TD`13 Race Discussion

[honez1414]

Twenty-nine Hills by Marty Basch

Just what i needed.  Thanks.

[flyboy]

So, hypothetically, if Jesse was to get to the closed section where Mike diverted from route and the route was opened again, would he be able to win the race and claim the record? (Assuming he gets back in front of JayP's pace bubble) 

[ComoDepot]

Now that would be silly.

[BobM]

So, hypothetically, if Jesse was to get to the closed section where Mike diverted from route and the route was opened again, would he be able to win the race and claim the record? (Assuming he gets back in front of JayP's pace bubble) 

Well, if he rides the entire route and beats JP's time he would have the record; after all, one of Mike's options was to wait at the closure to see if it would open.  As to the 2013 race winner - I would be very glad I'm not making that call!

[EDMountain]

With all the kindly and extraordinary surprises that Mother Nature showers on that region of the country, it seems obvious to me that the TDR "authorities" should allow any racer who follows the suggested route AND DETOURS to be eligible to break the record...EVERY year.

If Mike Hall beats JP's time, it would be nuts to disqualify his effort. The route is obviously not a permanent, man-made track inside a controlled environment. This is a long and winding A to B. I vote to allow for and accept/embrace the reality of an ever-changing route due to construction, Acts of God or whatever else occurs on any given year.

[Done]

Well, if he rides the entire route and beats JP's time he would have the record; after all, one of Mike's options was to wait at the closure to see if it would open.  As to the 2013 race winner - I would be very glad I'm not making that call!

Might this be precisely the sort of in-race speculation that Matthew Lee has repeatedly asked people not to make? While I don't see a problem with discussing abstractions and ways to improve ultra-racing, I think that it gets touchy to discuss individual situations while the race is still under way. Maybe let everyone race without the potential of being influenced by outside chit-chat, and then we can debate it to death once they are finished and Matthew has weighed in.

[SlowDave]

I am no math whiz (the slow in Slow Dave isn't just bike speed) but it seems to me with a varying course that a better way to compare rides for record purposes would be average speed calculated with elapsed time for riders that cross both  end points using only the official course and approved reroutes.  Not perfect but closer.

[DaveH]

The intention of records is to compare similar efforts. Once major re-routes are required the "similar" gets tossed out. At least historically that's how things play out.

Note: an unavoidable re-route is NOT an invalidation of effort, it is simply a result of current conditions.

Existing bikepacking routes are changing all the time. Maybe it is time to re-visit how forced re-routes play into the grand scheme of things? Of course the Long Ranger might have something to say about that

[MTRoad]

Looks like Scott M and Gunther D missed a turn both are backtracking to the course..  that has to suck!

[Jilleo]

Riders contested the border-to-border route from 2004-2009. You covered the GDR on its event blog in 2008 Jill! (and I think a couple of guys did it the following year).

Massive respect to Mike Hall - his pace is phenomenal!

You're right. I was oversimplifying the situation. In 2008 there were actually an equal number of riders in both the Great Divide Race and Tour Divide, I believe 18 each? Jen Hopkins established the women's singlespeed record that I believe still stands. I love covering these events — it's like watching a novel unfold. I'm blogging daily updates of Divide racing again this year if you're interested at http://halfpastdone.com.

To those who are questioning the record parameters, historically in this type of racing, the idea was for individuals to challenge the entire route as it stands. Choosing the right time to avoid snowy passes, fire detours, etc., is part of the strategy, in a way. The Tour Divide "race" is actually the contrivance in this case, held for the benefit of competition and camaraderie. But it's intended to be viewed as a concurrent ITT. The race has a winner but there are always those who contest the record outside the race, as JayP did last year. The "record" is not the fastest completion of the Tour Divide; it's the fastest completion of the latest incarnation of the GDMBR, which, it's true, is continuously evolving.

[mathieu]

I am very impressed by rookie Brian Pal. He seemed a junior in Angler's Ovando cafe picture, but he has clearly distanced all his mates and is now geared towards attacking the top-5.
Thanks to his haphazard SPOT, he is flying like a stealth fighter.

[davidhaile]

To those who are questioning the record parameters, historically in this type of racing, the idea was for individuals to challenge the entire route as it stands. Choosing the right time to avoid snowy passes, fire detours, etc., is part of the strategy, in a way. The Tour Divide "race" is actually the contrivance in this case, held for the benefit of competition and camaraderie. But it's intended to be viewed as a concurrent ITT. The race has a winner but there are always those who contest the record outside the race, as JayP did last year. The "record" is not the fastest completion of the Tour Divide; it's the fastest completion of the latest incarnation of the GDMBR, which, it's true, is continuously evolving.

That description describes the race perfectly!

[davidhaile]

Watch for Peter Haile (my son) and Ezra Mullen working their way up! Both are rookies. Ezra is 21 and Peter 24 and are endurance nuts. The are hanging around 24-25th place and should be at Kirsten's lodge about now. Maybe they passed it already. I wish we had a milestone marker for her lodge. I have not located it with the satellite view.

[SlowDave]

What I was suggesting was another way of giving extraordinary efforts the recognition they deserve.  We can still have the record calculated the way it is now and we can have a more inclusive record that credits those extraordinary efforts that would have been a record but for a forced course deviation.  

[the tortoise]

And who knows the affects of the flooded Canadian route sections? How long before that section of course is ride-able again? It could be quite some time. Glad I did it last year when we were able to cover the whole course. Records require fitness, mental toughness and a great amount of luck.
As I rode through Colorado last year I was shocked by the amount of dead standing pine. It is just a place waiting for an inferno to happen. The whole Silverthorn area looks dangerous to me.

[schillingsworth]

Watch for Peter Haile (my son) and Ezra Mullen working their way up! Both are rookies. Ezra is 21 and Peter 24 and are endurance nuts. The are hanging around 24-25th place and should be at Kirsten's lodge about now. Maybe they passed it already. I wish we had a milestone marker for her lodge. I have not located it with the satellite view.

Looks like they are at the lodge now.

[mtbcast]

Overnight: Taylor Kruse called in from Boulder. Walter Brumniach called in from Fort Collins. He did have a crash with a truck and broke his elbow. He will be having surgery. Fred Arden called in from Pinedale. And Drew McIntosh called in from Pinedale.
http://mtbcast.com/site2/category/td13/

[desertrat]

Looks like they are at the lodge now.

Kirsten's is at mile marker 1600, I believe. 

[marco_n]

hi guys!
I' write this post from my home... I'm out fron day 6 for achille's tendons problems...
I've rided few days with Jesse an Liam... this guys is very fast! Now I see the Jesse's 2nd place! is a strong guy!
go aussie!!!!

(I need to retry the GTD race, but i need to found a solution for my achille's problem. is the first time I have this problem in my life. I'm so pissed for my stop!!!!)

[29singlespeed]

I am still impressed by Billy Rice doing the Northbound and turning around and doing the southbound...Damn.