Things Just Got Real!!
Well, here we are. We are officially only 17 Days out from our departure and things are really starting to cook!!
It was announced today on bikepacking.com (https://bikepacking.com/news/2021-tour-divide-great-divide-classic/?fbclid=IwAR1AaBQgYv5UkYq7wVlUChkJDIMcy4UD59EbZW45nYK5M7FtR0-6ewY8F4g) that there is officially a specific route selected and that the official start time of the race is 12:00PM on 11 June 2021, from the US/Canadian border crossing in Rooseville.
In addition, in order to pay homage John Stamstad (first official rider to complete the US-Mexico off road ride) and other creators of the Tour Divide, but to differentiate this race from the TD that specifically starts in Banff, Canada on years when the border is open (which it is currently NOT), the race will be called “The Great Divide Classic”.
Additionally, it was announced that the race can be followed on the Trackleaders.com website. While the Great Divide Classic is not yet open to view until closer to race day, racers are registering their satellite tracking units and agreeing to all of the rules of the GDC (Traditional Tour Divide Rules). Basically, you’re on your own! No help from friends or family, no short-cuts, no slacking. If you are not making sufficient progress (approximately 100 miles a day), you will not be identified as a racer, and will be considered a touring rider.
While this seems like a lot, Ray and I have been following and studying the course layout, rules, etc. for almost two years. There is nothing unexpected in what we have just learned, but it certainly puts things into perspective and solidifies our planning and preparation.
Last week we spent several days riding our road bikes while our Salsa Cutthroats were being “re-set” for the trip, with new drivetrains, tires, and brakes. We are already doing our final packing and getting ready to fully load the bikes with our race gear and go out on a few rides this week, just to wring things out! We did have a few small surprises along the way, in terms of parts and such, but we’ve overcome those small hiccups and the rigs are almost tuned and ready to go!
Similar to our bikes, we are doing our last few tune-up rides to get ourselves ready as well. A questions we have been getting of late is: “Are you tapering or taking time off of training here in the last few weeks so that your fresh for the ride?”. The answer in large part is…No. This is not a single day, all out effort where a taper will serve us well. This is an extended, multi-week event where you have to be adjusted and able to race your bike at a sustainable pace for days on end. We have been riding our bike almost every day, (I believe we’ve taken 8-10 rest days off the bike since December) in order to get our bodies used to that type of racing. Actually, the body and legs don’t react well to a day off after such a long time of use. So, we will continue to ride, almost exactly as we have been, until we depart for the border a few days prior to the race. There will be a couple of days of driving where we may not be able to get in a ride, so we’ll do a check-out and warm-up ride on the 10th in Whitefish, MT (the closest town to the border) just to wake up the legs after sitting in a car. The morning of the 11th, we’ll head out and be ready to start the race at noon!
One of the dangers right now as we prepare is you begin to question everything, and all of your gear choices. Is my sleeping bag warm enough? Are my gloves warm enough? Are my shoes warm enough (OK, I’m a little concerned about the temperatures in the northern US, as it has been snowing in Montana for the last three days!!). Should I take extra clothes for cold/hot weather, or rainy weather, or sleeping, or hanging out? Are my back-up lights good enough/mounted correctly? Do I have enough first aid items. Can I carry enough water… I could go on FOREVER, and often do!!
One of the goods/bads of buying in a COVID world, is that it really doesn’t matter at this point. Shipping is such that we couldn’t get things even if we wanted to order them right now. So we are where we are, we will go with what we’ve got!
I’ll be putting out a gear list in a couple of day to inform everybody of our choices. We’ll also be posting pics of our race loaded, and race ready, bikes. For now, check out some of the pictures below for a preview of that.
At any rate, we’re one week and a lot of information closer to the race. We’re almost ready to roll!!
Until next time,
Ride On,
Shane and Ray
