TD newbie qs

[jryter]

Just noticed the tourdivide site is down.... ??
On a side note. I did purchase the Narratives. But I'm too lazy to look as people were talking of resupply points. Anyone have mileages of the towns handy?
Thanks,
Mr lazy.

[phil_rad]

The mileages are not 100%, I rounded off the numbers. Hope this makes sense, I couldn't insert the excel flie. 


Resupply Towns or Places to eat.   Mile      Distance between  towns
         
Banff, Alberta   0   Canada   
Boulton store, AB   60   Canada   60
Elkford, BC   116   Canada   49
Sparewood, BC   141   Canada   29
Roosville, MT   0   Sec. 1   115
Eureka, MT   10   Sec. 1   10
Whitefish, MT   101   Sec. 1   90
Columbia Falls, MT   111   Sec. 1   11
Swan River, MT   138   Sec. 1   27
Ferndale, MT   143   Sec. 1   5
Holland Lake, MT   212   2 mi. off route   70
Seeley Lake, MT    244   2 mi. off route   32
Ovando, MT   26   Sec. 1   28
Lincoln, MT   64   Sec. 1   38
Helena, MT   125   Sec. 1   61
Basin, MT   166   Sec. 1   41
Butte, MT   194   Sec. 1   28
Wise River, MT   247   Sec. 1   53
Elkhorn Hot Springs, MT   280   Sec. 1   33
Lima, MT   98   Sec. 2   104
Sawtell Resort, ID   183   Sec. 2   85
Flag Ranch, WY   265   Sec. 2   82
Moran Junction, WY   25   Sec. 2   25
Buffalo Valley Cafe, WY Closed Mondays   30   Sec. 2   5
Brooks Lake Lodge, WY   61   Sec. 2   31
The Place Cafe, WY   132   Sec. 2   71,5
Pinedale, WY   160   Sec. 2   59
Boulder, WY   171   Sec. 2   11
Atlantic City, WY   4   Sec. 3   75
Rawlings, WY   138   Sec.3   134
Brush Mountain Lodge, CO   55   Sec. 3   85
Steamboat Springs, CO   104   Sec. 3   49
Kremmling, CO   187   2 mi. off route   83
Silverthrone, CO   233   Sec. 3   46
Frisco, CO   5   Sec. 4   5
Breckenridge, CO   17   Sec. 4   12
Como, CO   37   Sec. 4   20
Hartsel, CO   66   Sec. 4   29
Salida, CO   113   Sec. 4   47
Sargents, CO   43   Sec. 4   43
La Garita, CO   136   Sec. 4   93
Del Norte, CO   153   Sec. 4   17
Platoro, CO   202   Sec. 4   49
Abiquiu, NM   145   Sec. 5   145
Cuba, NM   224   Sec. 5   79
Grants, NM   119   Sec. 5   119
Pie Town, NM   204   Sec. 5   85
Mimbres, NM   157   Sec. 6   157
Silver City, NM   176   Sec. 6   19
Separ, NM   51   Sec. 6   51
Antelope Wells, NM   124   Sec. 6   73

[woody]

Just noticed the tourdivide site is down.... ??
On a side note. I did purchase the Narratives. But I'm too lazy to look as people were talking of resupply points. Anyone have mileages of the towns handy?
Thanks,
Mr lazy.

Hey Jryter,
You probably already know about this site, but in case you don't. It's interactive, so you can move the "A & B" balloon up and down the course and look at the mileage on the  left side. It doesn't have the Gold Dust trail in Colorado or the CDT in New Mexico.
http://eatsleepridegreatdivide.com/#/elevation

Woody

[jryter]

Thanks! Easy enough to make a new Excel file...
And yes I did see that web site at one point....

Thanks,
jarral

[rooster14]

i purchased the narratives also, are they just the narrative notes that are actually on the maps, it said that they shipped but i was curious if i paid 8 dollars just for the print outs of the addendums???

[BobM]

i purchased the narratives also, are they just the narrative notes that are actually on the maps, it said that they shipped but i was curious if i paid 8 dollars just for the print outs of the addendums???

They are the notes that are on the maps (the full notes, not just addenda), and you will receive them as an email attachment as .rtf files.

[mikepro]

Just a few questions

Food
- what kind of food(s) did you pack and how much? (including energy gels etc)
- Did you bring a camp stove/JetBoil type set up?

Gearing
-how many teeth on your big ring?

Tire set ups
- is just about everyone running tubeless or are there still a lot using tubes?

Rain Gear
- how important are/were rain pants to you?

If you forwarded mail
-how did you decide where to mail?
-what did you send to yourself?

Only diet-specific-not-available-on-route food I brought were whole food supplements and teas.  In my mind, it was key to ingest vitamins/minerals for recovery, that I would not get on-route.  Calories/carbs are available in anything, as fuel for the physical exertion.

No stove, unless you are touring.

I managed the entire race in 2010 with only one flat on tubes, but I'll run tubeless in the future, and it will be fully tested and set-up ahead of time, not last-minute.

Rain paints: they were key for warmth, not water.  Many early mornings and late nights, or crossing Fleecer Ridge in the snow, were made bearable by having my rain pants.  JayP's brief write-up of his ITT later in the summer last year mentions the same thing, where he says he wore full rain gear just to stay relatively warm.  There's also plenty of racer write-ups across the board (not just TDR) where rain gear (pants) have been key to keeping warm, sometimes even worn inside bivy/sleeping bag.

[rooster14]

i appreciate the thoughts on the rain pants.  i keep going back and forth about them.

[THE LONG RANGER]

Concerning keeping warm: I ran through some fairly cold conditions for June, tramping up the snowed-in passes, but I still didn't use rain paints - I did have wool socks, leg warmers and also polypro long underwear, both tops and bottoms - as well as a wool winter hat. I also had a pair of Golite lightweight hiking pants turned into knickers, which were made of very thin cotton - thin enough that drying could be done just with a little bit of time and a breeze, or from my own body heat.

When I think of rain pants, I think of waterproof, plastic pants - those aren't something that seem too fun to sleep in, nor ride in. If it's raining, it may be wise to realize that you're going to get wet and perhaps better to simply stay warm, than think you're going to keep dry while riding.

For sleeping, it may be imperative to keep your sleep system as dry as you can possibly keep it. For me, that did mean having a change of sleeping clothes (the long underwear, hat). I did remember putting the sleeping bag into the dryers at Whitefish, after going over Red Meadow Lake, as my sleep system finally met its match while it snowed at night and the bivvy didn't help things keep dry.

I could see how having rain pants would have been perhaps helpful there as a vapor barrier - I've been in bad situations wearing rain pants/jacket in a sleeping bag with no bivvy or tent or any sort of a shelter and having the rain getup basically keep me alive - - it wasn't comfortable, but it was a life/death situation.

If there's much rain in the summer forecast, I would consider bringing along a lightweight tarp as well, or consider various indoor sleeping opportunities. Bring rain pants as well. If they prove ineffectual, it's easy enough to send them back and the weight penalty isn't super bad regardless. They may prove to be a really nice luxury!

[mikepro]

... pair of Golite lightweight hiking pants turned into knickers, which were made of very thin cotton - thin enough that drying could be done just with a little bit of time and a breeze, or from my own body heat. ...

Chuckling on my end for sure.  Let's clarify "rain paints" some more.  I'm not talking Captain Iver's going out crabbin' on the boat in Puget Sound, or Deadliest Catch, type of rain gear.  And certainly nothing yellow and plastic.  Nor the Shower's Pass bike commuter variety type of wear, either.  I'm talking GoLite, Marmot, perhaps thin Goretex shell, etc.  I light/lite shell that retains heat, but you WILL get wet.  And, preferably something that's not too baggy and isn't a wind sale, nor will it excessively droop/hang down when wet.  Something that screams "hey, I'll shed water for about 15 to 45 minutes in the worst of downpours, and then will somewhat keep you warm (but wet) after that, and I weigh next to nothing and can pack up into a nice tight little tennis ball sized bundle".

[THE LONG RANGER]

Ah, my "packs up into a tight little ball-sized bundle" rain pants are def. waterproof, but aren't Fishermen's Choice, or anything. Probably a pair of Red Ledges? I probably didn't bring them since my fancy GoLite Trinity rain jacket packed into an even *smaller* ball-sized bundle and the pants looked silly in comparison. That jacket didn't last too many days...

I'd still see what the weather is projected to be for the TD - Canada can be a bit dreary - not sure about what's usually the system in Montana/Idaho/Wyoming, usually monsoon season starts to hit Colorado, New Mexico is fairly dry? We're having a drought winter in CO for sure, but who knows what whacky weather Mother Nature has in store for us this summer. Probably tornados and locusts! 'member that JayP also did his run in the middle of the Monsoon season for NM, so he saw a ton of rain.

[bartspedden]

A lot of the info TheArtist shares rings near and dear to me   Here's my two sentence paraphrase: It's ok to get wet while you're riding if you can stay warm and have dry clothes to change into for sleeping. But sleeping while you're wet sucks and should be avoided if possible.

I'm a science/physics wannabe geek and I've done too much research into gear to warrant any listing of gear, etc.. I've also poured over tons of blogs and learned that people are different.  I've tried the no sleeping bag, wear all your clothes and jump in an emergency bag for a night of sleep at 10,000'. I've done down bags and synthetic bags. I've done waterproof bivies and breathable bivies. I've done full on waterproof/breathable rain gear top/bottoms.  I've done just a waterproof/breathable top. This season I'm trying a water repellant top and no rain pants (unless it turns into serious monsoon summer - then who knows???). In the end, the info that TheArtist is offering about keeping warm while spending a lot of time outdoors sure seems to match what I've experienced (but he's communicates it better). Nice work dude!

Last season my rain pants ended up waded up in a ball in my saddle bag most of the time. You know how retrospect gives you 20/20.  Well, to be completely honest, the times that I did wear my rain pants was out of partial fear and trying recommendations from others... but mostly fear. I love the idea of staying warm and dry.  But that's a tough outcome when it's raining and your running 150bpm. And for those that figure it out, the world is yours!
 

[phil_rad]

I debated the rain pants issue two years ago and decided to go with rain shorts. Pretty light something like 135 gramms, pack up super small and offer good protection from the wet and cold to your most sensitive area. Mine are from Löffler, an Austrian sport clothes company. Gore bike wear makes one too, just more expensive.

http://www.amazon.com/GORE-BIKE-WEAR-Alp-X-Shorts/dp/B0032E0I8K

I've also worn them over my winter bike pants to give me a bit more wind protection. Works pretty good.

 

[trekman]

Hi all,

I have a question on lighting and power management.  Did people go for lights that are AA/AAA battery powered or did anyone use lights with specific rechargeable batteries.  I currently have a Light and Motion Seca light that works well but I am concerned about batteries running out and being able to recharge them.  I was thinking about maybe going with a solar powered battery pack, but I don't know...  Thoughts?

[DenisVTT]

Hi all,

I have a question on lighting and power management.  Did people go for lights that are AA/AAA battery powered or did anyone use lights with specific rechargeable batteries.  I currently have a Light and Motion Seca light that works well but I am concerned about batteries running out and being able to recharge them.  I was thinking about maybe going with a solar powered battery pack, but I don't know...  Thoughts?

Yes, AA/AAA powered. While offering typically better lighting, proprietary rechargeable battery-powered lights are usually much heavier, and obviously unless you stop at a motel for the night you can't recharge them.

By the way, one thing I found out is that rechargeable AA/AAA batteries just don't last very long between charges. You're usually better off buying new, non-rechargeable ones and then just discard them when used. Not very environmentally-friendly, I know!

The Fenix LD 20/30 lights are popular choices with TD racers.

[Climb On]

So I'm curious about which alternates are always in play, if any are. When you click the "snowy main GDMBR" button on the trackleaders site, a lot of choices appear. Are there some alternate routes that are up to the individual racer's discretion, or is the choice to use these up to the race coordinator?     

[BobM]

So I'm curious about which alternates are always in play, if any are. When you click the "snowy main GDMBR" button on the trackleaders site, a lot of choices appear. Are there some alternate routes that are up to the individual racer's discretion, or is the choice to use these up to the race coordinator?     

per the Rules:

Alternates: At times along the GDMBR, ACA maps provide cues for 'Alternate Routes'. No ACA Alternates to the main route may be used with the exception of the following THREE in NM.

    The 116-mile section between Cuba and Grants, New Mexico. The main route is impassable, potentially dangerous when wet, so racers have the option to follow the alternate paved route.
    The 40-mile section between Grants and the Pie Town road, through El Malpais National Monument. Zuni Canyon (main route south of Grants) is commonly closed for fire danger.
    The ~12-mile section of Continental Divide NST between Sapillo Campground on NM Hwy 35 and NM 15 (just North of Pinos Altos / Silver City)
Alternates Notes: A & B are optional for TD challengers, however both are paved/faster, have evolved as the standard route for 'records-seekers'. Alternate C is new for the 2011 printing of Map 6 and the required TD race route.

So yeah, the only regular alternates that you have a choice on are the first 2; last year's re-routes were all last-minute additions and not a regular feature.

[sthig]

Hey thanks for all this information.

The Artist brought up music in another thread.  What about music? Big no-no or nice treat on long stretches of nothingness?

What about a solar charger?

Why no stove? I have a tiny stove that weighs nothing (but maybe more when you add the butane cannisters)

[BobM]

Hey thanks for all this information.

The Artist brought up music in another thread.  What about music? Big no-no or nice treat on long stretches of nothingness?

What about a solar charger?

Why no stove? I have a tiny stove that weighs nothing (but maybe more when you add the butane cannisters)

Music:  lots of people bring it - if you're used to listening while riding, go for it.

Solar charger: lots of folks use these as well.

Stove:  weighs something; if you want to lug it (and a pan, spoon, butane canisters, food components......) go for it, but after a couple of climbs you may be shipping it back.  You're probably not going to want to take the time and energy to use it anyway.

[sthig]

thanks bob! makes sense