Tour Divide 2013

[pickupel]

Hey Mauro,

Glad to know I'm not the only one carrying the flag for the UK! I'm based around Salisbury in Wiltshire, how about you?

Ed

[kjrinka]

Hey guy's, new member here, I have a question. I am a recreational MTB'r, I have not gone riding much this past summer but did do about 100 miles a week during the 2011 summer, as well as a few collegiate races. My question is if I train now, for TD 2014, is it possible to get into good enough shape to physically complete the TD, keeping in mind the longest ride of my life is only 40 miles.  Thanks, and I look forward to lurking these forums often. 

[Foster]

Yes, that is plenty of time to get into shape.  What would be just as important is getting you gear, food, bike and other systems down by doing a few other self supported races.  Experience pays off a lot for these long rides.

Hey guy's, new member here, I have a question. I am a recreational MTB'r, I have not gone riding much this past summer but did do about 100 miles a week during the 2011 summer, as well as a few collegiate races. My question is if I train now, for TD 2014, is it possible to get into good enough shape to physically complete the TD, keeping in mind the longest ride of my life is only 40 miles.  Thanks, and I look forward to lurking these forums often. 

[BobM]

Yes, that is plenty of time to get into shape.  What would be just as important is getting you gear, food, bike and other systems down by doing a few other self supported races.  Experience pays off a lot for these long rides.

They don't have to be organized races, either. Just pick 2 points with some challenging terrain in between and do an ITT.

[BigPoppa]

Best thing I did in preparation for the TD was tie stuff to my bike and ride like an idiot from point A to point B over the course of three days.

Day 1: Rode for 7 hours at a fairly fast pace
Day 2: Rode for 10 hours at a hardish pace
Day 3: Rode with everything I had for about 14 hours

Hoteled it the first night, cowboy camped it the next night.

Of course this was on top of all my other training like a 24 hour long snowbike race, 140 mile gravel road race, etc, etc, etc. But, nothing prepared me for being alone in the middle of nowhere and freaking out about how much water/food I have like a real multi-day self supported ride. That takes a mental toll that you have to train for. Just hoping that you can handle it won't cut it.

[kjrinka]

Thanks for all the great advice! I plan on doing a bike packing trip over the course of a few days in Northern Wisconsin when summer comes along. Anyone here planning on a 2014 race?

[sthig]

I did the TNGA on prep for the the TD2013.  That was 350 miles unsupported and I learned a lot.  Trained up legs was the least of my problems, it was all the nitpicky things like my derailluer cable snapping, getting lost (three times actually), constantly dealing with drained batteries on basically everything and losing a clip on my cleat (that was soooo much fun trying to pedal). 

I never ran out of food or water but I was pretty nazi about capping off my reserves every chance I got.  My goal for TD13 is to load up on food at each stop I can and be regimented about when I consume calories/drink water so I've been training myself to be a camel and sip water rather than gulp it down and keep the fires burning with small intakes of solids. 

but that was 350 miles, not 2700 so who knows, I may fall apart after 351 miles 

[BigPoppa]

I did the TNGA on prep for the the TD2013.  That was 350 miles unsupported and I learned a lot.  Trained up legs was the least of my problems, it was all the nitpicky things like my derailluer cable snapping, getting lost (three times actually), constantly dealing with drained batteries on basically everything and losing a clip on my cleat (that was soooo much fun trying to pedal). 

I never ran out of food or water but I was pretty nazi about capping off my reserves every chance I got.  My goal for TD13 is to load up on food at each stop I can and be regimented about when I consume calories/drink water so I've been training myself to be a camel and sip water rather than gulp it down and keep the fires burning with small intakes of solids. 

but that was 350 miles, not 2700 so who knows, I may fall apart after 351 miles 

Everybody falls apart at some point after 350 miles....

[BobM]

Everybody falls apart at some point after 350 miles....

Everybody falls apart several times a day (well maybe not everybody).

[sthig]

ha. okay well falls apart and drops out of the race.  I told my friend that if I have to limp across the mexico borderline with a broken bike and wrecked body, I would.

[the tortoise]

Best thing I did in preparation for the TD was tie stuff to my bike and ride like an idiot from point A to point B over the course of three days.

Day 1: Rode for 7 hours at a fairly fast pace
Day 2: Rode for 10 hours at a hardish pace
Day 3: Rode with everything I had for about 14 hours

Hoteled it the first night, cowboy camped it the next night.

Of course this was on top of all my other training like a 24 hour long snowbike race, 140 mile gravel road race, etc, etc, etc. But, nothing prepared me for being alone in the middle of nowhere and freaking out about how much water/food I have like a real multi-day self supported ride. That takes a mental toll that you have to train for. Just hoping that you can handle it won't cut it.

Well I had some prep but hoping that I could handle it did cut it! Ha Ha! That is the way I roll.

[Foster]

ha. okay well falls apart and drops out of the race.  I told my friend that if I have to limp across the mexico borderline with a broken bike and wrecked body, I would.

I tried to finish with my effed up knees.  I told everyone that I was going to finish no matter what it took.  It ended up taking everything and it wasn't quite enough.  The drag myself across the united states mentality eventually failed.  It got to a point where it wasn't physically possible for me to walk or pedal.

I think its really interesting that we go to such extremes trying to finish.  The Tour Divide just takes hold of you and you can't stop no matter what.  Crazy feeling for sure.

[sthig]

Foster, how far did you get?

[Foster]

I made it to Butte, MT.  Took me awhile to get there.  I stopped in the small town of Big Fork and rested for three days, really nice town with lots of great restaurants to eat at, had my best meal there.  Then took it slow and tried to ramp up my mileage each day until I got to Butte and decided it wasn't worth it anymore.

[sthig]

and your'e going to take a whack at it this year too?

[pickupel]

Hey,

I posted this over in the "question and answer" section of the forum, but I figured I'd ask here as well. I've been looking at getting a new sleep system together before tackling the Tour Divide next June and I've narrowed my bivy selection down to a couple of options:

Nemo GoGo Elite (~600g)
MSR Alpine Bivy (450g)

After a few bad experiences with mosquitos hiking and biking in northern Norway, as well as the Rockies, I'm pretty set on a bivy having some kind of bug netting. Plus, it has to be waterproof as I'm not convinced by tarps — at the end of a long day on the bike I want a shelter I can roll into without too much messing around. I should add that I'm based in the UK, so any other suggestions would have to be available here. What I'd really like to know is whether you guys think that the weight penalty associated with the GoGo is worth the extra comfort / weather protection? Thanks in advance,

Ed

[Foster]

and your'e going to take a whack at it this year too?

That's the plan, I am still recovering my knees as well as a hamstring issue I am working with, they are improving a lot lately.  But currently I am not riding, been on 3 or 4 short rides since August.  My new bike will get here sometime in mid-January, hoping to get back on the bike then if my Physical Therapist thinks its time.  Hoping everything will go as planned for me to show up on the 14th.  If not then I will just start from AW a little later as needed.

You riding this year?

[sthig]

I'm pulling 15+ hour weeks in the saddle (road, cross, mtb).  I have a coach who has done the Ride Across America (RAAM) a few times and is getting my legs to handle the load and mileage.  So to prep I've done several centuries and:

The TNGA (350 mile multi day)
Will do the Cohutta 100 again (on paper, it's rougher than the Leadville 100)
the Rouge Roubaix (hard road century in Baton Rouge)
the Heart of the South 500 (RAAM qualifier, 500 mile race)
12 hour mtb endurance race here in Birmingham
100 mile mtb century in the foothills of the Appalachian
A couple of smaller venue road centuries
At least one Snake Creek Gap Time Trial (34 miles of nasty up and down with 8 miles of horrid technical)

then my coach will have me doing a number of overnighters (x2 sometimes) on my mtb to test gear and equipment -

so after all that's done - here's hoping.  The only thing I'm trying to find is my damned passport, how long does it take for a new one?  Surely no more than 6 weeks, right?

I'm really, really slow but generally a steady biker. 

[Foster]

Cool, sounds like you are working hard.  Filling for a new passport if it is lost takes around 4 weeks if its not expedited.  You need to fill out a different form if you had one before and you lost it.  That way the old one cannot be used by someone else.  Better to get that done sooner than later just in case there are any issues.

[sthig]

that's on my top 10 list