TD`13 Race Discussion

[mtbrob]

Whats the point?

Whats the point of making contention times, competitive lists etc? Whose benefit is it for ?  I don't think its certainly for the riders.

They show up at Baniff not paying any type of entry fee. Their letters of intention do not say to be first to finish this race or be the winner. They do not finish with any podium ceremony or medal, hot girls at the finish given them some type of flowery substance to wear on their head neck etc.


I think the race is in the riders heart and mind themselves. Some will show up to beat the world record, some will race their bud or race to catch the next pack.
Race to finish in the top 10 or 20.  Race against their failing bodies, race to next stop in a certain amount of time. Race against the time it took to do the same mileage yesterday.

I do not think one rider has ever shown up with intentions to be in 1st place. From what I have seen and read most riders are there for the experience, and to see if they can finish.


If we begin to break people up in their human and un-human abilities we are taking a road to turning this event into something that it shouldn't be.

Just my opinion

[Ghoulwe]

I'm with Rob. As an observer, not a racer, I think some are over-thinking this.

[sthig]

as someone who has A.D.D. and won't read 88 pages of commentary - I definitely think some of this is over thought.

The Tour Divide was absolutely amazing to race and push myself with.  A time cut off would have made me very nervous and done some dumb (but maybe some not-dumb) things.  I set my goal for 22 days and I made it in 22 days and 7 hours.  So I was happy with my results given that I was held up a half day in Butte waiting on parts (there's my 7 hours)

[james-o]

They do not finish with any podium ceremony or medal, hot girls at the finish given them some type of flowery substance to wear on their head neck etc.

Yeah, that sucked. I want my money back.
Oh..

(a border guard giving out ice creams was ok though, that'll do)

[sthig]

"hot girls at the finish given them some type of flowery substance"

there at the end of Antelope Wells there was a female buffalo that was kinda cute and gave me the wink.  Sadly, the substance she was giving was not flowery.  But there was need for some kind of flower air deodorizer

[Dumpster Juice]

I too agree with Rob. Just let everyone ride and do the besst they can. If you start with cut offs doesn't it become a race/event instead of a grass roots thing like it started. You need some rules to keep the playing field even, but don't over think it. How could you tell some guy who is in his 60's or 70's and riding as fast as he can that he is to slow therefore, he is being dropped from the leaderboard. It is a race against yourself to the finish. Just let everyone ride and have a great time doing the best they can...If you want a race just keep up with the front 10 riders...

[Dotwatch]

Being a simple country boy from Oregon, I really agree with y'all in the "over thought" aspect of a cutoff time on the Tour Divide.

The present TD and it's rules encompass the whole enchilada of super fast efforts ...way to go MH... through to normal people who can say to themselves that i just met my own personal goal as ScottT just did ....also a super SS effort despite his lack of anything but a buffalo girl waiting for him at AW...  which makes the TD fun for everybody....including even us armchair dot watchers.

If people want just a pure professional type time trial race over the same 2745 mile divide course, then they need to set up up such an event dedicated to that purpose called purely the "Great Divide Race".

[d_a]

what do u think about this 1?

[BobM]

what do u think about this 1?

Good for him!  Unfortunately, that bike will NOT get me to the finish line in anywhere NEAR that time.

[james-o]

^ I think they missed over 100 miles off his actual total .. and that Mike is a grade-A bad-ass rider )

[mikepro]

Too bad he didn't beat the 14-day time cutoff.

[BobM]

Oh, I just read the full text and the footnote.  Interesting spin from the sponsor - "slight change of route."

[spcabin75]

No cut-off times, The whole concept is lame.  keep it low key so I as serious cyclist of 60 will give it a shot, to push myself beyond expectations, to experience loneliness, a very sore body, camaraderie and a great sense of accomplishment if i were to hold together for the 2750 miles. 

If you want cut-offs join a racing league.  Speaking of which, dont you think that MB suppliers of gear want desperately to start using this ride as advertising bait.   Cut-off times are a first step to the evils of corporate involvement through "quite" participation. 

As a blue dot addicted soul, i watch not the leaders but someone i dont know in the middle of the pack who has trained, prepared and now in the saddle.  Last year it was Georg, Ellen & Marco, this year prentice.

[sthig]

will there ever be hot chix giving flowers at Antelope Wells?  My decision for next year hangs on this, I love flowers.

[mtbrob]

"hot girls at the finish given them some type of flowery substance"

there at the end of Antelope Wells there was a female buffalo that was kinda cute and gave me the wink.  Sadly, the substance she was giving was not flowery.  But there was need for some kind of flower air deodorizer

MISTER Thigpen, I appreciate your Humor but you still need to fly back to Baniff and do it again and cover it so I can continue with my fix. Thanks!!!  Let us know when you get there.

[Pdk123]

I have been on pace for 26 days for most of the race. Then on Monday I screwed up coming down Magnus before the baptist church water fill.  I have no idea what happened but I crashed and had to take an hour and a half ambulance ride to Socorro(I think that was the city). My son who is racing this year as well (we ride all day alone because his pace is much faster than mine. He was at the church wondering where I was when I showed up in complete disarray. He accompanied me in the ambulance. They stitched my ear, eye, right knee, right elbow, left elbow(plus added a tube in the elbow) and I hurt my back.  24 hrs later we got a ride back to the church where our bikes were and pushed on. Still trying for 27 days we started up the CDT last night late(we did not do the reroute because we came to do as much of the whole original route as possible. All of a sudden about 11pm last night my son became violently ill. Throwing up literally all night. We knew we could not come back down to the Sapilla CG until daylight. Took three hours to walk down with my completely delirious child( who had been talking about doing it next year without me in 23 days. A forest ranger said he was in trouble and needed to have an ambulance get him to Silver City.  So here I sit waiting on the answer of what is going on with my son.  And he says to me, "dad we are going to finish thing one way or another.
We have trained for three years for this race as much as possible.  Not all of us just ride bicycles all day every day.  Family school and kids are part of life.
I am done ranting, but if the doc allows him to continue and we do in fact finish.  Would probably be 30 days at this point and if you elitist assess thinks that's too long. Then the hell with you all.  Make it a professional race.


Peter D Kraft Sr.

[BobM]

I have been on pace for 26 days for most of the race. Then on Monday I screwed up coming down Magnus before the baptist church water fill.  I have no idea what happened but I crashed and had to take an hour and a half ambulance ride to Socorro(I think that was the city). My son who is racing this year as well (we ride all day alone because his pace is much faster than mine. He was at the church wondering where I was when I showed up in complete disarray. He accompanied me in the ambulance. They stitched my ear, eye, right knee, right elbow, left elbow(plus added a tube in the elbow) and I hurt my back.  24 hrs later we got a ride back to the church where our bikes were and pushed on. Still trying for 27 days we started up the CDT last night late(we did not do the reroute because we came to do as much of the whole original route as possible. All of a sudden about 11pm last night my son became violently ill. Throwing up literally all night. We knew we could not come back down to the Sapilla CG until daylight. Took three hours to walk down with my completely delirious child( who had been talking about doing it next year without me in 23 days. A forest ranger said he was in trouble and needed to have an ambulance get him to Silver City.  So here I sit waiting on the answer of what is going on with my son.  And he says to me, "dad we are going to finish thing one way or another.
We have trained for three years for this race as much as possible.  Not all of us just ride bicycles all day every day.  Family school and kids are part of life.
I am done ranting, but if the doc allows him to continue and we do in fact finish.  Would probably be 30 days at this point and if you elitist assess thinks that's too long. Then the hell with you all.  Make it a professional race.


Peter D Kraft Sr.

Best wishes, Peter!  Hopefully an IV and some antibiotics and your son will be back on track.

[james-o]

dad we are going to finish thing one way or another.

Peter, dig in and get it done and as you say, to hell with anyone judging you on days taken. Sounds like you're having a real test there but you're son's right, you'll finish it. Watching with renewed interest and best wishes to you both! Now, stay off the internet and on the Divide!

[Mario]

I would ride any day with Peter D Kraft Sr, that is what TD is all about. Good luck guys!

[fromBrushMtn]

sheesh....firstly, i want to tell peter sr. that i'm rooting for him (and jr.) Their effort has been beautiful to watch...they are amazing men, and i feel really grateful to have gotten to spend some time with them on their journey...
(sending you love, guys!)

secondly, i want to say thank you to all the racers for coming by this year...my luck in this race is that of geography, and i feel like I got to meet and visit with almost all of you who made it here...(special apologies to liam, and anyone else who i missed this year...i promise extra food for you next time!)
it is an amazing part of my summer, now...this race...
hard to believe that there were only 18 starters as recently as 2008(?!).  look at us now!!!

this is a whole 'season' for me now...with special trips to costco involved and the like(!)
and to that end, i'd also like to thank scott and matthew and joe for the work they do behind the scenes (and for little to no money!  read: donate to trackleaders and mtbcast if you can, please) to keep us all as informed and up to the minute as possible...really, this is a priveledge...remember the days of no spots?! all we had were some random call-ins from PAYPHONES, no less(!)

and about this hot bed 'cut off' stuff...i hesitate to weigh in, i usually just lurk through these 'discussions', but i have been feeling the pressure of an increasingly large field of increasingly better prepared riders this year...it felt almost too big...(!)
and talking to thigpen and others, i was reminded that it is likely to only get bigger(!)
for those of us on the route (well at least for me) this is a blessing and a curse...it can feel overwhelming...but i love the extra business...and the vibe of the race, and a whole bunch else about it...
it got me thinking about the issue a little differently than i've heard or seen here...granted im not totally sure what happened in the 70's pages of this thing...

anyhow, how about a two stage grand depart, but the ONLY delineation between the two would be that there would be a rookie depart and a veteran depart...
you have to have done (and completed) the RACE in the rookie GD, in order to come back again and compete with the big dogs...
not to say that big dogs aren't all once rookies in this thing, but it kind of levels the playing field a bit...there is a real advantage to having done it once....and perhaps the vterans race would have some stricter rules regarding maps and  phones, etc, who knows...(?)

and not to say that someof the veterans wouldn't be exactly as 'competitive' as others...but that's cool... at least they're hardcore enough to do it once and come back for more, for gods sake...(how about james hodges...he's as hardcore as they come...at 64 or something and doing it a second time!!)

anyhow...it's another unsolicited opinion from the gallery...it's a beautiful example of humanuty, this race...and i am grateful to have found myself a part of it...

thanks again, everyone!!


ps. Yukon Krauss was through this morning...awesome, and hilarious!!


final pice on the facebook page...facebook.com/brushmountainlodge