Tour Divide 2019

[fatbikephil]

So Bikepacking is now transitioning to a professional sport, and as such has evolved from ‘noble pursuit’ (at best), to entertainment, which is ultimately what all professional sport is. All the dot watching and associated commentary is further proof of that. Not saying that is so terrible, but we might as well acknowledge the truth.

Bikepacking as practiced on here is still a noble pursuit / way to justify drinking a lot whilst still exercising; so we are safe

[NewRetroTom]

I'm not sure it's really true to say that bikepacking is transitioning to a professional sport. The number of people who get paid to race (so not counting people who are given free gear) can't be more than a dozen. Those individuals just make a lot of noise, because that's what they're being paid to do. I can't see that increasing much in the next few years.

[NewRetroTom]

Also just had a thought that Lael is sponsored by Revelate who I think are owned by the same company (QBP) as Salsa. So it doesn't make much sense for Salsa sponsored JP to be slagging her way of doing things off.

[ScotRoutes]

Revelate isn't owned by QBP.

Ironically, one of Laels other sponsors is Specialized and they had a run-in with Eric of Revelate because he'd originally called his company Epic Designs,

[Taylor]

Just seen on faceache that a rider decided to bail after Togwotee pass, flags down an ATV to take her back to relative civilization at Lava Mountain Lodge, THEN presses SOS on her spot to get a ride to hospital. (Self diagnosed a blood clot although I'm not sure how you diagnose this).
I was under the impression that the SOS button was for emergencies, not taxi rides to a bigger town.
Surely asking at the lodge for a lift would've been quicker, they have a gas station so obviously get enough passing traffic.
Am I being too critical?

[NewRetroTom]

Revelate isn't owned by QBP.

My mistake, they seem to be a vendor partner.

[jameso]

So Bikepacking is now transitioning to a professional sport, and as such has evolved from ‘noble pursuit’ (at best), to entertainment, which is ultimately what all professional sport is

Bikepacking can still be a noble pursuit, just go ride for our own reasons?

Entertainment-wise, all I see that's different to 2011 post Ride The Divide is more waffle and BS on facebook related to a bit of controversy, though it may have been the same back then. I wasn't a FB browser til fairly recently.

IMO if we race (or even make a concerted effort to promote riding online), we're part of what makes the difference between 'just riding' and promoted professional sport. FKTs, achievement then sponsorship, etc.. is all part of it. If it's interesting it gets posted or promoted. People will raise their profile via that and sponsorship, Pro racers and so on are a natural process, surely? The TD is along that line and if Pros race and race well, that's fine. All the sponsored rider media profile commentary and related stuff is a shame but it's easy enough to ignore. That's just about change and people, not the events themselves.

[redefined_cycles]

Just seen on faceache that a rider decided to bail after Togwotee pass, flags down an ATV to take her back to relative civilization at Lava Mountain Lodge, THEN presses SOS on her spot to get a ride to hospital. (Self diagnosed a blood clot although I'm not sure how you diagnose this).
I was under the impression that the SOS button was for emergencies, not taxi rides to a bigger town.
Surely asking at the lodge for a lift would've been quicker, they have a gas station so obviously get enough passing traffic.
Am I being too critical?

Sounds like a doctor or nurse to me Taylor... Most likely a doctor as nurses are either too thick or (think they're) too hard. Most likely scenario is they had a dvt (deep vien thrombosis) and one of the legs swelled up and became red(ish) and painful. If a clot from the leg then dislodges (which it would be at higher risk of with turbulent flow and in hospital they even dont allow Flowtrons (https://www.arjo.com/int/products/-vte- ... wtron-dvt/) as it will increase the risk of the clot dislodging and travelling up to the narrower viens...

When/if the clot moves north then you're talking a possible pulmonary embolism (https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-con ... c-20354647) and if the clot gets past that even then... (and I'm sure others mighy clarify) It could go and sit/get stuck inside the, again tiny, viens supplying the heart with blood (coronary arteries) and its a full blown heart attack...

The best thing for such a person (with a clot) in my understanding is to get immobilized and to a place that can break that clot, FAST...

So, the answer to the SPOT question (in my small brain... but I'm not sure I'd follow my own logic at the time) is that yeah, pr9bably best thing to do.

I bet its an ICU registrar that pregnant (pregnancy increases the risk of clots)

[PaulB2]

The SPOT was probably the cheapest way to get to hospital too from a rural area - if her medical insurance didn't cover the local ambulance firm she would be looking at a massive bill.

[sean_iow]

Just seen this on FB, Davy is riding with our Dave so an update on his day

Text from Davy Patterson, tracker showing him currently at Cuba NM ..... Caught in storms in Polvedera Mesa crossing . Peanut butter mud track no way around . Push pull carry clean ride, chain and transmission derails. X 50. Many hours lost . But many others same . Was careful to protect transmission as much as possible , use rivers to clean and water bottles to clean wash chain as riding. Ride with Geoff Blanche a lot, one of the best TD riders out there. On a single speed bike, strength like you can’t believe , and knows the course and resupply points real cool guy. We try to go together to finish. He can be the first person in history to finish in geared bike, single speed and tandem...
weather is critical now between here and AW. Grants tomorr. Pie Town wed. Silver City thurs.
rain stops the game because of mud. It’s impassable no way thru. So it needs to go a strategy because after rain the tracks dry quick a few hours.
Bike and kit serviced every day .

[redefined_cycles]

The SPOT was probably the cheapest way to get to hospital too from a rural area - if her medical insurance didn't cover the local ambulance firm she would be looking at a massive bill.

So what kind of bill would the rider be facing now?? And woild prices vary if it was say an InReach

[Bearbonesnorm]

Aye, mud - Dave's broken out his poo trowel in an effort to keep things running.

[Bearbonesnorm]

I think the 'real TD' is still out there it's just that we're shown very little of it so are largely in the dark. I've had an email from Dave this morning and I hope he doesn't mind me quoting him but he says,

As you can guess all the real fun, drama and pure heart happens away from the glamorous tw@ts at the front.

[sean_iow]

So what kind of bill would the rider be facing now?? And woild prices vary if it was say an InReach

You can pay extra with SPOT and have insurance for rescue/medical costs. If you don't have another insurance policy you could claim for the cost of care in the USA then using the SPOT would be the best option I guess. You can't claim off the SPOT insurance if you don't use it to call for help.

Edit, just checked and the extra service seems to cover only the search and rescue costs.

[jameso]

Most likely a doctor as nurses are either too thick or (think they're) too hard.

You know a prominent and highly admirable recent TD racer, in a similar situ recently, is a nurse, right? : ) (with apologies if I missed a subtle joke - you seem to have some experience here!)

[PaulB2]

The SPOT was probably the cheapest way to get to hospital too from a rural area - if her medical insurance didn't cover the local ambulance firm she would be looking at a massive bill.

So what kind of bill would the rider be facing now?? And woild prices vary if it was say an InReach

Not really sure, it would depend on their medical insurance. If you're covered, then ten years ago (when I last had US medical insurance) I would have had 'just' a $250 bill for the ambulance (the co-pay as they call it or deductible as we would). If not covered then it would have been over $1k. If they had to administer drugs and it was a long distance then it could easily be 2-3 times that. That's just for the ambulance ride, any treatment at the hospital would be a different itemised bill, and that's based on ten year old hazily remembered numbers.

[pistonbroke]

Aye, mud - Dave's broken out his poo trowel in an effort to keep things running.

Can someone please tell him that he doesn't need to bag the dirt and carry it out with him? Having been in a similar situation with him on the SC2C, maybe the trowel is being pressed into use writing expletives in the mud along the trail.

[lune ranger]

Most likely a doctor as nurses are either too thick or (think they're) too hard.

You know a prominent and highly admirable recent TD racer, in a similar situ recently, is a nurse, right? : ) (with apologies if I missed a subtle joke - you seem to have some experience here!)

I’m assuming it’s a misfired joke. Shafiq is a nurse himself....
So am I, gonna put me in the too hard category and Shaf in the too thick category for now

[redefined_cycles]

Most likely a doctor as nurses are either too thick or (think they're) too hard.

You know a prominent and highly admirable recent TD racer, in a similar situ recently, is a nurse, right? : ) (with apologies if I missed a subtle joke - you seem to have some experience here!)

Lol... Yup. Josh Kato and our very own Luke Holliday are both nurses. The subtle joke and about being too thick was on/about me. 1. I always try to add it in (the thick bit) as am always certain that some smartass is gonna come and blow all my theories and understanding out of the window. 2. When I had my heart infection after the cardiac marker studies (Troponin) came back as 'probable extremely serious heart attack with a Trop-i of 2000, I still tried to discharge myself (the specialist nurse had to subtly threaten to report me to the Nursing and Midwifery Council as she knew I work as a HDU nurse...

Getting back to JK and hardass (ITU) nurses. Notice how he never stated about his breathing problems in the very first post. Eventually when it did come out that he had been finding it hard to breath (he mentioned himself), it aspired that he still didnt press his spot and decided to casually keep riding to the next hospital stop.

He deifnitely knew his race was over at least 24H before getting himself into hospital but had chosen to ignore it. Proper bearbones (and retarded... like most on here )

[redefined_cycles]

Most likely a doctor as nurses are either too thick or (think they're) too hard.

You know a prominent and highly admirable recent TD racer, in a similar situ recently, is a nurse, right? : ) (with apologies if I missed a subtle joke - you seem to have some experience here!)

I’m assuming it’s a misfired joke. Shafiq is a nurse himself....
So am I, gonna put me in the too hard category and Shaf in the too thick category for now

Spot on... couldn't have said it better myself

[jameso]

Most likely a doctor as nurses are either too thick or (think they're) too hard.

You know a prominent and highly admirable recent TD racer, in a similar situ recently, is a nurse, right? : ) (with apologies if I missed a subtle joke - you seem to have some experience here!)

I’m assuming it’s a misfired joke. Shafiq is a nurse himself....
So am I, gonna put me in the too hard category and Shaf in the too thick category for now

Yeah, joke's on me, should have guessed from the medical knowledge : )

[sean_iow]

Some nice pictures here

https://www.instagram.com/hunt.beyond/

Lots of Josh Ibbett by one of his sponsors or their subsidiaries....following the race in a van.... draw your own conclusions about media/visitation but I can see why Lael's crew would be put out by this after they went out of their way to be open about their filming.

In other news, our Dave has less than 500 miles to go

[pistonbroke]

So Bikepacking is now transitioning to a professional sport, and as such has evolved from ‘noble pursuit’ (at best), to entertainment, which is ultimately what all professional sport is. All the dot watching and associated commentary is further proof of that. Not saying that is so terrible, but we might as well acknowledge the truth.

Maybe a sub-genre of bikepacking should emerge for the high product placement, social media heavy competitive events such as TDR, Silk Road, Transcontinental, Indypac, whateverDURO etc. Strikes me a possible name could be Mullet Racing i.e Business up the front, party at the rear.

[ScotRoutes]

Is it time do the bikepacking =/= racing thing again?

[Bearbonesnorm]

s it time do the bikepacking =/= racing thing again?

I don't think for most of us it does. I'd estimate that 95% of (maybe all) bkepacking trips are very far removed from any form of race no matter how broad the defination ... trouble is, that doesn't peak peoples interest, it doesn't lend itself to spectators and in the main, doesn't help sell or promote products to a performance biased market.