TOUR DIVIDE 2014

[GregMay]

I would encourage people not to do that.  Parks Canada will fine you for illegal camping and right now they are being awfully accommodating to the TD by looking the other way regarding this event.  Please be a responsible visitor.

Good call, I'll book into the Y then

[BobM]

So, you Banff-area residents - are the trails actually closed or just really rough riding?  Did the Boulton Creek Store really get washed away or was that a rumor?

[hruss]

Looking forward to doing the Tour Divide again in 2014.

[Snowbd2u]

I should be able to make it out this year, number two is over a year old now and has engrained in my wife's and my brain all the sleepless nights of waking up...... So no more kids for us! Td 2014 for me!

[SlowRide]

Glad to see this thread, I'm in for 2014 SOBO, I've been training for a year trying to get in the kind of shape it's going to take to finish, hopefully putting in enough. Got the bike I'll be riding a month ago and am working on getting it outfitted for bikepacking. I'd encourage anyone going to hop in to the Strava Tour Divide Endurance Training club. There has been `nothing` else on my mind for the last year and a half, I can't wait for June.

[Long Hall]

Slightly greater than 50% chance of a re-run right now for me.

One word of caution to those getting bike fits - something all my long rides have taught me is to run your saddle 3-5mm lower than you would normally and be ready to lower it more after 4 or 5 days.  Bike fit is all well and good if your body stays the same shape, my experience has taught me that it doesn't.  Also check the sport tape you-tube videos and tape your heels before you go.  I bought Kineseo tape in Banff, a $15 roll would do for about 3 applications for 3 riders.

[MikeI]

Old and slow may I be, but I plan to be at the starting line in Antelope Wells as a NorthBounder next June 13.  WooHoo !!

Can't wait !!

[Walkurtalk]

My heart will not give up on my dream of the Triple Crown in 2014. I sit here with a list a mile long of the the things and money I need to complete this absolutely epic undertaking and, to be honest, it is staggering. I am overwhelmed thinking of the planning and logistics but a geater force drives me to know what every moment on this journey will feel like. The pain, blood, tears, laughter, exhaustion will stay with me my entire life. Thus, fear has no part in my journey. Rather, my innate and intense passion, a rabid lust for adventure and a notion of the sweet taste of feedom on two wheels propels me into action.

I'm in.  Red pill swallowed, now let's see how deep this Rabbit Hole goes.....

[Snowbd2u]

Two questions. 1. Any single speeders out there who have done the divide have any input on gearing for the divide? I'm currently running 32/20. But thinking maybe dropping to 18 in the back? And 2. Shelters.... Bivy or hammock is what I use currently, taking the hammock out of the equation for lack of trees in places.

[Ferg]

I was just reading a journal on the CrazyGuyOnABike website.  The author was Mike McElveen and the title was something like 'Taking a Shot at the Great Divide".  He  was caught in the punishing storms in Colorado and NM and has some pictures of the washed out roads in NM.  Looks like road closures at both ends now.     In an amazing show of fortitude he pressed on and finished in AW a couple of days ago.

[sthig]

Two questions. 1. Any single speeders out there who have done the divide have any input on gearing for the divide? I'm currently running 32/20. But thinking maybe dropping to 18 in the back? And 2. Shelters.... Bivy or hammock is what I use currently, taking the hammock out of the equation for lack of trees in places.

1. 34/22 <---toooo spinny.  Wished I'd gone heavier.  You push anyway, so might as well have a little more oomph for the flats.
2. No hammock.  I repeat... no hammock.

[chainagent]

Hi,

I am highly interested in how the single speed riders escaped the fu..... dogs in NM with that ratio? I was very happy about my 44/11.

          Michael

[wookieone]

I ran 33x19, didn't do the whole course, but didn't walk much if anything....29er of course!

[dp]

Never too early to start thinking about the next TD. Doubt I'll pull it together by then - money, training, equipment, logistics - but love watching the discussions unfold as anticipation builds.  Best of luck all!

[dp]

Any single speeders out there who have done the divide have any input on gearing for the divide? I'm currently running 32/20. But thinking maybe dropping to 18 in the back? ...

There were a couple of posts during the event last year about SS gearing when someone asked a similar question:

I'll take a stab at this. I just finished TD in 22 days (3rd place SS) on 32x18, which is also what Taylor Kruse (sp?) was running. That was perfect for me, as I think the stuff I walked would've had the same outcome regardless of gearing.

Don't know Aaran Pearson's ratio, and I want to say both Scotts (McConnell and Thigpen) and Rich O. were in the 34x21 range. Prentiss Campbell was running 34x18 contra the too tall 36x18 he ran (and finished with) last year.

Don't know mr. Money's #, but Chris Plesko's SS record was on 32x17, Jefe killed it in 2011 on 33x19, and Justin "Long Ranger" Simoni prefers 32x19, IIRC.

Not sure on Fixie Dave's rig or Drew M, who I believe just finished this TD on a fixed gear as well. I ride a track bike at home but can't even imagine doing this route fixed -- standing + coasting was the best part!

Then...

I was running a belt so the ratio is a little odd but close to 33:19 (ratio of 1.75).  From memory I think Scott was running 32:21...

That ratio for me was pretty good - a fair bit of walking in Montana but could get up (almost) everything in Colorado and most of New Mexico...

Tough parts were the sandy roads into a headwind and that stretch in Idaho along the rail trail... couldn't get on top of the gear.  There was some spinning at the end but the climbing in the hills made it worth the spinning on the flats.

Cheers

(ArranP)

I like the idea of SS for an event like this, as a derailleur seems particularly vulnerable.  Take into account I've snapped half a dozen derailleur hangers in the past 18 months on my MTB, so I'm probably a little biased here.  I also like the idea of the Gates belt drive - again, to minimize vulnerability.  I know that truckloads of riders have completed the TD on geared bikes with full suspension, but it seems to me that when you're in the middle of nowhere, the fewer moving parts ya gotta rely on, the better.

[BobM]

Been gleaning some info from the Canadian parks sites:

Elk Pass - Warning
Open with significant flood damage near Fox Creek;
caution advised for equipment and crews on trail.

Bike Path in Peter Lougheed Park - Partially Open
Open, but bridge out between Lower Lake Day Use and
Lower Lake Campground; also pavement missing between
Boulton and Lower Lake Day Use
--------------------
Banff NP:

Warnings are in place for trails with severe erosion or bridges out. Where trail warnings are in place, hikers need to be prepared for wilderness travel conditions.

Spray River Loop    Warning    Bridge(s) out. Caution while fording creek(s).

Goat Creek    Warning    Bridge is closed.

[sthig]

worst part of riding SS (34x22) for me was Idaho...god, that was murder...would have killed to have switched gears.

[Briansong]

The subject of passports is bound to come up. For Veterans, did you use a passport, or get a "passport card"? If you did use a passport did you mail it home as soon as you had the chance?

Thank you,

Steve

[BobM]

The subject of passports is bound to come up. For Veterans, did you use a passport, or get a "passport card"? If you did use a passport did you mail it home as soon as you had the chance?

Thank you,

Steve

I already had a passport, so I used that.  I don't think there is any advantage either way (except weight!). Once back over the border there is no need to keep it with you if you are a U.S. citizen

[mikepro]

The subject of passports is bound to come up. For Veterans, did you use a passport, or get a "passport card"? If you did use a passport did you mail it home as soon as you had the chance?

Passport: Yes! This was as a US citizen back in 2010.  Yes, mailed it home, from Steamboat along with maps & cues from the first half of route and some gear for cooler weather.