Tour Divide 2024 - Race Discussion

[mtbcast]

#TD24 - Rick Ashton called in again from Echo Lake!

http://mtbcast.com/site2/category/td24/

[catchacold]

😲 Cade Reichenberger has really been flying the last couple days, now top American, only a few miles from aussies AL & JA

[AZTtripper]

https://scontent.fphx1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/448568996_3624668791115927_5724027793283448568_n.jpg?_nc_cat=109&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=5f2048&_nc_ohc=fWv8kMADDHgQ7kNvgHlpVHG&_nc_ht=scontent.fphx1-1.fna&oh=00_AYARgU1elfpxO54OwPiOATz8dX2ZNwSe-Ia2CMBsLiauBA&oe=667A7CB6

I've been watching Johnny no shoes, because I got to meet him at the AZT start, and all of the SS riders. Keeping the top 3 highlighted but I see there are 5 or 6 all pretty close with this far left to go.

[jjmundt]

Storms are forming up in the Basin, just as the weather predicted they might.  Our leaders, unlike last year, have escaped their clutches.  Timing is everything.  Justinas is rolling into Steamboat Springs and Ulrich is lurking a few hours back.  Laurens Ten Dam continues to impress and Meaghan Hackinen is doing her utmost to both best Lael Wilcox's record and put herself into 4th overall.

But for now, my eyes are focused on the Basin and how the storms may affect those approaching in the next 12-18 hours.

[mtbcast]

#TD24 - Rick Ashton called in from Lincoln!

http://mtbcast.com/site2/category/td24/

[mtbcast]

#TD24 -  Johnny Price called in from Boulder!

http://mtbcast.com/site2/category/td24/

[jjmundt]

Big storms are pounding Meaghan Hackinen, Cade Reichenberger, and Aiden Lampe as they leave the Basin and push toward Savery.  Yikes!!

[mtbcast]

#TD24 -  Overnight: Johnny Price called in yesterday evening from the Basin and later from Wamsutter!

http://mtbcast.com/site2/category/td24/

[jjmundt]

Justinas Leveika continues to set a torrid pace, getting ready to cross Cochetopa Pass as I type.  How he is able to put down this kind of speed on 2-3 hour "power" naps - the last one appears to have been at Tomichi Creek Trading Post in Sargents - is beyond me.  And Ulrich B. is just 3-4 hours back...lurking...stalking...waiting maybe...to make his big move.  Both are well in front of Mike Hall's legendary 2016 dot.  Based on what I can see of the NM fire situation, it doesn't appear that reroutes will be necessary...unless something fires up.  So at this point, only catastrophic mud, physical ailment, or bike breakdown will keep Mike's record around for another year.  In 2016, I wrote that for someone to beat Mike's time (given the body's need for rest), someone was just going to have to ride it faster.  Justinas is fully .5mph faster overall (so far) than Mike was.  Laurens Ten Dam's pace is still good, but it appears he will be content with the final spot on the podium.  His off-route excursion to deal with tire issues has likely put paid to any chance of victory.

The women's race is very interesting.  Meaghan Hackinen, after stopping for a good rest at Brush Mountain, appears to have fallen behind Lael Wilcox's dot.  But history has shown Ms. Hackinen capable of out-pacing the current record-holder, so we'll see how the next couple of days play out.  As I type, Ana Jager is "sleeping it off" at Brush Mountain as well, just a couple of hours back of Meaghan.  Both the men's and women's races have the potential to be very exciting.

There's no precip in the area this morning, so let the cyclists just duke it out!!!

Great stuff, for sure...and thanks Joe for keeping the call-ins coming.  I wish more riders took advantage...

[WatermelonSugar]

It would be interesting to see how he's doing compared to Lachlan Morton's pace

[mtbcast]

#TD24 -  Johnny Price called in after leaving Wamsutter!

http://mtbcast.com/site2/category/td24/

[MikeI]

The monsoon kicked off here in Southern Arizona yesterday afternoon ( it "seems" like it's a week early ) the pattern is usually a curve from here or just east of here into New Mexico ....  be interesting to see what happens in New Mexico, having been stopped dead in my tracks there a couple of times. 

Justinas is simply cruising along ... in Del Norte now with the Mike Hall dot near Sargents. Awesome efforts being put down.

[jjmundt]

The monsoon kicked off here in Southern Arizona yesterday afternoon ( it "seems" like it's a week early ) the pattern is usually a curve from here or just east of here into New Mexico ....  be interesting to see what happens in New Mexico, having been stopped dead in my tracks there a couple of times.  

Justinas is simply cruising along ... in Del Norte now with the Mike Hall dot near Sargents. Awesome efforts being put down.

Justinas and Ulrich...well, there are no adequate adjectives for what we're watching.  It's as though the Hounds of Hell are after those two riders!!  Ulrich might be in second place, but he's slowing reeling Justinas in.  Both are in New Mexico:  Justinas is tackling the new CDT section added this year, and Ulrich is a handful of miles from that section.  The gap between the two (as I type) is less than 15 miles and Mike Hall's dot is a distant memory in Del Norte.  Remember when we watched dots in 2016, just awed by what Mike was doing?!?  It's happening again!

Remarkable!!

[LittleOldLady]

As an avid dot watcher I decided to jump in to this discussion.  I?m assuming that JL and UB can see the trackleaders info on their opponent.  How much race strategy will we be seeing in the next couple of days?  How much sleep depredation can a body tolerate?  Can a person in extreme sleep depredation think clearly enough to plan strategy?  These are amazing times that we are seeing here.  WOW!

[mtbcast]

#TD24 - Overnight: Rick Ashton called in from Butte!
http://mtbcast.com/site2/category/td24/

[jjmundt]

Give it up for Meaghan Hackinen!  She is relentless, taking over (again) the women's record, just slightly in front of Lael Wilcox's dot. 

[jjmundt]

Flood watches have been issued for Grants and areas around there.  The next 24 hours could get very interesting.

https://weather.com/weather/alerts/localalerts/l/5e446f5aafcdafdc6bc52a4454cfdb88eaa46665aaf4e7224e2ed3d41c0ad9a2?phenomena=FA&significance=A&areaid=NMZ207&office=KABQ&etn=0008

[MikeI]

I think Justinas has got this thing ... he's just stamping out the miles. 20 miles from Pie Town

Seems like the bigger rain events in NM are mostly east of I-25.

Amazing performance.

[jjmundt]

I think Justinas has got this thing ... he's just stamping out the miles. 20 miles from Pie Town

This is an unbelievable ride, for sure.  Now I'm wondering...is a sub-13-day time possible for Justinas?  Barring an issue, he could potentially get to Silver City late this afternoon.  The WNW winds are almost completely neutral to the route, and even provide a bit of push in places.  Silver City weather shows minimal chances of rain.  The conditions are about as ideal as possible.  If he reaches SC around 6pm (not impossible given his pace), he could do another two-hour power nap and have 12 hours to make the border and still have a "12" in the day part of the time.

The fact that I can type all and not have all of you reading call me a lunatic is a testament to Justinas' other-worldly ride.  And Mike Hall's route didn't include walking Koko Claims and the somewhat slower Highland Rockies Trail on Day 1.

[woody]

The fact that I can type all and not have all of you reading call me a lunatic is a testament to Justinas' other-worldly ride.  And Mike Hall's route didn't include walking Koko Claims and the somewhat slower Highland Rockies Trail on Day 1.

Kudos to you JJ.
I have been enjoying your commentary. It is like our very own play by play announcer.
Love it!