When you do decide to do the TD (just couldn't resist!), beam me up and come and do some BC ridin beforehand....so i can teach you Canadian, eh!
Cheers
TS Merritt
I lined up in Banff for the TD last year. I raced 8 days and went out with ankle issues. The fourth snow slog (Richmond Peak) did me in.
To your point on eating. I never saw anything like it, I ate non-stop all day everyday. Felt pretty good muscularly for even the longest days in the saddle. Calories, I have no clue but I wound up learning that eating a Snickers bar as I entered the long climbs, some 20 miles long, I had adequate energy to make them feeling OK.
Eating all you want, anytime you want is kind of a punch-line. Beef logs, Pop-tarts, candy bars, sour patch kids, Reeses's by the handful. Kind of cool for a few days.
After nearly 2400 miles of racing. The three leaders are only 3-4 miles apart. To put their speed into perspective, Alex Harris is nearly 100 miles back in 5th place yet he is ahead of JP's race record.
The perfect storm is a brewing for a drag race finish. Simply amazing physical accomplishment for all.
Josh Kato wins in about 14 1/2 days (new course record)! He whittled away at Jay Petervay and Neil Beltchanko's lead over days 12 and 13. He caught up to them in Silver City, NM and then put the hammer down. This was really exciting to follow. These racers are amazingly fit with a strong mental fortitude to endure suffering over long periods of time. Josh averaged about 190 miles per day, mostly on gravel forest roads, with some highway and trail as well.
Not to mention the two fellas he was reeling in are incredibly strong proven ultra endurance cyclists. The top 5 finishers this year all broke the prior record. Plus, the women's record is about to get smashed. This too was no ordinary feat. Lael Wilcox became ill during the first few days of the race and backed off the pacing and eventually sought medical attention on route. Oh, and she rode to the start...from Anchorage, Alaska! Nothing like a 4,000 mile warmup. Not only will she be the new women's record holder, but also 6th overall unless a major snafu over the final couple hundred of miles.
There's also a 17 year old riding in 10th position!! His 16 year old brother isn't too far back!! On the opposite end of the spectrum you have Marshall Bird & Robert Orr, pushing 59 & 60 and both under the 20 day pace flag. Not only that, but Robert also finished the AZTR750 in April and I believe is gunning for a CTR finish, thus completing a bikepacking Triple Crown!!
So many interesting stories this year. Here's a few more. Keep an eye on Seb Dunne, he was riding with the lead group when his fork snapped shortly after crossing the New Mexico line. Thankfully he wasn't injured, but had to find a way off the route. 3 days later, he has a new fork and got back en route to still finish under 20 days. His wife is also killing it out there!!
Billy Rice rode the route northbound in late May, completed it in something like 19 days which is super fast. He then jumped aboard a mountain tandem with his 16 year old daughter and they are making their way south now as Team Rice Burner.
There are still a few AZ riders out there, fellow AES'er Elliot Dumont is also turning in a superb effort well under the 20 day pace. Go Elliot!!
If you haven't checked out the 'Ride the Divide' documentary, check it out on Netflix.
Riders are still coming in!! Next in line: Team Rice Burner!! I'm buying their book after all this is over, sheesh. Check out their facebook page for some of their 'issues', especially the past 3-4 days. Egad!! I will do my best to never complain about mud again....
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
Mountain Bike Reviews Forum
15.4M posts
515.2K members
Since 1990
A forum community dedicated to Mountain Bike owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about bike parts, components, deals, performance, modifications, classifieds, trails, troubleshooting, maintenance, and more!