TD'11 Race Discussion

[DoctorRad]

Heh, the near-legendary Brush Mountain Lodge is just one of the reasons I hope to ride the TD one day...

[ScottM]

I found Paul Attalla at the Salida Cafe, next door to Absolute Bikes this morning.  He was finishing breakfast and impatiently waiting for the shop to open so he could get set up with new tires, new rim tape, and a new chain:



Big shout out, as always, to Absolute Bikes and Shawn Gillis.  Absolute have been huge fans and supporters of divide racing since the beginning.  The team swung into action to get him set up and out the door as quick as possible.



He was very upbeat and feeling good for the most part.  He is on a mission.  He has "record pace" notes in his cues on his handlebars (meaning overall record) -- and he seems very focused on moving fast and pushing limits.  Very cool to see that.

His main complaints were his hands and the dryness of New Mexico and even southern Colorado.  He seems determined to not take any snow detours, even in Wyoming.

Good luck Paul, great to meet you.

[brunch]

Do the riders welcome that, or is it a little scary to know people are following their SPOTs that closely?

I absolutely loved it when people cheered me on in 09. I would assume all the riders do.

Eric

[brunch]

Thanks for the pics of Attala Scott.

The guy has flair! White jersey and shorts on the TD?(!)  I'd love to see some pictures of his kit when he gets to Montana.

[Jilleo]

It looks like Justin's doing it — he's turning off onto Richmond Peak. This will be a particularly tough obstacle on the snow route. The GDMBR follows a narrow road cut that crosses several avalanche paths. The road cut itself will likely be completely buried in snow, which means Justin will be blind-navigating a traverse of a 45-degree exposed snow slope with little tree protection. Adventurous stuff. Go, Red Lantern, Go.

[gpe]

When Justin finishes the ride, will he get credit for being both the winner of the "real" course *and* the Red Lantern?  His spirit is amazing!

[mtbcast]

DNF Tourer Chris Bennett called in from Breckenridge to say they have plowed Boreas. Jake Kirkpatrick called in from Grasshopper Valley. He reports seeing “Shiner” Rob Roberts. Dejay Birtch called in from Grasshopper Valley with musings, stories, and TMI in typical DB fashion! So much it took two calls but it’s worth it. And Kurt Refsnider called in from Pinedale. He explains his break and his reunion with the porcupine family.

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

[bjamin]

Operational Question: how do the riders get route updates (WY 70 issue) the while on the road? When they phone in? or do they get a Spot message or GPS message?

[bmike-vt]

curious as to where justin is headed, i took the gpx files of the alternate snow and main route and got them in a KML format for GoogleEarth. If you open both of these in GE, blue is the main route, orange the alternate.

[mikepro]

A question for the TD veterans here:  We live on the route in Helena, just as you leave the south edge of town.  I love to watch the SPOTs and, when I can, head outside to yell encouragement to riders passing by.  Do the riders welcome that, or is it a little scary to know people are following their SPOTs that closely?

Definitely welcomed from my perspective last year.  I thought it was cool to have people drive out to the route (Breck - Boreas), flip u-turns as I rode by (Butte), set out encouraging signs (Polaris, Seeley Lake), etc., etc. just to support riders or yell encouragement, or say how they loved to follow the race.   It's this type of display that makes it worth while.

And, yes, Kristen at the Brush Mtn Lodge is very good at making riders feel like royalty.

[mikepro]

He was very upbeat and feeling good for the most part.  He is on a mission.  He has "record pace" notes in his cues on his handlebars (meaning overall record) -- and he seems very focused on moving fast and pushing limits.  Very cool to see that.

Typical Canadian fashion - kicking ass with a smile and style.  I love that humble nature of their's.  No doubt from his pace from the gun going off in AW that Paul's on a mission to get his name towards the top of the list.  I hope it works out in the end.

[JF-mtnbiker]

Mike Hall just passed through Driggs. He's not feeling well right now. Says he's having some stomach issues. he was motoring right along though. Looks like he will have a wind out of the west to help push him up Teton Pass. He is more concerned with catching the guys in front than being caught from behind. Very Focused dude !

[Pelican Peloton]

It appears the Eurotrain - Saemi Burkart, Marco Costa, Reto Koller and Markus Meier - is going to stay together for the entire ride and then they will do a sprint finish for the Mexican border.

[mtbcast]

Operational Question: how do the riders get route updates (WY 70 issue) the while on the road? When they phone in? or do they get a Spot message or GPS message?

We can do that. I haven't had a request to do so but we've done it in the past.

[mikepro]

Mike Hall .....Very Focused dude !

JF - I'm loving your reports from the route and meeting the riders.  Definitely helps understand who they are, and how they're feeling.  Looking forward to you catching the next group of 4.  Hopefully M. Hall can recover quickly, 'cause the gap's closing from behind on him and opening up in front of him, despite his best intentions.

Looking at the next group of chasers, I'm thinking Paul Spencer might be able to close the gap in a day or two if he keeps spinning and putting in the long hours like his tracker shows.  I'm just guessin', from mining through the spot data, but he manages his time reminiscent of a certain guy named Marshall last year.

Also keepin' a eye on the "Euro Train" which I imagine to be the 4 dudes rolling nearly hip-to-hip past Red Rock Lakes - 3 Swiss and 1 Italian.  Maybe they're communicating in English.  

[mtbcast]

I was flagged down by Kirsten at the Brush Mountain Lodge in Slater, Colorado. She flags down all the Divide riders who are naive enough not to have heard of her and her wonderful establishment first (I was in this group.)

I ashamed I didn't recall it was her. The lodge name was on the tip of my tongue and I knew it was up above Steamboat.

[mikepro]

It looks like Justin's doing it — he's turning off onto Richmond Peak. ....... Adventurous stuff. Go, Red Lantern, Go.

Looks like he's just about to hit the "good stuff" ... about to make the left-hand turn and pass between the rocks to access the "trail" along the North slope of the peak.  His downhill reward should put a smile on his face (in a few hours, that is)!

[mooseb]

Paul Attalla's spot must be off it's showing him as still in Salida ?

[ScottM]

Paul Attalla's spot must be off it's showing him as still in Salida ?

Yep, I saw him pedal away, so he's out there.  His spot may have been buried or a button pressed in all the reorganization that took place at the bike shop.

[ScottM]

curious as to where justin is headed, i took the gpx files of the alternate snow and main route and got them in a KML format for GoogleEarth. If you open both of these in GE, blue is the main route, orange the alternate.

You can also turn on the "snowy main GDMBR option" kml on the main tracker map, to see the routes only Justin is taking.  Very stoked to see him continue to take the "white lines".