Tour Divide Basics

[Marshal]

Nope, just Arnicare, antibacterial ointment, and the occasional ibuprofen...

Unnecessary IMO, just use your water treatment when you have to and make sure you wash your hands before eating when possible.  There are always a few cases of Giardia each year...

Pills or filter for you?  And roughly how often did you need to?

Open question--anyone get Giardia with a filter?  Seems most cases involve pills.

[Pivvay]

Just a quick pad note...even for minimalists, I think the pad is important. Mine only weighs a bit over an ounce and it makes a difference. Closed cell foam doesn't puncture but it's not nearly as comfortable either. Choose your pad carefully if you need cush to sleep.

I've slept on concrete with an 1/8" pad for TD length nights with no problems but you're tired.

[Pivvay]

Pills work for back up (I've used them or a Steripen for every event) but for quite a bit of the Divide you can haul from town to town without issue. You're exposing yourself probably to pretty minimal bad water. Make sure you match volume to pills and treat long enough in skanky (new mexico) water.

I think JP hauled from town to town the whole way in 07?

[flatfishy]

So I have to ask.  What about a hammock for a sleep system?  How many days (total) would it have been virtually impossible to set one up?

have thought of the same question myself

[Pivvay]

I'm not sure how many days it would be impossible but you'd surely have to choose your spot carefully quite a bit of the time. It wouldn't be ideal for racing, less important "touring".

Of course if you really want, you can sleep inside quite often too so it's all a compromise of pace, money and guts

[JMeiser]

Pills or filter for you?

I used Aquamira A/B two part solution...I ended up using it only twice.  Once in the Swan River Valley and a Second time up in Richmond Peak... Suprisingly, I felt it was unnecessary anywhere in Wyoming, Colorado, or New Mexico.  That could have been my pace, a better understanding of consumption, better planning, etc...or all of the above.  It is definitely possible to eliminate the water treatment and go between towns.  I liked the 'insurance' even if it was only a placebo. 

[Marshal]

I used Aquamira A/B two part solution...I ended up using it only twice.  Once in the Swan River Valley and a Second time up in Richmond Peak... Suprisingly, I felt it was unnecessary anywhere in Wyoming, Colorado, or New Mexico.  That could have been my pace, a better understanding of consumption, better planning, etc...or all of the above.  It is definitely possible to eliminate the water treatment and go between towns.  I liked the 'insurance' even if it was only a placebo. 

That is suprising, I would have thought NM for sure.  Might change with a 'hot' year I guess.

Whats about the max L you would carry?

[SteveW]

Anyone ever self medicated with Tinidazole (brand names- Tindamax or Fasigyn) for Giardia? 

I carry Metronidazole (sulphur drug) for giardia and other stomach upsets. I got sick coming out of The Basin this year and took my supply. I suffered for two days, very weak and having to dash for the bushes often, but managed to pull through it without really losing time. Looking back I was very careless treating water from Diagnus Well in The Basin.

I also carry antibiotics and stuff to stop diarrhea, which I also took for good luck. I'm usually super cautious with water and use iodine drops, but this time I got water all over my gloves and water bag, then ate my food off my gloves etc.

[JMeiser]

Whats about the max L you would carry?

Max L = 6.5L, contained in 2 WB's & 2-3L Bladder's... The only time I was ever at max capacity was heading out onto the basin.  I skipped Diagnus Well while Leighton White loaded up.  I alternated between a full bladder, or a full bladder and 2 WB's depending on distance between fills, nights out, etc...

I consider myself a water hog...weighing 200lbs. my powertrain needs a fair bit of fluid to keep it moving.

[JayP]

I think JP hauled from town to town the whole way in 07?

Yes, I did. Actualy in both years. No biggie this year with the mild temps but in 07' the temps were very hot and the melt off happened early so even if you were looking for ground water there was a good chance it was'nt there. I have carried my MSR 6 liter bladder filled to the rim along with 2 soda pops and a gatorade very often. Do the math, how many lbs just in liquid? Just my style, I carry it and don't think about it ever. 

A note on drugs. One should carry what your comfortable with. I am close enough with my doc and myself that I carry all basic antibiotics/prescriptions, just in case. If I get sick or hurt on the trail I can nurse myself back to normal or safety. A part of completing these big tours is taking care of yourself so you can finish. When your talking weeks to get done whats a few down/slow days to better yourself.

We invest so much time in this, prepare for everything possible to prevent failure.

[protoceratops]

JP Math: Roughly 7.5 L at 1kg / L = 7.5 kg ==> 16.5 lbs! 

More than a UCI legal road race bike! 

I would be think about running out as soon as I was down
to a certain level, though...Or deciding whether to drink the
nasty water I found when I could have been carrying good.

Keep the chatter going, folks...us ultra-nOObs appreciate it!

[Majcolo]

We invest so much time in this, prepare for everything possible to prevent failure.

Risk/reward ratio. As a privateer that races for fun, I'm not willing to risk not finishing to try and shave a little time.

I'm sure if I made my living racing I'd feel differently and I'd be willing to take more risks.

[Marshal]

Knee Protection for the long Divide haul

With one reconstructed knee and the other one not much better I plan to have a professional/medical evaluation of my ‘fit’ with regards to my knees once I have my new frame built up and going.  I will also have some pain/anti inflammatory pills available for short term help.  But dropping out due to knee problems is still one of my BIG concerns.

So, other than good fit, pills and minimizing standing what can you do to avoid and possibly deal with knee pain??

And specifically, two questions:
A) Can a ‘over the counter’ knee support help with knee pain during the TDR?

Note: I was looking at some 09 TDR pics and noticed that Jill was using some type of simple knee supports in place of knee warmers (simple neoprene sleeve with a hole for the knee cap).

B) Once your knee is hurting what can you do to about it, short of stopping?

Note: Also I remember multiple call ins from racers about knee pain.  Some mentioned wraps and or massage techniques to alleviate the pain. 

[Majcolo]

So, other than good fit, pills and minimizing standing what can you do to avoid and possibly deal with knee pain??

If you haven't already, check out this http://www.hammernutrition.com/za/HNT?PAGE=PRODUCT&PROD.ID=4057 or similar products. I have had good luck with them, YMMV.

[phil_rad]

What kind of pain killers are the most effective for this kind of thing? I've been using Excedren but I was just wondering if there's something better out there, that's still legal of course.

Also, does anybody take waterproof gloves along? If yes then which ones?

I'm really enjoying this thread, alot of good info here. 

[Pivvay]

I use Advil and carry Tylenol as well. That allows the adventure race pain killer schedule if needed. However I rarely take anything. I think I took Advil 3 days on the TD and zero other drugs. I do take a multi vitamin. I don't like Narcotic drugs when traveling solo but that's just me.

No waterproof gloves but MLD waterproof EVENT overmitts. I like them though my pair is one of the first versions and pretty beat these days. I should get new ones.

[Marshal]

What kind of pain killers are the most effective for this kind of thing? I've been using Excedren but I was just wondering if there's something better out there, that's still legal of course.

Also, does anybody take waterproof gloves along? If yes then which ones?

I'm really enjoying this thread, alot of good info here.  

Pills and Gloves

I have been partial to plain ol aspirin for 30+ years but Naproxen is now my choice of NSAIDs for really deep aches.  

I recently did a little unscientific personal comparison test during several days of shoveling/hauling/lifting 5 gal buckets of dirt 7 rock through my basement window.

One pill of Aleve worked much better for my back and knees than ibuprofen, tlenol or aspirin.

I plan of carrying a few Aleve pills but will only use them very very sparingly


Water Proof Gloves? For all my multi-day races I have carried a pair of these:

http://www.specialized.com/es/en/bc/SBCEqProduct.jsp?spid=40547&menuItemId=9103&eid=0

Note: I just carry the outer liner.  The outer liners are 4.7 oz, camp tough, waterproof, seal the wind and rain out of your sleeves and are plenty warm down to 35-40 deg with out the inner glove.  Sometime I slip them over my fingerless riding gloves, sometimes not.  Shifting and braking all ok, even on med singletrack.  I all so use them sometimes as part of my sleep kit.

Minor downside to these liners is putting them on/off/on when your fingers are wet.  Sometimes the finger holes and the insulation gets messed up and you have to pause and shake the glove and dry your fingers to get them back on

[Marshal]

If you haven't already, check out this http://www.hammernutrition.com/za/HNT?PAGE=PRODUCT&PROD.ID=4057 or similar products. I have had good luck with them, YMMV.

I have used hammer stuff in the past, and still use their salt mix, but never any supplements.

However I have been thinking of using some type of joint supplant ‘pre-race’.  But I hadn’t really thought about carrying some during the race.  

Anyone carry and use joint supplements?

[Mathewsen]

I have used hammer stuff in the past, and still use their salt mix, but never any supplements.

However I have been thinking of using some type of joint supplant ‘pre-race’.  But I hadn’t really thought about carrying some during the race. 

Anyone carry and use joint supplements?

i've only used emergenC with glucosamine and MSM. as you say, pre-race is best. too many intra-race supplements dehydrate you.

the studies i've read suggest that no more than 500mg of glucosamine can be absorbed at once so i have to wonder about 1000mg doses.

i've found alieve to work the best for pain. though, pain will happen. there is a shut off point for knees each day that is different for everyone. it improves as the race goes on but you must be in tune with it. 20 miles too much can injure you for the following day.

marshal, i would say with your time on the CTR you should be pretty aware of your limits. the only diff. will be 2x the crank rotations/day in TD.

knees are a leap of faith. plan to push thru some pain. plan to stand up as well as sit. in their varied cadences and muscle recruitments they both have their way of relieving knee pain. if you sit too much your booty will hurt mucho.

degrees of rotation in SPD style pedals can have an impact on knees as well.

[phil_rad]

Last night I went on a two hour ride in the rain to test out some new stuff, The jackets and pan a showerspass mountain elite and storm pants worked great. My gloves; a pair from Roeckl gore-tex, were wet after one and a half hours. They won't be coming with me to Banff next year.
I'll check out the two pairs the Chris and Marshall suggested. I hate having wet hands, almost worst for me than wet feet.