Just as long as you don't stop someone for directions and they say "You done taken a wrong turn."  <banjo music>

I seriously have a video of when I pulled into Abiquiu of a guy sitting on the front porch of the B and B playing a banjo.

EPIC.

I'm sure this has been asked - but when you make it to Mexico...who/what/any-ideas of what to do for transporation?

There used to be a twice daily shuttle from the border to some towns off of the main interstate. (I have no idea if it still active. You could probably call the border station and ask.) You can also arrange for a pick up from a guy who does shuttle service in his car from silver city. I don't remember his name, I just had a dude stop me on the side of the road in Silver city and ask if I needed a ride. I said I did and he called the shuttle for me. They even watched my spot tracker and timed his arrival for when I hit AW.

It was pretty sweet. Especially considering the fact that my wife was supposed to pick me up but I beat my planned time by a week. She wasn't even going to fly in for like five days. That would have been a LONG wait in the border station.....

Really, you could just ride back up the highway to Lordsburg or something, catch a shuttle to Silver City or El Paso and fly out from there.

If you decide you want to contact the shuttle guy in Silver, call the bike shop there. I think they can put you in touch with him.

Well, most people don't camp much in bear territory. If they do, they usually are just outside of a city and feel safe camping.

For lots of people, there is no way to get all the food smell of of themselves. So, they just plop down for the night and hope for the best...

I was basically riding my bike everywhere. Doing 2-3 speed/interval sessions a week. I would ride my bike to the session (45 minutes-1 hour moderate), race my @$$ off with my coach or training partners, then an easy hour back home.

I layered long rides on top of that in 4 week cycles; week 1 was a long ride of several hours, week 2 two back to back long rides, week three was another single long ride, week four was recovery. I did a few over nighters in the months leading up to the race. My longest multi day(2 months before the race) was a three day ride. My last big session was one month out I raced a 140 mile gravel road race fully loaded.

The last month was lots of eating and sleeping!

As your race/ITT approaches, I would practice eating really sh!tty food. It can be a big adjustment to go from high quality whole grains, lean meats, and fruit to.... Um, oh Mcdonald's is the only thing open, I guess I'll eat five big macs then.

Now mind you, I wouldn't eat a ton of it but I would try it out a few times just to get your system used to the idea.

The issue with the Neoair Xlight is that it will spring a leak if you look at it funny. The patches for it are essentially stickers. It's an interesting bit of kit, but something that UL has some disadvantages.

I feel the same way. I used the regular neoair in 2011. It sprung a leak half way through and wasn't much good. The Xlite is awesome and super comfortable but I seriously worry about it's fragility....

To this day, the 'crinkly sound' of a neoair makes me feel sleepy and ready for a nap.

Oh boy, I can't remember exactly. For 2011 I had an air niner carbon (fully rigid) and my bike with gear (no food/water) weighed about 31 pounds.

I think my niner is about 22 pounds maybe?

9-10 pounds sounds about right. I really didn't have much. So little I had to buy an extra base layer along the way.

For 2014 I'm adding a little more insulation and cutting a few things out. I'll be around the same weight (maybe a pound heavier) but I'll have a bit more security, peace of mind, and ability to sleep in any weather.

A light bivy is 5-6 ounces. The lightest tent out there is roughly a pound (with poles/stakes/etc).

It's really just dependent on who you are and what you are willing to deal with. I'm a weight weenie, I would rather freeze my @$$ off than carry an extra 10 oz worth of insulation. Others are comfort weenies, they would rather have a full rain suit complete with base layers and some down and they don't mind hauling the extra 6 pounds for the whole 2800 miles.

A bivy with a pad and sleeping bag will be lightest. But, it's a gamble that you risk suffering if you are too tired to carry on and want to sleep but rain is pouring down.

Conversely, a tent is tons of security but it's heavy and bulky.

Just trade offs is all.... to each his own.

I am going to go with a rholoff in 2014. I'm wondering if I'll be able to do it with one chain and gears or if I should think about shipping extras to a few post offices just in case....

Do you single speed guys get through the whole route with one chain and one set of cogs?

Core strength is another big help, besides fit, ergo grips, and aero bars.

Do lots of planks, reverse bridges and balance drills. This is the type of strength that is totally sapped after a few days on the bike. Without it you end up putting way more pressure on your hands than you are used to and the nerve pain cometh.

You're correct, he's not mounting the tcs nano. I posted that so people can see how to properly install the tires. I had a crap ton of trouble getting them on until I watched that video.

Here is a link with photos of a tcs nano mounted to a Stan's arch rim and run tubeless.

http://www.bikerumor.com/2012/04/12/project-24-2-review-wtb-nano-tcs-2-1-xc-tires-and-weirwolf-grips/

To each his own. If you don't feel comfortable, don't go with it. I just had a great divide race experience with that combo.

I'm just going to post this video. You have to put the bead of the tire down in the middle of the 'drop channel' (i.e. the MIDDLE of the rim). If any of the tire is up on the bead edge of the rim (i.e. where it will sit when it is fully inflated), it won't mount.

ZTR Tire Install demo

I raced with Stans Arch rims and tubeless Nanos.

They weren't hard to mount but you had to mount them according to the Stan's way of doing things.

Google their online video for help.

HUGE LOL!!!!

I wonder if Crazy Larry is really Matthew Lee in disguise?  Has anyone seen them together?

All I know is that when I did the race, everybody was nervously standing around, taking photos, checking gear, etc and then all the sudden Crazy L rolls up on this trike with balloons all over it. He says, "Here we go!!!!" And, everyone took off in a huge pack after him.

Because, the race really starts whenever Crazy Larry says it does. 

High noon is traditional.

High noon was the GDMBR.

The TD starts at 0800 the second Friday of June.

But of course, there will will be a few who decide to start a bit early and ITT. (I think M Lee calls this phenomena the 'perennial bellwether'.)

I did not do anything but riding :-)
Fortunately, it did not happen downhill, but riding up Marshall pass (maybe material fatigue)...
Did not walk back to Salida, instead further to Sargents ...
Details and pictures (also the broken frame) see www.tourdivide.de

Lame! I ran into Aidan Harding on Marshal. He too had broken his frame and he was working it hard to catch back up with his friend Josh.

It shows a tough spirit to continue on like that!