It was pretty bad in Fernie a week back and was only going to get worse as the wind blew more smoke in from the US. I checked my oxygen levels each day and was happy to be out of there for a few weeks. The air is going to improve a little with the help of some much needed rain and a good wind from the west soon.

Bill Littman's charge down the Bull River (where he didn't do the left turn to Fernie) is brilliant. Its a good condition trail but as soon as he hit H3/93 he would have been on a busy road with a lorry passing lane. I think he then got on a TD alternate through Baynes Lake area.

FYI, Fernie's snowpack at 1600 metres up is 3.6 metres deep and they have had 11 metres of snow so far this season..... there are 2 weeks left of skiing there; the snowpack should start to shrink soon, but more snow is in the forecast.

Sorry.

Yes. And again in 2019 (I hope) . Can't play this year as I'm kayak racing in the Yukon. Need to get this race finished and not get ill again.

Hi, is now a good time to talk about the snowpack?
I've just got back to the UK after spending Dec and Jan in Fernie; they have been having a superb ski season and they have had 8 metres of the white stuff so far this season although it only transfers into a pack of approx 3 metres that needs to melt before June. Lots of time for change I know.....

Good job Hal.

Just a quick call out to say good luck and stay safe to all playing in this daft race. See you in Morehead City or on the beach! I'm flying tomorrow.

I think the change is missing Tellico Plains. There is some alternate resupply on the newer version, so all is good.

Also, I'm proud to say I have a jersey for the race!

https://endura.me/design/details/e2c9dbc3-5724-e711-80c3-000d3a2081ea

Colorado 606 miles with 56,700' of lovely uphilling. Thats only 93 feet per mile..... makes it feel more manageable.

Hi, as I'm in for this one (flights booked, bike sorted, hours/miles being done) I asked Billy Rice if it is time to have a page on here. He says yes, so here goes.

Is there anybody out there prepping for this biggie rather than TD '17?

Its only a 5000 mile ride, as off road as Billy can make it and it does go to some fun places on its way from the east coat to the Pacific.

There is a FB page and a gpx track but no website as its pretty underground, rather like the TD in its early days.

Same rules, same style of racing with lots of unknown thrown in and almost no rider resources in the way of blogs about where to camp, resupply conditions etc.

Bit like the old pioneers crossing the country.

Chime in please.

The Fernie ski area is having a great time at the mo - they have just had the best snowfall rate for 24 hours this season so far, but the base is below average

http://bcrfc.env.gov.bc.ca/data/asp/realtime/asp_pages/asp_2C09Q.html

It could be a warm spring, it could keep snowing and cause diverts again. Oh the joy of random weather.

Snow depth for the ATR is what is concerning me - we will be up at 13,000' a few times and the pack looks big the further west you go.

+1 for the Lauf.

Its almost as light as a rigid, has 60mm of washboard absorbing travel, no parts to go wrong.

Why suffer numb hands?

I will be stating Billy's race with it for sure!

It was a Prologo Iron Edge Tri saddle with a pair of small divots angle ground into the sit bone area to relieve chafing.

I've posted this on the FB endurance page and on our club page. Apologies for the lateness of posting here too.






There are so many great blogs and race reports from this years Tour Divide that I feel unable to equal any of them, so I submit my list of ‘.....est’s’ for  you to digest.

Longest distance in a day..........................152 miles.
Greatest climbing in one day.....................11796’
Shortest distance in a day...........................94 miles.
Abruptest stop ...........................................falling off during the descent from Brush Mountain Lodge on my way to Steamboat (I didn’t get there that night, and stopped to look at my bruises about 20 miles shy)
Etheralest night.........................................camping  in the Great Basin and looking out at the milky way stretching almost horizon to horizon.

Grubbiest.................................................I only did 5 nights in motels; the first two nights of the race were planned motel stops to aid recovery from the Flathead and the blitz out of Banff, so pretty much any other night was in the tent with no washing. I got more feral as the race continued. Who cares?
Itchiest section........................................riding out of the Colorado river crossing towards Kremmling and being eaten by evening mosquitoes.
Lengthiest normal day in the saddle........19 hours 4 minutes
Longestest day in the saddle....................28 hours 3 minutes with 229 miles covered through the Gila, the CDT and down the blacktop to Antelope Hell.
Biggest grin...............................................47 mph down the graded road towards Kremmling.
Frustratingest night......................... ........missing the last room in Lima and sleeping on the launderette floor
Gourmetest stop................................. ....Del Norte; the motel owner fired up the grille to cook an awesome mushroom burger and whisk up a really thick milkshake. He then left me to lock up the diner  as he had to go and run some errands in town.
Magnificentest view................................ a tie between the Great Basin and looking back at the Tetons from Togwottee pass.
Dumbest decision....................................thinking I could ride down Fleecer ridge
Brokenest bit of kit................................ my rear tyre (Stans Race couldn’t fix it) on the way into Butte. I also killed the front brake pads and replaced them in Salida.
Reliablest kit........................................... is a tie between my xtr chain and xt cassette and Raceface crankset. All made it to the finish in one piece and they got me through the Dunwich Dynamo too. Its probably time to retire them now.
Numbest bodypart.................................. nothing to report. Hands and feet never had any issues. Backside had a small relative of Uncle Fester on day 20 but in usual fashion, I gave it room to expand by cutting a notch in my saddle and he kept quiet until the finish line.
Blushingest moment...................... ........it involved wearing arm and leg warmers and nothing else and getting up for a wee. No more information.
Charmingest food stop........................... The Hungry Bear Steak House, slightly off-route near Holland Lake. They had forgotten to flick on the ‘open’ switch and were wondering where all the customers had gone to. They made a great burger, yam fries and chocolate milk and gave a huge bowl of ice cream for desert.
Easiest section............................... ........the flat section before the evils of the Bannock road with rain and headwinds. Oh, the calm before the storm.
And finally, the relievest momet of the entire tour..................riding into Beaverhead camp and finding people there. I was badly prepared leaving Pie Town as I can’t eat nuts and all I could find was trailmix and chocolate with peanuts in apart from some wraps I found in the Toaster house, I kept my supplies going from Grants as long as I could but was bound to run out..... the guys at the camp  gave me brekkie and fruit and sarnies for the road that helped me get to Pinos Altos.
Sadly that put me out of the race with a self-inflicted relegation, but it was still the best way to spend 21 days on my bike and meet many  amazing people. I would like to single out one moment and that was riding into Brush Mounntain Lodge and being greeted by Kirsten and Billy Rice. I can’t think of an adjective to express that moment.
Thanks to all the companies who helped me out – see you on the startline of the 5000 miler next year. I’d better get back on the bike.

I've used a Prologo triathlon saddle for the TD twice. Don't be afraid to take a grinder to the saddle if there are tiny places where it does not fit perfectly.

Also, when a spot develops on your bum, get the pliers out and notch a space in the saddle padding to give the spot to breathe. My bum went from sitting lopsided on the saddle back to central and able to apply equal power through both legs in less than 30 minutes this year on day 19 when Uncle Fester the younger made a fleeting appearance.

This may make the saddle into a 'one race only' saddle, but they are tools, not jewels.

If any GD riders are bored tomorrow morning, I'll be riding out of the BS carpark at about 0730 and would love to see you (before you all whizz past me in a few days time....)

Good old FaceyMcFacebook; it just reminded me about my LIO from 2011 and this time I didn't even consider writing one for this season, so here is my first one copied and pasted from the forum back then.

It will have to suffice as this years letter of intent too.

Not much has changed though I plan to be faster....

As good luck would have it, I fell upon word of this race whilst returning from a kayaking adventure within the Arctic and grasped that this rather long bicycle race is such stuff as dreams are made of, or, whence first hearing of this event should I condemn it as an improbable fiction?

Swift as a shadow, I put away the paddle and took up the challenge of locating a comfortable saddle

Why?  Well it sounded like a good show and it’s fun to pitch in and turn your hand to a new game

Planning to arrive at the Banff Springs Hotel with a lean and hungry look; getting the first week slowly under my belt; rising with the sun each morning, and thinking “what light through yonder window breaks?”

Why rush these first days of June, we have tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow

Progress- In the forests of Montana in the darking hour with little food we say “Up with my tent! Here will I lie tonight— but where to-morrow?”

In my minds eye I see the high passes of Colorado and blow blow thou winter wind and later I see this desert; this desert that lasts for ever and a day and keep in mind there shall be no more cakes and ale until I can count myself a king of infinite space and roll into civilization once again.

Into the final chapter and the game’s afoot, the race is on at last  - but soft, what light through yonder tent window breaks? … it is past time to rise and ride again.

During these 20+ days on the Divide, therein the patient must minister to himself and be not afraid of greatness.  I will be grateful to finish, knowing the course of true Tour Divide riding never does run smooth.

What 's done is done – at the end of the ride  - for you and I are past our racing days, it is time to hang up our shoes and reflect; can we fail? But screw your courage to the sticking place, and we'll not fail.

Rob Colliver (“The Islander”)
with assistance from William Shakespeare.

Jeff went over Red Meadow yesterday and sent me this piccie, he said it was about a mile of soft snow.

I saw that Jeff had turned around at the top of Corbin, having spent some time there.... as he came through Fernie and was heading down Cokato Road I went and stalked him.

Jeff has a buddy with him and they played it safe after Jeff slipped down a bank and landed on his pack whilst looking for a dryish route through. They got soaked anyway. The river is the road for what sounds like the usual mile (as far as he could see anyway) and they didn't want to risk another fall.

Sadly he didn't get any piccies.

His goal was the pizza and taproom up Grave Creek road last night - looks like they made it.

He also dropped a section of map and a spare head torch on the road to Elko ( I found them and will return them to Crazy Larry in Banff - if he will come to the start on Wednesday) as he lives in Canmore.

I hope the levels drop soon; the snow has gone at 6000' at the top of Morrissey ridge at last and that is only a few miles from the route in the Canadian Flathead, so with the sun we're getting, fingers crossed.

Been wandering around the fringes of the flathead again. The snow is at 5900' now, so its receding fast and with the hot weather forecast for the end of the coming week, we could be in luck.

This afternoon we have had hail (hard enough for my legs to turn red with the stinging) now have lightning strikes and heavy rain.

Changeable weather in the mountains - who would have though it?