Vamos pa' México hermano

ill try and get my buddy to come if we go for a ride, hes a 2x veteran so you can pick his brain like i have

try not to worry too much about the bears, theres a good chance youll see one, but an incident is unlikely if you maintain safe practices
 
Lol now that you put it out there you can't back down. Can't wait to hear all the details... Vayo con mtbnj!
 
You're definitely setting yourself up for a huge challenge. However hard you think it will be, you should probably assume it'll be much harder. But there seems to be some really good info out there you can use (e.g., Montana Miller wrote up his 2014 race in pretty solid detail on his blog - you can find the posts in his archives. He covers everything from common mistakes, to gear reviews, to actual trail conditions.) One thing I've read about it is that for rookies it's a really good idea to find another rider or group to ride with as much as possible. Your schedule seems totally reasonable (28 days is about twice the current record), so as long as you do the work to get fit between now and the start, you should have time built in for the inevitable disasters that will occur out there on the trail. Another thing I've read about it from firsthand accounts is that the bears are not the animals you have to worry about the most -- that'd be the dogs in southern New Mexico. Even though they are technically owned by people int he communities you pass through, in reality they're pretty feral, travel in packs and have been known to harass riders. But by far the biggest part of the challenge, from what I've read, is the weather. And that'll be a big question mark until you start. It can range from oppressive heat to mid-winter conditions along the trail, and they say it's the hardest thing to plan for. Last year, there was some kind of air quality issue up north that caused many riders to drop out early due to flu-like symptoms.

So all in all, you've got a big challenge ahead of you - you need to be as fit as you can be, comfortable with navigation, prepared for all kinds of weather, ready to deal with animals, broken bikes, etc., you need to time your arrival in towns so you can still access food and water, you need to manage what you carry to be maximally efficient without overdoing it, and you need to figure out where you can lose or make up time without threatening your available time limit - all without having ridden any of the terrain you'll be on. It's a tough one, but if you treat it seriously and take advice from people like Jim who have done this kind of riding many times before, you can pull it off.

I really wish you the best of luck and I'll definitely be following your blue dot as it makes its way south!
 
1speed said:
You're definitely setting yourself up for a huge challenge. However hard you think it will be, you should probably assume it'll be much harder. But there seems to be some really good info out there you can use (e.g., Montana Miller wrote up his 2014 race in pretty solid detail on his blog - you can find the posts in his archives. He covers everything from common mistakes, to gear reviews, to actual trail conditions.) One thing I've read about it is that for rookies it's a really good idea to find another rider or group to ride with as much as possible. Your schedule seems totally reasonable (28 days is about twice the current record), so as long as you do the work to get fit between now and the start, you should have time built in for the inevitable disasters that will occur out there on the trail. Another thing I've read about it from firsthand accounts is that the bears are not the animals you have to worry about the most -- that'd be the dogs in southern New Mexico. Even though they are technically owned by people int he communities you pass through, in reality they're pretty feral, travel in packs and have been known to harass riders. But by far the biggest part of the challenge, from what I've read, is the weather. And that'll be a big question mark until you start. It can range from oppressive heat to mid-winter conditions along the trail, and they say it's the hardest thing to plan for. Last year, there was some kind of air quality issue up north that caused many riders to drop out early due to flu-like symptoms.

So all in all, you've got a big challenge ahead of you - you need to be as fit as you can be, comfortable with navigation, prepared for all kinds of weather, ready to deal with animals, broken bikes, etc., you need to time your arrival in towns so you can still access food and water, you need to manage what you carry to be maximally efficient without overdoing it, and you need to figure out where you can lose or make up time without threatening your available time limit - all without having ridden any of the terrain you'll be on. It's a tough one, but if you treat it seriously and take advice from people like Jim who have done this kind of riding many times before, you can pull it off.

I really wish you the best of luck and I'll definitely be following your blue dot as it makes its way south!
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Hey 1speed, agree with everything you say. Thanks for the Montana Miller resource. I checked it and got a couple of ideas/advice from that guy, and some funny stuff too.

This is not representative of the whole course (it's mostly fire roads/double track), but it is of the changing/unpredictable weather conditions.

“Sure this is the trail?” “Yeah man, this is it. Straight down through this river.”

Montana Miller down the river.jpg


BTW, I'm taking this seriously. Meaning, I'm going to be as prepared and safe as I can be, while still enjoying the whole thing.
 
so much of it is impossible to be planned for, you probably wont know when huge blown down trees cover the entire trail for miles, which parts are washed out, when a planned water source is dried up, when a crazy thunderstorm is gonna roll in, something on your bike desides to break or dissapear etc.

be comfortable with being loose and rolling with the punches, and make sure youre comfortable fixing everything on your bike

ps: bearspray works on dogs too

did you send your letter of intent to matt lee? if you want your time to officially count by staying on the official route, sending him a message ensures youre on the list when the course has reroutes and updates for one reason or another
 
soulchild said:
Man it sure would be nice to do this epic adventure on a super sweet, light ass carbon beast of a bicycle 😀
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It would be, if there was enough space in the front triangle for carrying stuff 😡 The first thought I had in terms of bike, was yours (I tried 2 of the same bikes after the last ST and I loved how they felt). Over such a long distance, I'm sure I'd also appreciate having a light & plush ride. However, after checking dozens of rigs and posts on bikes for this race (or tour for me 🙂), I only found 2 guys that did it in a FS. I'sure there a few more but overwhelmingly people choose HTs. The reasons seem to be mainly lack of space for storage on the main triangle, which means you have to carry weight on your back, which not only tires your back but is also more weight on your butt. Additionally, people also mention a little less weight and less potential reliability issues.

I want to give me my best chance at this so I'll be putting together a somewhat specific bike for this. GLWTS btw.
 
the amount of actual singletrack is less than 10% (but theres a sweet section of the coloRADo trail), the rest of it is mostly dirt and gravel roads. from what ive read, youll literally be doing more HAB than riding singletrack (which is another reason i ultimately decided against TD)

although there tends to be an asinine amount of washboarded roads which would be easier to deal with on a nice plush full squisher
 
I followed a guy on IG who did this. it looks amazing and good luck on this incredible journey.
 
Kind of a boring update but it is what it is 🙂

Initial effects of signing in for this
So, last Sunday night (when I already had made my mind but still needed to get the OK at home and at work) I didn't sleep AT ALL. I spent the whole night thinking if this was a bit too crazy/irresponsible, and checking on my phone blogs, boards, etc. with first-hand info on the race. The rest of the week I've slept only a few hours every night--still waking up and getting hooked up on thoughts about what I need to do--, as a result I've been a zombie during the day. I guess the silver lining is that I'm starting to train to function while being sleep-deprived.

On the positive side is great to feel the support of a lot people here in the board, and also appreciate the advice and words of caution. Thanks!

First thing: the bike
I've spent quite a bit of time this week checking what bikes people use for this event (there's even a list of people are bringing this year). There's everything: HTs, fat bikes, SSs, "mtb touring bikes"--the Salsa Fargo is pretty popular--, and a few FS bikes. First consideration for me is fat or skinny. Definitely going skinny, considering in how bad of a shape I'm in now and what little time I have to improve that. Obviously, I the SS is out of the question too.

Next consideration is squishy vs. rigid. There's a lot of people running rigid forks (maybe the majority). The reasons seem to be reliability (for example a couple of years ago Matt Lee blew a seal off in his Lefty and lost a day or more until the replacement parts made it to whatever little town he was at). I guess another reason would be weight. I'll choose none, and will go with the Lauf I have, which I think will work perfectly. Zero maintenance, pretty light (990 gr, I think), and has 60mm of travel, which should be enough for this type of course.

So, I'm planning to covert a 2011 Air 9 Carbon SS I have to gears. I'd need a Bushnell BB, new drive train, except for the Race Face Next crankset and that's pretty much it. I'd need to strip this bike down and check the frame and every single component since I haven't been giving the bike any love for some time. For wheels I need to choose between a set of Arches with King hubs (6 years old, a couple of dents but still fine, I think), and a set of Crests with DT 240 in the back and AC 130 in the front. This wheelset is pretty light but also old and abused (5 yrs) and I'm not sure if it's up to the task (since I'll have about 25 lb of gear on the bike). I'm going to clean everything up have these inspected by someone that knows.

One thing that can change a bit my setup is the decision to run a dynamo or not. People seem to be divided 50/50 on this. Even the guy that won and set the record last year did w/o a dynamo (carrying batteries) but said he would seriously consider running one for the next time. I'll dig into this next week but I'm inclining to carry batteries just for simplicity and reliability.

Training: Inch by inch progress
Yesterday I did a 2:40 min ride with a decent amount of climbing (at least compared to Columbia Trail🙂). Today my legs are rubbery again but I should feel better to try a 4 hr ride tomorrow. On Sunday I'll try to do at least a 2 hr ride.

Planning
I need to start sleeping better, and for that I need to have an idea of the plan for preparation for the race first, and then for the race itself. This weekend I'll try to get the first one down and see if that reduces my anxiety a little bit.
 
Looking.forward to seeing this...just remember try not to get anxious about things that you cant.control (easier said than done for sure) The items you can, make a plan, list whatever and start implementing or executing on it. I know for me a lot of the stressors and anxiety subside a bit once I have something in writing or begin building a plan (applies to work and life for me) and have a clearer picture of the things that I can impact --materials, parts, food, training g plan etc...
 
i highly recommend paul howard's book on his TD experience, its a good read and proves you dont have to be a world class XC racer to finish
 
Mumonkan said:
http://www.bikepacking.com/plog/tour-divide-training/

josh kato (last years record breaker) talks training
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Thank you for sharing this! I like this guy. He seems very no nonsense and low key. The "character building" training he put in certainly paid off for him. I'm starting to do something like that, on a micro-scale 🙂 Today I squeezed in a ride in Columbia Trail and tried to tape a 10 lb dumbbell to the down tube of the bike. I didn't have much time and my legs were rubbing the dumbbell so I didn't take it in the end, but I'll be adding weights to the bike soon (shooting for 20 lb).

Funny that you posted here. I logged in to go to your thread and check what bag did you buy recently 🙂 I'm just about to order a Revelate set, which is what I think you ordered too. What tent were planning to take? (if you were planning on taking one) EDIT: I just saw you got a Big Agnes footprint. So you're going bivvy and tarp only?
 
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i thought about bivy/tarp for the race but the stories of torrential rains from 2014 was enough to convince me i wanted a tent

a breakdown of all my gear is here (which has less cold weather stuff and redundancies than i was planning for TD)

yes. i enjoy spreadsheets and organization.
 
Mumonkan said:
i thought about bivy/tarp for the race but the stories of torrential rains from 2014 was enough to convince me i wanted a tent

a breakdown of all my gear is here (which has less cold weather stuff and redundancies than i was planning for TD)

yes. i enjoy spreadsheets and organization.
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Thank you for the list. Very well organized! Did you use as input Kato's list? (I see several items he had like the A&E and the curve needle 🙂). I built mine off of his and a couple of others I found on the web. I have a draft at item level (for example, sleeping bag) and a list of several options for each item (brand, weight, cost, etc.). I'm trying now to go through that and decide soon at least on the big stuff so I can get that out of my head.
 
i dont think i got anything from his list, but lots of scouring the internets, lots of blogs, forums (mostly bikepacking.net), reading books

the reason you end up seeing so many people with the same stuff on these kinds of things is they work great and are dependable, so i find these and pick the one thats best for me based on my needs (physical or psychological) and how much cash im willing to spend

for example the tent i have has an even lighter version, but its almost double the cost and iirc the weight saved over mine is 0.1 oz. if i wanted to be that much of a weight weenie id just go bivy
 
rottin' said:
Looking.forward to seeing this...just remember try not to get anxious about things that you cant.control (easier said than done for sure) The items you can, make a plan, list whatever and start implementing or executing on it. I know for me a lot of the stressors and anxiety subside a bit once I have something in writing or begin building a plan (applies to work and life for me) and have a clearer picture of the things that I can impact --materials, parts, food, training g plan etc...
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Thank you Brian. I made an initial plan/ list and got started on it. I have ton of things to do in the weeks to come but at least I'm making progress and that feels good.
 
Some progress made...

On the bike side:
I did a couple of rides on my fat bike (28T & 11-36 cassette) and on my old Niner (9-speed, with a 30T & 11-32 cassette) and after doing some climbing I decided to put an 11-speed drive train on the Air 9 Carbon. I wanted to go 10-speed but I know that in the shape I am, with the weight I'll have to carry and with the climbing I'll have to do I'll need the 40T cog. All the parts were ordered, except an XD driver for a DT Swiss 240 hub since I might end up getting another rear wheel or wheelset. TBD soon.

On the gear side:
After some advice from bike packing experts @jimvreeland and @Mumonkan I decided on a bag/storage system and ordered that too. I'll go with:

Handlebar bag: Revelate Harness + a dry sac TBD
Cockpit bags: Revelate Mountain Feedbag x2
Stem bag: Revelate Gas Tank
Frame bag: Revelate Ranger Small (pretty small but t's the only thing it fits the triangle of my Air 9 C)
Rear bag (top tube/seat post): Revelate Jerrycan
Seat bag: Revelate Viscacha
Add-on to seat bag: Revelate Sprocket Mesh (for SPOT tracker)

Now at least I know everything I wan to carry will have to fit in these bags.

Next up is deciding what GPS to get. I had until yesterday an Edge 800. I still have it but the screen got screwed up with a bunch of lines and pretty much became unreadable (no rain or anything but might have gotten hit in a crash this past weekend). This thing already died one time w/o reason, and I was able to resuscitate it but I don't trust it anymore. So now I'm trying to decide between an Edge 1000 Explorer and a Garmin eTrex 35. Any comments/advice are welcome.

On the training side:
This Saturday I went out in my fatbike with the objective of riding 5 hrs (following a ride that @mattybfat posted that goes through Stephens, Allamuchy and Deer Park - about 42 miles). It all started well but then it went south. At one point in Stephens I had to check the GPS often to find the right trail and in one of those occasions I made the mistake of looking at that while on a steep downhill, I hit a deal on a rock and eat it pretty bad (I had gravel encrusted in my helmet and later on a bruise on my lower back/waist).
After that I got into a rhythm again until I flatted after climbing into DP through Orange. Took the rear wheel off, sealed w/ Stans and went on. Five min later flat tire again, same spot, so I put in a tube. After pumping like crazy for 5 min I couldn't get the tire to seat and realized the tube had a small puncture. Luckily I had a second tube. I put that one in and moved on, only to flat again 5 min later! At that point I was out of options and had to call my wife who picked me up from the DP parking lot.

On Sunday the plan was to do another ride but I was dead tired and sore so I didn't. Tried to salvage the day in the PM by running with my youngest one but after 2 miles had to stop and seat in the car b/c I was dizzy (maybe I didn't eat enough or slept enough...).

Yesterday I did another Columbia trail ride. Thirty miles in two hours, which is fast for me (on the MTB) but that's not the training I need. This weekend I'm going to try again for a 4-5 ride (I'm going to carry 3 tubes if I get them on time 🙂 ).

On the race planning side:
I ordered the maps with the route cues. Hey, at least is a start 🙂

Hopefully the next post will have some pics as I start getting some of the gear and putting that on the bike.
 
you should be fine with an edge, has great navigation, but it needs more power, so think about charging
etrex uses regular batteries that last a hell of a lot longer, but the navigation leaves something to be desired

i was planning on getting these color coded elevation cues w/ bear density graphs printed on waterproof paper, they might be of interest to you or that might be the exact information youd like to ignore, lol
 
The sooner you can get the bags and ride the bike weighed down, the better. You can borrow my stuff for the time being if you want, I'm not going to need it for a while.

Doing Centuries on a 50 pound bike is much more difficult than doing them on your normal bike and will take some getting used to.
 
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