if people dont like the race element, or the rules of this race, you can just ride the course your self?
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if people dont like the race element, or the rules of this race, you can just ride the course your self?
Definitely, anytime and any way you want. If I did the tour divide I'd have a hard time not detouring onto nearby trails where available and likely large parts of CDT. Then use the tour route to get to the next trail area.Quote:
Originally Posted by mntlion
I agree with rules like no food/water caches or having people drop stuff off for you as those are things that directly impact your ability to finish. But things like Lael getting an emotional boost from seeing her GF they take a little too seriously. She still has to turn the cranks the same as everyone else. Applying some of these rules to riders who aren't out to win it is comical too. Supposedly you have to start with the grand depart to get credit for riding the triple crown (GD, CTR, AZTR) to ensure everyone rides under the same weather/trail conditions. Well sure I can start with the group but I ride at half the pace of the fastest riders, so within hours and definitely days I could face vastly different conditions than them. On the tour divide the snow above Brush Mtn lodge would be all melted by the time I got there. Yup, same conditions....:rolleyes2
the contenders experience similar conditions.
sounds like Kato spent the night in the hospital. bummer, hope he has a speedy recovery.
Wednesday Night Gravel Ride, somewhere in Plymouth VT, hometown of Calvin Coolidge.
I’m the dork in the blue Strava Jersey.
From this evening.
Attachment 286896
Is that a weekly ride?Quote:
Originally Posted by buttahflake
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Yep, meets on the east side of the green in Woodstock on Wednesday at 5:30. First Wednesday of the month we ride MTB other than that it’s gravel bikes.Quote:
Originally Posted by Laps
Just thought I'd follow up on this. The old nalgene insulation sleeve actually works pretty damn well as a chuck-bucket. However, my right knee does hit it when out of the saddle on climbs. It's soft so not that big of a deal. I'd prefer to have something purpose made and am still waffling between this top tube box or a handlebar bag like the burrito supreme. I know buttah's take on this. Any other thoughts from your gravel mags?Quote:
Originally Posted by buttahflake
I have one of those burrito bags and love it. I also run chuck buckets occasionally but yes I hit my knees on the gravel bike (not on the mtn bike). Preferred setup for long gravel rides is the burrito bag on the bar and my revelate gas tank on the stem/toptube.Quote:
Originally Posted by Peruvian
Attachment 286929
https://allcitycycles.com/blog/the_n...blow_your_mind
Damn you All-city!
I used a thing called the bento box for my long races which was very similar to the mag tank, but smaller. I used it as a food storage container for eating constantly on long climbs. That position is great, as it doesn't get in the way at all or change the feeling of your steering.Quote:
Originally Posted by Peruvian
No idea about the burrito box (and no pic for me in link) but I like my older version of the top tube box. Holds a ton of stuff and is real easy to access, even while riding. Interferes a little when I stand to pedal, but Nothing annoying.
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I'm leaning heavily towards the Revelate Mag Tank as it looks like it's super easy to access one handed while riding and even weighed down it won't effect the front end. I just know that Buttah's gonna remind me that he told me to get a top tube bag last week.Quote:
Originally Posted by Laps
Edit - I ordered the Mag Tank. Found it at 20% off with free shipping and couldn't turn it down.
Red? ^^^ or light pink?
Red only if it matches like his nagene coozy does.Quote:
Originally Posted by Vt-Freeheel
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In looking through all my gear, what I can conclude is that orange colored stuff goes on sale a lot.
The mag-tank is black.
Black will help keep tour bacon sammich warm!
Nice but damp ride in Acadia Wednesday, tried to wait out the rain but didn't happen. Saw 125' of ocean and lots of fog. Mist had a side cooling benefit.
Attachment 287027
Another cool bikepacking bike...LWB Jones complete just released:
https://blog.jonesbikes.com/somethin...m-jones-bikes/
Attachment 287049
I've run Jones bars on a rigid bikepacking setup before and love it. I envision the full LWB version to be pretty much the ideal bikepacking/touring set up, this lowers the cost a bit compared to the full frameset.
Spent the week in Acadia doing some hiking and riding—carriage roads are amazing and did some exploring elsewhere. Wish there was more time to ride. Where is your shot taken? These were around Ellsworth on Weds.Attachment 287073Quote:
Originally Posted by Vt-Freeheel
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Didn't realize how deep the pushback was on Lael having her race documented. Sounds like there are some crusty olds who are scared at how fast she is. Curious who the other rider being documented is....who apparently DID receive some support from his film crew.
Lael will be back, and she will make sure no cameras are within 20 miles of her and she will fucking smoke everyone. She has to now.
https://theradavist.com/2019/06/tour...e-race-part-4/
Neither did I, she has a target on her back for some reason. Is it because of her sexual orientation? You wouldn’t think that would be the case these days, but it kinda feels that way. I feel bad for her. Good read, thanks for the link.Quote:
Originally Posted by Whiteroom_Guardian
It is because she rides specialized.Quote:
Originally Posted by buttahflake
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I laughed, but you might be onto something there.Quote:
Originally Posted by Laps
More power to her. Lael is the shit.
The event is getting bigger each year, so more people riding and more people "arm chair quarterbacking" what it should/should not be.
the pre-game her sexual identity never came up? (maybe no one cared until she was doing well?)
I think the whole event is just "trending" so gets more noise from all sources
Jesus H Christ, Jay Petervary and his soul patch can go take a hike. What a fuckin' loser.Quote:
Originally Posted by Whiteroom_Guardian
My previous statement stands: as soon as somebody calls it a race, people get way too serious. I was a road racer for a while and will confidently say that road racing has less bullshit than this and that sport is filled with the most uptight, type A folks you'll ever encounter.
Mike C has some insight into Jay P, and yeah, he is a fuckin loser.
http://lacemine29.blogspot.com/2015/...rvary.html?m=1
Watching the coverage this year has really gotten me intrigued about the TD. Has sort of been on my "5 year" bucket list, but might have to move that timeline up if possible. Seems like a painful and beautiful experience. Hopefully I can make some sales here soon and buy that gravel bike and do some long rides in late summer/fall.
When you make it up to banff, you got a place to stay. ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by Whiteroom_Guardian
Even if you make it up just to see peoples rigs, see the start etc thats kinda fun. I can also suggest a few non-TD routes in the area to get a feel for it.
For me, the GD too peoplie and I would just do an ITT (seems strange to start a solo event, with 200 other people)
Thanks man. I would definitely do ITT. That's kinda the whole point imo, and I would be nowhere near competitive anyway. A 20 day finish I think is a good goal. Maybe even that's too ambitious?Quote:
Originally Posted by mntlion
At Tomichi Trading post this weekend. Divide riders constantly rolling through. The non race leaders have said they have had awesome conditions.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Whiteroom_Guardian
I think its more a mental game, Can you keep riding more then others can once they get mental tired?
Same here, maybe I'll see you there in the near future! I'd be tempted to go for it on a gravel bike setup with higher volume tires, not to be super competitive, but for distance comfort, and take er easy on the rougher sections.Quote:
Originally Posted by Whiteroom_Guardian
Salsa shitcanned Petervarys for his behavior during the TD, good on them.
That guy is a tool
https://theradavist.com/2019/07/sals...arys-contract/
Maybe it's further back in the thread, but a quick google search didn't come up with much more than he disputed whether Wilcox was fully 'unsupported' during the TD. Was there a specific comment or series of statements that he made?Quote:
Originally Posted by buttahflake
edited - I found this report but it's clearly one sided. Maybe I 'don't get' the ethos of this race, but a phone call or text from a loved one certainly doesn't seem the same as a fresh kit or mechanical help to me. What kind of race doesn't let people cheer on the racers, whether or not they are friends and family?
As someone that has followed the Tour Divide since the earliest years, this has been a topic brewing for some time. The "rules" are that you are self-supported, don't accept outside help (even emotional help), only purchase or accept items widely available to everyone on the route. The idea is that riders that have local help don't gain any advantage over those from outside the US, or east coast, etc.
However, the rules have been getting bent (a lot) since the advent of social media and smart phones. Now racers can access Trackleaders while they are riding via their phone, they get calls and text messages, they post "live" feeds, friends (and followers) post encouragement and even advice for problems encountered along the route. This is against the original spirit of the race, but could also simply be the evolving nature of humans and technology. Those that want the race to adhere to the old days take(took) exception to Lael's film crew. They viewed it as potential emotional support at best, at worst they thought they might provide outside assistance. Lael and her crew worked to alleviate those concerns. Not everyone was happy.
Jay P apparently created a film himself (not sure I've seen), so Lael's supporters believe he is being hypocritical in his criticism of her attempt, the film and his view of bending the rules. Others have pointed out (accused) Lael of cheating the rules in past races, Jay P had a blog post about him cheating the rules as well.
All in all, this is a bummer....I can't believe that those that organize the "race" have kept it up this long. They post the route, assist with route changes in the event of fires, disqualify people for infractions of the rules, yet don't really own the race. In fact, they can't....no insurance, no permits, easy to see why they need to distance themselves from the liability of this event. I'll be surprised if it carry's on in the current form.
The real tour divide people don't have all this drama. Once bike racing is your full time job your ego becomes part of who you are. Not an easy thing to keep under wraps.
Question for you people that sit down on a bike for a long time:
Are Brooks Cambium saddles worth it? My commuter/gravel groveler currently has a Ritchey ass-hatchet that has turned my perineum into chunk light albacore, with only 4-6 miles per day on it. My mountain bike has a WTB Volt (142mm wide), which is much better but my butt still hurts after long climbs (as do other parts). Looking at a C17 Carve; is it worth paying the big bucks or should I just get another Volt?
I've been riding Selle Italia Flites since they came out. Zero saddle issues until 2 1/2 hours of gravel grinding in baggies. No issue with padded lycra.
I'm torn on the cambium. I have an original C17 (non carved) and have mostly designated it to commuting. For long rides and gravel races I go for the wtb rocket (142mm). At least in my opinion, the C17 isn't quite as comfy/shock absorbing as others have described. My mtn bike came with a volt and that was the first part I took off and switched to the rocket. Gravel bike, I alternate between the cambium and recently am trying a fabric scoop... the seat depends on the week and how much I commute vs. more training type rides. Still inconclusive with the fabric saddle. The other weird thing, whereas other saddles I can pretty much just eyeball the level and rail position, the cambium I feel like I can never quite get the angle right. Either I'm sitting to far forward on the nose or too much ass pressure on the rear, and longer rides I feel pressure in parts without any contours in the saddle. With that said, I would definitely consider the carved version over the regular version.Quote:
Originally Posted by Toddball
All a bunch of stupid internet shit on both sides. I don't know much about Jay P but his critiques seem a bit absurd. At the same time, having a social media film crew then dropping out (along with a few others) all because you weren't prepared for non-ideal conditions seems kinda shitty.Quote:
Originally Posted by buttahflake
The real story is Alexandra fucking killing it. Who cares about the above when she cranked that out on a gnarly single speed!