Tour Divide 2015 - race discussion thread

[mikeb57]

Go Colin Samaan from Davis , California !!

[Angler]

Yup knew I forgot some:


Jim OBrien ITT out of NJ
Johnnie and Dan:  1 Guys fromk England, Huddersfield UK.
and
Peter Yerger of CO with John Bowers of CA

NOW maybe I'm done for the night.

Carry ON!

[schillingsworth]

Have you heard anything from Larry? His last report was 10+ hours ago just NW of Condon. His tracker shows him eating at the steakhouse with two other guys around 11am today and then they all took off SB while Larry went NB. Then his tracker stopped reporting. Strange. I hope he's not in any trouble. There's nothing on his FB page either. Hope he's ok!!

Word is he's having some shoulder/neck pain. Hoping some extra rest will do him well. Come on, Larry!! We're rooting for ya!!

[Yann___k]

BIG THANK YOU to Angler and Russ Kipp for taking pictures! 
You are our eyes and mouth on the place somebody like me can only dream off.
It brings really different dimension to "watching blue dots" adventure.

[SimonK]

Wow! Go Dallis!!!

For a New Zealander, seeing a bear in the wild is extremely exciting. To have to fend one off - that is awesome!

The wildlife in that part of the world is a huge part of what makes the Great Divide Route a truly great ride. I had a face-off with a mountain lion on my day into Salida - it looked like it could have taken me if it wanted to. Certainly puts life into perspective.

[Adam Alphabet]

....
Dallis Waters of NZ who is currently this writer's winner of the Bravest Rider.  Story in short is.....
............  those of you who are afraid of bear encounters must refrain from continuing ........................

Yesterday approx 32 km before Holland Lake Lodge while riding down a trail, she spotted, approx 150' in front of her, a bear.  Not just a bear but what she believes is a Griz.   She stopped, hit her whistle, hit her air horn.  The bear rose up on it's rear haunches.  She continued with the audio assault and the bear, facing her, started pawing at the ground.  Then it charged.  She reached for her bear spray and unloaded 1/3rd of the can at a shorter than one would like distance.  Since there wasn't enough time to move from down wind she also got a bit of a hit, but the bear encountered most of it and went off the road.  At that she raced passed it, the entire time screaming, whistling and continuing with the air horn.  When she got enough of a distance away she stopped and cried.

Folks if you have ever come even remotely this close to a pissed off bear the very first instinct is to turn and run.  The worst thing you can do.  That Dallis stood her ground and countered the assault is the sign of a truly brave person, woman or man.  Although she continues to argue that point.

It is our belief as locals, that since this is NOT a typical behavior we believe it possible this bear was female and had cubs in the vicinity which would result this kind of protective action.

Bravo Dallis!!!!
......

Good on you Dallis! Safe ride the rest of the way! You'll have a helluva story to share with your friends back home.

[Get Mounted]

Apologies, being a noob I accidently posted this as a stand-alone thread but it was meant for the race discussion.

From the pics that have been posted so far, it doesn't appear many riders are running a Rohloff hub or other IGH. I would have thought (aside from the $$$) that an IGH would reduce the risk of drivetrain issues considerably, so would therefore be in favour. I'm in the process of building up a bike for TD 2016 and Im leaning towards a Rohloff, does anyone know what the general number of riders running one each year is? With all the mud in the first few days I bet there were a few pedallers wishing they had one.

Also I can't pick too many front dynamo hubs from the photos. I take it these riders are relying on hotels/motels etc to charge their night time riding lights?

Cheers,

GM

[gringo]

@ Get Mounted.

One thing to keep in mind with any IGH is not only the weight but also the amount of inertia that weight creates when the back wheel hits a bump. It's not something many people think about, but having spent years working with various IGH's I can say that for me, they are so uncomfortable to ride, I prefer to run a standard transmission.
If you have not ridden one off road I suggest you do yo before commiting...the difference is huge, and as I said, can be quite a pain in the back and ass. Also worth noting that as nice as the shimano Alfine 11 speed is, there are quite a few load bearing plasitc parts inside....it makes a great local touring / city bike hub, but I'd never take one farther than I want to walk...stick with Rohloff if you decide to go IGH.

As for dynamos, personally, I just think not that many people are on to them because they dont know how damn good they are now.
With an SP dynamo you run, for example a Supernova E3 triple front light (800-900 lumens If I remember correctly) and can charge your phone / gps / camera/ while you ride.  Waaaaay better that battery lights if you are in a position to make the choice now.

good luck.

[Get Mounted]

Thanks for your input Gringo, that's an interesting point you raise on the Rohloff. Unfortunately due to the scarcity of them down my way I doubt I'll get the chance to test ride one prior to committing, but I am searching for a guinea pig!

Great to hear you rate the SP!

[Roonssue]

Hi there - loving all the updates on here and great pics. Thanks!
My husband Dave Rooney who was running in 8th place until recently, has developed Sherman's and has had to slow down due to real neck issues.  Anyone else ever had this and can offer some solutions?  He's had to take it easier because of this but still determined to get through to AW!

[AZAnn]

Very common for RAAM riders. Term coined in 1982, first race across America by Michael Shermer.  Riders try all sorts of fixes using duct tape, sticks etc to prop up the neck.
http://www.active.com/cycling/articles/shermer-s-neck-cycling-s-most-bizarre-injury


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[pbarsom]

Thanks for your input Gringo, that's an interesting point you raise on the Rohloff. Unfortunately due to the scarcity of them down my way I doubt I'll get the chance to test ride one prior to committing, but I am searching for a guinea pig!

Great to hear you rate the SP!

The Rohloff is a mixed bag.  I ran one last year and it was as bombproof as the hype says.  Never touched it.  Just slid the dropout back as the chain wore.  But an IGH does make you stop pedaling to shift and that's never become intuitive for me, especially when tired.  Plus you've got to find a way to mount the shifter/cable block so that it's accessible/logical but doesn't conflict with all the other cockpit clutter of an ultra bike (plus the shifter only mounts on a flat bar - though there are some aftermarket options for this).  There is some weight hanging out back there but on a loaded, balanced bike it's minor.  And the lowest 7 gears do have slight drag from the added reduction gear that accesses them and you can feel a "hum" through the cranks.  It's that little vibration and sense of resistance that's bothersome to many, though it's mechanically negligible.  Even so, I'd run the same rig again, especially in a wet year.  Not a worry in the world.  But $$$.

Schmidt Son dynamo hub is as sweet as it is beautiful.  Lots of good options for hubs now.  Good luck.

[mtbcast]

#‎TourDivide15‬ - Hal Russell called in from Ovando! And Doug Wenger called in from Wise River!
http://mtbcast.com/site2/category/td15/

[mtbcast]

Dallis Waters of NZ who is currently this writer's winner of the Bravest Rider.  Story in short is.....
............  those of you who are afraid of bear encounters must refrain from continuing ........................

Yesterday approx 32 km before Holland Lake Lodge while riding down a trail, she spotted, approx 150' in front of her, a bear.  Not just a bear but what she believes is a Griz.   She stopped, hit her whistle, hit her air horn.  The bear rose up on it's rear haunches.  She continued with the audio assault and the bear, facing her, started pawing at the ground.  Then it charged.  She reached for her bear spray and unloaded 1/3rd of the can at a shorter than one would like distance.  Since there wasn't enough time to move from down wind she also got a bit of a hit, but the bear encountered most of it and went off the road.  At that she raced passed it, the entire time screaming, whistling and continuing with the air horn.  When she got enough of a distance away she stopped and cried.

Folks if you have ever come even remotely this close to a pissed off bear the very first instinct is to turn and run.  The worst thing you can do.  That Dallis stood her ground and countered the assault is the sign of a truly brave person, woman or man.  Although she continues to argue that point.

It is our belief as locals, that since this is NOT a typical behavior we believe it possible this bear was female and had cubs in the vicinity which would result this kind of protective action.

Bravo Dallis!!!!

Wow! I copied and post this on my FB page, Angler, so folks there would be aware. Hope that's okay. I recall only one other report of a charge, described as a bluff charge, at a racer. And another where a bear stood up but ultimately ran away.

[gleeloyd]

@ Gringo

On the MTBCast call-ins, there is lots of talk about stopping to clean drive trains. Naturally, I know how to do this in the comfort of my garage with bike conveniently hanging from the work stand (chain cleaner gizmo & cassette brush). How is this best done on the trail?

BTW: Thanks Get Mounted for asking about Rohloff/IGH! I've been wondering this myself from studying the pics. I was beginning to think the cost could not possibly be the main reason I'm not seeing more of them in use here.

[pbarsom]

Of coming interest:

http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/gila/news-events/?cid=STELPRD3841774

This could all change with a little rain, so probably not a big deal.  These are all small or under control.  Good site, though, for later.

[lotomojo]

I'd like to raise a practical question at this juncture.

It is my understanding that the official rules of the Tour Divide (as much as an event of this sort can actually have official rules) state that there is to be no support for the riders. It is also my understanding that this has historically been interpreted quite strictly by the elite riders who are truly racing to win as "you can't even talk to a loved one on the phone".

My impression is that the elite racers who hope to win the race still hold to it, but that for most riders this whole event is much more about fun and enjoyment than about the podium (which doesn't actually exist). In the end winning this event is all about personal pride, sportsmanship and bragging rights, correct?

How many people truly care if the first to finish was communicating with loved ones during the event or not?
What is the current state of this rule and interpretation?

[Pacific]

I would have seen support as referring to practical help of any description. I get that the mental challenge of racing "alone,"  dealing with the solitude, etc., could be compromised by an emotional support network. For the purists, this could well be an important point of order, but taken to an extreme, this would mean that even positive comments from other racers or citizens along the route could be forbidden.

Pacific

[JosiahM]

I'd like to raise a practical question at this juncture.

It is my understanding that the official rules of the Tour Divide (as much as an event of this sort can actually have official rules) state that there is to be no support for the riders. It is also my understanding that this has historically been interpreted quite strictly by the elite riders who are truly racing to win as "you can't even talk to a loved one on the phone".

My impression is that the elite racers who hope to win the race still hold to it, but that for most riders this whole event is much more about fun and enjoyment than about the podium (which doesn't actually exist). In the end winning this event is all about personal pride, sportsmanship and bragging rights, correct?

How many people truly care if the first to finish was communicating with loved ones during the event or not?
What is the current state of this rule and interpretation?

There is no double standard.  Everyone is expected to ride the ride in a manner that respects all the rules of the ride.
With that said, there are certain people who have ideology of what their own idea of self supported is and choose to hold themselves to a higher standard for the sake of their own experience.
I don't think anyone thinks it would be reasonable to expect a rider to be out on the course for 2-4 weeks without checking in with the loves ones at home.  In fact, it would be extremely unfair to the loved ones at home to not allow racers to check in to make sure their wife/husbands/kids at home were doing ok.  For instance, there could be situations where a rider would need to quit to ride to get home if something serious were to happen back home.

[shammers]

Another pic Ryan C. posted from Montana High Country Lodge... love the local support!

I see some of you are discussing dynamo hubs, thought I would mention Ryan is using one and is having great success with it compared to his set up in 2012. The light he has been able to use with it has made night riding much safer and more enjoyable by the sounds of it.

Also, really sorry to hear about Dave Rooney's situation! Sending positive vibes and strength to him. Dave and Ryan are from the same area, and we're really cheering for him to overcome this challenge. I don't know much about Sherman's Syndrome, but Ryan has told me about people who suffered from something like this when he did RAAM... many of them wore neck braces to help. Not sure how practical that is in this kind of ride, but thought I would mention it. Hopefully some rest will do wonders.