Nathan,
Here's the same question I posted on the TransAm Bike Race Facebook page for those racers who aren't following the Facebook entries:

The map study continues. It looks like there's only one other likely alternate besides the Netarts Highway alternate we discussed after you posted the RideWithGPS route: The Mississippi Levee Alternate depicted in Section 9's Maps 113 and 114.

Your RideWithGPS file follows the main route between Chester and Murphysboro, IL. That 28.5 mile section includes hill country while the Mississippi Levee Alternate is 1/2 mile shorter and much flatter. The way I'm interpreting the posts from you and Ed Pickup, it appears both are fair game, much like the Chaco and El Malpais alternates in NM's section of the Tour Divide Bicycle Race. Is the Mississippi Levee Alternate in play this year? I'd prefer not to be relegated on the inaugural running of TransAm. Just say yea or nay on Mississippi Levee Alternate and I'll abide.

Greetings All.
    The weather has turned here in coastal Virginia.  The dogwoods and cherry trees bloomed this week, motivating me to do some serious map studies of the TA2014 route.  I'm flying into Portland, so I was researching bike routes from Portland to Astoria.  I came across this website with several route choices laid out, depending on personal goals for the ride:

http://www.portlandhostel.org/2010/03/01/to-and-from-the-oregon-coast-by-bicycle/

I'm thinking the route from Hillsboro MAX station to Astoria detailed at this website is the one for me:

http://www.portlandoregon.gov/transportation/article/301633

I'll take advantage of the Portland Airport bike-friendly locale to build up my bike.  For those of you familiar with Portland, should I plan on cycling to Hillsboro, or should I take advantage of the MAX Red and Blue lines?  I'm thinking after several hours on planes, I'll be wanting to pedal in a big way.  Thoughts?

Josh,
    I'm a neighbor of yours a bit further east in Chesapeake, VA.  I can't speak of the Cannondale Flash with Niner's rigid fork, but I've been using Niner carbon forks for the past two years on my Spot Rocker (1 1/8 steerer) and Spot Honeybadger (1 1/8 - 1 1/2 taper).  My bikes have 69/73 head tube/seat tube geometry compared to the Flash's 71/73.  I'm not sure how that translates to ride, but I do know that the TDR-12 and TDR-13 washboards and rock descents posed no problems at all for either of my Niner forks.  I just slacked my grip and let 'em ride.  With all the climbing, I would have hated FS forks and I pitied those who used them.

    I think Spot got tired of losing market share to Niner.  Apparently, there are lots of folks like me out there using Niner forks on those Spot SS setups because Spot branched out and started marketing their own rigid carbon forks for both MTB and CX last model year.  What I like about the fully-rigid SS setup is the total transfer of everything you've got going straight to the ground.  My bike is super-smooth and the rigid front end has a lot to do with the feeling.  You'll be very happy with the increase in efficiency moving from full-suspension to rigid SS if you're spending more time on the trail surface than you are landing big air.

I've used a Revelate Viscacha for the past three years, but I was always wishing for just a bit more capacity.  I think the placement at the seatpost is ideal, so I've wanted to get gear off the handlebars and back there at the bike's natural center.  Revelate solved my dilemma in a big way this year by introducing the Terrapin.  I've had mine for a couple months now and couldn't be happier.  The Terrapin is merely a harness to securely hold a dry bag.  I've got all my tools/first aid gear in a 1060 Pelican case strapped below the Terrapin using the Terrapin's four nylon cargo loops.  Inside the Terrapin, I'm using a 17l Sea to Summit E-Vent dry bag.  I also stow my inflatable ground pad in the Terrapin, under the drybag.  The Terrapin's top cinch strap and two side straps lock everything in tight.  It's a faster stow than my earlier Viscacha, plus it has a larger cargo capacity.

Hello All,
    For TD-13, I had my smartphone prepped with the .gpx route, but I used the ACA maps and my old-school cycle computer's odometer for primary navigation.  I prefer to use the mileage cues and do mental math as I ride.  Battery usage is just one aspect of the GPS units, whether stand-alone or smartphone.  A couple other vulnerabilities to consider:  I crashed hard, real hard, on a rocky descent near Sand Mountain, about 30 miles north of Steamboat Springs.  My body position got too high/forward in one stretch of rocks and I went over the handlebars at speed.  My phone was on a secure mount, but that ended up being the first point of contact with the rocks, crushing the phone at the top of my aero bars and rotating the entire handlebar assembly down about 60 degrees.  My turn-by-turn map cues became the only navigation for the remaining 1,500-ish miles to Antelope Wells.  It wasn't really a problem.  The only time I was a bit concerned was my first morning in New Mexico, making my way up towards Brazos Ridge.  The "road" gets pretty primitive and I was concerned that what I was experiencing wasn't matching my mental picture from the map cues.  I just kept climbing and was rewarded with the huge vista Brazos Ridge offers.  Plus, I caught up with a couple guys who were navigating by GPS, so all confidence was fully restored.
   
    Another planning consideration:  Last year, we had two major fire re-routes.  That's no problem with the odometer and cues, but it could be a problem if your navigation plan is to simply follow your pre-planned .gpx route.  Recall 2011 had a banner snowfall, so there were major re-routes in the early snowbound areas of the race.

Bottom Line:  The GPS units work and the ACA maps/route mileage are accurate.  If there are real-time detours, you're going to get alternate routes and distances to factor into your navigation plan.  Be sure you can adjust accordingly, whether doing map/compass dead-reckoning via cue sheets, or .gpx GPS navigation.

Greetings All,
    I've got my maps and I'm in the process of building a GPX route for each of the 12 map sheets.  I've got Garmin Base Map, Ride With GPS (RWGPS), and Map My Ride (MMR).  I like building routes with both RWGPS and MMR.  Any suggestions/recommendations on using one over the other?  I plan on using my Garmin ETREX 30 for primary navigation.  I'm using the basic, free version of both RWGPS and MMR, so I don't have them set up for turn-by-turn navigation using the smart phone.  So far, I've used MMR to build the first two routes to Coburg and Baker City Oregon.  Looks like some awesome territory.

    Once the weather turns, I'm going to take a long weekend and ride Map 12 from Christiansburg to Yorktown to familiarize myself with the home stretch and confirm the Etrex and gpx file will provide the navigation capability I'm expecting.  I think with my stomach when I ride, so I might even experiment with waypoints for specific restaurants along the routes to use as incentives along the way.  The new Google Maps search function is a great way to zero in on their exact locations.

Nathan,
    When I signed up a few weeks ago, I received a tweet with lots of info, but I lost access to the tweet after the first viewing and didn't have a chance to review the information.  I tried to access the tweet with both my telephone number and my e-mail address, but your message doesn't appear in my Twitter account.  Can you resend the info that was on that tweet, maybe to my e-mail account this time?

Nathan,
    Thanks so much for the reply.  Your response addressing both my gearing and tire selection uncertainty is much appreciated.  I hadn't considered the prospects of relentless headwinds while envisioning a single speed Trans Am run.  Now that you mention it, the inability to downshift and spin at a higher cadence would be a recipe for some very sore knees and low morale on my part.  A couple decades ago, maybe not such a factor, but these days I really feel the effects of pushing the legs hard.  Thanks again for sharing your opinions.

Greetings, all.
    I was planning on a repeat Tour Divide this summer.  I finished last year's effort, but I crashed hard just north of Steamboat Lake, about 25 miles north of Steamboat Springs, CO.  After nursing my wounds overnight in Steamboat Springs, I didn't feel any worse than the day prior, so on I went.  But from that point on, I was only good for about 100 miles a day.  If I tried to go beyond that, my right arm was getting pretty sore.  It turned out I fractured my Radius, chipping off a little wedge right at the elbow.  I definitely want to get back out there now that I've rehab'd my arm.  I was even contemplating running the route single speed after encountering Cjell, Ron, Prentice, and Scott Thigpen, among others throughout last year's ride.  However, my Tour Divide thoughts were totally derailed when my good friend and fellow bikepacker Ed sent me the Trans Am Bike Race link.  Like so many other respondents, the thought of getting in on the inaugural event is very appealing.  I think it's my must-do event this year.

    That said, let's talk equipment.  My road bike didn't survive a road-sharing encounter with a VW Beetle three years ago.  I've since invested my time, effort, and resources on my belt-drive Spot Honey Badger 29er.  It's a bomb-proof commuting machine right now with rigid fork, Rohloff hub, and Schwalbe Big Apple 2.3 slicks.  It's very, very comfortable and I'm confident I can put in 200-mile days on the pavement, but I'm not sure how to fine-tune my wheels for long-distance pavement.  I live in eastern Virginia and have to find bridge spans just to get some vertical terrain.  Because of my very flat route from home to work, I will often swap the Rohloff wheel for a single speed setup.  The straight gearing is so very efficient and there's about a 2 lb difference in the bike's rear end.

    I love the way the Big Apple tire volume soaks up the seams, cracks, and other surface imperfections I encounter in my 38 mile round trip commute, but I wonder if I should down-size to a more representative road-touring tire for Trans Am.  I also wonder if I should leave my heavy Rohloff wheel at home and use my 50:20 single speed setup.  When considering a 4,000+ mile endeavor, it's a question of payoff.  Is the comfort of the high-volume tire set worth 3x the weight penalty imposed over a reinforced touring tire weighing 1/3 as much?  Is the range (low gear climbing, high gear straightaways) of the Rohloff wheel worth the weight penalty imposed over a single speed wheel with only one gear ratio?  My own limited wisdom has me thinking the Rohloff wheel will be more of an asset than a liability since all the weight is at the axle with minimal inertia and the nature of the route will have me using the more efficient upper gear range vice the low range where the less-efficient gears kick in.  So that leaves the question of tires.

    Any recommendations from those of you with Trans Am route experience?

mmeiser,
    I'm also from SE Michigan, but I joined the Navy right out of high school which has kept me in Coastal Virginia or overseas ever since.  It's very flat around here, but strong winds and mud/sand aren't bad for simulating climbing and slogging through the snow found in the higher altitudes.  I consider myself very fortunate that a mere 5 hour interstate drive takes me to the eastern part of the AML400 route.

Mike and Keeb,
    I saved up and invested in a Rohloff/Stan's Flow wheel build from Cycle Monkey in mid-March.  I'm completely hooked!  Mike, you're absolutely right about the rear weight increase, but I don't have the riding skills to be a finesse/technical rider, so the weight isn't impeding my "Suck it up and pedal" style.  I'm so satisfied with the Spot Rocker/Gates/Rohloff setup for my personal style and riding goals, I temporarily parted with the frame last week.  I took a day trip to Philadelphia and dropped it off at Bilenky Cycles for a pair of S&S couplers and a powdercoat paint job.  We switched to powdercoat finishes for a lot of our Navy equipment/vehicle components a couple years ago for its durability, so it made a lot of sense for me to go with a powdercoat finish to protect the steel frame from adventure/abuse.  Since I plan on traveling quite a bit with this bike, I can easily justify the added weight, and investment.

    I'm keeping my fingers crossed that there will be no issues with the estimated delivery of late May/1st week of June.  That's cutting it very close to my 11 June departure for Banff.  I'm still commuting and adding extra miles using my backup hybrid, but I can't even mount cyclocross tires on its rear end.  So much for increasing my technical skills before TD'13.

    Best of luck to everyone.  I look forward to seeing you in future TD and AML400 outings.

14 April, 2013
Esteemed TD Community of Practice,
   This note serves as this year's letter of intent.  Last year marked my first lineup with you all in Banff for the Grand Depart.  Sadly, I made very poor time in the early days of the Canada/Montana snow traverses, eating up too much of my leave time.  I made the difficult decision to come off-route on the way into Kremmling, CO.  I used the low-country roads to make a beeline for the border at El Paso/Juarez.
   Fast-forward a year and I'm a much wiser man, at least when it comes to TD preparations.  I've joined the 29er crowd, and I've traded my derailleurs for an internal gear hub.  Having screwed up my front derailleur on last year's TD'12 and then again during last October's Allegheny Mountains Loop 400, I didn't have a very good track record of adventure biking and derailleurs.  Last November during Veteran's Day Weekend, I repeated the AML400, and I had similar misfortune.  This time, it was my rear derailleur which proved to be vulnerable to my trailblazing antics.
   I've systematically replaced last year's shortfalls with 29" wheels and a Spot Brands Rocker SS outfitted with a Rohloff IGH.  TD'13 is my "No Excuses" Tour.  I'll be riding to call awareness to Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), a.k.a. Lou Gehrig’s Disease, using word of mouth and this year's website:  http://longhaulgreg.wordpress.com/

    After reading your post, I measured my bag height at the seat post, and the minimum clearance between my bag and the rear tire.  My seat post measures 8.5 inches from top of the frame's seat tube to the seat rails.  There's another 2 inches from the top of the seat tube to the frame's top tube.  For the bag itself, it measures 7 inches tall, both at the seat post and the rest of its length.  It sits 1.0 inch below the seat rails because of the flare of the seat tube as it forms the clamp at the rails.  That put the overall length of the bag at 8.0 inches below the seat rails.  As you noted, 5 inches comes into play for the bag at the seat post.  Those five inches represent the length of seat tube you need to mount the velcro straps (2" straps 1" apart = 5 inches needed on the seat tube).  Keep in mind, the bag slants upwards from the seat tube, especially when the side straps are tightened.  As a result, my bag isn't anywhere near the rear tire.  There's a good 4 inches of clearance at the bag's closest point to the tire.

I went hog-wild with the full Revelate treatment up front last year.  I ended up abandoning the MT Feedbag well before TD'12 because it was retaining too much water in rainy conditions.  I ended up making my own pair out of DWR cloth sides and a plastic mesh bottom using a Nalgene bottle carrier as a rough template.  I kept the backside fully open with a triangle wrap using about 1 1/2" of velcro overlap.  Made one for each side.  They fared well throughout TD'12.  Rain/mud just drained right off.

  I paid dearly on the snow-traverses, though.  My front end, while handling well in dry conditions, augered into the snow, even hard-pack because of the weight concentrated over the front wheel.  This year, I'm scrapping the front yoke/drybag/Revelate pouch, and both home-grown feedbags.  I also went with a much smaller tri-extension setup than last year's full-bend Profile designs Air-Stryke aerobar.  I've got my rain gear in a 10l dry bag strapped over the forearm pads for increased padding, and then the electronics (GPS, computer, light).  That's it on the bars, plus a Fuel Tank at the stem.  Everything else is going back aft in the seat bag.

Ken,
    I purchased a Revelate Viscacha seat bag about a year ago for TD'12.  As soon as I got it, I started using it to carry my lunch and other kit on my daily commute to work.  It's 18 miles door-to-door, so I'd say last year's seat bag has easily logged over 8,000 miles since I've had it.  That bag has a very well-thought design feature in that there is a very pronounced taper from its full girth back aft to a very narrow width at the seat post.  I honestly don't even know its sitting just below inner-thigh level.  No contact with the seat bag and no telltale abrasions on any of my bike shorts.
    I highly recommend this particular bag.  I've been using a 15l syl-nylon drybag from Sea-to-Summit with the Revelate outer bag.  The S-t-S bag can be jam-packed and it's the right size/shape to simply slide right into the Revelate bag.

Best of luck. 

VMJIM,
    I encountered what I assume was the same bird on my endeavor.  I remember a long, sweeping uphill section with a right-hand curve.  I actually posted it to a blog I had active during the 2012 TDR:

 "I was on one of the steep climbs that lead invariably to a snowbound pass.  In this case, I was just chugging along up the steeps.  Suddenly, a goofy bird about the size of a typical barnyard chicken comes out of the weeds on the side of the road and takes station right next to me, matching my speed perfectly.  I think it was a partridge, maybe a grouse.  If I slowed down, it slowed down.  Speed up?  It did too.  This went on for about 75 yards before the bird peeled off.  The only thing I could come up with for its behavior was maybe it was fending me away from a nest in the immediate vicinity.  My biggest concern was having the thing strike at one of my wheels, stopping me cold.  Never happened."

    I'm glad to see someone captured that energetic bird on film for the archives.

The previous breakage rule was truly unfortunate for some.  I think the new rule is both sensible and fair without further defining what constitutes an unrideable mechanical.  I agree with others who interpret unrideable as a subjective call, based on the rider's experience, ability to self-repair, and ability to tolerate pain/discomfort.  In the end, it's a decision the individual must make at the time based on her/his racing abilities, philosophy and strategy.  If the rider suffers a mechanical, a decision to either proceed or repair will ensue.  If she/he decides it is unrideable, the rider is going to be taking on a time penalty from that point in time and space until the bike is restored to rideable condition and the ride is resumed at the breakdown point.  That agonizing choice to stop/repair or continue with the breakage is available to all, so it seems pretty fair to me.

I can attest to the pretty healthy parts selection at the Pinedale hardware store. I lost a mounting bolt on the rear disc brake somewhere before Warm Springs. I relocated one of the front bolts to the rear and wire braided the front to the fork mount.  The hardware store had a wide selection of consumables (brake pads, tubes, etc). Didn't have disc brake mounting parts, but the guy working the bike section helped me find the right bolt (length, thread) to do the job. Also had plenty of thread lock choices. Guess what I always use on all my fasteners now?

I found a great deal on a full XTR group (2011 Trail) about 500 riding miles before departing for last year's Tour Divide.  The right pedal started making some worrisome noises in Northern Colorado, but made it down to my Mexico crossing at El Paso/Juarez.  I was running out of leave time as I approached Kremmling CO, so I left the GDMBR and did a bee-line through Southern Colorado, Santa Fe, and on to the border.  No Tour Divide completion for me last year, but at least I made it from Canada to Mexico.  After I got home, I took a close look at the right pedal.  The seal was gone, and the race was two bearings short of a full-count.  I had a couple sets of XT pedals onhand, so I replaced the right pedal and kept using the left XTR until it started showing wear problems last August.  I've done similar swaps from XTR to XT on the drive train.  I've heard many seasoned riders who prefer XT over XTR for many components from a durability perspective.  For me, I'm totally sold on XTs for endurance riding.  They're rugged yet compact/light, comfortable over long distances/pedal times, and are easy to clear of mud/snow.  I've got 14 June circled on my calendar and I'll be sporting XT pedals with high confidence.

This thread has great info on the ultralight ground pads.  That's another lesson I learned through the course of the last year.  I had new Klymit pad for TD 2012.  It started losing air somewhere in Montana.  I couldn't find the leak until I had a hotel room in Butte.  I submerged the pad, found the leak, and patched it up.  A few days later, the patch began to leak.  I made it to Mexico by either sleeping through the night, or rolling to my side and blowing some air into the valve.

    After the Tour, I shifted to a NeoAir XLite.  A buddy of mine didn't like his because of the noise factor.  That hasn't been an issue for me.  I'm usually so exhausted, I'm out as soon as I close my eyes and won't wake unless I experience extreme discomfort.  So far, no discomfort with the NeoAir.

Veetack and All,
    I think the shelter/sleep system is the most difficult kit to fine tune in your adventure biking loadout.  It's also the most important system to get right.  I'd love to just have a reliable bivvy sack I could slide into each night.  A very small cover over the head opening to keep the driving rain/snow out would make the setup watertight.  But, realistically, that would never work for me because I sleep too hot.  I've found I sweat out even the most breathable bivvys, and it is only compounded in wet, cold climates because of the temperature differential between my hot interior and the cold exterior.  Dew/frost forms on the inside surface and everything in the bag ends up moist.  Even in last year's first couple nights when it dipped below freezing, I was settling into the sleeping bag with an elevated body temp from the day's pedaling.  People who naturally sleep colder may not have the same issue, but I need to have very good ventilation or I will have perpetually damp night clothes and sleeping bag because I can't take the time to let them air out and dry up in the mornings before rolling out on the day's journey.  I set my tarp up so there's a few inches open at the bottom.  That kept the condensation from forming.  If it was a dead calm night, the condensation would form, but gravity pulled it down to the tarp's edge which extended beyond my footprint, so it would just drip to the ground.

    Last year's TD 2012 was my first foray into adventure cycling.  I used a tarp with a tailor-made insect enclosure from ZPacks.  It's Cuben material is super-light, but it has a bit of volume when you pack it down.  Since the more compact bivvy doesn't work for me, the tarp's volume is something I'll gladly accommodate in my loadout.  The tarp was awesome (for me) during Tour Divide.  In Canada/Montana, it kept me bone-dry even though the first three days of the route were constant rain/snow.  It uses a single 4' pole and guy lines.  Coming out of Canada, I had to break out my sleep shirt (down top) for the very cold descent of Galton Pass enroute to the Roosville border crossing. Stupid me, I removed the broken down tent pole from the handlebar yoke/shelter stuff sack and failed to put the pole back under the cinch straps when I closed everything up.  It ended up not being a problem.  I just scavenged a suitable branch each night in the Northern sections and just used the handlebar of my bike lying next to me in the sections with no trees.

    Reasons I'm sticking with the tarp; (1) it kept me comfortable in hot, cold, wet, and dry conditions, (2) the insect net/Cuben bathtub footprint kept bugs and ground water off of me and my kit, (3) the tarp's modular approach offers many options.  I could lay out the tarp in a total downpour, then stick the dry sack of fresh clothes under the tarp while I set it up.  Then I simply ducked under the tarp to change out of the wet layers and into the dry layers.  If it was still raining the following morning, I'd just reverse the process, keeping my sleep system and clothes dry.  In the arid Southern section, I'd simply forego the tarp and just use the insect net with its Cuben footprint.

    I used a 40 degree down bag, using thick wool socks, layered compression tights with my thermal bike pants, and a micro-puff polartec synthetic down top for the coldest nights.  I was never cold.  I rode the Allegheny Mountain Loop 400 back in October and then again in November during Veteran's Day long weekend.  In October, I used the same tarp/sleeping bag/polartec top.  I ditched the sleeping bag and went with down pants for the November ride.  My rationale:  I've broke out the down top for cold descents on multiple occasions.  At times, my legs would get cold, even with their inherent fleece and windblock materials.  The bag serves no purpose on the bike, but the down pants do.  There are some very, very long descents along the GDMBT.  This year, I plan on taking the down pants and replacing the synthetic fill top with  a new 850 fill goose down top with water repellent treatment, but no sleeping bag.  Since the down top/bottoms serve a dual purpose, and the sleeping bag doesn't, the bag stays home.

    Another lesson learned pertains to the front end of the bike.  Mine was way too heavy last year with my sleep system plus two large Nalgene sized beverage holders.  All that weight at the handlebars served to sink the front end during all of the snow crossings.  Even when there was a hard-packed path, my wheel wanted to break through.  It was very awkward and energy sapping to practically "carry" the front end across all the snow fields.  This year, my sleep system is joining my spare clothes in the seat bag.  The only cargo I'm carrying up front is my rain top and bottoms in a stuff sack laid on top of the aerobar pads, and my map case strapped below the aerobars.  Having the rain gear on the bar pads keeps it readily available, plus it adds supplemental padding.  The forearms get pretty sore on the long stretches like the Great Basin crossing and all the wash board bumps.

    Best of luck to you all.  I hope to see you in Banff on June 14.