Forum menu
Less than 24hrs to go until the Grand Depart.
So, who you gonna be tracking & shouting from the sofa for this year ❓
I think a rider local to me is participating this year.
Sadly it'll be missing the late Mike Hall this year, who gave such a phenomenal performance last year.
Here's a picture to get us in the sofa dot watching zone, and to remember a legend in self supported long distance bike riding.
[img] 
[/img]
http://trackleaders.com/tourdivide17
PS: sets off on the GD @ 15:00 UK time Friday 9th June by my guesstimation.
I love these! What ever happened to Matthew Lee? He seemed to drop off after starting a family a few years back. Like Mike, he was great too.
rumbledethumps - Member
I love these! What ever happened to Matthew Lee? He seemed to drop off after starting a family a few years back. Like Mike, he was great too.
Matt is still active. Family now, busy man. He's one of the two people who keep the trackers live.
Errrr... last minute TDR prep work!
[img] 
[/img]
Wot a pair of plankers 😉
Last time i saw Rickie she said she planned to ride it this year to suss out the logistics and then go back and race it in '18. But she is competitive...
Lees kit:
[img] 
[/img]
(nabbed from Lee Craigies Twitter)
3hr 20min to go!
Interesting. Lee had a pair of Lauf forks on the bike last week at the HT550 (she just rode the first day and a bit) but looks like she's gone for the rigid option.
I'm going to be following Lee's dot...
He watches.. 🙂What ever happened to Matthew Lee?
ride it this year to suss out the logistics
Long distance needs more race-blind attitude .. more enduro : )
Being a bit more serious .. there's really not much that needs planning that far imo - if you have cues and you can ride >150 miles a day to be up there and get between resupply points relatively comfortably each day then you can mostly manage logistics as you go. The weather can mess plans up so much or vary it all so much year to year that I'm not sure how the recce run really gains much over some basic prep and references to the route. But that's just a thought on it not a fact. Greg, how do you feel about that after last year?
Rickie & Lee just went live with their Spot Trackers with 5 mins to go. 😀
FWIW - i've only met & chatted with Rickie a few times. She comes across as a real nice person, highly motivated, positively charged... and when a race commences i reckon she'll see red and go for it. IMO she could ride it as a recce anytime. For a competitive cyclist to line up on a race start line can only mean one thing....
[img] 
[/img]
In the women's event also look out for Margeta 'Peggy' Marvanova from Czech Republic - very high profile at home - with Adam Zaviska, first ever finishers the Lapland Extreme 900
Heavy rain overnight in the Foothills. Trails are going to be fairly damp this morning for the start.
Will be following closely!
I remember the feeling of day 1 nerves well from last year. Hope they don't have it as cold as we did.
Lee's set up looks good. Carbon forks and rims seem to be the only major differences to my Shand.
I wouldn't want carbon rims on a tour divide bike though.
Great thread this. Thanks for all the information people. Great stuff! 😀
Yeah that's Rickie! Wishing her all the best to have a great ride. Just know all the locals she meets on the route will remember her 😀She comes across as a real nice person, highly motivated, positively charged...
Just looking at Trackleaders and it seems the route has changed since last year and the Fernie alternate is now the main route. Anyone know the details on this and if there are any other significant changes?
Rickie & Lee are making a film of their ride this year with Rickie def on for having a crack at the record next year. I saw Rickie last week and they weren't 100% sure they were getting a spotter this time. Good to see they sorted that one.
I'm supported by ENVE and hoped they would help them 😉
Rickie could easily take the record for most words spoken per hour during the TD!
Anyone know the details on this and if there are any other significant changes?
Bridge out after Corbin I think. They rejoin at Lower Harvey Creek in the Flathead Valley before Butts Cabin, so still do the Wall, Cabin pass and Galton Pass. Think thats the only change.
It'll take a phenomenal effort to beat both Mike a Lael's finish times.
Just filtering down the riders so it's a bit clearer and this made me feel a bit sad, but none the less impressed...
[img] 
[/img]
Best of luck to everyone on the ride though, looking forward to watching it progress, fingers crossed for fair weather and tail winds!
Lee Cragie had some front bag issues which knackered her Lauf carbon forks hence back on the full rigid
tang - Member
Rickie could easily take the record for most words spoken per hour during the TD!
She's a tiny force of nature isn't she, only met her at qwerty's JennRide event last year & she was such a boost to me as she's also a good listener.
Lee Cragie had some front bag issues which knackered her Lauf carbon forks hence back on the full rigid
Interesting, curious and worrying at the same time.
I wonder what happened. I've ridden hundreds of miles on my Lauf's with bags attached and never had a problem.
I was going to ask you about this John since I don't remember you ever mentioning a problem.
only met her at [s]qwerty's[/s] [i]Tangs[/i] JennRide
Its T's doing - i'm just a gatecrasher 😉
Lee & Rickie seem to be doin alright, especially if their filming their way round. Be good to see the pair of them go full throttle - 2018 i guess, but still addictive dot watching and a crackin effort.
So, approx 49.5hrs in and Josh Kato (USA) & Ben Steurbaut (DE) are the lead pair, they have put in around 425 miles each & only 2 miles between them. Thats an average of 8.6mph for the 49.5 miles (not accounting for sleeping).
go Rickie !!
A buckle rubbed on the forks causing a hole not good for carbon : -) was peeved as the two days she rode with them on she really liked!
Good stuff.
Are there any forum regulars racing this year?
Not sure, but I believe Rob Colliver is currently in the US on a 5000 mile off road race, he's Spot Tracked on that too if you fancy some endurance dot watching.
Apparently the rainfalls been apooling:
[img] 
:large[/img]
A TDR bath.
😉
Hi, I a dot on trackleaders. Holed up in a motel in Seeley Lake: hypothermic worries stopped at lot of riders here today. The day one re route was horrific, made the wall look like a joke. Ran accross 3 mountain lions yesterday with Mark Burton: he's up ahead at Ovando. Incredible that Lee can pump out that power given her stature. Long way to go but loving it. Mac (aka James Macpherson on Trackleaders).
Great job Mac - Keep it up! Sounds like you guys have the weather much worse than we did last year.
Just seen that Ben who was in second has snapped his Lauf forks and had to get a lift back to Butte to try to replace them.
7PoI - thanks for the update - sounds wild!
Incredible that Lee can pump out that power given her stature.
- i think she towers over Rickie!!!
Thats harsh for Ben, but i guess its all part & parcel of this kind of event - he's holed up in Buttes, Comfort Inn right now. Seems to be a couple of outdoors / bike shops in town, not sure how "specialist" they are though, hope he can get sorted quickly.
Anyone know the reason for the orange route deviation from red is that Brian Lucido is on in Tres Piedras, Carson National Forest? He's at the post office!!!
for the first year in a long time ive been out the loop on following this due to lack of internet for the last 2 weeks.
just flicked on trackleaders to get updated and the room just got dusty when MH mens record tracker came up
the legend lives on.
Heres to continued safe travels for all still on the trail esp inlight of recent events with the transam.
qwerty - Member
Anyone know the reason for the orange route deviation from red is that Brian Lucido is on in Tres Piedras, Carson National Forest? He's at the post office!!!
The Gila is on fire. Simple enough.
Happens frequently that the latter stage gets a re-route.
I see from the event FB feed that Lee Craigie has decided to opt out the race and continue in 'touring mode'. I understand that first week weather and trail conditions were atrocious and that many are now suffering the consequences
This morning's update from Eddie: "Yesterday was tough. Finished up around 2 am, up for more today. It rained off and mostly on until 6pm. Then the reroute (orange line on trackleaders) to avoid a washed out Bridge. It was a brutal hike a bike that took 2.5 hours to ride/push for 6 miles total." When Asked his current strategy he said "no strategy, just keep moving forward."
Looks like Rickie missed the Golddust trail. Stopped in Como, hope she realises, rides back up, then goes down the correct way.
Crap video - but as you come over the top you hare past this turn off. Many riders miss it each year. Bloody good trail. One of, if not the best, piece of singletrack on the whole route.
Dovebiker - Lee's BB failed - she took a ride forward, got it sorted, is scratched but touring.
Rickie has turned around. Long climb to do the descent, but better than a DQ.
Josh Kato's at mile 2700, coming in for second to Brian Luciado.
(i think)
JP should finish today. Stunning run down for an ITT starting two days after everyone else.
adventuresyndRickie and Lee have now made it to Grants, 376 miles from the end of the Tour Divide, only to receive some bad news - Rickie has been disqualified from the race, after accepting a lift from her overnight host in Como back up to the top of Boreas Pass (approximately 10km) the morning after missing the singletrack descent in the dark.
.
Although Rickie has so far covered the entire Tour Divide route under her own power, the rules dictate that racers may not accept lifts, even outside of the course, unless they have a medical or mechanical emergency.
.
"I'm understandably gutted my time will be DQ'd," says Rickie, "but this journey is about so much more than my time being registered on some leaderboard. Lee and I will carry on to Antelope Wells and finish the route in the spirit in which we started it. With passion and commitment and in an effort to document it in order to inspire others to get out there and have their own adventure."
.
"She's been ****ing amazing," says Lee. "And regardless of race rules, her ride deserves to be recognised for the incredible achievement it is. The Tour Divide isn't easy, and we've both pushed ourselves further than we've ever gone before. Whether or not Rickie officially 'finishes' feels almost irrelevant at the moment."
.
Lee and Rickie will continue to ride towards the finish line on the Mexican border, which they hope to reach sometime on Thursday. #tourdivide2017 #tourdivide
God darn rules must be rules for them to be rules so the players can be ruled!!! A shame to see the dot turned orange, but hey ho, the ethos can't be deterred. I'm sure they're both thriving on the trip!
Rules are rules. Simple as that.
Much like Guy last year and his inability to ride the route.
DNF, simple enough.
Anyone else noticed that Ashley Benns from Manchester has now nearly completed his "yo-yo-yo"?
According to a post from the shop in Ovando on the Bikepacking.net forum he is talking about turning around when he gets to Banff and riding back in order to make it a double-double.
Bonkers!