Tour Divide race discussion

[kiwidave]

Looks like Matthew has already reinstated the modification.  Although it only refers to mechanicals, I believe it is also valid for medical emergencies as well.  In the spirit of the race, it SHOULD probably not apply to poor planning (like running out of food, etc):

In my experience most mechanical and medical emergencies are also the result of "poor planning". e.g. Medical: riding too fast; too long; too tired; poor visibility; choosing a poor riding line (I've scars for that error) etc. Mechanical: equipment choice; equipment maintenance; riding line; speed etc.

[BobM]

Thanks for bringing that up as it has been questionable in my mind what we can support or not. Don't suppose there is a list of can do's and don'ts is there?  And yea I'm serious as stupid as this may sound.

Hi Angler.  The rules are at http://tourdivide.org/the_rules but Matthew has also given clarifications various other ways - emails, forums, etc.  IMO - don't sweat it.  You folks in Ovando do a great job making people feel welcome.  It is ALWAYS the rider's responsibility to adhere to whatever rule set they subscribe to.  The problem with specific rules is that as soon as Matthew posts one it generates implications; i.e. if he were to say "no cell phones", someone would say "I'll use my sat phone", etc.  Much better for riders to use the "Toby rule" and "Do. It. Yourself.", but again, that is up to the rider. 

In general, and Matthew can jump in on this if he wants to, any commercial services are within the rules, although individual riders may want to be more strict with themselves.  If a shopkeeper wants to stay open 24/7 during the 2-3rd week of June, that's up to them.  If someone wants to set up a sandwich stand on the route and sell PB&J, that's a grey area, but it would be the rider's choice.  Ditto some kid's lemonade stand.   Worse still are the very well-meaning folks who use the Spot track to intercept a rider and offer them food and drink; it's hard for a tired, hungry rider to refuse so that act of kindness is really a curse.

What is NOT acceptable for riders is to accept offers of beds, showers, food, etc, from private individuals who have no intention of being in business.  If someone in Ovando rents rooms during fishing season and wants to extend that to bike season, they certainly can, but they should charge for them.

[mtbcast]

#TD14: John Fairbairn called in from Squirrel Creek Ranch! Max Morris called in from Rawlins! And Dave David Wilson called in from near Moran!

Max mentions someone may have broken a hip!

http://mtbcast.com/site2/category/td14/

[Susannah]

The pictures of the Moe brothers got me thinking about the incredible story you'll find in The Cordillera Volume 2 (http://www.lulu.com/shop/eric-bruntjen/the-cordillera/paperback/product-16163086.html) on the Moe brothers life and their demise.

Kurt Refsnider was doing a geological survey Baffin Island when he stumbled across their equipment cache which had lay untouched since 1985 (they died after leaving the cache). Given that at that stage less than 100 people had raced the Tour Divide (let alone come in second), it was obviously more than a coincidence. Kurt has a great interview which complements the story.
 

I'm so glad that many of you remembered Mike and Dan this week.  
Please know that they left the cache on Baffin Island in 1995, not '85.  
And that they were true Divide aficionados.  They had hiked the still nascent Continental Divide Trail in '82.  And Dan biked Australia's Great Divide in '87.
They are still missed.

[fate_lizzie]

In my experience most mechanical and medical emergencies are also the result of "poor planning". e.g. Medical: riding too fast; too long; too tired; poor visibility; choosing a poor riding line (I've scars for that error) etc. Mechanical: equipment choice; equipment maintenance; riding line; speed etc.

I agree with this to some extent, but it seems as if people prepare as well as possible (that is to say, in a highly thoughtful and meticulous manner in general).  Disasters happen, medical and/or mechanical.

[the_mc5]

Random blue dot stalker here. I thought I'd let the following know they have a fan: Andy Lawrence, Kent McDonald, and Patrick Day. I seem to have picked a group of impressive middle-aged mid-packers, perhaps my fantasy surrogates (except for the impressive part), and I'm learning a bit about the route by following them.

This AM I laughed to see that Patrick spent the night on the pleasant banks of the Sweetwater River, which seems by the map to be the last natural water prior to The Basin, some distance off the road in what appears to be a paddock. Good find. Doubtless that wasn't a coincidence!

Go get em gents!

[Joliver]

That reminds me of Ride The Divide movie, when Reuben Kline finds a computer to see where Matthew was. I also remember Matthew asking where Ruben was. Although it was not a phone, Computers are very easily accessible.

Yeah, I have thought about the computer scenario as well.  To me, I have no problem with someone going into a public library and spending time on the computer spot stalking.  If they want to take the time to do that, then I have no problem with it.  But, pedaling along and watching one's i-phone to determine where other riders are stopping, sleeping, riding, etc. and adjusting your race in accordance therewith is something that I wish did not occur.  I realize that it would be impossible to police, but there are a ton of things that occur during the td or ctr that are impossible to police, and it is simply left up to the riders to police themselves.  At the end of the day, though, I think all of us riders know who we were stronger than and who was stronger than us. 

[the tortoise]

I can't believe I am wading further into this but here goes!
Bootleg?? Well with bootleg events come bootleg efforts and bootleg interpretations!
Are rule infractions any more prevalent now than "back in the day"?? The greater the number of participants the greater the number of infractions. And with spot trackers and forum police come more accusations of wrong doing.
I put on small bicycle events and bicycle races. I can't bootleg them other wise the local authorities would have my head. As far as integrity goes over the years I have only had to disqualify one individual due to cutting the course. I was made aware of this by other racers and I tried to get them to work it out among themselves but in the end I had to be the "decider"
Ultimately it is up to the organizer to make the rules and deal with any rule violations and to get the word out to all racers what the rules are and the consequences of rule violations.
If the pre race organization is not up to the level of what we expect from the racers then there is a problem.
I tongue in cheek nominated Toby Gadd as Grand Poobah but in reality this is what needs to be done.
Written rules set in stone well before the event.
Only racers who have sent in LOI and have signed off on the rules will be officially recognized.
An organizer at the start of the Grand Depart with a bullhorn going over the rules of the event.
Designated spot stalkers to look over course deviations.
A cheater hotline! (Joe Polk??)
I understand these events are a labor of love for the ones who start them and they have given me a great level of satisfaction in my participation in them, but when people start hollering about rule violations and that becomes the focus of the conversation then something needs to be done. We need to get back to what these events are all about, and that is the pushing one's limits, meeting great people, awesome experiences and lying in the woods late at night worrying about bears and other critters!

[GregT]

Reunion in the Basin
 
Looks like Les Handy SOBO and his girlfriend Jill Hueckman NOBO will be meeting in the basin today.  What a romantic setting...
I have Les' truck here at my place for when Jill arrives.  Also,  the Colorado crew, John Fairbairn, Andrew Schumann, Les Handy and Jefe Branham were at the Banff Elementary school Grade 3 class on the Wednesday before the race.  Lesley Reid, the Grade 3 teacher, is an avid fan and organized this for the kids.  This made a huge impact - one of the young boys even brought his mom down to the start to say good-bye to Les and the Colorado crew.

[Done]

...but when people start hollering about rule violations and that becomes the focus of the conversation then something needs to be done. We need to get back to what these events are all about, and that is the pushing one's limits, meeting great people, awesome experiences and lying in the woods late at night worrying about bears and other critters!

Much truth in that statement. I rarely ever think about the rules while racing, because I am out there to do it myself. It's a simple principle at heart, even with the many gray areas that inevitable arise. But getting from point A to point B without external intervention makes the stars just that much brighter, and the glowing eyes of mountain critters that much scarier. It is weirdly contradictory perhaps, but the best adventures often require esoteric limits, ethics, and rules. Climbing a hard route without pulling on gear is more satisfying than giving into weakness and grabbing a sling. Getting from Denver to Durango on the Colorado Trail is more rewarding then driving there on the highway. Running 26 miles through the city is more fun than taking public transit. The easier way often isn't the most fulfilling. Ultra-racing is about athletic effort, careful planning (before and during the race), and pushing limits. It's SUPPOSED to be brutally hard, which is why the failure rate is so high. Those who fall victim to their weaknesses are missing the point, selling themselves short, and demeaning the entire sport.

[Jettman]

I would have to agree with fate_lizzie. I planned as well as anyone last year and things happen you will never be ready for. That is the point of the TDR. Its not for the faint of heart or the weak. Its about getting  back to your roots, yourself, and the core of being a human on this big ass rock. We never know what tomorrow will bring, so just go for it, and if it doesn't work out, there is always next year. My 1386 miles was the best experience of my life, wouldn't trade it for anything, not even a finish. Thats next year! ha!

[Anvil]

I'm not sure I understand the difference between Max's, et al, complaint that someone having the opportunity to buy a tortilla from an unplanned source is an unfair advantage versus the opportunity for people "riding together" to share a hotel room. Solo racer might not have the funds to pop for a hotel room on their own.  You start cutting hairs that finely and you'll have more rules than racing.  Random dude selling tortillas trail side seems more like trail magic & "pure" than planning on sharing shelter & costs among racers.

[mtbcast]

TD14: Sam and Katy Newbury called in from near Breckenridge! And Josh Kato called in to say he is OUT! He has multiple issues with his leg including a fracture!

http://mtbcast.com/site2/category/td14/

[Woodland]

Jefe got a LOT of sleep last night (for him at least). Is the big push coming?

[mbeardsl]

Jefe got a LOT of sleep last night (for him at least). Is the big push coming?

He's gonna have to pull a couple LONG ones.  Looks like he's ~14.75 hrs behind The Ghost.  From here on out JP stopped for 4 hrs prior to Cuba, and 4 hrs prior to Silver city.  May have had some other smaller stops but I didn't have time to look through all the points and his speed vs time plot is bit wonky.  Either way, that's ~8 hrs sleep over the next ~72 hrs of racing after 12 days so far AND bridging the current gap.  I think we're all pulling for him, hope he can dig deep enough.  Regardless it's been a stellar ride.

[Mathewsen]

Jefe got a LOT of sleep last night (for him at least). Is the big push coming?

Could be. He really needs to do it soon. I asked him when I spoke to him in Rawlins if he had JP's night splits written down anywhere, to which he replied, "I don't have anything, I wasn't planning to race to match times"

Tonight JayP sleeps up on top of Polvadera Mesa just south of Abiquiu for 3.5hrs. Tomorrow night he sleeps on the Pie Town Rd for about the same duration, and his final night, just before the Sapillo CDT segment he racks for a restless 4-ish, so Jefe's only got three overnights left to trim time while JP sleeps. His alternative best bet is to go for quality speed as often as possible--a tall order at this stage. Pacing gets so sloppy by the end it's hard to control speed for very long. This is when tactics come into play like singing to yourself / screaming at yourself / talking to the trees, smacking yourself in the face, doing stand up comedy, whatever it takes. Jefe needs to pit at Beaverhead Work Ctr just before the end of his final night on the trail. Now that he knows there's fresh cold water there (he missed it in 2011), I don't think he'll be denied, which, if he can ride on down the N. Star Rd even an hour or two more, will put him only an hour or so behind for the final stretch.

[Mathewsen]

Looks like he's ~14.75 hrs behind The Ghost.

I don't think it's quite that much time. JayP slept just north of the NM border last night, crossing into NM at 0530am. If Jefe keeps moving, he can be to the border by 4pm.

Unfortunately his timing coming into Abiquiu is not good. He'll need to lean on Sylvia at the snack shack, for sure.

[THE LONG RANGER]

Pretty exciting. We're on, what 12-full days on and change, Jefe is on the border of NM, and we're all gunning him to go faster. This is serious next level, as far as I'm concerned.

Fantastic ride, for sure.

[dream4est]

Im feeling it out here
U know - pure bliss
In the moment
I would like to stay here forever

[Mathewsen]

Im feeling it out here
U know - pure bliss
In the moment
I would like to stay here forever

Ha! Change begins at two weeks. The oft' hardened heart opens up. Cool, Mark!