Tour Divide 2010

[elobeck]

"real" was not a belittling of TD by any means. By that I meant more riding than adventure racing. A grand party of vets sounds good. It will be fun to watch people vie for record times ON MY COMPUTER SCREEN. Consider myself retired without the pension of joining the GC. "Burning @ the stake" means "on display". I said I'm fine with it and I mean it. I agree it's the right thing to do. Nobody will repeat my idiocy I'm sure. Perhaps I will start a betting pool for next year (so I can pay for the absurd cost of this year's race). Total tally not counting up front equipment, but including vehicle damage(insurance deductible) due to deer hit upon extraction, replacement bike parts, and food/lodging: $2368.- Ouch.

[klhall222]

..He's burning.  One more time Eric.  If that Who's Who of the TD shows up next June we need to set up a little Odds pool!  Sounds like a little pre race '11 challenge groundwork is already is already being laid for next June  You guys are great!

Take Care all,
Kevin Hall

[Mathewsen]

...Total tally not counting up front equipment...replacement bike parts, and food/lodging: $2368.- Ouch.

wow! in contrast, my total on-race-clock tally, including one motel room was just under $500.00

i guess it goes to show that, by design, one can't just go out and throw a bunch of money at TD and be guaranteed a win.

[Spoonie]

All this talk of 2011, Is it too early to put an LOI in for 2012??

Cheers
Craig

[Jilleo]

wow! in contrast, my total on-race-clock tally, including one motel room was just under $500.00

i guess it goes to show that, by design, one can't just go out and throw a bunch of money at TD and be guaranteed a win.

No, but money can make life mighty enjoyable for the Divide comfort "fast tourist." :-) My 2009 race expenses were also over $2,000, including travel to Banff and extraction from Antelope Wells, food, hotels, and $500 worth of repairs in Steamboat Springs. To say nothing of a month of unemployment. (In my case, three months, but two of those were vacation - er, training - months.

That aside, I actually signed on because I was looking for contact info for Lexi Blumenthal. Does anyone know how to reach her?

[Mathewsen]

That aside, I actually signed on because I was looking for contact info for Lexi Blumenthal. Does anyone know how to reach her?

Hi Jill!

http://tourdivide.org/blog2010/memory_dave_blumenthal

[Jilleo]

Thank you, Matt! By the way, congrats on yet another inspiring ride. It still astounds me that you're already thinking about 2011. :-)

[Mathewsen]

Thank you, Matt! By the way, congrats on yet another inspiring ride. It still astounds me that you're already thinking about 2011. :-)

thanks for the kind words jill. it was another challenging year. i was emotionally exhausted in the latter half. guilt weighs a lot! i lost my mojo.

re. 2011, i'm not *quite* there yet. the fire on polvadera mesa was a VERY cruel joke by someone. i think i would have rested for good on even a 2-3 hour improvement in my time.

most of the above talk is gamesmanship to pull erik from his slum--though i do dream of a great front-running peloton 10 riders strong, each capable of winning it all. it's where things are headed, i hope. quality--not quantity.

FWIW, i got a call from parks canada the day before the grand depart inquiring about the race. I silver-tongued my way thru for 2010 but it's possible we may be held rigidly to 49 racers for a grand depart (read: a cut-off) in order to dwell below permit requirements.

it's hard to imagine enforcing a cut-off for a non-race but we may have to find a way if LOIs try to go north of that number. I hope they don't, honestly, as more racers than 2010 is too much to handle; too much for the route and too much to organize on a strictly volunteer basis. Boulton creek store must have been absolutely pillaged by the time the lanterne rouge left on opening day this year.

[Jilleo]

Based on the emotional exhaustion I experienced last year after Pete's accident, I can only imagine how difficult this year must have been for everyone. But I do empathize.

Regarding a participation cut-off, I think it's a good idea in terms of both volunteer organization and avoidance of permitting issues. Even as a "non-race," TD is bound to run into bureaucratic difficulties eventually. I guess what you'll have to decide is whether it will happen on a first-come, first-served basis, or whether you'll require "qualifiers" such as prior multiday races or extended off-road bikepacking experience. Another tough line to draw! But if you are looking to enhance the "quality" of a field, qualifiers are probably the right direction to go.

Good luck with it all, and the recovery.

[robinb]

my total on-race-clock tally, including one motel room was just under $500.00

i find that hard to believe... i saw you eat $50 worth of burgers at the sparwood A&W alone.

[Mathewsen]

i find that hard to believe... i saw you eat $50 worth of burgers at the sparwood A&W alone.

Ha! that was 22 canadian dollars, to be exact! it gets markedly cheaper (for us gringos) as you go south! i averaged about $25/day in food.

note: that overall figure didn't include my half-way point replacement chain, sunscreen, a&d ointment, which i ship ahead from home to avoid paying ski resort/ bike shop premium prices.

oh, and my motel in MT was only $25. gotta love that!

[Spoonie]

FWIW, i got a call from parks canada the day before the grand depart inquiring about the race. I silver-tongued my way thru for 2010 but it's possible we may be held rigidly to 49 racers for a grand depart (read: a cut-off) in order to dwell below permit requirements.

How do you handle things like that?  I imagine liability must be a concern as well?  even though you're not organising a "race", just facilitating tracking of a bunch of people doing individual time trials you're still kinda orgagnising a lot or could be held accountable as "the organisier". 

This style of racing is just starting to get its legs in australia, and concerns of liability and dealing with parks/roads/whoever have mean it's all been organised via email or on facebook.    There's a few of us keen to race the BNT http://www.nationaltrail.com.au/ we thought all we'd have to do is get a website up, organise a spot/track leaders or whatever and make it happen but yeah, concerns of being sued or being held accountable are kind of a worry. 

All I can see in a qualification process is making it harder for both the (un)organiser and people not in the immediate realm/country.  if I don't have a race in Australia because the scene doesn't exist or whatever, how do I qualify?  similarily, you'll get all sorts of resume's to deal with and process...  then how do you stop someone rocking up on the day anyway?

Cheers
Craig

[Mathewsen]

How do you handle things like that?  I imagine liability must be a concern as well?  even though you're not organising a "race", just facilitating tracking of a bunch of people doing individual time trials you're still kinda orgagnising a lot or could be held accountable as "the organisier".  

All I can see in a qualification process is making it harder for both the (un)organiser and people not in the immediate realm/country.  if I don't have a race in Australia because the scene doesn't exist or whatever, how do I qualify?  similarily, you'll get all sorts of resume's to deal with and process...  then how do you stop someone rocking up on the day anyway?

Cheers
Craig

All good questions and I don't claim to have the answers.
I am kind of just wishing we reach an easy saturation point, but it will probably ebb and flow.

As long as I'm involved with organizing Divide racing there will be no qualifiers, no entry fee, no prize money.

an entry cutoff is obviously a soft thing as an un-organizer (i like that term) to enforce.

maybe we need to start extolling the virtues of a simultaneous northbound grand depart so as to convince half the field to go for an AW start and half to a banff start. by the time they overlap in colorado it would be pretty dispersed.

it could be a cool (looking) concept (on the SPOT tracker), if nothing else. there could even be an interim race to to the center of the GDMBR--to kirsten's lodge (brush mountain outpost), for example. a key strategy could be picking (in advance) which start point you think would offer the most favorable weather window in that given year. One winner would still be declared. The first to either termini.

[JMeiser]

I prefer the term dis-organizer for the antics I put on.  Yes, it's just a rumor.  I don't know how it got started.

[naked indian]

All good questions and I don't claim to have the answers.
I am kind of just wishing we reach an easy saturation point, but it will probably ebb and flow.

As long as I'm involved with organizing Divide racing there will be no qualifiers, no entry fee, no prize money.

an entry cutoff is obviously a soft thing as an un-organizer (i like that term) to enforce.

maybe we need to start extolling the virtues of a simultaneous northbound grand depart so as to convince half the field to go for an AW start and half to a banff start. by the time they overlap in colorado it would be pretty dispersed.

it could be a cool (looking) concept (on the SPOT tracker), if nothing else. there could even be an interim race to to the center of the GDMBR--to kirsten's lodge (brush mountain outpost), for example. a key strategy could be picking (in advance) which start point you think would offer the most favorable weather window in that given year. One winner would still be declared. The first to either termini.

Im game if that is the 2011 decision, let me know.

$500 bucks, I need to study, thanks for the tips as well you dropped in there, I am already pedaling in preparation for my run in 2011..

[BobM]

Maybe eventually do like pro golf.  They have the PGA Tour and the Nationwide Tour.  Top 49 (or however many) qualified riders get to ride the Tour Divide race and leave on Friday.  Next however many less-qualified riders ride a different race that starts Saturday.  You can track both on the same leaderboard with different color Spot dots.

I do like the idea of the simultaneous northbound start, though.  I'll bet Gila Hike and Bike would be happy to help.

Hope it all works out!

Bob

[mtbcast]

Or have qualifying races using, say the CTR, AZT or similar.

[Mathewsen]

Or have qualifying races using, say the CTR, AZT or similar.

IMO the divide is a qualifier for ctr or azt 750.

qualifiers don't work so well for the international crowd.

perhaps we can set up retina scans, b/c to me the answer seems to lie in the eyes.

like jill's (friend's) notion of the 'two thousand yard stare', for instance.

or, do you see a bit of crazy in `em: www.crazyeyesblog.com

[jimfab]

Everybody

Since it is a race against the clock, why not start 49 on friday and 49 on sat and so on. This could keep the weather factor to a minimum.IMO The Best thing about this event is the fact that Anybody with a bike can enter. It would be a shame to exclude people just because they don't have the "stats" to there name. Granted anybody is welcome to ride the route anytime they want, but there is something special about the tour, The tracking, the pod-cast, the adventure, the route, the people. it is truly a special event and IMO it could be as big or bigger than the TDF ( in the states ) someday. I just hope it will retain all of its charm. Maybe the charm will come from the small numbers? This is a very difficult problem. I can see both sides. Its a tough one. HMMMMMM. I am glad i dont have to make that decision. Hopefully the difficulty of getting 3-4 weeks off work, money, travel will forever keep the numbers under 50 but i doubt it. 

[Marshal]

IMO the divide is a qualifier for ctr or azt 750.

Actually there is some kind of twisted truth to that.

Any given day or section on the TDR is much much easier than a day on the AZT or CTR
But---- ________________ (just fill in the blank with something about duration and time)


Marshal (who still has #*&@ sore  @#^^% )