• The Tour Divide 2023 thread

Posted: **Sun Jun 11, 2023 11:12 am**

Blackhound wrote: ↑Sun Jun 11, 2023 10:22 am I will be keeping track of Jerry Sharp from Derby who rode it about 4 years ago. He is 66 and aiming for 28 days.

The bike I used was quite inexpensive, about £700 or so. The frame was a dinged ex demo Voodoo Aizan from Sideway's Cycles, forks and wheels s/hand from STW ( wheels never been used)*. The rest were my spares or bought in a sale.

I should have been faster but none of my issues were down to the bike which was well able for the job.

I did notice a lot of fresh looking bikes on those pictures, lots of 2022/2023 models from reading through. I’d be guilty of that too, trip of a lifetime I’d certainly be treating/justifying a new bike for it :grim:

And then there’s this person riding this fixed gear bike. Great to see

Posted: **Sun Jun 11, 2023 6:36 pm**

Looks like Ulrich is ahead of Mike halls record at the moment . Does anyone know if the route exactly the same?

Posted: **Sun Jun 11, 2023 8:52 pm**

jay91 wrote: ↑Sun Jun 11, 2023 6:36 pm Looks like Ulrich is ahead of Mike halls record at the moment . Does anyone know if the route exactly the same?

Lael has passed her record too

Posted: **Sun Jun 11, 2023 9:29 pm**

jay91 wrote: ↑Sun Jun 11, 2023 6:36 pm Looks like Ulrich is ahead of Mike halls record at the moment . Does anyone know if the route exactly the same?

I don’t think Mike did Koko Claims so it is super impressive

Posted: **Sun Jun 11, 2023 10:45 pm**

voodoo_simon wrote: ↑Sun Jun 11, 2023 11:12 am And then there’s this person riding this fixed gear bike. Great to see

I've done a good few miles fixed off-road over the years. That gearing, narrow tyres and no suspension.

O.M.G.

Posted: **Mon Jun 12, 2023 5:54 am**

voodoo_simon wrote: ↑Sun Jun 11, 2023 8:52 pm
jay91 wrote: ↑Sun Jun 11, 2023 6:36 pm Looks like Ulrich is ahead of Mike halls record at the moment . Does anyone know if the route exactly the same?
Lael has passed her record too

Didn't spot that

Posted: **Mon Jun 12, 2023 7:58 am**

Yes, Koko Claims adds a hour or two at the front so impressive that Ulrich ahead already. Mike was on his third run, I believe, when he set his record so had course experience.

Just seen this for anyone interested in the origins. My first memory was an article in a UK cycle mag around 1999/2000 for a tour of the route. A couple of years later I was on the Airborne site and read about John Stamstad's ride.

https://open.substack.com/pub/jilloutsi ... dium=email

Posted: **Mon Jun 12, 2023 9:59 am**

That was a good read, and a nice mention of Jenn Hopkins' early SS record. It was her article in Singletrack that first piqued my interest in the race. Lael seems to be doing well, keeping in touch with her record and in a small bunch at a stop in 10th.

Posted: **Mon Jun 12, 2023 11:20 am**

Looks like Ulrich is ahead of Mike halls record at the moment

Pretty sure they are often ahead of mike early doors in this event, unless my memory is playing tricks on me.

Posted: **Mon Jun 12, 2023 11:35 am**

When I last looked he'd only stopped for 5 hours total in 2 1/2 days - 2 hours of which were his current stop at the time.

Posted: **Mon Jun 12, 2023 11:40 am**

PaulB2 wrote: ↑Mon Jun 12, 2023 11:35 am When I last looked he'd only stopped for 5 hours total in 2 1/2 days - 2 hours of which were his current stop at the time.

To beat Mike you have to be Mike...

Posted: **Wed Jun 14, 2023 3:01 pm**

Doesn't get much cooler than this. Great article on Bikepacking.com:

Posted: **Thu Jun 15, 2023 7:32 pm**

Nearly a week into the race and we have three riders some distance ahead of Mike Hall's record marker. The lead pair are some 70 miles in front.

Posted: **Thu Jun 15, 2023 9:32 pm**

They seem to be stopping every night for a few hours now. Mikes strength (one of them) was sticking to a fixed schedule of riding 20 hrs and stopping 4. You wonder whether the lead pairs minimal stops in the first few days might knacker them later on... or not....
On with the armchair speculation

Posted: **Thu Jun 15, 2023 10:40 pm**

I read an article in which Mike has said that his schedule hit some important milestones in terms of resupply and parts of the route at key times.
I guess we will just have to see how that plays out with the leaders ahead of his schedule

Posted: **Thu Jun 15, 2023 11:13 pm**

Mart wrote: ↑Thu Jun 15, 2023 10:40 pm I read an article in which Mike has said that his schedule hit some important milestones in terms of resupply and parts of the route at key times.
I guess we will just have to see how that plays out with the leaders ahead of his schedule

I'm struggling to see what those milestones were. I've only toured the route not raced it, but I can't think of anything or anywhere I'd need to be at a specific time to aid in a route record.

Posted: **Fri Jun 16, 2023 8:04 am**

Big problems in the Basin I reckon either high winds or mud or both. Mikes back in front

Posted: **Fri Jun 16, 2023 8:10 am**

Pirahna wrote: ↑Thu Jun 15, 2023 11:13 pm
Mart wrote: ↑Thu Jun 15, 2023 10:40 pm I read an article in which Mike has said that his schedule hit some important milestones in terms of resupply and parts of the route at key times.
I guess we will just have to see how that plays out with the leaders ahead of his schedule
I'm struggling to see what those milestones were. I've only toured the route not raced it, but I can't think of anything or anywhere I'd need to be at a specific time to aid in a route record.

I can see the opposite. For example Pinedale to Wamsutter. If you get your timings wrong everything in Boulder/Atlantic City is shut. That’s a long hard section with nothing. So blow into Pinedale too late and you could have 200+ miles of nothing with a long section of not much before. A good strategy would be to get there late and eat/stock up. Then hammer out the Basin in a long shift.

Posted: **Fri Jun 16, 2023 10:03 am**

Dave Barter wrote: ↑Fri Jun 16, 2023 8:04 am Big problems in the Basin I reckon either high winds or mud or both. Mikes back in front

All their dots suddenly bunch up at pretty much the same spot!
Dunt matter how big your legs are if a load of horrible gunge jams your drive train.

Posted: **Fri Jun 16, 2023 10:16 am**

fatbikephil wrote: ↑Fri Jun 16, 2023 10:03 am
Dave Barter wrote: ↑Fri Jun 16, 2023 8:04 am Big problems in the Basin I reckon either high winds or mud or both. Mikes back in front
All their dots suddenly bunch up at pretty much the same spot!
Dunt matter how big your legs are if a load of horrible gunge jams your drive train.

I had horrible headwinds in the Basin but still made progress. I think you're right. Maybe I won't go back again ;-)

Posted: **Fri Jun 16, 2023 10:29 am**

If you turn on the radar layer it looks like a storm passed over them during the night. At the moment it's clearing and they are on the southern edge of it.

Posted: **Fri Jun 16, 2023 1:18 pm**

Does the Bermuda Triangle start at that road junction? The first 3 have arrived at that junction and then just stopped for hours.

Posted: **Fri Jun 16, 2023 1:41 pm**

PaulB2 wrote: ↑Fri Jun 16, 2023 1:18 pm Does the Bermuda Triangle start at that road junction? The first 3 have arrived at that junction and then just stopped for hours.

I spotted a small building on the satellite view, could have been sheltering

Posted: **Fri Jun 16, 2023 3:53 pm**

According to Josh Ibbets vid on that bikepacking they are in a lavvy

Posted: **Fri Jun 16, 2023 7:41 pm**

Saw a pic on FB that all 3 are crammed into a ‘pit toilet’ to escape the rain that has turned the ground to peanut butter

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