TD'12 Race Discussion

[JF-mtnbiker]

I dont think you will see many overnighters across Northern Wyoming. Remember Kurt's 300 mile all nighter was on an altered course that included alot of pavement. (still impressive ride!) Brooks Lake & Union Pass are different.

[mountaingoat]

i rode with phil quite a bit through the first half of montana in 2010, and have kept up with him on facebook. a great guy, and someone to root for. stay humble and push till the end brother.

Hey Patrick ! Good to see you here ! It's a pity for phil. He had the same 'numb hand' problem in 2010. It must be hard for the spirit.

[Russ Kipp]

Several TD riders dropped into the Grasshopper Valley today.  Unfortunately I missed Kevin G, Katherine W & Dylan T but did chat with Josh and Tracey.  They were both loving the nice weather and were feeling great.  Georg made it to our lodge tonight and is planning an early departure.  We had a couple riders miss the lodge yesterday, they are not TD riders this year but they plan to ride next year.  I topped our sign with a bike to call attention, it's a pain to have to back track.

[JF-mtnbiker]

good to know...is the golf course listed on the maps?

Dont think it is on the map but you can follow the signs after you come out of Warm River campground and turn onto E1400N. Just about a mile off route.

[edmiston9]

Dang, looks like Mike Arenberg had some fun atop Stemple Pass on Thursday.  Seems that turn has gotten a few people...

[ride MT]

Hahaha, if anyone sees Mark Farnsworth, tell him those are elk not caribou! Listen to his call in: That guy is having a GREAT time! Awesome!

[twodogtom]

I hope to see some racing between number one and number two. It seems that they are pulling each other along, as well when working as a pair only one really needs to navigate.

[mbeardsl]

Hahaha, if anyone sees Mark Farnsworth, tell him those are elk not caribou! Listen to his call in: That guy is having a GREAT time! Awesome!

Great to hear his voice finally!  Sounds just like him.  You'd never think he was having a difficult race so far - took a swim in a river which took his GPS and bike comuter with it (and ruined his phone) which now makes his navigation errors make a bit more sense.  Broken shoes, frost bite, etc.  Sounds like his bike is holding up great so I'm sure that's extra special knowing he can build a frame that can sustain that kind if abuse.  Looks like he's moving along nicely again and maybe starting to catch some racers just ahead of him.  His sleep schedule looks pretty wild so not sure if he can make those passes stick today but certainly in the next few days I expect to see him pick up a few spots.

Cjell Money crusied past Fixie Dave last night. 2 more days to Golden Spike with OW/CS?

[mtbcast]

Morning Calls: Ryan Correy called in from Lima. He’s dealing with some foot pain. Gunter (?) called in having heard about Phillip Fogg pulling out. Not sure of the last name and the website he's plugging. If someone can help me on this one, msg. me please. Max Morris called in from Butte. He’s feeling better and about to roll out. Mark Farnsworth called in from possibly beyond Butte. He’s doing good and runs down his ride and dealing with old gear.

[salsola]

Check out fixie Dave's short vids:

http://www.tout.com/u/davidfixedgear


Hope he can get it done this year!

[patrickTsai]

Hey Patrick ! Good to see you here ! It's a pity for phil. He had the same 'numb hand' problem in 2010. It must be hard for the spirit.

speaking of great people, hey nicolas! congrats on getting married man!
hope phil heals quick and gives it another go.

[DenisVTT]

Sounds like Mark Farnsworth is calling his podcasts while climbing a pass! Or sprinting to the finish!

That's cool!   

[ThatDudeOnABike]

Josh Shifferly has made an amazing comeback, cruising past Lima in 13th place!

[caseygreene]

Dont think it is on the map but you can follow the signs after you come out of Warm River campground and turn onto E1400N. Just about a mile off route.

It is listed as as serivce stop

Not sure about this year's riders, but I'm both a vet PCT thru-hiker and TD thru-racer, if you will.  Logistics and planning are vastly different IMHO between the 2 adventures even though it might seem similar.  Simply put: PCT ~4 months, re-supply every 3rd to 7th day or more; TD ~3weeks, re-supply every day or even multiple times a day + WAY more access to civilization.  But the benefits (purposely not calling in 'advantages') I gained from prior PCT experience were INVALUABLE in so many other ways.

I wonder if David Horton is following this thread. He finished TD last year at around 25ish days, and use to hold the speed record on both the AT and PCT. Be interesting to hear his thoughts too.

Also, besides through little snippets from Jill, I've never heard Geoff Roes compare his 2008 GDR with Western States or this years Iditarod Trail Invitational, where he almost beat the bikes, on foot.

Its interesting to see the varied backgrounds of participants. From last year, Ethan P is pretty amazing ski mountaineer racer, although he did have bikepacking-racing experience. From this year Adam J is a pro triathlete who has finished top 10 in Ironman distance races, but had no bikepacking experience 2 months ago. As been said by Marshall, Chris, and Jill, that level of raw fitness dosen't necessarily translate to TD victory.

Its also interesting to see where people are from. In the front of the pack, you have folks who are from mountain states, or have previous bikepacking-racing experience. And, as you scroll towards the back you get a higher percentage of folks from non-mountain states/provinces.

[DenisVTT]

@caseygreene: also, Ryan Correy has attempted (not sure whether he succeeded) to break the Guinness World Record (of 200 hours) for static marathon spinning. That's 200 hours on a spin bike!

FWIW, 200 hours is more than 8 consecutive days 24 hours a day. Not sure if he had breaks.

Nuts! (in a good way)  

Ryan Correy Record Attempt Spin

[caseygreene]

@caseygreene: also, Ryan Correy has attempted (not sure whether he succeeded) to break the Guinness World Record (of 200 hours) for static marathon spinning. That's 200 hours on a spin bike!
FWIW, 200 hours is more than 8 consecutive days 24 hours a day. Not sure if he had breaks.
Nuts! (in a good way)  
Ryan Correy Record Attempt Spin

Waht?!?! Holy f. That is crazy! And, maybe a bit boring?  

[DenisVTT]

Oh, and last year NoBo winner (and 3rd overall) Paul Attalla from Fernie once crossed the Atlantic solo in a... row boat! 5,500 km in 76 days!

http://www.solotheatlantic.com/

As I said before, you occasionally meet some animals in mountain biking, but nothing like the concentration of them at the TD!

[Pivvay]

I definitely raced in 2009 with lots of sleep relative to Matt and was beating all his town to town splits. I enjoyed flying up each climb. Matt was just taking less time off the bike and riding more. To be at the front you have to be efficient either way and be eating, sleeping or riding at all times.

[DenisVTT]

That is crazy! And, maybe a bit boring? 

The very definition of going nowhere fast! 

[DenisVTT]

Apparently, Ryan only made it to 6 days and 20 hours in his "Guinness World Record Indoor Spin Attempt"...

Still quite a list of accomplishments for a 29 y.o: http://ryansdream.com/about/accomplishments/

Photos: http://stenbergphotography.blogspot.com/2010/10/ryan-correy-spin-world-record-attempt.html

[Edit: added the photo link]