Tour Divide 2024 - Race Discussion

[woody]

Great to see this thread back and always enjoy dot watching Marshal Bird.

[kiwijohnmac]

Thanks for the info regarding the snow conditions and weather. Much appreciated.

Going to be interesting who is going to be pushing the pace today.

Ulrich's bike set up is stunning. It looks so fast.

https://bikepacking.com/bikes/2024-tour-divide-rigs-part-2/

Cheers
John

[Two Tired]

Bikepacking.com have part one of their Tour Divide bikes up:
https://bikepacking.com/bikes/2024-tour-divide-rigs-part-1/
Time to geek out over the bikes and gear!

Does anybody else hate it when people call their bikes rigs?

Thanks for the info regarding the snow conditions and weather. Much appreciated.

Going to be interesting who is going to be pushing the pace today.

Ulrich's bike set up is stunning. It looks so fast.

https://bikepacking.com/bikes/2024-tour-divide-rigs-part-2/

Cheers
John

Rear racks?  Panniers??

Good God what's next?  Fenders?

[MikeI]

Nice group of Northbounders this morning ... looks like MJ missed the new CDT trail piece, the rest are getting within a few miles of that turn off. Old habits ( pavement to I-10 ) may be hard to break   :-)

[jjmundt]

That is one beautiful conga line trailing out from Banff.

[jjmundt]

Justinas and Ulrich running 1-2 right now.  Haven't I have seen this before somewhere?

[jjmundt]

Nice group of Northbounders this morning ... looks like MJ missed the new CDT trail piece, the rest are getting within a few miles of that turn off. Old habits ( pavement to I-10 ) may be hard to break   :-)

Yeah, what a shame to be relegated two hours into the race.  Of course, maybe he has a personal goal that involves riding the route without these 2024 alterations.  If so, then good on him!!  Otherwise, I feel very badly for him.  Since the route wasn't published until last weekend, it's possible Mike missed the changes.  If/when he realizes the error, it will be a very long slog to correct it.

[kiwijohnmac]

Since there is no "official" website for the TD, sending out automated updates on route changes, etc., I can see how someone could miss the route changes at the last minute. Especially if starting from the south end since there isn't a large number of people standing around talking about the course... Hopefully, he finds out soon.

[AZTtripper]

Since there is no "official" website for the TD, sending out automated updates on route changes, etc., I can see how someone could miss the route changes at the last minute. Especially if starting from the south end since there isn't a large number of people standing around talking about the course... Hopefully, he finds out soon.

Yeah it's a bummer but keeping up on changes before the start is on the racers. And it looks like everyone else went the right way.

[jjmundt]

The leaders are approaching Round Prairie, which means they will have covered nearly 100 miles in ~7 hours...that's some serious pace!  But of course, that also mean it's time to hike up Koko Claims.

For those with an opinion about having Koko Claims as part of the Tour, here's your chance to shine.  Love it or Lose it?

[MikeI]

Steve Magelssen looks to be taking Separ Road all the way north instead of Gage Road ... its awfully hot out there to be venturing into the unknown, but looks like it'll work out.  That might be the place where I took a wrong turn and ended up in front of some guy's house after a couple of sandy miles .. if you're not properly zoomed in on your GPS it's easy to do.  And just a bunch of people in the north headed up Koko already!

[jjmundt]

There's a bit of rain-shower activity in Banff, but Koko Claims looks clear.  Yeah, maybe drier conditions have made that hike up the hill less difficult.  Fernie is going to see cyclists rolling through before dark.

[jjmundt]

The four leaders appear to have stopped in Fernie.  We'll see how long they stay...

[kiwijohnmac]

Impressive effort!

It also looks like some riders haven't made the turn to koko claims and have instead headed to Elkford. I wonder if that was their original plan all along. Today has not been one of my most productive days!

John

[jjmundt]

Today has not been one of my most productive days!

John

I get that.  So imagine my joy, when in yesterday's morning status meeting, the boss said, "Several of you are looking for things to do, and I haven't got a lot prepped for you to pick up, so if you want to take the afternoon off, feel free."

On the Tour Divide's first day, that's music to a dot-stalker's ears!!!

[jjmundt]

Our leaders appear to have just climbed The Wall and are headed for Galton Pass.  Then it's the screaming descent down Connor Rd and the border.  I think I'm surprised by the number of riders that have already cleared Fernie.  Again, somewhat drier conditions in the area may be helping push riders...as well as that near certainty of rain/thunderstorms (100% chances in both Fernie and Eureka) later today.

Current radar shows light rain and snow well west of the route and mostly cloudy skies in the region.  Temps in the low 40s in Fernie, and around 50 in Eureka.

FYI:  There is a webcam in Eureka that I've watched numerous times over the years and it's right on Main St.  It pivots around every 15 seconds or so to give you different views of the area, but there's a good chance for dot-stalkers to become real stalkers for a few moments if you're so inclined.

https://eurekawebcam.com/

[Two Tired]

FYI:  There is a webcam in Eureka that I've watched numerous times over the years and it's right on Main St.  It pivots around every 15 seconds or so to give you different views of the area, but there's a good chance for dot-stalkers to become real stalkers for a few moments if you're so inclined.

https://eurekawebcam.com/

Thanks for that link jj.

A few years ago there was talk of compiling a list of camera links along the route.

Here's a few more that have been collected - - add to the list if you have any more.

https://www.banff.ca/1065/Traffic-Cameras

https://images.drivebc.ca/bchighwaycam/pub/html/www/196.html

https://video.nest.com/live/xJPIRIe9d7

https://www.togwoteelodge.com/webcam/

https://livefromsilver.com/  (this is about a block from the route - thanks salsola)

[catchacold]

FYI:  There is a webcam in Eureka that I've watched numerous times over the years and it's right on Main St.  It pivots around every 15 seconds or so to give you different views of the area, but there's a good chance for dot-stalkers to become real stalkers for a few moments if you're so inclined.

https://eurekawebcam.com/

Looks windy with some angry skies

Noah Bodewes - I wonder if he's a younger brother of Luke/Will Bodewes, who were both in their teens in 2015 and among the youngest ever to tackle the Tour.  Will had a remarkable top-10 finish.

Thanks for pointing that out, indeed it is. I found this article that mentions the family toured the route prior to the brothers racing TD. Noah was 13 then.

https://www.yourdailyglobe.com/story/2014/10/03/news/bicycling-bodewes-family-completes-another-adventure/3706.html/

[catchacold]

Only a few miles separating 1 & 2 in the women's race! They each slept around 4-5 hours, Meaghan in Fernie, and Ana just outside of town.

[cobbnat]

The revised route up north to Hopewell Lake is beyond my ability to rationalize between MapMyRide, Google Maps, and the TrackLeaders route.  I'll keep messing with it to try and get it.  If someone else has those numbers, feel free to share!

The section north of Hopewell Lake in New Mexico pretty much follows the CDT hiking trail. I have ridden that section and it is *mostly* rideable, but it is almost all singletrack and definitely more difficult than the old route, which is doubletrack. It is beautiful! Definitely slower going than the old route, but shorter, so I'm not sure what that means for riding time. I would say more effort for tired legs.