Tour Divide 2019

[larsmars]

https://www.seejh.com/webcams/jacksonho ... tain-lodge

Some of the front pack of riders (Evan, Josh, Lael, Steve) likely to pass this live webcam at the Togwotee Mountain Lodge. I spotted Nate Gingzton earlier.

[Mart]

Never judge a man ... until you've ridden 2700 miles in his shoes.

I bet he wouldn't want them back afterwards..

He would have to chase you a long distance to get them back

[larsmars]

By the time wildlife specialists arrived at the illegal campsite, the bear had moved on

.

The bear is probably halfway to Mexico by now, fueled by the rush of scoffing the riders gel and bar stash.

But in all seriousness, it's a shame the rider was so careless and then reacted by hiding rather than scaring the bear on. I wonder if he could see it was a black bear. They are really not the same thing as a Grizzly! I grew up in the PNW where we commonly saw black bears around and they are not considered a serious threat to humans, but we would never leave food out for them!

[Bearbonesnorm]

But in all seriousness, it's a shame the rider was so careless and then reacted by hiding rather than scaring the bear on. I wonder if he could see it was a black bear. They are really not the same thing as a Grizzly! I grew up in the PNW where we commonly saw black bears around and they are not considered a serious threat to humans, but we would never leave food out for them!

True Lars. It's one of the reasons I can sometimes seem a little protective / shielding / shouty* because it only takes a very small number of careless actions to knacker the entire job for everyone. There's often no malice but just because someone doesn't intend to do something stupid doesn't always prevent them from doing it. As Bob says, when the clampdown comes, ignorance will be no defence.

and

Nothing wrong with a bit of "softness" anyway.

She only said that so as not to hurt your feelings.

*as you see fit.

[giryan]

https://www.seejh.com/webcams/jacksonho ... tain-lodge

Some of the front pack of riders (Evan, Josh, Lael, Steve) likely to pass this live webcam at the Togwotee Mountain Lodge. I spotted Nate Gingzton earlier.

vaguely exciting! No idea who they are, but just seen three people:
https://imgur.com/a/GU2Rx3Z

[NewRetroTom]

That must be Evan Deutsch and Steve Halligan (came out of the hotel) and Josh Ibbett who just came up the trail.

Interestingly Josh crept up on the other two from behind and then put a turn of speed on to blast past them! The race is on!

[Alpinum]

........One mistake and one missing issue.......

Oh! Please explain?

Where's the loo? The safety triangle actually isn't a triangle.... not every camper will sh!t between camps.

Tie down for the hang line is asking for trouble.
Tie it as high as possible.
You can wrap it around another tree, giving a high horizontal line to the tree, pull the line down from where you wrapped it around to make the knot where you can reach it.
Actually they also missed on how far out on the branch the cache should be.

Grizzly, black... no matter where you lived, educate yourself with books like Stephen Herrero's
'Bear Attacks: Their Causes and Avoidance'.
Just because someone lives in Homer AK it doesn't mean he/she knows bear stuff. I've heard too many 'where's you gun?' in AK...

Again, it's human misbehaviour with all bears in every case (nearly), except for polar bears which are the only species of bears to hunt and feed on humans.

About 1:10000 bears (brown/Grizzly or black) is a psycho in a way, that he would deliberately attack a human. Just as with human psychos.

Oh, let's not forget how much higher chances are to be killed by a dog in North America (think is was something like 5 x as high) or being shot in the US...

Just as with sharks - we get so much wrong in nature...

[larsmars]

That must be Evan Deutsch and Steve Halligan (came out of the hotel) and Josh Ibbett who just came up the trail.

Interestingly Josh crept up on the other two from behind and then put a turn of speed on to blast past them! The race is on!

Saw that!

[jameso]

Togwotee Mountain Lodge.

It's probably really posh but the bar area was the most cowboy place I've ever been, maybe aside from a roadside bar ~15 miles before Boulder. Country music, stetsons, drunken pool and Budweiser (locals, not me). Guns probably, can't remember. Me in lycra shorts feeling predictably out of place There was the chap in the bar near Boulder who was not far off Jeff Bridges' Rooster Cogburn, overheard him talking to the barman about how no god-damn sheriff is telling him where he can go shooting (animals I assumed). Wyoming was so good.

So, Josh's back to racing? He's always been fast, sure he could win it one year if he wanted to.

[NewRetroTom]

Now that trackers have updated I can see that Steve Halligan was a few minutes up the road, so it must have been Lael coming out of the hotel with Evan.

[wriggles]

Thanks Alpinium. Good points. I noticed the absence of a latrine and spartan details on the hang. Also just says food and not anything smelly. I'd be more worried about getting hit by a car than dogs, guns and bears. Didnt have a problem with any dogs. Few ran out at me in NM, including a Rotty and Pit tag team. All stopped when i got off bike, thankfully!

[NewRetroTom]

Josh Lael and Evan must all be pretty much together, and speed has dropped to roughly walking pace now they are on the snowy/muddy bit after the top of the pass.

[Bearbonesnorm]

Okay then, the front pack are quickly approaching mid distance, so when (if at all) does anyone predict a full-on break away by one of them?

[whitestone]

Okay then, the front pack are quickly approaching mid distance, so when (if at all) does anyone predict a full-on break away by one of them?

I'm not sure any of them will for a while yet, it's a bit early to put in an effort. Possibly after the last major pass which looking at the profile is around 500 miles from the finish.

According to the podcast that's been linked to several times Josh Kato doesn't reckon he's in good shape this year being a bit overweight and not fit

[Roobell7]

Back to race and I read on Dotwatcher.com:

Alexandera had to return to Butte to get a replacement pedal after one broke - for the second time in short succession as she also broke one in Dirty Kanza XL

I wonder if she replaced them both after the DKXL as I read on her blog that she only had $800 to her name as she rode to 650 miles to the event. The old pedals were the only part she supplied for the sponsored bike and they had over 20k miles in them! Maybe she just replaced one axle before to TD

There’s a level of dedication there

[jameso]

Maybe she just replaced one axle before to TD

Maybe she's just killing pedals and seriously hauling that SS along

[ScotRoutes]

Not really stu crying because you find a hobby or sport hard is pathetic,crying at dealing with illness or disability that's hard is totally different ,bit then I presume most of us on here have had a harder upbringing than people who cry at nonsense

My hero!

It's like the python yorkshireman sketch with bikes on here sometimes.

I only come on here now after I've had my regular testosterone injection. I just feel so inadequate otherwise.

[Pirahna]

Tea Boy (Alex) is out. He posted earlier on his Facebook page, said he wasn't struggling in any way but was very, very bored. It's not for everyone I suppose.

[larsmars]

Tea Boy (Alex) is out. He posted earlier on his Facebook page, said he wasn't struggling in any way but was very, very bored. It's not for everyone I suppose.

Wow, I’ve not ridden the TD, but based on everything I’ve seen and heard, I would not have expected to hear of someone quitting out of boredom. Maybe the TransAm though!

[Bearbonesnorm]

He posted earlier on his Facebook page, said he wasn't struggling in any way but was very, very bored.

I've heard that before.

[sean_iow]

Tea Boy (Alex) is out. He posted earlier on his Facebook page, said he wasn't struggling in any way but was very, very bored. It's not for everyone I suppose.

Oh no but I have been looking at people's pictures of gravel roads running into the distance and thought they might be tedious on my singlespeed, you can have to much of a good thing?

Edit, Has he scratched? His FB does say he's bored but he doesn't explicitly say he's quitting? He's planning on going touring afterwards so he'll be in the USA for a while yet.

[Pirahna]

Edit, Has he scratched? His FB does say he's bored but he doesn't explicitly say he's quitting? He's planning on going touring afterwards so he'll be in the USA for a while yet.

He's got a Facebook blog thing called Adventures of a Tea Boy.

[sean_iow]

I'll have a look. On his Facebook page when someone said to keep going he said

Mate I can finish it no problem but my god I just wasn’t prepared for how bored I would be..
I had to get off and juggle stones for 10 mins yesterday..
Aarrgghh

Edit, just found his blog, you're right he's scratched.

[FLV]

Interesting to listen to thenpodcadt with JK on it. A few times he kind of down plays any kind of training. Until near the emd where he says he has a coach.

Wonder why he seemed against any kind of formal training?

[Alpinum]

Some folks I talk to here* will say training rather than bike ride. When I ask for what they don't have any specific event/holiday/journey/race planned. Just for the fitness' sake.

Some are the other way round.

I remember Steve Peat saying something like "I don't go and train, I just go play in the woods."

Perhaps Mr. Kato goes by similar standards?

Anyway, I'm off for a ride/training now.

#bemoremike

*by here I mean 'at home'.