Anyone know if the Colorado trail is dry from Silverton to Lake City? I know it may be a tad early, but was hoping it could be good to go with the heatwave we've been having. Was thinking about heading up there this weekend... Or Molas for that matter?

No, lots of snow around Flagstaff still. We did the Black Canyon trail instead, which was AWESOME! That was a month ago though so not sure if everything has dried up yet or not?

You could park it at my place in Hermosa. I'll be on the Trail too! -Andrew

My wife and I were planning on riding the Coconino next week during my Spring break. Does anyone know what current conditions are and if there's any snow up high still? Any info would be greatly appreciated!

-Andrew

Hmm... Liking the midnight estimation quite a bit better. Was going to try to be there for the finish.  Not so sure if it's 3:59:59 however! 

Anyone have an estimate on when to expect Jesse at the finish?

Stumbled upon this. Some relief for weary TD riders!

http://www.realclearscience.com/journal_club/2015/04/01/fast_food_works_just_as_well_as_supplements_after_a_workout_109157.html

Lol, Andrew... wanna carpool? Hehe

Done and done! Or we could turn this into a real Bike-"paddling" EPIC and throw our bikes on an inflatable dinghy and make our way south! I mean, you would need one after all to go from island to island right? That's the only truly "pure" way to race this race I would think...

Anything else would be touring...

Oh yeah! This is the dream for sure! With the AZT, CTR, TD, Idaho Hots springs route, and now this, I've got my bike life mapped out for the next four years!

What could go wrong!?

Thoroughly enjoyed this! Love all of Mark's crazy ramblings. That guys a character!

This will happen for me someday... For now, I'm still waiting for my Achilles to heel from my botched TD attempt this year. And it's taking much longer than I had hoped... Was thinking I could do this in March, but I don't think that's very likely at this point... Videos like this are now a hopeful, tortuous lifeline to the possibilities...

Yes, Durango start in 2015!  How about Sunday, 7/26 @ 4am in front of Velorution Cycles just like last year?  

Full moon is 7/31, so there will be more and more light as the race goes on. Based on feedback this year, an earlier start date seems better for a lot of folks, especially the teachers in the bunch.  Plus there is a bit more light. 4am start to 1.) get up and over Indian Trail ridge ASAP, and 2.) allow projected sub-5ish day finishers to resupply in Silverton before 8pm.  There is almost always a 1 week minimal monsoon window at the end of July and early August, but my trackrecord for picking it isn't so great.  There were a couple years we nailed it, but it is really a crap shoot.

Comments, discussion?

YES! I am IN! This will totally work for me! THANK YOU! SO EXCITED!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StTqXEQ2l-Y

http://www.topofusion.com/azt/race.php

4/3/2015

I am already thinking of it and I know others are as well!!

As for CTR, Stefan is a little less likely to announce a date right after the race. He usually waits until January-ish. And since he likes the full moon for night riding, I would guess 8/2/15 as the likely date for 2015 CTR.

Mark,

Are you sure of this date for the AZT? I'm trying to plan out my next season (since this one was a total bust for me, with a failed TD effort and achilles injury. Still can't ride...) I was going to go again for TD 2015, but now I'm thinking of maybe giving the AZT and CTR a go instead, not putting all of my eggs into one basket and sacrificing my end of summer two years in a row. But these races both happen during the school year, so I need to plan it out well ahead of time.

-Andrew

p.s. Would be AWESOME if the CTR could start in July again!

Just sayin...

Regardless of whether he beats JayP's "ITT record" of 15:16:14, he seems destined to be close to beating the "Grand Depart record" of 16:02:46 of Ollie Whalley. The current projection on Trackleaders is for 16:11:35, so it could be a tight finish there.

In terms of records, maybe someone can clear this up for me, as I've been wondering this for awhile.

 The previous records that Jefe is currently chasing: am I incorrect in stating that neither of them had to ride the new Basin to Butte section, which as I understand it, was brutal. Certainly a time suck. Had Jefe not had to ride that section, and just rode the highway as the others did, he would be crushing those records right now. So it seems to me that Jefe is pushing his own record on a new course, as seems to the case for nearly every new annual attempt.

I guess my question is: How is the fact that every year there are more difficult additions added to the route remedied/compared with records established on easier routes from past years?

Thanks to anyone who can clear it up for me!

I hope he does, same with JP. I hope next year!!! Let's add Kurt into the mix too, and Jefe, and Mike and Ollie!

And me! And me!

Hey guys, last day jitters. having some trouble importing the Tour Divide GDMBR basemap.img into my phone. On my computer, I see the .img file in my Gaia folder, but I cannot see the same file in the same folder on my phone, and Gaia doesn't see it either. Has anyone else had some experience with this? Will Gaia not accept IMG files? And are there ways to convert the file if so? Trying to reach out to see if anyone has a solution. Thanks.
Getting stoked!
-Andrew

If you plan to call in, and I hope you do, you can send them to MTBCast or they can download the app and get your calls. I also have a TD page at MTBCast that will also show all TD call in and coverage content by MTBCast.

Sweet app Joe! I can't wait to call in! Some questions though: is there a way to filter for particular racers, or highlight racers that you want to hear from, or get notifications when specific racers have called in?

Also, I was playing around with the Blue Dot app on Trackleaders, but couldn't find a link to actually install it to my phone. Some of the conversations seemed dated. Is this app still in use, and if so, how can I install it? It looks sweet!

There's now way too many reasons to bring my phone, rather than leave it behind!

Thanks, Andrew

Awesome, thanks Tanner!

Banff area griz update: http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/alberta/Grizzly+bear+activity+literally+everywhere+Banff+National/9901155/story.html

Watch yourself in and around the townsite and carry bear spray.

So on this note, is everyone considering rope for stringing bear bags a necessary item, or does everyone play the odds on this one and not bother about bear bags?

 p.s. If I'm out in a week and you're proven correct, I'll save you the effort and repost your original post myself, and just replace my name with Gene's...  

Damn  it Matthew! This is not what I needed to hear right now! But don't worry, I know how to fix it... My wife tells me I'm negative all the time, so I've had a lot of practice with this. I know you're prob really busy right now, so I've taken the liberty of rewriting this for you myself with a positive spin...

Gene experienced a knee problem, which should serve as a last min reminder to all that no matter how dialed your kit is (lots of emphasis on kit with all the new tech & fabbers out there), if you're not perfectly fitted to your pony, with hundreds, if not thousands, of training miles in the saddle, you can have game-ending engine trouble.

but...

I'm an avid follower of Andrew's blog, and I saw that he was having knee troubles too due to his stupidity of not having a bike fit and overtraining.   However, I think he was able to catch it early enough, and with proper rest and recuperation, a proper bike fit, and a tenacious attitude, he'll prob be able to recover and salvage his race at this point. KT tape and Vitamin I is a miracle worker as well. It's a gamble, but I think he can do it.

Go Andrew! We believe in you!
-Matthew


...Thanks Matthew! Now I feel better!