Tour Divide 2017 - race discussion thread

[Get Mounted]

Go, PK Jr!  I rode quite a bit leapfrogging the Peters Kraft (Jr and Sr) in 2013.  I'm pretty sure they were the first father/son team to finish the TD.  Their struggle to finish New Mexico was epic, and documented in that year's Cordillera.

Peter Jr, though you are only in Montana now, may the land of enchantment leave you enchanted this year!

Unless your're riding a tandem, if you're riding in a team you 'aint racing the TD.

[mtbcast]

#TourDivide17 Rick Ashton called in from Seely Lake!

http://mtbcast.com/site2/category/td17/

[megand]

I found out I can at least put down the commentary if not attach any photos.  So here we go for today June 14th:

The parties that were in Seeley and Holland Lakes over the past 24 hours have broken up now that the weather has cleared and are making their way slowly toward Ovando.

To play catch up the names will be listed in alpha order rather than time order. May I present to you:
Alex Cohen, 40, from Alberta Canada.
Colleen O'Neil, 26, of PA whose tracker went out for a while due to wetness from rain. She is the darling of the men's race due to her petite size and that they all admire how tough she is being on a SINGLE speed and nailing it. But a lady she is, all that sparkle on her helmet....it's nail polish!

David Troester, 67 of CA, He may look gruff but he is cynical, and funny and not at all your typical TDR rider. When he appeared and I asked to take his photo: "That'll cost ya $20!". I told him I'd wait. When he came into the Blackfoot Angler to use the restroom I told him it would cost him $20. He stopped. Blinked. and said I guess we're both paid off then! So I got my pictures!

Stand by for more!

Hey Angler, did you end up getting a photo of Ross too? He and Alex arrived around the same time I thought. Thanks for all the photos though - and for the webcam, I had fun stalking people yesterday!

[BeetRuth]

Unless your're riding a tandem, if you're riding in a team you 'aint racing the TD.

That includes you Adventure Syndicate girls LC & RC! Being a "team" and all that looks to me like yous is keeping each other pretty good company!

[AndyAmick]

That includes you Adventure Syndicate girls LC & RC! Being a "team" and all that looks to me like yous is keeping each other pretty good company!

And here we go with the definition of racing again. They are out there pedaling the route (over snow, hike a bike, through the rain) and we're here commenting on a forum. So I'm gonna give them the benefit of the doubt. They are still in Montana with over 2000 miles left to race. Who knows what will happen over the coming weeks.

I give kudos to all of the racers out there whether they are at the front or back, riding completely solo or alongside someone.

Let's not bash them, let's support and encourage them!

[rippling over canyons]

Thanks for your commentary Angler.  Maybe you can just create an "Angler2" account so you can keep posting pictures?

[BeetRuth]

And here we go with the definition of racing again. They are out there pedaling the route (over snow, hike a bike, through the rain) and we're here commenting on a forum. So I'm gonna give them the benefit of the doubt. They are still in Montana with over 2000 miles left to race. Who knows what will happen over the coming weeks.

I give kudos to all of the racers out there whether they are at the front or back, riding completely solo or alongside someone.

Let's not bash them, let's support and encourage them!

I'm not bashing anybody's efforts, I'm just thinking if I was a girl competing out there (hopefully next year) I'd be pissed off at the idea of team mates, not people who just met onroute and found they had a similar pace, but actually calling themselves a team (see http://www.bikepacking.com/news/quad-bikepacking-race-team/) riding with each other. It goes against the spirit of things, it's supposed to be an individual effort

[Bob]

Lee and Ricky were using this year's ride as a recce. They are both pretty fast riders, there was a comment over here that them riding steadily was a joke. Looking at the trackers it appears that sometimes they've been 20-30 miles apart, whether that's just the tracker failing to chirp I don't know. As I write this they are being shown as half a mile apart but that's probably just timing on when their individual devices chirp.

I've met but don't know Lee, never met Ricky so not defending them from any personal loyalty.

[AndyAmick]

Good point BeetRuth. And I understand how that would piss you off.

In 2014, Kirsten at Brush Mountain Lodge gave me the best advice - "ride your own race and don't worry about anyone else." If you finish the race, you're badass. And you'll know you did it self-supported.

Hope you get to race it next year. It's a ton of fun in between all of the pain and suffering.

[mtbcast]

#TourDivide17 Marty Johnson called in from Seely Lake, Eddie O'Dea called in from Butte, and Brett Stepanik called in from near Fleecer!

http://mtbcast.com/site2/category/td17/

[Angler]

Well something is smiling on me today.  Posted 4 photos with the commentary and it is up!  So I'll keep trying.
Keeping fingers crossed

[BobM]

Well something is smiling on me today.  Posted 4 photos with the commentary and it is up!  So I'll keep trying.
Keeping fingers crossed

I dropped Scott a line and he increased it, so you should be good to go!  Looking forward to the pics!

[BobM]

Andrew Aaron looks scary and that hat looks like it would have WAY too much wind resistance!

[ScottM]

Well something is smiling on me today.  Posted 4 photos with the commentary and it is up!  So I'll keep trying.
Keeping fingers crossed

Sorry about that Angler -- I've increased the capacity of the overall attachments directory, so you should be good to go for the rest of the race.

I am happy to see you still posting the photos here -- THANK YOU, very much.  Facebook is great, but once things are posted, they are gone, so it's nice to have the more permanent record here on the bikepacking.net forums.

On another note, for the mega dot junkies, I've put together a MEGA tracker that includes TD, TABR, ATR and even RAAM.  Pretty cool to see so many people out on huge rides across the country.  Right now it's only updating sporadically -- I have to give it a bit more thought to get it crunching all that data more quickly.

http://trackleaders.com/megaxc17

[AndyAmick]

Wow, that's a lot of dots! 

[Angler]

The after 11 am group:

Jerry Sharp, 60 years young from England who withstood the photo session when he heard it would be placed on FB as his kids are following him there.  He says HI! and that he is having a great time and feeling great too!

Marty Johnson, 62 of Kansas representin' Iron Chili Head, a gathering in Witchita Kansas of green Mexican chili fans, who  use it in their beer, foods and more beer.  

Terry Mynard, 53 of England who was more than happy with the cooler temps in the 50's today.  So much so he enjoyed it with an ice cream cone.

More to come!

[Angler]

THANK YOU SCOTT FOR THE INCREASED CAPACITY!!!  FOR THE PHOTOS.
Sorry I'm such a pig.

Here are more photos from yesterday.

[Angler]

More from June 15

[Angler]

More from a busy yesterday, Jun 15

[mtbcast]

#TourDivide17 Sheila Reiter called in from Whitefish to say she is OUT!
http://mtbcast.com/site2/category/td17/