Tour Divide 2019 Race Discussion

[taprider]

why finish at all if it is going to wreck your body for the rest of the season?
quit now and can recover and ride other trips or events THIS YEAR

[Bob]

Oddly when I've quit on distance challenges it's taken me longer to recover than when I've succeeded even when it was external factors rather than any problem with myself. Probably purely psychological.

[mikepro]

Nothing ugly about Scott S. expressing an opinion and we're not going to make him wrong for expressing that opinion.  Stand down, righteous people.  I don't relate well to those front-runners that call it quits over a little snow and mud, either.  Although, I don't go so far as to say it's disrespectful of other racers, riders, or some larger 'community'.  It's just their choice and I've adjusted my view over time to shrug and say "I don't relate to that, but that's what's working for them right now, and it's not like I've made stellar decisions at each time in my life".  I certainly relate more easily to those 4 riders that pushed over past BML, because that's more my style.  I'm okay with attempting to carry/drag my loaded bike through mud/snow/hail/rain for 4, 6, 8, 16 miles, or whatever, and am okay with 'wrecking my body' by doing it (whatever that means).  Over the past decade and half of this event, we've seen some 'heroic' efforts and recoveries, racers losing a day more to mechanical issues then retracing their steps under own power in the spirit of the rules, and we've seen others quit for reasons that we might see as 'dubious' or 'not a strong enough reason'.  Sometimes they are at peace with their decision, sometimes it eats at them for awhile.  Again, to each their own.  Either we can relate to their current situation/choice/decision or we can't.  Some riders are really good at riding and just can't stand the brutal HAB slogs.  Can't relate, since I'm am average-paced rider who's masochistic about HAB and brutal slogs, and have been accused of seeking out such challenges intentionally; and I view TDR through an Adventure Racing lens rather than through a Cycling Race lens.
This pass is the same pass that unfortunately claimed a TD racer's life 9 yrs ago, a few hours before I raced over from BML to Clark; so, if anything, we're all breathing a sigh of relief of sorts that there's adventure to be had without it going that far.
And whether or not I confuse the common English idioms of 'speaking my piece' versus 'holding my peace', like a large chunk of the population, doesn't make me a bad speller.  But, feel free to highlight all my other grammar, punctuation, and spelling ehrars.

[Briansong]

I’m just going to throw this out there. Not trying to be ugly, however, it is my opinion that it is extremely poor form to quit a race because you can’t set a new record or because you can’t win the race.  I think it disrespects the other racers and the community in general.  These races are about many things, including, adversity and how you deal with it. Examples from both sides of this view by multiple riders this year.   I’ve said my peace.   Thanks,  Scott.

I can certainly understand your point and agree with it "mostly."  Myself and many other here aren't the level these front runners are at. We probably all came up racing local events. I cant fathom quitting, simply because I wasn't in position to win. Heck, I wasn't in position to win far more than I was.

However the TD is a different animal. Recovery time after one of these can be measured in months. I would assume the planning for future events comes to mind before scratching. Its a new phenomenon we are seeing. If money becomes the driving force, we have lost the grass roots, almost "underground" feel of these things.

[taprider]

 Its a new phenomenon we are seeing. If money becomes the driving force, we have lost the grass roots, almost "underground" feel of these things.

I wonder if all the social media and regular media attention has become a driving force?  Tour Divide and bikepacking in general sure does not seem underground anymore (MEC, the Canadian outdoor gear version of Walmart, now carries bikepack gear)


ps
Sorry if the previous comments seem like a downer.  But I suppose if at least 5 different magazines didn't cover the Iditabike back in 1988, I would not have learned about off-road bike touring/racing and therefore become inspired.  So having more media attention and more companies supplying bikepack equipment is probably a good thing. And as far as visitation along the route, the horse left the barn long ago, what with spot tracking and racers posting to social media or phoning to MTBCast, you feel that you are always being watched and that friends/family/fans need to be kept informed, and that they will cry out from behind their keyboards "what are you doing stopping now?! HTFU!"  Originally the rules were that you could not carry a phone, so I guess other rules will changes too. 
But I agree, I hope money does not wreck the spirit of bikepacking, and hope that people or all types or goals will continue to be able to join in on the fun

[superdavebruno]

Does anyone know the backstory on Tony Lesueur. He actually looks like he has a chance at closing the gap after the whole BLM incident. Imagine that! Closing a gap of 200 miles in the last 1,000 would be an incredible feat! It could happen! There is a race going on this year. A pretty awesome one.

[pro_out]

Looks as if Josh has made a stop at the Hospital in Del Norte.

[bakerjw]

Looks as if Josh has made a stop at the Hospital in Del Norte.

Aw man. Hate to hear that.
But, you are correct it seems.

[ghbucky01]

Lael Wilcox's intagram account has an account of her reason for scratching, and I have to say I respect that she decided it was more important to enjoy the rest of the ride with her friend than chase a record she could no longer attain.

(sorry, i can't link from where i am currently)

[edit] meant to say can't link...

[ssmith]

Josh Kato posted on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/groups/tourdivide/

"I don’t normally log into Facebook while racing my ultras. However, this Divide is turning more into a survival march for me.
Last night I awoke vomiting, shaking and coughing uncontrollably.
I was able to point my bike to Del Norte. Feels like my body is on auto-pilot right now. Can’t really make it do what I want it just does what it knows it should. Not 100% sure what is wrong. Feels like multiple things at play. Perhaps I pushed too hard and found my limits or maybe something simple as bad food. Who knows, I’ll see how the Del Norte hospital rates things. (Nurse humor: it will be sort of fun to walk in and tell them I feel like I might die)
This race tests you in ways you can’t imagine.
Before I set out this year I had two objectives. Chase and catch the Mike Hall record flag (just for a bit) and to complete the race as fast as I could in memory of a friend who can’t be here now.
I intend to honor my promises. I don’t know at what speed my legs will now carry me but I shall continue forward. We can do more than we think we can and we can be better than we are. Sometimes unexpected stuff happens and we have to figure it out. Believe me, you are tougher and more resilient than you think! We can all be better and we can all do more."

And then:

"Well folks, this is a bit more serious. I will remain in hospital tonight and transport somewhere else. Won’t say much now as I need to contact my family. I want to say this-
Remember, if you can be out there do it! Don’t waste time thinking of doing things. Get out there now! Chase your dreams!"

Huge respect to him and all the other riders. Hoping recovery is quick.

[bakerjw]

Thanks for the update. Many of us do not do facebook.
I really hate to read this and just hope that Josh is okay.

[Pirahna]

I don’t want to point anyone out by name, but several riders and their reasons for scratching this year quite bothered me for some reason.

From my own experience of riding this (as a solo tourist), mental fitness is as important as physical fitness, maybe more so. If you're half way fit leaving Banff you'll get better on the way down, if your head is wrong you'll never make it. It took me a couple of weeks to get my head around the endless loneliness that was Montana and Wyoming, when I made it to Brush Mountain I stayed for a couple of days just to talk to people.

Quitting wasn't an option for me. I had a deadline to finish as my wife was flying out to Phoenix so we could do some riding in Arizona, we're from the UK. So when I'd finished the Divide I went on a two week tour with my wife.

I'm quite friendly with Tea Boy. He posted on his Facebook from Lima that he was quitting because he was bored, he'd been by himself since Banff. Then he hooked up with a few riders and made it to Boulder, he's not going any further. He's a very fast rider and I think he'd expected to be at the pointy end of things. I think being a few hundred miles off the pace despite his best efforts took it's toll, once he had quitting in his head his race was done. I'll get the full story when he gets home. Similar tricks of the mind will have crept up on Lael and the others, they all had goals for the ride and once those goals were unobtainable what's the point of going on?

[BobM]

From my own experience of riding this (as a solo tourist), mental fitness is as important as physical fitness, maybe more so. If you're half way fit leaving Banff you'll get better on the way down, if your head is wrong you'll never make it. It took me a couple of weeks to get my head around the endless loneliness that was Montana and Wyoming, when I made it to Brush Mountain I stayed for a couple of days just to talk to people.

Quitting wasn't an option for me. I had a deadline to finish as my wife was flying out to Phoenix so we could do some riding in Arizona, we're from the UK. So when I'd finished the Divide I went on a two week tour with my wife.

I'm quite friendly with Tea Boy. He posted on his Facebook from Lima that he was quitting because he was bored, he'd been by himself since Banff. Then he hooked up with a few riders and made it to Boulder, he's not going any further. He's a very fast rider and I think he'd expected to be at the pointy end of things. I think being a few hundred miles off the pace despite his best efforts took it's toll, once he had quitting in his head his race was done. I'll get the full story when he gets home. Similar tricks of the mind will have crept up on Lael and the others, they all had goals for the ride and once those goals were unobtainable what's the point of going on?

I can't begin to imagine what it would be like to push for days with snippets of sleep, channeling all one's energy into the race and then be forced to abruptly stop and eat pizza, nap, and chat for 2 days.  How could anyone get back into race mode mentally???

[superdavebruno]

Steve Halligan just rocketed up Indiana Pass and now has a 35 mainly downhill miles gap!  This is gonna get close. New Mexico is a long hard race all on its own. Lets gooooo!       

[Sidener]

Hi Folks,  I probably was more negative than I should have been. Probably more of a personal reaction from an introspective look into how I might have thought about it and made decisions myself in a similar situation. I have been there, even gone over the line in a bikepacking ultra that put me in the ER.  I certainly can’t impose my values or decision making on others.  Anyone who scratches weighs their own risks and rewards and makes their own personal decisions and those are the right decisions for that individual at that time.  Can’t argue with that.  I just had a visceral reaction that I probably shouldn’t have generalized on the racers or community so quickly.   It is amazing, however, the emotions and mental game we have to wrestle with preparing for and participating in these events.

[vikb]

As long as racers follow the race rules they don't owe anyone an explanation or justification for deciding to stop regardless of the reason.

[vikb]

"Well folks, this is a bit more serious. I will remain in hospital tonight and transport somewhere else. Won’t say much now as I need to contact my family. I want to say this-
Remember, if you can be out there do it! Don’t waste time thinking of doing things. Get out there now! Chase your dreams!"

Huge respect to him and all the other riders. Hoping recovery is quick.

Dang! Thanks for the update. I hope he's okay.

[salsola]

Looks like NOBO leader Graham Suffield has hitched a ride into Rock Springs from Wamsutter.  Hope all is well. 

[WatermelonSugar]

"Well folks, this is a bit more serious. I will remain in hospital tonight and transport somewhere else. Won’t say much now as I need to contact my family. I want to say this-
Remember, if you can be out there do it! Don’t waste time thinking of doing things. Get out there now! Chase your dreams!"

The man's a warrior. It sounds pretty bad. I hope he's ok and has a speedy recovery as possible after what he's been through.
Thank you Josh for the inspiring ride!

[Briansong]

The man's a warrior. It sounds pretty bad. I hope he's ok and has a speedy recovery as possible after what he's been through.
Thank you Josh for the inspiring ride!

He rode 2014? With a broken leg if I remember correctly