TD'11 Race Discussion

[Slowerthensnot]

you still going nobo?

yup and all the dirt in NM unless theres rain

[mtbcast]

Jefe Branham called in from Wise River. He had a close encounter with a moose. Jon Pettit called in from Whitefish after a soggy night and some Sasquatches on skis. Dejay Birtch called in from Helena with some sage advice about chamois creams, among other things. (This one's a keeper, Folks.) And Jake Kirkpatrick called in from Helena. He’s with Dejay but feeling a little less punchy.

You can get the audio here, via RSS,  or on iTunes!

[DoctorRad]

Race flow is showing Ethan and Kurt are slower than both Mike Hall and Jefe so far this morning... will Mike catch them up today? Could be down to terrain, mind you...

[Marshal]

Just logged on this morning.  Checked last nights stop times and this mornings start times for the top sb racers.  I think with allowances for tactical choices this pretty much tells all about ones current mental state of mind. 

[DaveH]

Just logged on this morning.  Checked last nights stop times and this mornings start times for the top sb racers.

Jefe is racing with razor sharpness right now.  It will be interesting to see how well he holds up.  My bet is he will fade very little...I've seen him after a few events and he has a penchant for finishing with a bang, full of energy.  The more he rides the stronger he gets.

Kurt stayed with me a few weeks in Feb.  I've got great training grounds in my backyard...one of the more interesting topics of conversation was my theory that a SS could be faster for long events.  There are several physiological and physical reasons this may be true.  I wonder if any of that conversation has come to mind as he and Ethan follow Jefe's tracks?

[jarmckenzie]

Looks like Jefe is putting some distance between himself and the chasers. Think he knows that he will need a good lead going in to NM on the single speed? Seems like he will given how fast the route is down that way.

[Marshal]

Jefe is racing with razor sharpness right now.  It will be interesting to see how well he holds up.  My bet is he will fade very little...I've seen him after a few events and he has a penchant for finishing with a bang, full of energy.  The more he rides the stronger he gets.

Kurt stayed with me a few weeks in Feb.  I've got great training grounds in my backyard...one of the more interesting topics of conversation was my theory that a SS could be faster for long events.  There are several physiological and physical reasons this may be true.  I wonder if any of that conversation has come to mind as he and Ethan follow Jefe's tracks?

Your SS theory may be correct, by the end of the 2010 TDR I was almost exclusively using what I called my 3 ‘magic gears’, 1 for climbing, 1 for soft pedaling on higher speed descents and 1 for everything else.  The one for ‘everything else’ happens to be a very commonly used SS gear and would have gotten me by quite well by itself.

I guess Kurt’s knees are acting up, I hope that doesn’t put a stop to his race. 

Last night Jefe pushed and made it over Fleecer ridge and KR/EP did not.  This is a true break imo.  Kurt has been over it once before so he had to know that if he bivied up short he was conceding the break.  ---On the other hand Jefe will be spun out into Lima. 

Mike Hall laid up early last night but was in a hotel so he should have gotten good recovery—but he gave up some of that advantage by leaving at a leisurely 6:00am

[Marshal]

Morning start & end of day stop times are critical to building leads or catching up.  Also break durations add up.  Jefe just spent 1 hour at the only re-supply store between him and Lima.  KR/EP are at 30 min and counting in Wise River

next point of call-Lima MT, man this is going fast!!

[bmike-vt]

looks like justin 'long walk' simoni is almost out of the snow. his speed is picking up to 2.8 mph!
cant wait for his next call in.

[SlowDave]

Parts run to Santa Fe?  Best bike shop is Santa Fe Bike and Sport located in a strip mall on the left side of St Francis.  There is also a Trader Joe's, Santa Fe Baking Co (one of the best breakfast burritos in town), Pharmacia (source for natural pain cremes, etc, and across the street is the best running store in town if you can't find gels and gus at the bike store.  All of the above are right next to each other.  There is also an REI in town by the train station that carries bike stuff.  If you go by a Blakes have a breakfast burrito or green chili cheese burger for me.  Bumble Bee is excellent for fast food.

[bcaverly]

Looks like Russ McBride is off course in Santa Fe - I'm assuming to replace his broken pedal.  From the distance he's covered I'm guessing he got a ride - is he also allowed to get a ride back to where he left the course?

[adevisse]

Justin Simoni is almost out of the snow - think he'll be able to make up some ground now?

[ActionJackson]

Looks like Russ McBride is off course in Santa Fe - I'm assuming to replace his broken pedal.  From the distance he's covered I'm guessing he got a ride - is he also allowed to get a ride back to where he left the course?

http://tourdivide.org/the_rules

4a. In the event of a serious mechanical that renders one's bike unrideable, a rider may be assisted[3] by motor vehicle in moving backwards or directly off the route, but never forward on route. A rider may also receive assistance returning back to the location they left the GDMBR, however, the moment they rejoin the route, any forward assistance is prohibited, even if a rider has already ridden that stretch prior to leaving the route.

[mtbcast]

He mentioned on his call in that he was headed to Santa Fe. He should be fine as long as he returns to the point he left.

[cwopinger]

Looks like Justin S. is back on the main route.  I'm looking forward to his next phone in.  GO JUSTIN!

[Pelican Peloton]

A short video showing Marco Costa, the rider from Italy.

Le prime immagini dal Canada!.avi

and if you can read Italian this site in Italy is following his race:

http://www.mentalitasportiva.it/garamarcocosta/marco...si-parte.html

even if you can't read Italian there are also pictures.

[ScottM]

Just a note to TD fans - I most likely will not be posting any dot replay videos during the race, as I have in the past.  Why?  Because there's something better - you can do your own instant replays in my GPS software, TopoFusion.  Details here:

http://topofusion.com/trackleaders.php

Basically there's now an interface to all Trackleaders events that will download full rider data and do replays right in your copy of TF.



Let's see, I've been working on some new "rider status" entries, such as moving time, stopped time and average moving speed (as suggested earlier in this thread).  It still needs a little thought and tweaking WRT missing data, but, hey, more numbers to geek out on!!

Oh yeah, and Go Jefe!!

[goldenboy]

Morning start & end of day stop times are critical to building leads or catching up.  Also break durations add up.  Jefe just spent 1 hour at the only re-supply store between him and Lima.  KR/EP are at 30 min and counting in Wise River

next point of call-Lima MT, man this is going fast!!

Marshall- I really appreciate your racer's perspective and first hand knowledge of the route.  It helps to put this great ride into more of a strategic race format and lessens the fast touring mentality that they just have to keep riding along.  Would you care to elaborate or comment on the upcoming days ahead for the leaders and also talk more about the mid pack?

[bmike-vt]

Scott - will past events be available too?
I'll have to update and take a look. Love my TopoFusion!

[mtbcast]

Paul Spencer called in from Butte where he was having breakfast and Vance McMurry called in from Lincoln.

You can get the audio here, via RSS,  or on iTunes!