A big thanks to Scott Morris for doing what he does every year for us.
EVERYONE, don’t forget where the “Donate” button is so that he can continue taking care of all of us on this end of the race.
Peter Kraft Sr.

I noticed that Bernhard Oser is the first rider not to use the alternate re-route for the fires.
Do riders still have to follow the re-route or is it no longer required for subsequent riders?

Anyone know the answer to this?  Is it now an optional reroute or did he just not get the message?

Hey Scott

On the Trackleaders there are various points on the map that have "Bullets" that make them stand out. I am not sure what determines these points, but I was thinking that Brush Mountain (Kirsten is part of TD lore) maybe should be recognized with their own bullet.  Just a thought as it is one of, if not the most, anticipated stop for those competing.

Thanks PK. I know I'm sounding like one of those parents I wouldn't be concerned other than his last text and then 12 hrs of no movement or response. He's up on the road stopped so its probably just a mechanical issue at this point. I think its a less worry some to be on an adventure than to watch someone on an adventure Your no contact policy probably makes it easier on everyone!

Your right! It is hard being on this side of the equation, especially when it's your kid. I can only imagine how gut wrenching it would be to get the text and then nothing.  Brutal.  Lot of people have been thru there, he'll be alright.

Looks like he may have had someone pick him up and give him a ride!

If it helps ease your mind any, my son(PK) went by there at 10AM this morning.  Although I have no contact with him I can assure you he would make sure he was okay if your son was in trouble.

Food for thought - we have a "no contact" agreement, just makes it easier for them, especially when the mental psyche starts to get fragile around week two.  

[not]

Wow, I really stirred something up with the word "team".  You can all have your argument about teams in the TD.  I don't disagree with much of what's being said, but I don't think this is the place for the discussion.

Regardless, it's not fair to have this discussion on the backs of the names of Peter Kraft Jr & Sr, and for any part I played in that, I apologize to them both.  I didn't mean to imply anything about the Peters breaking the rules.  Not at all.

I've seen people drafting each other on course, for example.  That is not at all what I meant by a "father/son team".  Rather, a father and son entered and finished in the same year.  To the best of my knowledge, they were the first pair to do so.  The defining characteristic of their ride, at least as a human story, was the hardships they repeatedly encountered including, IIRC, hospitalization in the absolute tail end of things in New Mexico.  If you're curious about it, find a copy of the 2013 Cordillera, or search the race thread for that year.  It is a compelling story about human endurance and hardship, things we're all obviously drawn to.

Now back to the race!

Matthew,

Good to hear from you old friend.  No apologies needed at all! We followed the rules by the book. For what it is worth, not that anyone really cares about what happened to the Kraft's in 2013, you are correct in stating that we entered the race together and finished the race at the end together. Other than that we were completely self-supported.  There was never a moment of drafting, nothing shared, and no help given to one another. Peter actually had a four hour off route excursion for food because of a calculation error on his part after Platoro. I had plenty of food but of course could not share - hell, he rode all the way to Chama NM and back into Colorado with a huge elevation loss that he had to absorb but we always stayed with-in the rules. I typically rode with Peter for the first 30 minutes of the day and then he would drop me and be gone. 16 or so hours later I would eventually catch up to where he stopped.  We rode alone all day every day.  Hope I didn't bore you all with that but I just wanted to be clear that the rules were maintained at all times. That was important to us.  Enough said, this year is seriously exciting and I am having a blast watching my son do this again.  For all of the family members and loved ones that are blue dot watchers, I now understand the stress that we put you through.  This is hard watching!!!!

Does  anyone know of an app or software program that will give the cumulative elevation gain as they move through the route?

This will be close, but will not have the new section from Elkford to Fernie to where it goes back into the original route.  The rest of it should be accurate.  Move the "B" dot from New Mexico to the location of your rider and the cumulative should be in the Profile/Stats section.   https://td-2015.eatsleepridegreatdivide.com/

Thank you!  I thought that was out there somewhere!

Does  anyone know of an app or software program that will give the cumulative elevation gain as they move through the route?

Or maybe they did not and  trackleaders route is incorrect?

I may have missed  this earlier, but did the girls miss the turnoff (on the reroute in Canada) from wigwam onto lodgepole?
Looks they went straight into Roosville missing Cabin and Galton passes.

LR,
Looks to be my error.  I went in 2013 and was comparing it to that route. In 2013 the route stayed on 26 a little longer and turned off on Union pass road.  The newer version appears to turn off earlier on Warm Springs Creek road and the two routes(new & old) come together at the top where the newer route comes into Union pass Road.
Sorry for the confusion, but what did you expect, I am from Florida. 

LR,

I thought they bypassed Union Pass? Or am I missing something?

Chris or anyone in the know,
Is there a mechanism  to donate directly to Linnaea's college fund? Please advise.
Peter Kraft Sr.

Gentlemen and Ladies
I just wanted to wish you all good luck in this years Tour Divide. I am green with envy as you all get ready to experience one of life's greatest gifts. It is beautiful and It is brutal- it is the Tour Divide.
Enjoy it, soak it all in.
You can do this!!!!
And remember- Live life, every minute, everyday!
Dave would want it that way.

Peter Kraft Sr. - TD 2013

I know of two(maybe three)  21 year olds that completed it last year

The spreadsheet is an 'informal' LOI to the proper e-mail submission. Encouraged by a somewhat lazy Cordillera editor who got tired of trying to track down racers to make contributions :-)

Chris
I've been meaning to take the time to say thank you for doing such a great job on the Cordillera V5 it is fantastic.  Thanks so much for all of your hard work,  time and effort you put into improving an already great book. The book allowed me to relive many of the emotions I experienced while out on the divide. For those of you that are racing this year there is a lot of great information in it for you and besides that, it will certainly motivate you. For those of you who competed this past year - whether you finished or partially completed it, you really owe it to yourself to buy the book.  I don't mean to "sell" but it's something you should have.  It also helps out Dave B. and we all want to help Dave.
 Awesome job Chris - thank you!
Ps- a big thank you to Lis as well.

That's it! Minnesota winters are long enough and cold enough the way it is... but 60+ days of below zero is all I can handle. I'm leaving for Florida with just my bike and wallet! Don't get me wrong... I've had the bike out in the snow and cold, but I need some sun and sweat! A few days of gear testing and pumping the miles in the human tolerable temperatures of Northern FL is exactly what I need right now.
My Salsa Fargo is all but ready, the research into equipment has exhausted my patience and wallet, the maps are spread out on the kitchen table, training is going well, and I'm psyched for June 13th!
See you all there!

I live in Gainesville Fl. Make sure that you check out "Santos"
down in Ocala. It is incredible.

.

On another topic, anybody doing anything special "mentally" to prepare?  I'm enjoying riding by myself and pushing the miles but in Victoria we have a new "Sensory Deprivation Tank" lounge that just opened up.  I'm dying to take it for a test run and see what that's all about.  It's not 100% divide related but at the same time I think it will give me a good feeling about how comfortable I can be when left alone in my own attic.


As far as mentally preparing yourself. The best advice I got was to take advantage of those cold 30-40 degree days when it is raining and get outside and train in it - alot!!! You will see so much cold-rain-sleet on the TD. I actually slept in my backyard in sub 40 degree weather and set the lawn sprinklers to come on at 4am and made myself get up get wet and start training. You really want to prepare for the cold and wet. Also I would spend more hours worrying about long slow 3-4 hour climbs. grinding it out. IMO this is far more important than logging big miles. The rest is easy.... Just head South