TD'12 Race Discussion

[mtbcast]

Ah yes...drafting. Can you say.......Eurotrain 2011.

Or the two Italians a few years back who pedaled up from the hiway to the store where some other racer's were stopped. I remember a call in from Allan Goldsmith or another Brit noting how clean they were comparatively.

[multisportscott]

Looks like our leaders will be in Salida tonight 
We had a rest day there, it's an awesome little town. Has an awesome Micro Brewery and Pizza restaurant, yum yum
GO Ollie GO!!

[DenisVTT]

Ah yes...drafting. Can you say.......Eurotrain 2011.

Hey, don't put all Euros in the same basket. Or even all Italians. 

[daleorth]

Looks like our leaders will be in Salida tonight 
We had a rest day there, it's an awesome little town. Has an awesome Micro Brewery and Pizza restaurant, yum yum
GO Ollie GO!!

Or there is a new brewery (Elevation) that is actually on the route, as best as I can see on the map.  It is just outside Salida (Poncha Springs) at the intersection of the route (cty rd 120 at that point) and Pahlone Parkway.  No food, just beer, but "Beer does have food value, while food has no beer value."  Just a tasting room, so hours are limited.  I stopped there Sunday and it was excellent.  Would be a great place for locals to sit and cheer as the riders go by.

[scatter]

Hey, don't put all Euros in the same basket. Or even all Italians.  

Indeed!  Marco and Elena, whilst riding together, are absolutely not sharing gear or drafting (in fact, they emailed the organisers pre-race to clarify what they could and couldn't do).

[mmattice]

As it is my Dream to Ride the Divide in 2 years. I thought I would go and drop off some trail magic for the race leaders. I live in Colorado Springs, CO so it was an easy thing to make happen. I decided to meet them in Como Colorado. After arriving and setting up my Tour Divide Aid Station it was not 10 min later that Ollie and Craig arrived at my location. When they rolled up I offered them my aid however keeping to the rules of the tour. Since I was not going to be there for everyone they could not accept my offer of Gatorade and sandwiches.

At first this would seem as though it was a bummer., But alias the Como Depot Eating House and B&B was right next to where I set up camp. Ollie and Craig suggested we go in for a beer and lunch. Well how could I say no.

So here is my impromptu report on the status of our racers.

Both racers are in good spirits and feeling physically good. Both are headed to Salida to get a hotel room/ Craig will be picking up a package at the post office with a spare chain and fresh cloths that he is very much looking forward to getting. Ollie has used one of his Carbon Belts for his Rohloff and Belt drivetrain he is running. He striped one out somewhere awhile back but fortunately he had a spare on board. He has made arrangements to pick one up there in Salida.

I just want to say that they were both 2 of the most gracious and nicest people one would want to meet. And that has to be one of the best beers I have had in a long while. I cant wait to my start in Banff in 2 years. My goal is simply to finish.

Keep riding Craig and Ollie!

[mtbcast]

^ and still smiling! 

[gramma]

Thanks for the update re: Craig and Ollie, especially the picture

[patrickTsai]

FFC meeting minutes

 - meeting called to order [by way of shotgunning tall boy budweiser]
 - HOUSE KEEPING
    - FFC headquarter's couch should not be used for procreative acts
    - when using FFC headquarter's bathroom always replace toilet paper. no one wants to see you hopping to the supply cabinet.
 -  NEW FARNWORTHIAN USAGES
    - all meals will be of "cowboy" proportions
    - when consuming a more than adequate amount of food, the colloquial phrasing will now be "i actually feel like i may have eaten the   
       town of pinedale"
 - TOPIC OF MAJOR CONSENSUS
    - a contentious debate was had over the Farnsworthian Accord
      - after hours of drinking deep consideration, each side agreed that the FFC will dedicate all resources to the sustained fun-tasti-tude Mark
         Farnsworth has displayed thus far.
    - more tension arose among participants when actual measurements of fun were debated
      - three measurements of fun-tasti-tude were agreed upon
          - smile-ability, the length of smile measured in centimeters (consistency matters)
          - smile-i-tude, the amount of "tude" behind the smile
          - smiles/hour (smiles per hour) or SPH, number of smiles occurring in a one hour time period
 - meeting adjourned by slowly finishing beer number i don't know anymore, and the next meeting scheduled for thursday

[bikingbakke]

Great update!

[mgasman]

The Lone Ranger is back to where he left the Route to get the wheel in Jackson.  A dedicated 13 hour, about 50 mile side trip!  He was stopped in Jackson for 6-7 hours.

[Russ Kipp]

We had several TD riders pass through the Grasshopper Valley on Father's day.  When Michael A stopped he was having difficulty breathing.  He contacted his sister who is a doctor and she advised him to head home.  So this morning I shuttled Michael back to the Outdoorsman in Butte.  On the way to Butte we bumped into Steven M and Gary B so Michael told them he was dropping out.  Adam H. also stayed at our lodge on Fathers day evening and was off for Lima early on Monday.  Later in the morning Sara D stopped for breakfast and a lunch to go...she camped last night and noted it was the coldest night since the beginning of the race. After warming up and refueling she was off for Lima.

[mmattice]

PS.
Ollie had a coke and a nice bowl of ice cream and Craig had a huge burrito and took a BLT wrap to go with him.

[Russ Kipp]

This afternoon I saw Melissa L, Michael C. & Tyson F riding on the Pioneer Mountain Scenic Byway when returning from dropping Michael A off at the Outdoorsman.  Also bumped into Mark ? on the Wise River side of the Pioneers.  Later this evening these 4 TD riders dropped into the Grasshopper valley after riding through a wicked rain/snowstorm up on the Pioneer Mountain Scenic Byway.  They are overnighting at the Montana High Country Lodge near Polaris and are planning a 7 AM start.  

 

[SimonK]

I read Ethan Passant saying that to do well in this type of race "don't ever reach a red-line, ever". I assume this is regarding pacing, effort and heart rate. Does this seem accurate to you all that have done this before? Is there any times when you do put the hammer down, or is it totally off the table to go hard?

Guess it depends on how you define 'red-line'. I reckon it's reasonable to ride at XC race-pace from time to time. I did so to make it to Wise River before the kitchen closed, and again trying to escape a thunder storm on the Divide north of Mimbres. It was fun to ride fast for a while, even though some extra recovery was required at the end of the day.

[Absurd Cyclist]

Denis - that pic is the one I recall. As I say all gone when I got there.

Is The Cordillera V3 available in ebook format?  Or will it be? 

Update from Eric - The Cordillera V3 should be available in e-book format in a week or so.

Following on from the discussion about possible race tactics between the front two, here's an edited excerpt from the article written by Kurt Refsnider, last year's winner, after meeting up with Jefe and Ethan at Brush Mountain:

"Ethan was the one to finally break the silence.
   “Should we get going?”
Now we were a “we.”  The dynamic of the race was about to shift dramatically....

...Ethan led the way, and Jefe followed a few yards behind. We would ride as a group into the next morning, often joking and poking fun at one another’s miserable looking states. But an uneasiness persisted among us as we would each periodically cast a subtle crooked glance toward one another. How tired are those legs? How sore is that knee? How late can he stay awake tonight? I thought ahead to the climbs in the Rabbit Ears Mountains, the long and steep grade out of Gore Canyon, and the more distant high passes of central Colorado. Which one of us was going to be the jerk to restart the racing?"

As for the answer to that question, you'll either have to look back at last year's race or, better still, buy V3.

[mtbcast]

Calls overnight: Mel Liebling called in from Montana High Country Lodge. She recaps a ride of various weather conditions. Eszter Horanyi called in from Steamboat. She runs down her diet but really enjoyed the cherries at Brush Mountain Lodge. Brett Stepanik called in from Colter Bay. He recaps his ride through Montana. Lots of hospitality along the way! Eric Foster called in to say he’s OUT! He’s knee is giving him more problems and the pain has just gotten unbearable.

Really enjoyed Brett's call. Lots of hospitality on the trail for those guys!  

[BobM]

Part of the Butts Cabin crew on June 10th.  There were 12 of us if I got the count right.

[DenisVTT]

* Mark riding along the Pioneer Mountain Scenic Byway.jpg (53.09 KB, 384x480 - viewed 270 times.)

 

That guy is Mark? There is only one Mark in TrackLeaders and it's Mark Farnsworth. Don't tell me that's the Mark Farnsworth of FFC's fame!

I mean, the guy's got a BOB trailer! A BOB trailer! On the TD! Riding a singlespeed!

If it's him, sign me up immediately for FCC. Only request I have is to switch from tall boy budweisers to PBRs!  (That's what they gave me at the finish line, so I consider it the official beer of the TD)

[ride MT]

there is another mark, and he isnt on trackleaders.....MF doesn't have a trailer.