Tour Divide Basics

[Mathewsen]

Ya, I never did understand the restaurant oil thingy??  Mental fatigue, pleasant smell, emergency food supply? 

Why not just buy some 3-in-1 oil or a bottle of motor oil and a small shampoo bottle from just about any convenience store re-supply stop—empty/use the shampoo bottle and fill with motor oil etc.

ha! yeah, that might have been my "mental-fatigued", yet indefatigable canola oil-sniffing self. which, btw marshal, is 4-in-1...and why pay for it when you don't have to? you'll understand how divide comedy of error works soon enough.

the reality is my canola oil stint began after del norte, co when 'moses' was still forecasting the weather and lubing was an hourly past time. the only resupply of any kind until abiquiu, NM were a couple short order cooks.

i was instructed by scot banks/absolute to apply hefty amounts too as, in missing my new chain in steamboat i wore things plum out by salida and he refused to install the new one promising certain failure if i made any drivetrain mods before mexico.  so, take home: even in a good weather year if you want to avoid chain skip with a new chain, do it no later than steamboat. my PO drop there contains a chain, new sunblock, new A&D tube, new dumond tech, new shorts.

[JayP]

[quote

Why not just buy some 3-in-1 oil or a bottle of motor oil and a small shampoo bottle from just about any convenience store re-supply stop—empty/use the shampoo bottle and fill with motor oil etc.

[/quote]

one tends to get very frugal, not wanting to waste things and spend unnecessary money on things when being out there for sometime. think of your food, it gets to the point you are licking your wrappers dry getting every little morsal. you are always thinking effiency, no wasting of anything...it just sort of becomes you.

sunsreen makes great lube. every store has a little mop closet, maintenance shelf. if your really nice to them they may let you put a few ounces of whatever into your bottle.

drivetrains - in a dry year like in 07', i used the same everything start to finish including tires. tires only get faster when they wear down.
riding tandem will make one go broke, thank god for sponsors. 3 total, drive side. consider we learned how to ride the tandem through Canada and replaced one in Montana. i blame the rain, grit and mud through the rest of Montana and Wyoming, barely limping into Steamboat for the next. she held to the finish from there but the mud was'nt nearly the same in Colorado and from all the miles prior it taught us how not to ride, and avoid, the Mexico mud.
personally, typically i think if starting with a fresh bike with a little break in, a chain and tires in Steamboat would keep one golden!

[phil_rad]

I need a new bike computer, one where I can change the mileage manually, for following the cue sheets on the divide. Any suggestions? I have a cat eye enduro and it's great but I have to reset the thing to manually change to odometer. A pain in the a.. if you know what I mean.
 

[bmike-vt]

VDO MC1 wired and wireless let you chang the 'navigator'.

[phil_rad]

The VDO computers look good, I'll go with a cheaper model. I don't need all of those functions. 
Thanks for the tip.

Phil 

[SuzM]

I'm in the market for a new computer for the TD also.  Any other suggestions? 

[Marshal]

I'm in the market for a new computer for the TD also.  Any other suggestions? 

Garmin etrex Visa HCx and Scott's GPS track........

[elobeck]

New to this site, forum. Great site/thread. Just curious to know how some of the racers dealt with smelling like bear bait during the TD in bear infested areas while bedding down for the night. I imagine clothes reeked of powerbars, burritos etc. Did the frame bags get pulled up into trees at night? Did jerseys smelling of food also get pulled up into trees? Or were racers okay with the risk?

[krefs]

Ahh, bears, the only thing on my mind when I get awakened by a loud noise at night right now.  Fortunately, that is the fault of polar bears rather than the bears one has to worry about on the GDRMBR.  Sleeping out in bear country smelling like a twinkie wrapped in beef jerkey and rolled in sweat is one of the many risks that must be considered by any racer.  I carried bear spray and slept with it by my side in griz country.  I never needed it, it didn't make me sleep any better (because I never had any trouble sleeping to begin with), and I only pulled it out while riding twice.  Once was when ma black bear was on one side of a two-track in the Flathead and her cubs were on the other, and ma charged the Love Shack a couple times before me and a few other guys rolled up.  The other was on the long hike-a-bike through snow on Togwotee Pass after 10 pm, following Matthew's six-hour old tracks, more recent black bear tracks, and even more recent griz tracks.  So yes, the bears are out there, and yes, you definitely take a risk sleeping next to your bike and jersey full of candy bar wrappers. 

I rarely slept more than a few meters from my bike.  The bags never came off.  Usually my pack laid beside me because I probably fell asleep while trying to eat more food.  Sometimes I awoke four hours later with a half-eaten burger next to my head (talk about a quick breakfast!), thinking as I packed up my bivy that it was probably stupid to have essentially used food as a pillow in bear country. 

Racers can opt to sleep in motels in bear country, but that severely impacts one's riding rhythm racing from town to town, and motels are the slowest way to spend any given night.  Alternatively, racers can sleep like I often did and risk waking up to a bear eating the burger I couldn't get down before passing out.  The ideal thing to do is probably somewhere in between, sleeping a distance away from the bike and gear.  It's just one of the risks, and frankly, I'm far more worried about getting clobbered by a car on my daily 3-mile commute to work.

[richNYC]

Garmin etrex Visa HCx and Scott's GPS track........

Yep, that's the way to go;) Just make sure you correct for changes. Off the top of my head, the track differs slightly around Ovando and the alternates around Cuba and Grants are not included...

[krefs]

Yep, that's the way to go;) Just make sure you correct for changes. Off the top of my head, the track differs slightly around Ovando and the alternates around Cuba and Grants are not included...

You'll have to go through the map/ques/adendum carefully and correct the track where necessary.  There are quite a few changes (mostly minor) that have been made to the route since Scott rode it.

[phil_rad]

I have another problem with the divide race; I think constantly about it, all day every day! I even dreamt the other night that I was at the start with a tandem and my mom was on the back! Strange. I've got TDR on the brain! Do any of you girls/guys experience this also?

[SuzM]

Glad I'm not the only one.  TD 2010 is all-consuming!  On the brain, all the time! 

[phil_rad]

I'm glad I'm not the only one too!

[daveB]

Me three!

[daveB]

The rumors are true! The Canadian section of the GDMBR will be going to the printer in early feb. we should have them for sale by early may.
_________________________________________

Casey Greene
Cartographer

cgreene@adventurecycling.org
T. 800 755 2453 ext 227
150 E Pine St, Missoula, MT 59802
www.adventurecycling.org


> From: DaveB
> Subject: Great Divide Canada update?
>
> Howdy.
> I have heard that the Great Divide Canada map will be updated this
> spring sometime.  If this is true, do you have an estimated date when
> the new map will be available?

[SuzM]

Doh!  Wish I hadn't just bought the old one... I assume this means it will include the new Flathead route? 

[daveB]

Yes, it should include the Flathead route update. 

[JMeiser]

It'll be interesting to see the Flathead section in finished form.  I sure hope they didn't get rid of the singletrack!  So Epic, so smooth, such great flow...

[phil_rad]

I hope the singletrack section is still in too! That must be an amazing section.