Tour Divide race discussion

[mtbcast]

TD14: Max Morris called in from Abiquiu! Hoping to make Cuba today and finish by Friday!

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

[Krampus Snail]

"From the beginning, (including Stamstad), only a handful of riders have traversed the main route between Cuba and Grants. The Chaco Alt is pretty de facto."

Now I'm confused. The race tracker shows two different routes between Abiquiu and Cuba, and then another alternate route further south that goes through the Gila and ends around Silver City. Is there also an alternate between Cuba and Grants?

[Mathewsen]

"From the beginning, (including Stamstad), only a handful of riders have traversed the main route between Cuba and Grants. The Chaco Alt is pretty de facto."

Now I'm confused. The race tracker shows two different routes between Abiquiu and Cuba, and then another alternate route further south that goes through the Gila and ends around Silver City. Is there also an alternate between Cuba and Grants?

The orange lines are just fire detour lines we've gotten lazy about removing from the map because 1 in four years, one or both get used. They are not 'legal' alternates. The red line between Cuba and Grants *is* the ACA Chaco alternate. So few riders have taken the main route to Grants (south of the red line) that we have never bothered to show it, lest it confuse. In that main route, there's arroyo crossings, private land grants with temp closure histories, and another fire closure zone (Mt. Taylor) that make it problematic to make it mandatory. One can get trapped between arroyos in there during monsoon season. We've always gone with Stamstad's original decision to bypass it. He did that with specific forethought to records keeping.

[ZackR]

Calvin is about to get it done! Way to go Calvin!

[Krampus Snail]

Katie and Sam are neck-and-neck with Eszter's ghost. Go Katie and Sam!

[Susannah]

Woah, looks like quite the modern complex these days, at least from that photo.  Just another reason to pedal down that way and see it first-hand, again. Thanks for sharing the photo.

No kidding--it's massive!  In the olden days it was one small building and a simple barbed wire fence....yes, I am a hundred-and-fifty years old.


Also, nice to see salted nut rolls -- I still call them that, even though PayDay is the only version where I live now.  My husband makes fun of me for my phraseology, but I expect he's very glad to seem them -- and eat them -- along the route.

[Mathewsen]

Calvin is about to get it done! Way to go Calvin!

Yes, nice work for the 2014 white jersey winner (top Rookie). Another GC contender is born. Looks like behind him, the Tandem has hit the North Star Rd at the worst possible time, amidst a good T-storm. I can't imagine pushing a tandem thru NM mud out of Black or Rocky Canyon 

[Mathewsen]

There's a new 'coyote' on the scene down in AW. He will be running shuttles to, and away from AW, based out of Hachita. His name is Jeffery Sharp. He says he will go as far as Tucson if asked. Pricing similar to what Sam Hughes charged (1$ per mile). He has a FB presence here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/SouthWest-Trailhead-Hand/777241485621284?fref=ts that lists his contact info. Thank-you Jeffery!

[multisportscott]

Looks to be pretty slow going in the Gila north of Silver City. NM mud might be slowing progress somewhat!

[BobM]

Is the Sapillo section closed for fire or something?  The tandem started down and then went around.

[mtbcast]

TD14 Day 19 and TABR14 Day 25 True Up! Congrats to Calvin Decker for his second place finish, Sam and Katy are near Silver City, and grizzly bathrooms and angry grouse!
http://mtbcast.com/site2/category/podcasts/

[Flinch]

Forecast for Silver City NM

Wed high 88 degrees, 60% chance of thunderstorms from 4 pm to 10 pm.
Thursday similar with 25% chance of afternoon T storms.
Friday through Sunday morning looks mainly OK, high 80's.
Sunday afternoon though Thursday (July 10) 25% to 75% chance of T storms, temps in high 80's.

"...and Muddy Mouse rolled down the hill faster and faster. The mud stuck to his fur and soon there was nothing but the tip of his nose, and the tip of his tail, sticking out of a ball of mud. The End..."

[kato]

Way to go Calvin!!

Any way I can get you out again next year to race this with me?!

[tanadog]

Looks like Lorenzo & Geof are making a night run to try to avoid the heat and thunderstorms....the K&S tandem has had a very long slow day...

[Newfydog]

Take this with a grain of salt because it's from a race non-completer. But I must say that the new route from Basin to Butte is very nice. The scenery is gorgeous. The hill climbing up to the continental divide crossing is pretty gradual. And the downhill on the other side is fun. It beats riding on the interstate.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1iyXrTvW-9Ev5PBdRTN2N41C_QHs1clo-ZkFdDBZfja0/pubhtml#

Glad you liked it.  It sounds as though it was a bit muddy on the descent for some riders.   When we mapped it out in august 2010 it was hard as a rock, and it seems to me gravel until the pass, then some natural dirt roads near the top.  Very typical of the rest of the route.

I'm surprised no one mentioned the wonderful metal sculpture park on the way into town.

[THE LONG RANGER]

TRIPOD MOOSE.

See it all, now.

[mtbcast]

TD14: Big Dave Wilson called in from the border. He reports there is still avalanche debris up on the Whitefish Divide! Jessica Green called in from Steamboat Springs! And Sam and Katy Newbury called in from Silver City! Battling flats and running low on tubes and patches but doing okay excited about finishing!
http://mtbcast.com/site2/category/td14/

[bueller]

Is the Sapillo section closed for fire or something?  The tandem started down and then went around.

Looks like Geof Blance is hanging out at the same spot the tandem changed directions yesterday.  Sam did not mention a re-route on his call in from Silver City.

[mtbcast]

TD14: Jason Snell called in from Silverthorne after a tough ride down from Rawlins.
http://mtbcast.com/site2/category/td14/

[InYerBlood]

As of this morning, there's a new 4 acre fire in the Gila area called the Roberts fire. Might refer to the community of Lake Roberts - right where the tandem, and now Geof, returned to Rt 35. Just a guess.

Tried to verify at the local ranger station, but got transferred to voicemail. Probably will find out what's going on from racers first.

Nothing seems to be stopping Lorenzo.