TD'12 Race Discussion

[mtbcast]

Tracy Burge called in from near Lynx Pass. She’s singing her way up the climbs!

[AmyL]

Giorgio A.  Has not moved in 9 days, yet still listed as active?  anyone know the scoop on him.  His relative (brother?) Ricardo is still moving and in Pie town tonight.

Giorgio's SPOT hasn't transmitted data in 9 days, but there's a good chance he's still moving along with his brother.  Could be a device failure or dead batteries.  In the past Trackleaders has not changed status to scratched unless the racer notifies them - not based on rumors or dead SPOT dots.

Giorgio and Riccardo are brothers:  http://ultramanlive.com/history/past-entrant-bios/2007-entrants/

[LongJohn]

I spent a couple of weeks riding with Marco in Italy just prior to TD.  I know first hand from our discussions that he made their intentions clear to the organisers, and there was no issue with them riding together as long as they had seperate gear and didn't draft.

I also know first hand that Marco couldn't navigate his way out of a paperbag so I doubt he added much for route planning.  He had some serious issues with knowing his left from right.

[DenisVTT]

It may be time to move some of this talk to a, "TD Rules" thread and let the, "TD'12 Race Discussion" topic breath a little bit.

There you go, a TD Rules thread: http://www.bikepacking.net/forum/index.php/topic,3987.0.html

 

[Oldguywithnobike]

Very well said sir!  My true respect and amazement goes out to all who have tried this battle of guts and will.  I can't even imagine the courage it takes to load your bike in Banff or AW and start moving down the trail not knowing what variables will change and how fast you will be able deal with it, or not!

[seabrin]

Does anyone know how many riders are still out there? It appears that Leaderboard is missing a few dots.

[spcabin75]

Amy
Thanks for the info on the Alessi brothers.  I see Ricardo is an architect, so am I.. Another reason to root him on!  Go Ricardo!

[the tortoise]

Back in my home town of Julian!

What an adventure! Made it in around 5:00 P.M. on Friday July 6th at around 5:00 P.M. I shut off my spot tracker but it still shows me as active. I keep getting passed by people! Ha ha.
The last week was really tough. I got passed by 4 racers (Marcos and Elana, James and Sarah) The fatigue caught up to me and everyone of them made huge pushes at the end that I could not keep up with. Congratulations to all of them!
My fellow racers were an incredible lot to hang with. Trash talking, camping out, meals together made for many amazing moments. The support along the way from the lodges, restaurants, and race fans was fantastic and very humbling.
I can't put my finger on it but I seem to have had a body disconnect the whole time. I never totally felt like I was there. Almost an out of body experience. Thankfully my over 600 photos proved I was there!
Of all the riders I got to know along the way I spent the most time with Prentiss Campbell, who impressed me with his tenacity to finish on his single speed. I can't imagine doing this ride on a single speed. He must have had to walk hundreds of miles, all in his Converse All Stars! What an inspirational person he is.
A huge thanks to my wife Shirley for making this happen, and my daughter Deanna who covered my business while I was away.
Two days prior to flying out to Banff my Mother in Law Barbara passed away and I dedicated my ride in her memory. Her funeral was attended by many of my good friends and my riding buddies served as pallbearers. Many times during the ride I could feel her helping me along the way. On the second day I had a huge scare with hypothermia as I was coming down from Cabin pass in a freezing rainstorm. I thought I was going to meet her a lot sooner than I had planned. Magically a hunting lodge with smoke coming out of the chimney appeared just as I was about to give up. Fellow bikers in the same boat had managed to rent a cabin there and were gracious enough to take me in and thaw me out. 6 Of us crammed into the little cabin and 3 other bikers who arrived much later who took refuge in the barn will always remember that day!
A huge thanks to fellow racer Katherine Wallace who I met at the Stagecoach race. She tirelessly answered my endless questions on gear, bike set up, etc. on getting prepared for the tour divide. Without her help I could not have attempted or finished the race. Her performance was amazing and in spite of a huge knee issue for 4 to 5 days she finished 15th overall and was the second woman to finish, a week ahead of me! Congratulations to her.
I had the honor to meet Matt and Scott at the lodge in Colorado where I was able to shower, have a great meal, refresh and reload. A big thanks to them for making this whole event happen!
What next?? Only time will tell!

[LA]

Amazing Rich!  Can't wait to sit down and hear the stories and see those 600+ photos! 
Your Freinds,
Lee & Angie

[AmyL]

Thanks for the report Rich - very fun to read your summary!  Congrats on riding a great race.  Amy

[RootingforEveryone]

Well said....

Riding alone is a natural and unnatural part of the TDR.

For me most of my actual riding was alone but occasionally I would pass or be passed by others. 

In one rare event someone passed me then wrote a message in the snow on a mountain pass.... 

After reading the message I gave it one more push and passed them back but never found any good snow to leave a return message.  I never actually got to ride with this person but it was fun to know they were out there.

TDR is a great event with true racing that rewards toughness as well as speed.  It's also an event where you are alone and the only real challenge is your mind and your own body.  It's a special kind of event that is so far beyond the scope of "normal" that really the only person who should judge your effort is yourself. 

Even though I did not complete TDR this year I am happy with my ride.  I also enjoyed watching and rooting for TheArtist and others who took their efforts all the way to the finish line.   

And we all very much enjoyed "watching" you during your ride!! My computer has been down the last couple of days, so I missed most of this "discussion"...

My two cents would be 1) I didn't know about this until my co-worker decided he was doing it, 2) ANYONE who starts this thing is amazingly crazy & courageous, 3) those of us NOT doing this are in awe of those of you DOING it, & 4) EVERYONE who has ever started this particular journey (whether completed or not) is very impressive.

Thank you to all who put this together, let us "spot stalk", and "view" the race through the pictures!

[RootingforEveryone]

I spent a couple of weeks riding with Marco in Italy just prior to TD.  I know first hand from our discussions that he made their intentions clear to the organisers, and there was no issue with them riding together as long as they had seperate gear and didn't draft.

I also know first hand that Marco couldn't navigate his way out of a paperbag so I doubt he added much for route planning.  He had some serious issues with knowing his left from right.

This was wonderful!! :-)

No, no... the OTHER left!! :-)

[RootingforEveryone]

To everyone who has finished in the last few days, GREAT JOB!!!! Even you had to "finish" at a different spot than the regular finish line (or start line for the ones heading from the south to the north)!!

The two volumes of the Cordella that I purchased are now making the rounds at work... if I don't get them back, I will purchase two more! The information, emotion, and "views" are extremely interesting. If you have not purchased one, you may want to - even if you're just "spot stalking" someone else!

To anyone who has a blog/personal site - THANK YOU!!! In addition to the "spot stalking", I am going to the different places to read the rider's side first-hand. It is much appreciated!

[RootingforEveryone]

Tyson's icon is bouncing at the border!!!!   

Way to finish, you did it
Love,
Mom and Dad

Congratulations to you, too, Tyson's Mom & Dad!! Thank you for keeping everyone on here up-to-date!

[T-Race]

Tracy P  Congratulations!! The women have been rocking the course.

Thank you! 

[T-Race]

Congrats Max, Eric & T-Race on your FINISH!!!!

Hey Dave N—you be at the Canada border!! Hoo Hoo Ya Ya

(hope they let you in…..)

Thank You! 

[RootingforEveryone]

T-Race: Playing catch-up from the last few days... Congratulations!! How did Jay like being on the "spot stalker" side? You sounded great on the call! :-)

[T-Race]

It probably wasn't the race you wanted but I'd say you definitely rocked it. Your call ins always were upbeat even when dealing with adversity. I for one admired how you just dealt with it and keep rolling along. And you still came in under Jill's old record time. Congrads again.

Thanks! I appreciate the kind words. Your right it wasn't the race I wanted, but I know I am so fortunate to be able to complete such a huge accomplishment that contains so many variables. I hope to be able to come back someday, with a louder alarm clock fer shure! Best to ya! 

[RootingforEveryone]

Loved catching up the call-ins and blog entries...

I have a question for all who have ridden... it seems as if most people end up singing/talking in "bear" country - my question is this - is it just contained in bear country, or does it seem to carry through the rest of the race as well?

[T-Race]

T-Race: Playing catch-up from the last few days... Congratulations!! How did Jay like being on the "spot stalker" side? You sounded great on the call! :-)

Thanks! You'll have to ask JayP that question, but I do know that he was glued to the computer. I'm a happy person, I like to share that. Thanks again! See ya out there!