Yo Eric,

  I'm curious to hear your thoughts on what disadvantages you see in bolt-on framebags?  Other than being a bit fiddly to install and remove...

  I fondled this bike at NAHBS and it was indeed well-executed on all fronts.  Nice work, Rob and Scot!

Scott

Depending on how quickly you plan to move, there are several loops one could plan.  If you're going at a nice leisurely touring pace, a ride from Banff to Eureka and back could be fun.  At 'race pace', maybe all the way to Whitefish and back?

You won't be able to get anywhere near Mt. Assiniboine with your bike.  The route is closed to bikes now, unfortunately.  A ride back through Kananaskis Country from the south would be swell, as there is SO much good riding out there. 

Hit me up over email if you want more specifics.

theporcelainrocket[at]gmail[dot]com

Scott

A "friend" ? 

I think the store that is the most-affected is the Boulton store in Kananaskis.  This is a small store and is only about 60 miles from Banff, thus will experience ALL of the Grand Depart within hours of one another. 

I remember hearing, that in 2010 the young girl who was working the till that day was VERY overwhelmed and not pleased with the attitude of some racers, because of the long amount of time they had to wait.  As I recall, she was the only one working that day, and they have since made efforts to prepare for the Tour Divide more thoroughly.

Scott

Way to go Katherine and Mikey!

Stellar work out there, guys!

Scott

I think a fair few of the breakages (at least the ones that I am aware of) have come from the cages either getting snagged while riding, or from leaning the bike against them, not overloading.  The welds where the 'wings' meet the spine of the cage are snapping.

The Anything Cage seems like a great design, but just needs a bit of beefing-up, considering lots of folks are bolting these to forks. 

Scott

So great to hear that Craig made his finish! 

HUGE congrats, Craig!

My gut reaction would be that Craig is indeed moving, but his SPOT is either off or not tracking.

It doesn't seem like him to 'rest' when he knows how close his chase group is.

Or perhaps he's gone stealth, just to give us all some good drama right to the end!

Scott

Nice work, Ollie!  Big Congrats!

C'mon Stappy, finish this thing!

What the heck is Craig doing?  It looks like he's backtracking.  Now this is going to get even more interesting.  Ollie's got 40 miles on him at the moment...that's not an insignificant distance.

Perhaps he is going back to where he left the course?  It looks like he may have shortcut a bit to get into town?

It sounded like it was just a pedal bearing issue.  No drivetrain problems.

Speculation or first hand?

First-hand.

Craig's had a mechanical.  He is trying to get it resolved with some cheap parts from Wal-Mart and push to Silver City for proper parts.

Keep pushing, Craig!

I know that Devian Gilbert, aka Devo, attempted a Hammer liquid nutrition diet on his Divide attempt in 2010.  I think the reason he claims to have bailed was that he reached a state of "perma-bonk".  I remember him even describing falling asleep on the bike.  He seems to think that it was a lack of nutrition that got him there...

I'll see if I can get him to chime in here...

Scott

I am not a rider and a little nervous to write here. However my brother is Craig Stappler. My family, friends and I are so excited to watch him and Ollie each day. What an amazing race! I don't know much about the rules but I do know my brother is one of the most honest and sincere people I know. He would never do anything to question the integrity of this race. I am sure Ollie feels the same way. I do agree that riding the race all by your self with no other contact would be harder. However if either rider was faster they would have already been seperated. I can't wait to watch them at the finish line. So proud!!!

Craig is indeed one of the kindest, gentlest, most respectful people to roam or race the earth.  No one deserves to be at the front more than him.

[absolutely loving]

In regards to the Ollie & Craig saga:

What I see, from all of the photos and call-ins that these guys have made, is two guys absolutely loving the Divide route, riding their bikes, challenging themselves, one another, and crushing a record.  I can only imagine that the experience is even sweeter with someone else around.

From a human perspective, I cannot see any harm in that.

From a racing perspective, I can imagine that having someone, so evenly matched, in your proximity is an even better motivator.  No doubt, the competitive nature of both of these guys is driving a record-setting pace.

I too hope to see a break at some point, but I'm stoked for both Craig and Ollie!

Scott

Thanks Craig!  You guys are really killin' it out there!

Go Stappy!

Great job, Rick!  Congrats!

Go Hunter!

I use these religiously :

http://www.treefortbikes.com/product/333222372576/553/Dimension-Sidemount-Cage.html

They are cheap, sold in just about every LBS I've ever been in, and you can bend them to make them grip the bottle super tight. 

Another great thing about them is that they are totally reversible, making them ideal for fork-mount.

I used them on a complete thru-ride of the AZT, and never lost a bottle, even in the thorny bushwhack.  No extra strap required.

Camelbak Peloton bottles seem to be a good match, FWIW.

Scott