Tour Divide 2019

[ScotRoutes]

Even if the film crew don't help in any physical way, just knowing that there's somebody nearby who can help you out if you get into trouble is an advantage. You can take a lot more risk knowing there's a bail-out option.
You can carry less kit. Lighter sleeping bag, etc knowing that if the weather takes an unexpected turn you've got the option to get out of there, other riders are going to have to ensure they carry enough insulation to keep warm.
You can try to push through injury or illness. The type where you'd usually have to wait it out in a town to see if you're going to recover. You can try to ride it off knowing that if things do get worse, you're not going to get stuck in the wilderness with no way of getting back to civilisation.
Similar thing with restock options. If you turn up after closing time you might be able to risk pushing on with what food you have. Other riders would have to wait until opening time and ensure they carry enough.

You can ask the film crew not to help her with her race in any way - but you can't ask them not to help her if she's in serious danger so having that is surely an advantage?

I've often thought that even carrying a Spot/Inreach tracker confers much of the same advantage in any case. It's patently easier to take a risk knowing that you have help at the press of a button. Yes, taking advantage of any assistance would mean disqualification but knowing help is available if required means that the risk to life and limb is reduced.

[Bearbonesnorm]

{thinking out loud} Maybe the whole dot watching thing is a problem - does it remove the 'purity and simply encourage external commercial pressures? Perhaps the TD has become a victim of said pressures and is now destined to eventually consume itself? {stopped thinking now}

[Chicken Legs]

Is it the beginning of the end

Once again the blame can be laid at the door of social media/financial gain !!

[jameso]

^ TDR's got the 'longest/hardest' BS attached and all the stuff that goes with it. Everest to the CTR's Alpine north face.

The blame is human nature and interest in anything that's an outlier in some way that grabs the imagination? 'Guilty'. And you Andy

[redefined_cycles]

Is it the beginning of the end

Once again the blame can be laid at the door of social media/financial gain !!

So... soon there will come a time when the previous riders will be riding the route just to clear it of all the debris left behind by 'the tourists'... I think there was reports of tonnes of rubbish being cleared off Everest (not thw Death Zone I think) by the sherpas how sad of a situation...

[whitestone]

Colin, there's a difference between having someone you know within a few minutes and a stranger many hundreds or thousands of kilometres and potentially several hours away. Both are a safety net.

Stu, I was asked to "commentate" on this year's HT550 by dotwatchers but declined, partly because I was going to be out walking during the duration of the ride but as much because I felt it was making a "thing" out of what is basically a bit of fun.

The TDR appears to have changed over the years, as an example, rather than being serendipitous "trail angels" are now almost unofficial feed/watering stations.

[Chicken Legs]

^ interest in anything that's an outlier in some way that grabs the imagination? 'Guilty'. And you Andy

Thats true James, the difference is all I want to do is turn up, ride hard, enjoy the route and go home, the fewer people that know about it the better, perhaps I'm a little bit odd in that respect

[Bearbonesnorm]

Stu, I was asked to "commentate" on this year's HT550 by dotwatchers but declined, partly because I was going to be out walking during the duration of the ride but as much because I felt it was making a "thing" out of what is basically a bit of fun.

The TDR appears to have changed over the years, as an example, rather than being serendipitous "trail angels" are now almost unofficial feed/watering stations.

I do sometimes wonder who compulsary trackers are actually for. If they're simply about rider safety, wouldn't it be fun if Trackleaders didn't put names on dots?

[Pirahna]

So what were talking about is having a race where nobody knows who's in it, is unable to follow it, and is so secret nobody actually knows about it.

[Bearbonesnorm]

So what were talking about is having a race where nobody knows who's in it, is unable to follow it, and is so secret nobody actually knows about it.

Who me? No. I'm saying that there'd be no names allocated to the dots. There could still be a list of riders just that no one watching would know which dot belonged to who. I mean, is tracking there for rider safety or is it there for spectacle and potential financial gain?

[Chicken Legs]

So what were talking about is having a race where nobody knows who's in it, is unable to follow it, and is so secret nobody actually knows about it.

Who me? No. I'm saying that there'd be no names allocated to the dots. There could still be a list of riders just that no one watching would know which dot belonged to who. I mean, is tracking there for rider safety or is it there for spectacle and potential financial gain?

Next you'll be wanting a race where people adhere to a set of basic rules and can rely on their word that they stuck to them

[GregMay]

Totally agree with Stu over communication. Makes a MASSIVE difference when you're out on the route.

[jay91]

Maybe the dot could be blank till they've finished then there name appears.


Probably terrible Idea

[Alpinum]

Is it the beginning of the end

Once again the blame can be laid at the door of social media/financial gain !!

Very much with you on this Andy.

Yet perhaps one can blame (for those who wish to blame) the person who wants that gain through social media, rather than the media itself. It's by choice.

Each to their own.

I can choose what style I like and who I support.


When I was following ridge lines last autumn (hiking/munro bagging) I knew Dave B. was out trying to find an agreement with his HT550 demons. Although I never met him, I hoped he would pull it off. Hoping to add a tiny little bit to his motivation, I put down some pebbles when traversing what feels like the longest glen on the HT550, just a few day prior to when he would've crossed my route, would he have kept riding.

So the photo should be synonymical for what I wish this years riders, especially the BB'ers.

[Pirahna]

The Divide is a race that's held on a touring route that was devised by the ACA. The route is extremely well known. For the couple of hundred riders that line up Banff there will be ten times that many and more riding along the entire route it this year and hundreds more riding bits of it. Some carry spots and register on the Trackleaders trail tracker like I did. Most haven't got a fucking clue these things exist. Most people on the route have no clue how Ovando got itself into Divide legend, or know about Brush Mountain and don't even ride to Antelop Wells, they take the alternative finish in Puetro Palomas because it's easy to get home from and they've never heard of Jeffrey Sharp. Most of the riders on the route don't even know there's a race along it. For anyone interested in touring, mid/late July is the best time to start, you won't see any litter, you might occasionally meet other people.

Back to the race. What's wrong with having dots for the spectacle and financial gain?

There will be very few riders that receive any form of sponsorship. Mike Hall certainly did, Lael does, Jay Petervary does, Josh Kato maybe (probably). But in a race like the Divide it amounts to nothing, Josh Kato got sidelined by a dog bit for example, one of the UK riders has certainly received sponsorship this year in the form of freebie goods, do you think he bought the cuben tent himself? Please tell me Lee Craigie and Rickie Cotter have never received any sponsorship.

The Divide is a spectacle. It's a race and people like to know who's winning. But it's a really, really niche spectacle.

[Dave Barter]

Hi all I’m in Canada FFS

and Alpinum if i’d known those stones were there i’d have carried on

[Justchris]

Hi all I’m in Canada FFS

and Alpinum if i’d known those stones were there i’d have carried on

Good luck! And stay safe!

[Alpinum]

Hi all I’m in Canada FFS

and Alpinum if i’d known those stones were there i’d have carried on

Just let me know when you give the HT550 another try

All the very best for the TD.

Gian

[jameso]

Hi all I’m in Canada FFS

and Alpinum if i’d known those stones were there i’d have carried on

enjoy! ("FFS"..? Were you planning to ride NB??)

^ interest in anything that's an outlier in some way that grabs the imagination? 'Guilty'. And you Andy

Thats true James, the difference is all I want to do is turn up, ride hard, enjoy the route and go home, the fewer people that know about it the better, perhaps I'm a little bit odd in that respect

I know what you mean. Feels like the best kind of motivation when it really is just for the hell of it and your own reasons only.

"trail angels" are now almost unofficial feed/watering stations.

Where does this happen, do you know? Brush Mountain is an official stop but wasn't aware of others.

[Richpips]

All the best Dave!

[sean_iow]

Lael Wilcox on the Hidden Athlete podcast has just been put up, that's my listening sorted for the next hour

https://www.spreaker.com/user/thehidden ... ael-wilcox

[FLV]

Best of luck to you dave, enjoy the simple life of just pedalling and eating

[rando nomad]

Good luck to Dave and everyone else from this parish. Just getting to the start line is a big deal and I can't wait to hear the stories afterwards.

[paramart]

all the best dave, may the punk be with you and spur you on

[BigdummySteve]

Have a great ride Dave, apparently swearing at bears works a treat