No way. These "sponsored guys" have been winning for years. They are not normal in the athletic sense but most if not all keep normal jobs. Honestly, almost anyone can get sponsored by a bike company if you write enough letters, make yourself visible (blog, FB, Insta). These folks just happen to also have superhuman lungs and legs. And honestly, I bet some of the back of the packers have some of t he nicest gear money can buy.

I should have posted first.  People saw your name on here and now they won't give up the goods. 
Thanks jerk. 

You have to catch me first fatty.

Just because you are 6'4 and 220 doesn't mean I'm scared of you.

It is because you live in Dallas.

It is way to secret for you. 

We got rained out   The rain this spring has been crazy!  Will be doing the trip in the fall.  I've done all of it before as a bikepacking route other than the inclusion of the LOVIT.  Very fun.

Don't underestimate the difficulty if the ot bikepacking. It has major chunk and will involve a lot of walking next to your bike. Personally I think the route should be adapted to include the new LOVIT trail. I'm going to be doing a lovit/Womble/ot loop in about 7 weeks with that dorky douchebag Keith. Should be good fun. Arkansas is a total gem for bikepacking.

That is a cool bike. 

Yeah, you're right, and I knew that but was shooting from the hip when I saw his post.  I guess in the end, everyone is borrowing the basic tenets of frame bags/seat bags from Jeff at CDW and Eric at Epic (Revelate).  Nothing wrong with that I guess, and Eric is surely making a solid name for himself by partnering with Salsa.  I was just curious if Salsa reached out to Jeremy, or Scott as it were. 

Hey Jeremy, question for you.  I see the new Salsa Anything bag sure looks a whole lot like what you were already offering.  I'm a big Salsa fan and have ridden one of their bikes for a long time, but man, it sure seems like they ripped your design off.  Did you work with them on this?
http://salsacycles.com/culture/new_product_wednesday

Did anyone ever do a race write up on this?  Any more pics to post?

So is June 8th too early for the min route starting in Boise?

Well, I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one.  Hopefully we can get more intel from someone in the know.  I don't see any real reason not to post up a GPX track.  I'd be more than happy to purchase a data book or guide book similar to what the CTF offers.  At some point someone is going to do just what the guy I linked to did.  Just post up what they know.  There is still a way to make money for your company while allowing plenty of intel.  I think Hermosa Tours is an excellent example of this. 

Anyway, whatever I find I'll be sure to post up.  The trail is extremely interesting to me.  It looks fantastic.  The video they created is what got me hooked. 

Hey all,

A buddy and I are looking to ride the Virginia MTB Trail in early June.  There seems to be very little trail data.  I found this online http://www.pedalingnowhere.com/routes/bikepacking-virginia-mountain-bike-trail-part-1/ which is really helpful.  I was told to contact Chris @ Shenandoah Mountain Touring, LLC.  I heard back from him in early October and was told to contact him after the new year.  I've contacted him twice but haven't heard back.  I wasn't sure if they were still around or if everything was ok?  Not trying to bag on him at all, just didn't know if they were still around. 

That being said, I'm reaching out to the community to see if there is any other data out there that I hadn't noticed?  Someone to talk to?

Thanks for any insight.

I find Pearl Izumi's way to narrow and their sizing just too wonky.  I've had great luck with Lake shoes.  That being said, I'm trying out the Five Ten Maltese Falcon LT clipless shoes.  They look silly, but I could care less about that.  I love all my other 5.10 shoes.  They are also coming out with a sweet looking shoe in 15. 

Currently using the Giro Terraduro and thus far I am pretty impressed.  Going on an extended trip in the Ouachita Mountains in a couple of weeks so I will have a more thorough evaluation post trip.

Where you headed dude?  feel free to pm so as not to clutter it up here.

I ended up using the black diamond spot for the ct. It was perfect for my needs.

I don't know...I talked to a buddy who just got back from the whole thing.  He told me the singletrack options were incredibly hard and he is a VERY well respected and strong rider.  If he thinks they are really tough, that would put it over the top for most.  He did say the main loop is fantastic though!

This sounds crazy, but I got a few pairs of shorts at Walmart. They are the Ben Hogan brand golf shorts. I really dig them. Oh, and they cost like $10.

I also have a nice pair of The North Face hiking shorts. Did the CT this summer with them. They did not cost $10 but I'd spend the money on them again.