The Second Friday Of June - Banff, Canada

Where did the last 12 months go?

 It seems like only yesterday that I was nervously pacing the streets of Banff wondering what the Tour Divide Race would have in store for me. Here we are, 12 months along the road and the streets of Banff are being pounded by many a fretting rookie Divide racer as I type.

Guy Martin has been seen wandering the streets of Banff as well. It isn't often that the words Rookie and Guy Martin can be used in the same sentence! He isn't appearing on the Trackleaders site yet. Maybe a nod to his celebrity status and an attempt at retaining some privacy on his part? Maybe he is running under a pseaudonym? Time will tell.

Dave W and Mick E -2015

There is a great post here on Bikepackers magazine detailing the route, the weather and the riders to look out for in 2016. It covers nearly all you need to know and I highly recommend it as the editor is Neil Beltchenko, 3rd place getter in 2015. He clearly knows his stuff.

To follow along over the next few weeks these are the links you will need -

Trackleaders - The official race tracking site.

Facebook - The official/unofficial page that the racers have been using in their preparations.

MTB Cast - The official site to hear rider call-ins from the trail

Richmond Paek - 2015

I would like to wish all of the Aussie contingent the best of luck this year. There are some strong riders in there and while they might be well prepared, they will also need a dash of good luck into the mix as a 4400km mountain bike ride tends to throw up some curve balls.

Looking over to Fleecer Ridge across the I 15.

So, 8am Friday the 10th of June in Banff (midnight Aust. East Coast Time) isn't far away now. I know where I will be just after midnight tonight and for the next 2-3 weeks!

Cheers.

The Challenge Is ON !

Well, they say you should be careful what you wish for because you just might get it. It looks like that may have happened for me. 

I put in for leave from work for a sizeable chunk of time and now I have June and July off. What would you do with that much time I hear you ask? How about hop on a mountain bike and go for a ride? And keep riding....for three or four weeks!

Yep, it looks like I am IN for the Tour Divide 2015!

For those of you wondering what the Tour Divide Race is, there is plenty of information in the link above but a picture tells a thousand words....

For Australian readers that may not easily relate the distance, here is a local representation that is 316km SHORTER.

Yes, that is a loong way. Add the fact that the race route's average elevation is 5000-6000ft, with plenty of time above 10 000ft and you start to notice that this is a SERIOUS ride.

Not hard enough for you though? Lets just make it a bit challenging now. You have to do it by yourself. No support. None, nada, nil. 

You ride, you service your bike, you find food/water/accomodation. You navigate the (off road) route. You deal with weather, wildlife and......whatever comes along. No help, no outside support.

Am I excited? 

If excitement feels like a mammoth knot in your stomach, then I must be "excited". Yep, feel like throwing up, excited.

There could be a lesson here kids. Be careful what you wish for.......

Clearly, it almost goes without saying. Be prepared for some more Tour Divide stuff on here and here is a taste of what it is all about.

Jay Petervary Tour Divide Record Ride from Fisher Creative on Vimeo.

Cheers

Tour Divide Race starts tomorrow

Banff, Alberta, Canada to Antelope Wells, New Mexico, USA. One stage. 4418 kilometres. Unsupported.
 
This race (for some) or ride for other mere mortals begins with the "Grand Depart" from Banff tomorrow. The route follows the continental divide along the Rockies and involves over 61 000m (200 000ft) of climbing in it's 4418km distance!
 

Trailhead begins behind the Banff Springs Hotel.

 
I find the thought of doing this ride mindblowing. From the start, through Alberta and Montana, watching out for bears to the 12 000ft mountain pass crossings in Colorado I find it hard to get my head around how and why anyone would do this race, yet at the same time am excited at the thought of maybe doing it myself one day. I don't think I have any idea how tough it would actually be and I might just be in love with the romance of a ride through this amazing landscape. The idea of dumping the outside world for three or four weeks and just riding my bike in a foreign country isn't that silly......is it?
 

 
This year there are seventy riders attempting the race north to south and fifteen giving the south to north direction a try. This may be to give the snow on the Rockies more time to melt as it has been a bumper winter in the northern states. They are saying that the record will be safe, but who knows? What is known is that you have to ride about 240km per day, every day to get near the record. Remember, that is unsupported. You navigate, find your own food, accomodation, bike repairs....you get the idea, as well as ride. There are no rest days. You just keep riding.
 

Ride The Divide Movie Trailer from Ride The Divide on Vimeo.



Here is the Caveate from the Tour Divide website-
 
Do you really want to race the GDMBR?



Self-supported Divide racing is based on an open, standing challenge (circa 1999) to cycle the Great Divide MTB Route as fast as humanly possible. Tackle it truly solo or as part of a common start, but do it all yourself; all the pedaling, navigation, resupply and camping; all the suffering. Indeed, with zero on-the-ground administration, Divide racing is not much more than a construct of the online community that follows it. To these voyeurs, it's virtual racing at its finest. To the challengers, it is ultimately just a really long, lonely and beautiful solo bike ride.

As all-American as racing is, ACA never imagined such a niche for their off-pavement touring route when they created it in 1997. But just as the interstate highway system is to RAAM, so too is the GDMBR to Divide racing. John Stamstad inaugurated the challenge when he blazed the the first self-supported Individual Time Trial (ITT) in 1999. In 2003 Mike Curiak was first to accept John's double-dare. Mike's ITT would end early, but he returned the next summer to organize a multi-up format called the Great Divide Race. Six other ambitious riders lined up for the masochism. When the dust settled, Curiak and runner-up Pete Basinger knocked 2 days off Stamstad's benchmark. Since then 'grand departs' (group starts) have been the fashion, but it's important to emphasize--like Stamstad in `99 and Curiak in `03--a challenger may race the route at any time during snow-free months in the Rockies. As long as an ITT performance is self-supported and strictly follows the route (see Rules), it is eligible for the annual General Classification.

Divide racing fundamentals look much like traditional touring: rider + gear vs. GDMBR + nature. It's the method that differentiates the racing: self-support + 'blitzkrieg'. Blitzkrieg is German for lightning war. It's how Divide racing is meant to be executed; move fast, send no postcards, 'take no prisoners' and 'hurt so good' (suffer well). To wit: Divide racing isn't your parent's 1976 Bikecentennial tour. Yes, the common denominator is to finish the route, but the inspiration is how quickly without cracking; to teeter on the edge physically and tackle headlong the emotional rollercoaster sure to coincide. Divide racing is not to be confused, even with fast-touring of today's ultralight set. It is exceedingly difficult simply by the sheer volume of daily miles, which are a primary reason it flaunts a heart-breaking 60% attrition rate.

Self-supported grand tour racing (ie. >2 weeks) along the GDMBR is like none other. Simply on scale, it's the hardest form of bike racing, period. To be competitive for the overall, one must ride ≥150 miles/day. There are no rest days. And if volume alone isn't taxing enough, one must also navigate, acquire resupply, clean/wrench the bike, find shelter each night, bathe when possible, and keep one's wits about it all. No entourages follow athletes. It cannot be compared to today's 100-milers, 24hour racing, or even 3-5 day stage race events.

Many wonder if they're capable of such a true solo blitz. At some point there's an inevitable leap of faith into grand tour racing. One thing is for certain: 2-3 weeks of back-to-back 16-18 hour days in the saddle are certain to bring about changes in body, mind and equipment of even the world's most seasoned ultra-endurance althlete. Are you the type to roll easily with this painful transformation? How well do you suffer for days on end? Are you prone to depression? Can you be happy sleeping in the dirt as it rains all night? Does post-holing through thigh-deep snowdrifts over a 10,000-ft pass sound like fun? A robust Rockies winter + late spring can leave behind just such mid-June diversion on the GDMBR.

It's easy to be attracted to the romance and camaraderie of a 'shared' cross-country MTB adventure. The rugged Divide backcountry is not the place to learn solo 'racing' is not your speed or style. Are you a seasoned multi-day bikepacker? Have you ridden back-to-back off-road centuries? Are you an expert level mountain biker? Are you a veteran of Primal Quest-scale multi-day adventure races? Are you a proficient bike mechanic; skilled navigator; competent at self-rescue? If you cannot confidently answer yes to most of the above, it would be wise to consider simply touring the route or taking more time to prepare for a true blitz.
All of the racers carry a spot tracker and as can be seen, they are starting to converge on Banff and Antellope Wells for the start.  If you want a taste of what Divide racing is all about grab a copy of  "Ride the Divide". It covers the 2007 (I think) race and highlights the beauty of the landscape that the race travels through.

It will be very interesting to watch over the course of the next three weeks the progress that they make and read of their hardships. I might just go and watch the DVD again.......and dream......