some of the more scenic areas.  I think I'll still be drawn to the idea of racing, though.

I'm 27 years old right now.  Sometimes I think that there is plenty of time to decide and race the route later, especially given the average racer age is in the mid-40s.  On the other hand, as a few of you mentioned, nothing is certain.  The opportunity might be lost due to other circumstances.  My current circumstances are very conducive to attempting the race - I'm a freelancer and can set up my hours around a training schedule, no kids to look after, and I have girlfriend approval for training/racing.

I'm sure many would kill for such an opportunity, but it's also a curse.  I don't need to have a lot of skin in the game to attempt the race.  The person that has to save up vacation hours, train around a 9-5 schedule, and/or sacrifice family time is a lot more likely to follow through.

I'm still undecided for now.  One day I'm thinking, "I wish I could get out there and experience it again and see what I'm made of."  Then the next day it changes to something like, "relaxing at home is a luxury I wouldn't have much of if I were to race.  I would have to be outside riding in the cold and rain right now."

[bakerjw]

Oh to be 27 again.... I'm almost double that....

I see it as there are 3 types of people who do the TD.
If you are racing, then distance per day is the most important thing. Comfort comes last.
If you are touring, then comfort is usually the most important thing.
Somewhere in the middle is a hard rider which is where I fall. To me enjoying the ride is the most important but at the end of the day if a lot of miles are not behind me, then priorities need to be evaluated. On my ride of the TD this year I was averaging over 100 miles per day. IMHO, if you are doing over 90 per day, then you are not touring the route.

Now, I sometimes tend to come across as condescending to people who tour, but it is unintentional. I read stories of people riding the TD who get on the road each day only after the local restaurant has opened and they have a good meal. They then stop in the late afternoon where food is available. They speak about a good day of miles being 60 or 70. That is touring IMHO. Each day that I was in Canada or Montana, I was up at 3:30 local time and prepping to get on the road. Warm meal be damned.

It sounds to me like you are a strong rider and easily capable of putting in a good effort with a very respectable finish. If you are racing, then you do need to be in peak condition but I think that conditioning is one of the lesser factors in a successful attempt. It can be the small things that get you.

Anyway. You are young. Commit to an ITT. Hop on your bike in Banff and RIDE hard.

[jjmundt]

I'm just 47 and would love to participate in the TD, but was diagnosed with cancer for the 2nd time in October (first time was thyroid cancer in August 2013).  I'm going in for surgery this coming Monday and they're going to cut a small tumor from my neck.

If I can have clean scans for a couple of years again, I'm going to see if my wife will let me ride at least a small portion of the route when I turn 50.

If you can go now, GO, GO, GO!!!!!

[MikeI]

I'm just 47 and would love to participate in the TD, but was diagnosed with cancer for the 2nd time in October (first time was thyroid cancer in August 2013).  I'm going in for surgery this coming Monday and they're going to cut a small tumor from my neck.

If I can have clean scans for a couple of years again, I'm going to see if my wife will let me ride at least a small portion of the route when I turn 50.

If you can go now, GO, GO, GO!!!!!

I want to wish you the absolute best in beating it. 

[Snowbd2u]

On the fence for this year as well. But I raced in 2014, so it's more of a want/need to go back and do better. I'll be doing the AZT this year for sure, not sure I can put those two on the same calendar year and remain married!! Haha. Trying though.

I too spent three years figuring out if I wanted to race. I finally bit the bullet and bought a plane ticket. Non refundable..... Forced me to train and gave me no choice but to go and try. Wish you luck, and maybe will see you there.

[Ailuropoda]

I tried and failed the Tour Divide last year.   I wasn't prepared mentally or physically.   It was humiliating and my original intent, I confess, was to forget about it and never try it again.   It cost me a lot of time and money to race last year and I'm still recovering from that.  In fact, if you count a month of lost income and travel expenses as well as the cost of racing itself it can be ruinously expensive.

But after I recovered a little I realized a few things.   First, that it's only money.  I do all right and, as I will be 53 this June, I may as well race again because, realistically, how many good years do I have left and there is no point waiting for that time when I will be completely financially secure...an event that may never happen.  I'm working some extra shifts this year to cover the loss and I'm going to race on the cheap as much as I can this time.  And while I may have spent a lot of money initially, I still have the bike, all of the gear, and apart from a new bottom bracket, headset, tires, and a wheel rebuild I pretty much have everything I need.    

I am also better prepared physically this time.  I never stopped riding after I got back and I am already ramping up for thousand mile months in April and May with the full load on the bike.  And now I understand the rhythm of the race and the true meaning of mountain passes!

You know, although I scratched, I had some good days out there...quite a few of them.  I was never bored and the ride is magnificent.   I'm hoping to make the Grand Depart this June in Banff...but I am actually considering the North Bound option to let the weather settle down a bit farther north; also to simplify the logistics of getting back home at the end.

I'd like to hear from North Bound riders and other people's opinion on this.

Paradoxically, I'm not making that big a deal of it this year.  I'm going to buy a ticket, show up, and ride.  I don't need to psych myself up like the first time.   

I've changed a few things (Rholoff Speedhub, Tarptent Rainbow) but that's about it. 

[Ailuropoda]

I'm just 47 and would love to participate in the TD, but was diagnosed with cancer for the 2nd time in October (first time was thyroid cancer in August 2013).  I'm going in for surgery this coming Monday and they're going to cut a small tumor from my neck.

If I can have clean scans for a couple of years again, I'm going to see if my wife will let me ride at least a small portion of the route when I turn 50.

If you can go now, GO, GO, GO!!!!!

My heart goes out to you and I hope you do well and recover completely.  You are absolutely right about things like this.  What is the point of waiting?  Life is short and fragile and there is no prize at the end for deferring things you could have done but didn't because it was too late. 

[bakerjw]

They call it a race, but as long as you average over 90 miles per day, you will not be relegated. I am not a racer. Heck, I am not even that strong of a rider. Last June I left Banff a week after the grand depart. I had no idea of what to expect. I was scared to death for a bit until I realized what I was doing and how epic it was. After that, I managed 100+ miles a day for the 3 days that I was on the route. The funny thing was that day 1 was the first time in my life that I had ever ridden more than 100 miles.

Inexperience led to a heat rash (not saddle sore) that left me unable to sit on a bike at all. But if it were not for the sitting issue, I'd have continued on and likely held a 100 mile a day average. Lesson 1 - Learn from what you do wrong. One thing that I found as I packed up each morning, the same things were in my way almost every day. They got pulled from my "Take" list.

Lesson 2 - So much of it is a mind game. It is a marathon and not a sprint. I rolled into Elkford after 110 miles totally spent (my own fault as I didn't eat enough) grabbed a bite to eat and a room and hit the bed. I awoke at 10:00 and it was still light outside. Was awake at 3:00 AM and rolling at 5:00 AM. Days are long - Light enough to ride from 5:00 AM to 10:00PM. Can you keep an 8 mph average? For 14 hours?

My advice, jump in. Prepare yourself as much as possible. Test your gear. Have a game plan for days that go great and the ones that make you want to crawl into a hole and wish that it was over. If you get derailed along the way, learn from it and try again. Retest your gear. As I flew home all dejected, the only solace that I had was that I would be back. And I AM going back this year.

In bikepacking, I see 3 focuses: Speed, enjoyment, comfort.
At the fast end, racers seek - Distance , enjoyment and then comfort. Light gear. Push on all the time. <- Ultra racers.
At the slow end, those who tour seek - Comfort, enjoyment and then distance .
I am in the middle. I am not a racer, but consider myself a hard rider. I seek Enjoyment, distance and then comfort. I think this is you as well. Enjoy the damned ride first but don't pass an opportunity to put out miles. I stopped on Whitefish Divide to take a close up picture of a snail crossing the road. And again to take a picture of a Columbine while grinding up Red Meadow Pass. My only regret was not getting a pic of the grizzly nail marks on a gravel road in the Flathead Valley.

I can sound a little condescending in my views about those who tour but it is unintentional. My view is that if you are up and ready to ride at 5:00 but don't because the restaurant doesn't open until 8:30, then you are a touring rider. If I am ready to ride at 5:00 I will be riding at 5:00 with a plan of where to stop later to fuel up.

[jjmundt]

My heart goes out to you and I hope you do well and recover completely.  You are absolutely right about things like this.  What is the point of waiting?  Life is short and fragile and there is no prize at the end for deferring things you could have done but didn't because it was too late.  

Thanks!  I'm doing well.  Surgery was successful and I'm recovering.  I'm still a bit sore and stiff, but every day is better.  I have 3-month scans next Monday and was cleared to start riding earlier this month.  So things are looking up.

Anyone that has the chance to take on the Great Divide Route should absolutely go.

[nepbug]

My opinion, don't race the TD this year.

You've seen the route already.  Life is short, and you have a time resource situation we would all kill to have,  pick a different race and do that.

There are too many spectacular races out there to repeat a route.  (that said, I've done CTR twice and want to do it once more, that one is special )

[kato]

Lots of good answers here and great food for thought.  Makes me kind of wonder about what race I want to do next...
I do know that I see a fair number of people who are nearing the end of their life.  I've never had a single one of them mention that they wished that they had waited longer to do something.

[Hayduke]

If there's doubt?

There is no doubt! :- )

I think your 'problem' is just low key bragging haha

[sheilar]

Lots of good answers here and great food for thought.  Makes me kind of wonder about what race I want to do next...
I do know that I see a fair number of people who are nearing the end of their life.  I've never had a single one of them mention that they wished that they had waited longer to do something.

Yes.  This. 

[jjmundt]

Lots of good answers here and great food for thought.  Makes me kind of wonder about what race I want to do next...
I do know that I see a fair number of people who are nearing the end of their life.  I've never had a single one of them mention that they wished that they had waited longer to do something.

You, good sir, have unfinished business from last year's TD.

I hope your leg / knee have fully recovered...and all the best as you decide what's next.