What time are they actually setting off?  I thought it was 7am but nothing seems to be happening on leaderboard.  Thanks

Looks like the race is on!  Definitely some sort of 7am-ish scattered start, based on the way everyone is so spreadout so quickly, and that Aidan is 15 miles up the trail at 10mph.  Maybe 2min or 5min intervals to alleviate the "group ride" start to stay within CA park rules or something.  Nobo's same thing - already a good 10 to 15 miles up the road, so guessing it was a 7am-ish start down there too.

And 3 more riders switched to ITT status starting today instead of GD status.  Interesting.  This will only get better with each passing day.  I'm looking for some veterans to crush this thing, and for some seriously fast rookie and female times to be set.

Tomorrow morning should be fun to watch the mass blue dot attack on the TD.  One final requirement for this year: in honor of Dave B. - all those riders relying on GPS are required to find one GeoCache in each map section, during the race. 

Thanks for starting the new thread ... same thought had been on my mind for a few days now.  Not sure how productive I'll be for the firm at the office over the next few weeks, but certainly less so than usual.

I'm secretly hoping for a push past the cabin by the rabbit with the yellow spot dot, to take advantage of relatively clear skies.  But who knows what this rider is feeling, experiencing, and just what he's riding (walking) through.  Hopefully it's all sunshine, roses, and bliss.

Dang, ....., if they came expecting a bike race ....

IMHO, it's an adventure and/or an adventure race first and foremost.  It just so happens that the predominant mode of travel is by bike.  Anyone expecting a bike race has the wrong frame of mind from the get go.

One year rained nearly every day, next year forest fire, another year a hell of a lot of snow, then perhaps a drought year, or not enough snow (water runoff), then there's logistics, bike mechanicals, cars and potential head-on collisions at blind corners, people shootin' guns in the woods as we ride by, thunderstorms, lightning, navigation, headwind, tailwind, dogs, bears, wildlife, saddle sores, swelling feet, numb hands, blistered lips, blistered palms, blistered everything, fallen trees, mud slides, darkness, sleep monsters, trail angels, call-ins, race rules, spot tracking, serendipity, stupidity, revelation, getting in touch with your heart of hearts, and the list goes on.

You git whatch-you git an' you don' throw a fit.

hmm, my image posting skills have failed me. Here's the link:

http://billingsgazette.com/lifestyles/recreation/gazoutdoors/article_dad5fe3d-9c69-55b0-a268-615d0a79e518.html

The Italian youtube videos are even cheesier than the device...especially where former cycling great Claudio Ciapucci is peddling (and pedaling) the contraption.  What a gas.

... perhaps have some sort of leash to attach the bottles to the holder. ...

I used similar triathlon-style dual cage behind the saddle last year on the TD, and ended up using 2 mini-bungies procured in Banff to strap them down.  Mine was mounted to the saddle rails and above the seat bag, using carbon cages by Bontrager (which ended up cracking and being held together with Gorilla tape even before the start).  Had only one ejection (in the Flathead), which was enough to get me to refine the bungies in a cross-over = worry-free the rest of the way.  Neat to see another version of it this year.

Totally down with the sickness.  Seems best viewed at a workstation as a webpage, there's so much data that the iphone 3G can't keep up and regen time is loooong.

Looking forward to seeing the performance under full TD conditions.  Another fantastic way to follow the action this year.

She just nodded her head in agreement!

Behind, or next to, every married or partnered TD Adventurer is a spouse/partner that is 1,000x more awesome.

... people who should be training - or packing in my case;-)

By packing, according to Kurt's news link above, you mean "packin' a .22" - right?

.... let 2011 be the year of the reroute!

Well that may turn out to be the case, but I say:
Let 2011 be the year that one (or more) on the TD Start List stick to the GDMBR proper from Start to Fin, and nail it under 20 days .... a true adventure race.

My gut feelin' is that there's more than one race entrant currently at home making gear/time/planning/mental adjustment(s) in order to give it a go "sans alternate" while sticking to the "common" start date.  I will be following the race from my home/office to see who, and how many, will pull it off.

Yeah, I thought they were widely available, but was surprised to see tons of "unavailable item" web pages when I just did a search.  Weird.  Last year, ordered online through performancebike.com but they don't list them anymore, then this 1st pair was stolen, so a 2nd pair came through the local bike shop (more expensive).  I personally think the C3 aero bar is the bomb and they treated me well start to finish on the TD last year.  Seeing that they're harder to find, I'm going to guard mine a bit more closely.

Here's one website that might bear fruit: https://www.3-athlon.com/product.php?productid=1248

Good luck.

Brunch -  Nicely done!  Thanks to you and everyone who helped put Vol 2 together.  Way to up the ante, both in terms of quality and cause.  See you on the 21st.

Add one more to list of "did not take spray".  I only rode with whistle around my neck.  No bell either.  Riding near other riders with bells proved to me that bells are not loud enough at bike speeds.  Blew my whistle while riding only once - in the dense singletrack area in the stretch between  and Holland Lake.

Spooked 2 small brown/black bears in CAN, but no Grizz sightings.  Sharing stories with a few other racers both during and after indicated that Grizz were active in the Union Pass, WY area, although all was quiet during my morning ride through there.

Personally speaking, the threat from cows, cars/trucks, and rabid dogs (in that order), were much more real than threat from bear.

I am looking for a good TD pillow, probably air. I am a side sleeper and I need to raise my head. I have tried stuffing clothes etc. in a bag, and I tried my down jacket. Any suggestions?

Your arm?

The TD Veterans should weigh in too.  I can only imagine that riding Gold Dust after 1k miles into TD would be a welcome change. 

With what I know now (which still isn't very much), having the TD follow Gold Dust would be sublime, and a definite upgrade over current course/route.  Add it, for sure, I say.  Then the contrast between the descent off Boreas and the wide open plains of South Park and beyond will be even greater.

And whatever rocks or hike-a-bike segments there might be, it can't be any harder (more fun?) than the FSR connector up in BC.

What's more, the course/route upgrade in NM to follow the CT and secondary roads definitely gets my 2-thumbs-up-with-wide-grin.  The road ride into Silver City is remembered (not affectionately) by me as "hot asphalt and diesel fumes".

Good memories for sure.  Looks the same in the winter.  Feels as windy as it was going across that narrow valley.

Well, Lobeck did finish 3+ days faster than me, so that's a strong case in itself for XTR.  He did have mech issues outside of Lima, MT, I believe, so you might wanna listen back through his racer call-ins or his past posts on this site to see what the issue was (I don't recall at the moment).  While Lobeck and others dealt with mud between Wise River and Lima and beyond, I was in the group that dealt with it between Seeley Lake and Wise River.  Definitely muddy, and some walking, but mostly kept it rolling.  2009 seemed to have more rain/mud than 2010, so yes each year will have a different experience and different levels of intensity that your components will be tested with.  I think there's something to be said for riding style as well, and not forcing or hammering when jammed up.  From years of racing, I've learned to "shift lightly", and especially in multi-day racing one can afford to spend an extra second to shift smooth / ease up while shifting.

Agree with your BLUF, fo' sho'.  It's more about what's in a rider's head, than what's on the rider's bike.

RoboFury -

What's the cost delta between the XT and XTR groupos you are considering?  Is it worth the extra $$ to potentially trash the cassette and maybe more by the time you get to Salida?  FWIW, I say XT, from a big-picture holistic viewpoint: the bike needs to get me down the road day after day for 20 days straight, give or take a few days.  Also, FWIW, I rode a 2010 Fisher X-Cal during last summer's TD.  Nothing fancy.  It went the hole way without any cassette/cog/shifter replacements - just a tune up in Steamboat.

Voted for 8/1.  I might be able to make it out from the Pacific NW, if it's an 8/1 start.  And maybe that's enough rest time that they'll be another rider or two giving the TDR/CTR "double" a shot.