Tour Divide Basics

[JayP]

How about getting back to "the basics", like the subject suggests...it's starting to get pretty deep in here.

There is nothing wrong with training by Zen either, it's how I roll. Use your common sense for what you are really preparing for and listen to your body, which means knowing your body.

Bottom line is; Preperation and experince on your own will gain you the tools you need to complete the TD, not somebody else's.

Speaking of basics, we are surounded by them on the trail, use them to your advantage and face them or let them hinder you and hide from them. Sun, wind, bodies of water, shade, firm dirt, trees, precipitation, mud...

Life on a bicylce is way basic and easy compared to our everyday complicated lives (at least for most people). You gotta love it...

[rcktfanatic]

Can someone with basic MTB/Camping/Bikepacking experience train/learn enough in the next 7 months to attempt the TD?

I may get blasted for this question, but I'm dying to know. This race is so infectious and I feel the draw. I've been following it and lurking here for awhile and I really need to know how ya'll feel...

[Marshal]

Marshal, sounds like you need to focus on your ST

ST, ST?? I don’t need no stinking ST……

Humm, now that I think about it, it’s not that I hate focused ‘training’ intervals all that much—but they do get in the way of the long tempo/endurance training rides I love.

And I ‘know’ I do not maximizing my ‘go-fast’ potential with the way I train, but I do try to maximize my ride experience.

Maybe I will resolve on Jan 1st, to be more ‘training focused’.  Ha, but then again maybe I wont.

In all seriousness, it’s interesting, even a bit inspiring, to see the TD training thoughts from the top tier racers in this thread.  Part of my TD training plan has been to not use any specific training ‘structure’ till after Jan 1.  But my goof-off {just do/ride as I feel} phase is almost over.  Time to start slowly ramping up to a full blown structured TD training plan that fits my particular needs………

[Marshal]

Can someone with basic MTB/Camping/Bikepacking experience train/learn enough in the next 7 months to attempt the TD?

Having never done the TD my ‘opinion’ is unsupported, but I think the basic answer is ‘yes’! 

However, I think the hardest part would be to reach your full on race ‘potential’. 

What I mean is there are all sorts of little things that you learn when you try to ‘go as fast as possible’ during a self-supported multi-day event.  If you have never ‘raced’ a multi-day event you will not be able to get all these little things ‘right’ the 1st time.   
ie: proficiency comes from practice

On the other hand, no matter your background, it’s sort of hard to practice up for a 20+/- day SS race. So it’s still uncharted territory for all newbie’s imo.

[Marshal]

Ok, back to some ‘basic’ questions….Footwear……

Sox:
I normally carry 1 extra pair of wool sox’s.  I firmly believe in a pair of dry sox for sleeping in. Best ‘basic’ item, other than your bag, to use to sleep warm & comfy imo.

I envision rinsing/washing/rotating 2 pair of wool sox during the TD.  And maybe trading them out with a fresh pair during a mail drop.

But with all the rain and snow during the 08 & 09 TD's I am wondering about a pair of Gore Tex waterproof sox?  Maybe even some minimal toe warmers?

Shoes:
Personal comfort is a given but beyond that……

Choice 1: A basic two strap, synthetic leather, mtn bike shoe.  I envision some (a lot actually) ‘walking’ but not a lot of all out hike-a-bike that would require a tight/snug heel cup fit.  Advantages of this shoe – inexpensive, light, easy on/off, moderate flex for walking, pretty quick to dry

Choice 2: A mtn/hiking type shoe.  These usually have shoe laces with none or 1 strap.  Should be good for comfort and walking but are slower on/off and generally heavier and might not dry out very quick.  Also might be too flexy.

So whats the best???

(oh, any other newbie’s reading along that want to chip in with some questions??? Am I the only newbie with basic questions?)

[bmike-vt]

I have a ton of q's too - but currently only have access via my Blackberry. I was actually planning on starting a non basic but basic training thread as I'm trying to go from rando / brevet to TD and other multiday SS adventures.

Basically looking for the biggest bang for my time buck - seems build a big base, then focus on speed work that improves long endurance but fast cruising efforts - avoiding long slow distance - mixing in long steady distance with higher speeds.

Curious too for anyone that has ridden a rando or brevet event what differences there are moving to 110-120-150 miles a day with sleep in between vs something like a 24 hour fleche, 400k or 600k - with straight through riding and limited 'rest'.

[Jilleo]

Bottom line is; Preperation and experince on your own will gain you the tools you need to complete the TD, not somebody else's.

Speaking of basics, we are surounded by them on the trail, use them to your advantage and face them or let them hinder you and hide from them. Sun, wind, bodies of water, shade, firm dirt, trees, precipitation, mud...

Life on a bicylce is way basic and easy compared to our everyday complicated lives (at least for most people). You gotta love it...

Here here! I don't know that it's possible to put it more succinctly.

[Majcolo]

Cranking out some trainer time and thinking about this thread last night it came to me that doing TD in 2011 is a good idea, so I've got 3 weeks blocked out on my 2011 calendar. Some newbie random thoughts and questions:

Re: music while riding - Little Wing by Stevie Ray Vaughn came on Pandora. I stopped thinking, watching my HR monitor, etc. during the song. During the song my RPE went down. When I opened my eyes my cadence and speed were up and my HR was down. Music is an ergogenic aid!

Re: bike choice - I use my Long Haul Trucker on the trainer. Such a comfortable bike. If I threw a tubeless conversion on with some 1.5" tires is the LHT a viable TD machine? Dave Nice is my inspiration here, but I think he had tire troubles?

More to come as the implications of this decision hit me...

[Slowerthensnot]

Cranking out some trainer time and thinking about this thread last night it came to me that doing TD in 2011 is a good idea, so I've got 3 weeks blocked out on my 2011 calendar. Some newbie random thoughts and questions:

Re: music while riding - Little Wing by Stevie Ray Vaughn came on Pandora. I stopped thinking, watching my HR monitor, etc. during the song. During the song my RPE went down. When I opened my eyes my cadence and speed were up and my HR was down. Music is an ergogenic aid!

Re: bike choice - I use my Long Haul Trucker on the trainer. Such a comfortable bike. If I threw a tubeless conversion on with some 1.5" tires is the LHT a viable TD machine? Dave Nice is my inspiration here, but I think he had tire troubles?

More to come as the implications of this decision hit me...

Hands and feet really take it if you go smaller then a 2.0 tire...  however man it was fast on those 35c wtb's when it wasn't techy....  I think the wtb nanoraptor is best mix of wight durableness and comfort...

LHT is a very cool frame and if you aready have it...   but I think a rigid 29er might be better for the long haul


just my .02

[Pivvay]

Hehe music decreasing RPE +1

I would advise anyone to use the WTB Nanoraptor 29er tire as the minimum recommended size. Could it be done on smaller? Sure. Would it be faster, comfortable or offer significant benefits? I doubt it.

So many people have contact point issues on the Divide. Those who run skinny tires and rigid forks should really already know that's okay for them, everyone else should err on the plusher side. It's definitely the "if you have to ask" cliche but in this case I think it holds pretty true.

[rcktfanatic]

Having never done the TD my ‘opinion’ is unsupported, but I think the basic answer is ‘yes’! 

So your sayin' there's a chance! 

[Majcolo]

Hands and feet really take it if you go smaller then a 2.0 tire...  however man it was fast on those 35c wtb's when it wasn't techy....  I think the wtb nanoraptor is best mix of wight durableness and comfort...

LHT is a very cool frame and if you aready have it...   but I think a rigid 29er might be better for the long haul


just my .02

Durability of the 1.5" tires was the big question mark for me. I think I remember reading that you had issues with those narrow, lightweight tires. Sounds like even tubeless 1.5" tires wouldn't hold up too well, which takes the LHT out of the equation.

Hehe music decreasing RPE +1

I would advise anyone to use the WTB Nanoraptor 29er tire as the minimum recommended size. Could it be done on smaller? Sure. Would it be faster, comfortable or offer significant benefits? I doubt it.

So many people have contact point issues on the Divide. Those who run skinny tires and rigid forks should really already know that's okay for them, everyone else should err on the plusher side. It's definitely the "if you have to ask" cliche but in this case I think it holds pretty true.

No doubt I'd be more comfortable on a wider tire. I was just speculating about possibilities given Dave's unfortunate tire troubles. I do enjoy my LHT though. ;-)

It sounds like a Fargo (six bottle mounts intrigue me, I can't lie) or something similar would be the trick setup.

[JMeiser]

'It sounds like a Fargo (six bottle mounts intrigue me, I can't lie) or something similar would be the trick setup.'

Sounded good to me as well... I owned a trucker for several years before Salsa launched the Fargo.  The drop bars were versatile for long days in the saddle.  I spent most of my time on the hoods, evidenced by the calluses after the race, but spent plenty of times in the drops on descents and into the wind. 

The million dollar question is 'Would I ride the Fargo again?' The answer: Yep, I sure would...but if I did I'd consider having a custom Ti Fargo built. 

My Fargo now resides in my fleet, needing a new drive train that will come in spring.  It's always ready with my Epic bags for an overnighter, or long day ride on mixed terrain.

[Marshal]

So your sayin' there's a chance! 

Sure, I give it a crystal-clear ‘maybe’.

I have been spending the last few evenings reading a few sections of ‘Cycling the Great Divide’ and then studying the corresponding map and Google Earth.  I am also re-reading blogs and accounts, studying the split charts etc.  This info is then being used to slowly build a imaginary ‘daily ride/split chart’.  This daily ride chart isn’t meant to be followed but rather is a way to wrap my head around the route and do a virtual ‘pre-ride’.  .   

As I contrast and extrapolate my current multi-day experience and physical abilities with what I am learning the more daunting, but also exciting, it all seems. 

In a lot of ways I feel like I am jumping off a small cliff into a huge lake.  If I did not have at least some multi-day background I think it would be more like jumping off a mysterious cliff, in the night, blind-folded, into that same huge lake.

You certainly have time to ‘train’ and develop the required ‘long-haul’ conditioning in the next 7 months.  You have more than enough time to buy all the required gear.  And if you are serious, and really want to maximize your personal potential, you have enough time to take that ‘gear and conditioning’ out on the road for some real life ‘over-night’ testing.  Note: The over-night testing will force you to get the gear ‘right’.  And I think, after conditioning, right gear is the most critical to having a ‘smooth’ race.

Anyway, sink or swim, we all jump into the same huge GD lake.  Those who have already done so impress the heak out of me.  The more I study and research the route more impressed I get.

Good luck to you, if like me, you just got ta jump

[JMeiser]

In a lot of ways I feel like I am jumping off a small cliff into a huge lake.  If I did not have at least some multi-day background I think it would be more like jumping off a mysterious cliff, in the night, blind-folded, into that same huge lake.

Not to make light of your analogy, but I remember that jump.  It wasn't a cliff, it was a plywood ramp.  It wasn't a huge lake it was a pond that was trailside.  It was somewhere in Montana.  I know that Chris, Kurt, and I joked about it.  I'm guessing every TDer that passed it imagined themselves hitting the lip, flying through the air, and landing in the cool water. 

So yes, to come full circle, you have to imagine yourself on that cliff, flying through the air, and landing in that huge lake.  Then you have to mentally prepare yourself for the unknown of what's in the lake.  Not by thinking through every scenario that could possibly turn the TD into an adventure(Remember 'It's not an adventure until something goes wrong), it would take a lifetime to do this. 

I prepared myself for the unknown through what at the time I believed was careful planning in all aspects of the event.  I made the realization before the race that no matter how good the plan, it will never go as planned, and I could never plan for all situations.  So I remained flexible, kept in mind the big picture and focused on that next chocolate shake and cheeseburger.

It's been said in this thread that no matter how much you prepare it will all change when you get out there.  You will only know how true this is when you get out there.  I could write an essay on all the little things I did to bike, gear, and body to make refinements and adjustments.  For some perspective, I shipped nearly five lbs. of 'stuff' home before I got to Colorado. 

[sherpaxc]

Joe, I'd say that is great advice.  While I have a bit of bikepacking experience I have more road touring experience.  The kind of touring where we fly to the country and THEN buy a map (no guide book).  I first learned that you can do all the planning you want, but if you don't come prepared for the right mindset, you won't be having any fun.  FUN!  That's what this is all about right?  Obviously it isn't always fun, and more times than not it probably isn't, but your passion for the outdoors and your love of the bike overrides anything that can cast a dark shadow over your adventures at hand.

Set off with the gear you think will work for you, change as needed.  Just don't forget your reason for being there in the first place.  You have a bike, you have a map, you have a spirit of adventure, that and with your health, you're ready to roll!

Good luck!

[bmike-vt]

I could write an essay on all the little things I did to bike, gear, and body to make refinements and adjustments.  For some perspective, I shipped nearly five lbs. of 'stuff' home before I got to Colorado. 

Enlightenment please, if you can...

[Majcolo]

Sounded good to me as well... I owned a trucker for several years before Salsa launched the Fargo.  The drop bars were versatile for long days in the saddle.  I spent most of my time on the hoods, evidenced by the calluses after the race, but spent plenty of times in the drops on descents and into the wind. 

The million dollar question is 'Would I ride the Fargo again?' The answer: Yep, I sure would...but if I did I'd consider having a custom Ti Fargo built. 

My Fargo now resides in my fleet, needing a new drive train that will come in spring.  It's always ready with my Epic bags for an overnighter, or long day ride on mixed terrain.

Thanks, that's great info. A couple other questions if you don't mind - did you run tubeless? a suspension seatpost? I'm thinking of ordering a Fargo frame and doing a lightweight build that wouldn't work for fully loaded touring but would be ideal for TD.

Enlightenment please, if you can...

To gain knowledge, add something every day. To gain wisdom, remove something every day. - Lao Tzu

 

[Mathewsen]

I have been spending the last few evenings reading a few sections of ‘Cycling the Great Divide’ and then studying the corresponding map and Google Earth.  I am also re-reading blogs and accounts, studying the split charts etc.  This info is then being used to slowly build a imaginary ‘daily ride/split chart’.  This daily ride chart isn’t meant to be followed but rather is a way to wrap my head around the route and do a virtual ‘pre-ride’...

nothing wrong with doing this but it helps to have a best case scenario plan and a somewhat worst case scenario plan. depending on soil content + road surfaces, various sections of the route are drastically affected--or not at all--by rain or snow. this can rewrite your split chart in a hurry.

As I contrast and extrapolate my current multi-day experience and physical abilities with what I am learning, the more daunting, but also exciting, it all seems.

Marshal, as an experienced BPer, finishing is not going to be as difficult [for you] as you think unless you have 'terrible' weather, making existence that much more uncomfortable. The real challenge to racing the Divide (well) is to avoid falling victim to ennui, which can lead to a subtle yet erosive form of depression that undermines one's ability to remain focused on the extreme macro scale/cope with the tedium of 150mi/day. Loss of focus can skim 15-20% off daily production right off the bat. This has a cascading effect of making a finish all the more difficult. The longer it takes you, the further apart resupplies occur, the more worn down, homesick, apathetic about your relationship to the racing you become. The volume alone can make it truly a suffer-fest, so again, be familiar with your suffering threshold (ST) and be ready to feed (day-to-day) on little victories, brief yet quaint encounters with locals, the fun of gorging, that one beer at dinner, the cloud formations, the scenery, etc. Whatever it takes to get through. It's hugely mental. There will be very un-fun moments. These may persist across 'great basins' or through entire mountain chains.

Instead of using the 1 or 2mi scales in G-maps to study the route, I suggest you focus on the 50-100mi scales. Use the macro-geography and 'macro goals' to help you get through. Like driving a car across country, it's best not shallow-focus on the foreground road surface for very long or it makes your eyes hurt. Think 'deep focus', which is to say (figuratively), always keep the foreground and the background in somewhat equal focus.

I guess the above's part of why in this "basics" thread you hear some of the veterans talking hokey-like about 'transcendence' and all the philosophical mumbo jumbo. The suffering can put you on the roller coaster real quick-like. Perspective, emotional equanimity, rational, sensible thinking are key to not letting the roller coaster sap your mojo. Dave Harris refers often to "mojo". I'm not sure if he's using the 'personal magnetism' definition or mojo as 'magic', but for the Divide you need some of both kinds to fill the seemingly endless hours of fireroad. You need to 'like being with yourself' and, you need those magical moments. Mum-nature has just the show to get you through if you're paying attention.

[JMeiser]

Hardly an enlightenment, in the way I might attempt to define it, but here are the details of what I dropped on my ride.

-In Sparwood I left a bottle of bug spray and a small bottle of Stan's sealant.  Bug spray is available at any gas station if they get bad, I don't even know what my strategy was in carrying the sealant.  I also took my bladder out of my pack and placed it in the top pocket of my frame bag.  My pack consisted of food, camera, and a few small essentials.

-In Helena I shipped home a pair of shorts, a pair of socks, my red epic handlebar bag, a 100 oz. bladder, and a map or two.

-In Lima I shipped home a punctured air mattress, and a broken Leatherman.  The air mattress was pierced after sleeping on a pile of glass outside of Butte, dumb mistake, but comical.  I replaced it with bubble wrap glued to an e-blanket.  Let me be real clear, that didn't work...but I had 26 hours to kill in Lima and only 10 of that was sleeping.  The Leatherman snapped while replacing my drivetrain at the hotel in Lima.  It was replaced at the local sports/auto repair shop.  Good people in Lima.

-In Rawlins I shipped home bear spray, and a couple more maps. 

The net loss of 'stuff' was closer to 4 lbs. after replacing the Leatherman, my bubble wrap mat, and a pair of boxers in Helena to sleep in.  I keep the bubble wrap mat around for posterity.  It was an experiment I always wanted to try but never needed to.  Now I have.  I picked up a blanket for a night up on Brazos Ridge, above 10,500, at the lodge in Platoro.  The Brazos was one of the best night's sleep I had all race.