TD'12 Race Discussion

[mtbcast]

Calls this evening:
Jim Standbury called in from Elkford. Woke up to snow on Day 2. He recaps a day in snow and rain and has decided to stop in Elkford to dry off and rest up for tomorrow. Mel Leibling called in from Elkford. Experiencing a variety of weather today from sunshine to hail to rain. Kudos to Gore socks to keep her feet dry and happy. Discovered some bear tracks along the way. Shooting for Sparwood tonight. And Eric Lobec called in from Eureka! Due to wet sleeping bag, decided to avoid possible hypothermia and dry out before heading on in the morning.

[ride MT]

Concerned my man Andrew Hazen's Spot hasn't updated today. It is still where he stopped for the night last night.

[mtbcast]

Tour Divide 2012 Day 2 show is up! We have riders already in Eureka and beyond! Lots of bear sightings and snow!

[caseygreene]

Think Kurt may have missed a turn. Must be pre-snowline. Hope he gets straightened out soon.

[mbeardsl]

Think Kurt may have missed a turn. Must be pre-snowline. Hope he gets straightened out soon.

Oh boy, that could turn nasty.  I'm sure he's beat after today.

[SimonK]

Ollie is running a Rohloff hub, too.

He's been the first rider home in the 1100km Kiwi Brevet (in 2010 and 2012).
http://www.kiwibrevet.blogspot.co.nz/

Pretty sure he'll still be smiling when he hits Lima. Beyond will be uncharted territory.

[mbeardsl]

Pushing a blazing pace so far.  200 mile days puts him AW in 14 days!  If the snow so far didn't slow him down it'll be fun to watch how/if he slows down as the weather gets hot.

[GusW]

Go Loebeck, go!

[DenisVTT]

Here are a few pictures I gathered on Facebook, thanks to Jeff Tomassetti:

Elk Pass, Mile 65 (photo credit Wildtracks):



Morning of Day 2, waking up to a blizzard (photo credit Steven Martine):



Day 2 in the Canadian Flathead (photo credit Wildtracks):

[mcmurv]

It is me or do things seem much slower on day 2 than last year?  Since we didn't ride the flat head in CA, this could be part of it and quite possibly be the more "normal" pace for day 2. 

As everyone left Sparwood, it seemed to slow everyone down more than I have seen in recent years. 

Last year, we were fortunate, by the Spray River Trail, most of us were in arm warmers or no jackets. 

Rudi is hilarious!  Joe Polk, aka MTBCast Master, thanks for capturing these precious moments.  They really bring things home for those of us with such fond memories of the TD. 

[DenisVTT]

It is me or do things seem much slower on day 2 than last year?  Since we didn't ride the flat head in CA, this could be part of it and quite possibly be the more "normal" pace for day 2. 

As everyone left Sparwood, it seemed to slow everyone down more than I have seen in recent years. 

Last year, we were fortunate, by the Spray River Trail, most of us were in arm warmers or no jackets. 

Look at the profile of the regular route vs the alternate we took last year. 3 passes near 6,000 ft for the regular route, basically flat at around 3,000 ft for the alternate. Alternate was shorter by around 35 miles, too. Add to that the snow this year at around the 5,000 ft line.

I wonder if this year's horrific weather at the start will prompt more people to ride NoBo in 2013. The average rainfall in northern Montana and the Canadian portion is much higher in early June than it is in late June and early July. I was NoBo last year and while I had some rain and certainly thunderstorms and even some snow (in Frisco, CO), I never had an entire day of miserable weather like they're having this year... for the last 2 days and counting. Plus, it's slightly cooler at the start in NM.

[mtbcast]

Calls this morning: Ezther Horany called in from a warm comfortable and dry bed in Eureka. Recapping a wet day with lots of hike a bike in the snow. Heading out early and shooting for Whitefish and Columbia Falls in the morning. Serge Chiasson called in from a hotel in Eureka watching the rain. Recaps snowy, rainy, but good day. Hunkering down for the night to get an early start for tomorrow. And Jarral Ryter called in from Eureka. He’s stuck with busted breaks! He's looking for parts. He left a number: 970-five six zero or five zero six (he wasn't sure)-7066. I think accepting help from a call would be prohibited, though he may just need pointed to the closest shop. I'd think his closest would be in Whitefish?

[mosibiker]

Stappler made up time from his wrong turn but now Sandiforth is headed up the same road, hopefully he will get turned back around.

[Pivvay]

The Flathead is indeed a lot slower than the 2011 reroute which I believe was essentially the "pre flathead" highway route. I rode the original route in 2008 and the Flathead in 2009. There is a lot of climbing and out there fireroads on the Flathead, not to mention the singletrack connector and the final hoof up Galton pass where they probably climbed over Avy debris piles and did a lot of hike-a-bike in the snow. There is even some sharp rock out there as I slashed a sidewall in 2009 and was luckily able to fix it and get it to reseal quickly(!)

In 2009 we were lucky to have pretty good conditions that day and the lead group all pushed beyond Eureka to setup for Whitefish and Red Meadow the next morning. Sounds like just getting to Eureka was pretty epic this year! They'll have Whitefish Divide and Red Meadow likely holding snow next, then a break until Richmond peak between Holland Lake Lodge and Seeley Lake.

Bummer about the busted brakes Jarral! Definitely detour to Whitefish and back if you can. Eureka is a good spot (relatively) as it's all highway riding between there and back.

[Roland Sturm]

The big front group that made it to Eureka (and in some cases beyond) is putting in a tremendous effort. Many rode until 1 am (including the tandem and Tracey Petervary), Katherine Wallace seems to be the last one that pushed to Eureka and she even rode until 2 am (and yet has already been riding this morning). 280 hard miles before the second night is a fast start (and almost half the women in there). They are all experienced riders, otherwise I'd think it is a bit risky to push that hard so early in the ride.

[mbeardsl]

The big front group that made it to Eureka (and in some cases beyond) is putting in a tremendous effort. Many rode until 1 am (including the tandem and Tracey Petervary), Katherine Wallace seems to be the last one that pushed to Eureka and she even rode until 2 am. 280 hard miles before the second night is a fast start (and almost half the women in there). They are all experienced riders, otherwise I'd think it is a bit risky to push that hard so early in the ride.

Agree.  The thing that is reassuring is how much sleep most of them are getting - 6-9 hours/night so far.  That really goes to show how hard they are pushing to still be that far out front with that much rest.  There are certainly exceptions to that but the top 10 look to be pretty similar.

[chriskmurray]

I am wondering if this weather will turn into a lot more mechanical problems this year?  SS and IGH guys may have a big upper hand if that is the case.

[JayP]

As a sideline follower for the first time I am addicted and focusing on a few people.

My Lady, Tracey Petervary. She has many long ultra distance experiences, many with me. This is her first time going this long by herself. As my wife I will pay most attention to her. Tracey is not the fastest lady out there but she is arguably the strongest and most experienced in this distance and is a veteran by tandem of the route. Go T Go!!

The lead guys. Of course I am going to look here as I currently hold the fastest time. There are some really fast rookies and hungry vets gunning for that time and there is a part of me hoping they do better it...

Then there is Babe the Blue Tandem. Again, hold the record but more interested in there experience and how the rig is holding up and how they are holding up. Kurt is a acquaintance friend and being the second to get after the route on a tandem is awesome and a very special experience. The weather they are having is not tandem friendly. Climbing on a tandem is pretty tough in general, throw in  some soft conditions where you sink twice as deep and the resistance increases. That hard climbing just became brutal. It was the one thing that stands out in my mind and the only time I almost broke down in all my adventure years. It was actually the climbing in colorado, the long drawn out ones. We also went through some parts, hopefully the internal geared hub helps with the drivetrain. I do wonder about the external BB's...
The problem with tandem is it is just too much fun!!

Scott M - In the past I know you posted up a split chart with the records, something I use to hate, now I want to see those comparisons. Do you plan to show that at all?

Best part of TD is it is weeks long not days long!

[JayP]

I am wondering if this weather will turn into a lot more mechanical problems this year?  SS and IGH guys may have a big upper hand if that is the case.

didnt even hit the good stuff yet - CLAY - not till after Polaris...

[JayP]

Stappler made up time from his wrong turn but now Sandiforth is headed up the same road, hopefully he will get turned back around.

funny, on our tandem run we took that road just about to the border. 50 mile bonus that night...