I am pysched up for this and am going to put my name down for next year, but it would be great to be able to discuss the experience with those of you who have already done it.

I have loads of questions relating to the following

1. Kit choice
2. Water availability on the route
3. Training you did
4. Things you would do differently if you did it again
5. Your experiences and whether it was what you thought it would be.

Thanks

search for Aidan and John_Met

Ask the same question on Bear Bones Bikepacking!
I think there could be quite a bit of info on MTBR as well.

Not wanting to pee on your chips ol’ lad but you only rode your first 100 at the weekend.

You’ll not do it.

Was reading mike hall’s account in privateer issue 5 this morning, assume you’ve read paul howards – two wheels on my wagon? Jill Homer’s Be brave, be strong is worth a read too.

TSY – disagree. You can do anything if you put your mind to it.

Like some weird sort of stalker, I know Aidan has a really good blog linked from the Singular website. Also worth watching Ride the Divide for inspiration.

I’m looking at doing the same thing next year, it looks awesome!

You’ll not do it.

Do it! Do it! Do it! Do it! Do it! Do it!

100 to 2,700 it’s only numbers 😉

Ride the Divide for inspiration

Yes, but perhaps ignore the bit when the guy has a meltdown and quits, missed his family which I could totally understand, great film, matthew lee is cool.

TSY – disagree. You can do anything if you put your mind to it.

I don’t doubt that.

Fancy a wager?

Also ignore the bits in the film where their legs get swollen with fluid retention from sitting in the saddle for too long.

And stop reading this… start training.

The Southern Yeti – Member

Not wanting to pee on your chips ol’ lad but you only rode your first 100 at the weekend.

You’ll not do it.

He might have a point…just realised it was you asking about not sleeping after a 6.5hr ride.
Can you imagine yourself riding all day, everyday for more than three weeks? If so, do the training and go for it. If not then don’t waste your time. Do you realise how many top level cyclists want to or have tried to but can’t because their bodies won’t let them?

Read “dividing the great” by John Metcalfe, thoroughly good read, especially if you watch “ride the divide” first to set the scene…

Fancy a wager?

On him doing it or me?

Him.

HOw’s your training going for it?

Well, considering I don’t know him from Adam, probably not. I’ll have a wager on me turning up though if you like?

Training, pretty good ta. Last national next month, then grinding out the miles from then on in.

Ipswich -> Lincoln -> Ipswich in next weekend, which will be nice, flat and boring (and 120 miles each way).

Nah, you sound like you’ll do it!

Pedalhead off of here is planning on doing it SS I think. He’s going to ride the whole of Scotland into submission next week as far as I can make out.

Flanagaj – If you haven’t seen the film ‘Ride the Divide’, drop me an email.

Flanagaj – I would get your back sorted out first 😉

Pedalhead off of here is planning on doing it SS I think.

That’s an interesting one actually. I’ve done a fair few xc races earlier in the year on a single-speed (mainly down to weight saving and simplicity in the mud) and I’ve actually placed the same if not higher than I have when I’ve ridden gears. Now to be fair, the races I did were the Thetford Winter enduros which are a) in thetford so not particularly hilly and b) over 2 hours long so its not a fair comparison with say the Sherwood nationals, but I think it boils down to not setting off like a stabbed rat when the gun goes. If you find a cadence that’s comfortable, stick at it and bang the miles out.

My Lin->Ips->Lin ride will be done on my single-speed road bike for this very reason. As to whether I do the race SS, that remains to be seen

Dave Nice is currently doing the TDR on a SS.

Edit – He’s riding it fixed too!

Not wanting to pee on your chips ol’ lad but you only rode your first 100 at the weekend.

You’ll not do it.

The good old British spirit of encouragement!

With regards to the back. Work in progress.

I have seen ‘Ride the Divide’, but I don’t feel it gave a true picture to what is really involved. I suspect you end up camping in remote spots more than you stay in motels?

My thought from the book is that I would take a pair of cx tyres for the muddy bit.

d45yth, hope you dont mind me asking but do you have a copy of the film i could borrow/rent from you? Cheers.

d45yth, hope you dont mind me asking but do you have a copy of the film i could borrow/rent from you? Cheers.

You can hire it off itunes for £3.

It’s only 6.99 on itunes

Instant hit – drop me an email (in profile).

I’ve not done the ride but there seems to be a lot of information here bikepacking.net
also agree with this

Read “dividing the great” by John Metcalfe, thoroughly good read, especially if you watch “ride the divide” first to set the scene…

He might have a point…just realised it was you asking about not sleeping after a 6.5hr ride.
Can you imagine yourself riding all day, everyday for more than three weeks? If so, do the training and go for it. If not then don’t waste your time. Do you realise how many top level cyclists want to or have tried to but can’t because their bodies won’t let them?

And there are plenty of normal folk who have trained for it and done it. I am not talking about setting records. If I can finish in under 30 days then that would be ideal.

Best I just get on with the training rather than wasting my time posting on here

flangaj… indeed they do.

As a word of advice… go out and ride LEJOG within the next couple of months.

So, I know John as a colleague. First things first, he is a very talented, but a very commited and very well organised person. The emphasis is on committed. If he says he is going to do something I do not doubt that will finish it, come hell or high water.

If I stand next to him, it is very plainly obvious that I do not have the same level of commitment. John is willing to put in every bit of effort into everything that he does. I, on the other hand….

This is why the TD is still just an idea in my head, because I know the level of commitment you have to give to it.

Be sure that you are ready to give just about everything to this race, because it may just consume you. That or the bears.

Good luck.

His Mountain Bike Fitness book is very good too.

Tbh I think the hardest bit is probably getting your kit and your head dialled in properly rather than gaining the requisite fitness. The latter you can generate in a few months if you’re focused enough. Also depends on your aims for the TD…just finish, or finish fast? Personally, I’ve used “training” for the Tour Divide as an excuse to up my riding massively and try lots of routes that otherwise I might not have had the balls/commitment to attempt.

I was also all gun-ho when I started planning it, asking people like Aidan for advice etc…which was great, Aidan in particular was very helpful. But, without a shadow of a doubt, the best thing I’ve done is just get out there & ride a lot, try lots of gear, experiment with nutrition on long rides, ride at times when I might otherwise have sacked it off (wind/rain etc). I’ve made an effort to attempt stuff outside of my comfort zone, and it’s surprising what you can really do if you’re stubborn enough…or have something to aim for 🙂

Pedalhead… you’re being a little modest IMO.

The Southern Yeti – Member
Pedalhead… you’re being a little modest IMO.

Nice of you to say so matey, though let’s reserve judgement in case Scotland chews me up & spits me out in a couple of weeks. As above, outside of my comfort zone 😀

Yeah, pedalhead that is very understated. You’ve transformed from a weekend warrior into an endurance ‘athlete’ over the last three years that I’ve known you.

Admittedly one with an amazing array of kit and a fantastic level of mental commitment. 😉

Glad you put ‘athlete’ in quotes 😀

Actually good point on the kit. To the OP, prepare your credit card for a hammering if you want to get the best/lightest kit for the race (and you will!).

My first bike packing adventure is going to be the Wessex Way. Planning on doing it solo in 3 days, which equates to 80 miles / day. That should be a good start.

LEJOG does not appeal to me, as it is on road. From a training perspective I am keen to understand just how many consecutive days of 100+ miles cycling you need to be able to handle comfortably to prepare you for the main event.

These guys did it and they appear on a 3 part doc on YouTube, but their site does not provide much details as to what the extent of their training consisted of. http://ridethedivide.co.uk/

These guys did it and they appear on a 3 part doc on YouTube, but their site does not provide much details as to what the extent of their training consisted of. http://ridethedivide.co.uk/

I rode/trained with Greg and Simon a month or so before thier TD ride. I don’t fully know the in’s and out’s of their training schedules but I do know that they put in at least 12 months HARD graft beforehand. They’re both very strong riders but they also had the right mental attitude required to finish, which as Pedalhead says, is possibly the most important factor. Besides training, they’d also invested in the best gear they could … something which doesn’t come cheap 😉

To be honest, I would rather find someone else who is up for doing it as I think it would be a great benefit. Not only from a training perspective, but also for the race itself.

I live in New Mexico and am familar with a lot of the Divide trail as it runs through the state, but haven’t personally ridden it.
I know 2 guys who gave it a try—one made it end to end and the other messed up his knee in a crash and had to quit the trail. Both very strong, accomplished MTB riders–regularly do 12 and 24 hour races, both team and solo.
Both of them echoed what Pedalhead referred to regarding the right mental attitude—you have got to want it badly enough to push through.

I would love to try it, but think am at the age where it would likely be considered a little foolhardy–Mrs. Busydog said no problem as long as she could take out some extra insurance on me.

If you’ve got the mindset of wanting to ride the TD with company, perhaps you might want to consider touring the route instead? Could still go as fast as you like, but I suspect it would be hard to truly race if you’re sticking with someone. From a training perspective though, I can see the attraction, though I’m not convinced it would prepare you mentally for a solo race (if that’s the goal).