Back in the saddle

Thanks to Esther for the ride to DC, place to sleep, and trail drop off this morning.




















































Aqueduct

My Failed Attempt at 2012 Tour Divide

I made it to the start physically. Mentally I was already out. Safely back home I can answer the question: What Happened?

Short version:
I was in WAAAAY over my head. In touring the area and discussions with Chip, Cjell, and Arno I learned just how far before getting into a real trouble. I cannot thank those guys enough.

Long version:
First and foremost I didn't train properly. I biked over 2700 miles this year and climbed 96,000 feet of elevation according to Garmin Connect. This omits several hundred miles of rides where I couldn't stand being monitored any more. This wasn't enough training.

The Tour Divide requires some other very race specific training; it is not just about pushing the pedals. The most obvious for me is flexibility. Be flexible about sleeping arrangements, about food sources, about water sources, about routes, and even about timing. This sharply contrasts with my needs for results and most importantly my need for a safe and reliable place to sleep. There are numerous tall tales in my family about my disposition when kept away from my bed. Strapping a bed roll on the handle bars doesn't quite count as a reliable sleeping arrangement. I'm soft. I admit it. As much as I might want to I cannot go from a controlled life to floating in the breeze like a daffodil at the blink of an eye or even a 3 hour plane ride to the Southwestern United States. And speaking of flexibility, how about some forest fires?

Driving across I-10 I got an idea of the size and scope of the 2012 Gila fire. I also got an idea of just how far west the reroute would go in order to avoid the fire. I was worried about meeting the "on route at least 90% of the time" requirement to get credit for completion. I couldn't reconcile that with avoiding an 82,000 acre fire. Some route instructions specifically state to ride through road closures. Guidance for forest fires, and other disasters, is just the opposite. With the vastness of the land and variety of communications how do you know which is which? I also have a little experience with wild fires and know they are serious business. They are hot and move fast. Considering being near one on bicycle is just stupid.

Which leads me to the next race specific training: Desert. I chose NoBo because I dreaded the desert the most. It is just foreign to me. I wanted to get it out of the way first. "Get it out of the way" is incompatible with TD. You're going to be immersed in "it" whatever "it" is. This goes back to flexibility. You must be able to accept any situation. Consider that "desert", depending on how you define it, extends through New Mexico and well into Colorado. That's 7-14 days in the desert depending on your speed, tenacity, and luck. One of the experienced riders referred to another as "desert rat". Dexterity navigating the desert is critical. I was so disoriented at one point that I had to flip the GPS upside down to match my orientation. This is both embarrassing and exemplary of how disoriented I was.

   

Did I mention Desert? And sun and heat. After a heat stroke as a teenager and a very bad heat experience in my first Half Ironman I am now pretty sensitive to the sun. During my test rides in AZ and NM I quickly learned to stop in any available shade; damn the stop lines. That was in town on low mileage rides. As you can see above there are no sign posts, light poles, trees, or anything. There is no reprieve from the blistering sun and heat. I mentally mapped out creating shade with my sleeping pad and space blanket. That felt like spitting on a forest fire. I also considered water consumption. I drove the 156 miles between Tucson and Lordsburg with no AC for more acclimation. I drank 4 bottles of water during that time. I got a headache from too much water consumption. I was still dehydrated. I made explicit efforts to be hydrated leading up to this. I was not acclimated. I don't know if I could acclimate.

Did I mention Desert? And deserted. It is 45 miles from the border crossing at Antelope Wells to Hachita. There is no shade between those. That might be okay if Hachita were a real town (apologies to any Hachita residents if they exist?). The picture below pretty well sums up Hachita. There are a few seemingly deserted buildings. I saw a new radio antenna. When I mentioned riding early and late and resting during the heat of the day the other riders shot me looks that reaffirmed just how far out of place I was. 

There was an odd contrast with with openness as well. There was no doubt that NM near the border is a police state. You are on camera, possibly thermal camera, the entire time. The only trucks we passed were border patrol trucks. You'd better be okay with being obviously monitored. If you think the US isn't taking border patrol seriously I encourage you take a ride through this area. It is enlightening. Touring with a retired sheriff and state police officer was very insightful.

Last and most importantly was the effect on those around me.

It affects me. It also affects all of my loved ones, friends, and coworkers. Am I really giving them a fair shake by making myself this inaccessible and placing myself in this much danger? I am fortunate to have these people in my life. They are already amazingly patient and understanding. And now I'm going to put them through this? Attempting something like Tour Divide draws a line in the sand. It sets a stake in the ground. You don't just re-integrate after this. There will be changes. It changes me. It changes them. It changes our relationships.

I could see, discern, and feel the danger. I didn't need to wade out and experience it first hand. Maybe, finally, I'm gaining a bit of wisdom.

“A fool learns from his own mistakes, a wise person learns from the mistakes of others.” - Otto von Bismarck (1815-1898) Prussian German statesman and aristocrat. 

I don't think any of the riders are fools. I don't think Tour Divide is a mistake. I believe riders are well informed and well prepared. I believe Tour Divide is a gauntlet not to be trifled with. The Tour Divide commands respect with unquestionable authority and a unique combination of slow and swift punishment. I was very cavalier in considering TD. I feel fortunate to escape altered and not damaged.

I pretty much decided Thursday night I was out. Friday morning standing at Antelope Wells at 8am after driving through 95 miles of desert and then feeling the sun scorching my skin so early in the morning I knew my Divide was over. I rode my bike around a bit at the border crossing as a consolation prize. I smiled and reveled in the joy and comfort of my life. I cannot fathom anything at the other end valuable enough to warrant this level of risk. The risk/reward calculation does not balance for me.

I am happy about my attempt. Just getting close to Tour Divide changed me. The simple pleasures in life were sweeter leading up to June 8 and remain sweeter today. Food tastes better, people are more interesting, and life is more precious.

Those folks who embark and make any distance down the route are special. Those who traverse the entire route are special, rare, and, even they have to admit, lucky.

Adventure Gear and Airport Security

Airport security was amazingly okay with my zip ties, duck tape,
stainless steel wire, and nylon cord.

On to Tucson to meet up with my bike.

Midnight oil wasted on best buy and Verizon last night. New phone is
DOA. Android fail. Have to try again in Tucson.

Anyone familiar with creating a fundraising site for American heart
association, American cancer society, or similar?

Scrambling

Scrambling to get things done. Interesting updates:

• Bike arrived in Tucson, assembled, and ready for pickup
• Prescription transition sun glasses not going to arrive before start of race, even with four weeks notice. I'll just carry sun and non-sun glasses; better redundancy anyway.
• Locked myself out of my car today. Almost fished keys out and then dropped them to inaccessible location. Thanks Rebecca for the bailout.
• Team Cisco are awesome. Thanks to the netizens for everything.
• The google group is up and running. Kenneth is moderating in my absence.
• Official NoBo start time is now 10am Eastern/ 9am Central / 8am Mountain / 7am Pacific.
• I couldn't ship all my gear with the bike so now I'm packing it. I'm ditching the disposable to replenish at REI in Tucson when I pickup my bike.
• Spare derailleur hangar from Moots is meeting me in Lordsburg. They make awesome bikes. Get one.
• We now have 4 riders catching a ride to the NoBo start line.
• New Mexico forest fires officially forced a reroute already. I'll be wayfinding out of the gate.

If you're reading this thank you for being part of the journey. Special thanks to Rebecca, Lincoln, Kevin, Kenny, Kenneth, RyanR, RyanL, Waylon, Frances, and Marty.

I posted even more resources for the ride at http://employees.org/~wsisk/tourdivide/

One fun thing there are the KML files.  Use those with google maps to get a better view of the route:

1. navigate to http://maps.google.com
2. in the search enter http://employees.org/~wsisk/tourdivide/2_td_4_5_6.kml

Now you have the original route, prior to any reroutes, in google maps. Pan zoom, street view, satellite view. Check out the route.

The kml files also import into Google Earth for flyovers.  Share what you know about seeing the course with the above resources.

Bike Shipped

I picked up the last few bits for the bike this morning and shipped it out this afternoon. Here is the final setup:



A quick overview:

• Moots Mooto X YBB 29" soft tail
• Rims that I don't current recall but which seem indestructible based on how true they are after the 2800 miles I've already ridden this year.
• Specialized Captain Control Armadillo puncture resistant 29x2.2 tires
• Fox Fork
• Water bottle cages on left and right fork, front and rear of down tube, and seat tube.
• Aerobar with 2x Cygolite Expilion 350-Lumen USB Rechargeable Headlight
• Revelate Designs bags - Viscacha saddle bag, Pocket and Harness for the handlebars, Jerrycan and Gas Tank for the top tube, Tangle Frame Bag 

Thanks to The Bicycle Chain - Chapel Hill and especially Lincoln, Kevin, Kenny, and Maria for all of their help building this ride up from a frame and disparate components.

Background, Information, and Countdown to 2012 Tour Divide

This is the first post using the new Google Group for public followers and a Cisco mailer for the netizens. The lists are a good way to ask questions and share knowledge. Be aware there are several people on the mailers; not just me. The Google Group is td12-ws . That is hosted at googlegroups.com. The Cisco internal mailer uses the same name. Special thanks to the moderators overseeing the lists while I am away, you know who you are.

I will check my gmail/pobox when connectivity allows. Please keep the emails small in size and short in length as dialup is still "fast internet" along much of the route.

The countdown to departure is on. It's quite the crazy schedule right now:
Monday - Receive last critical package, ship bike, work sendoff party
Tuesday - Last day physically at work for a while. I have some mental work for ride.
Wednesday - fly to Tucson, AZ and pickup bike
Thursday - Bus to Lordsburg, NM
Friday - shuttle to Antelope Wells, NM for 10am Mountain (local) start


Generally the first week is considered weed out. Most dropouts happen in the first seven days. It will take most of the first week for me to escape NM.

Some background on the event:
Tour Divide website: http://tourdivide.org/
Leaderboard for following the riders: http://tourdivide.org/leaderboard
Forums discussing the Tour Divide as well as other ultra cycling events: http://www.bikepacking.net/forum/index.php/board,2.0.html
Ride the Divide - a movie about the race and route
Wikipedia about the Great Divide: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Divide_Mountain_Bike_Route
Podcasts of Riders calling in with updates: http://mtbcast.com/site2
2012 riders: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Ami9kLAhoE7GdHNKN2xQSTA4T0JiRmMxaUJlc01UbEE#gid=0

A bit of terminology:
Tour Divide - a route from Banff, AB to Antelope Wells, NM
Great Divide - a route from Roosville, MT to Antelope Well, NM - no Canadian Flathead
Spot - a GPS unit that sends location to webservice via satellite transmission. They are notoriously fickle. It is another area ripe for improved user experience.
Blue Dot - dots representing riders on tackleaders. People around the world follow the blue dots. The blue dot gives location and time of last update.
Divide - The continental divide.
SoBo - Southbound rider. Southbound is the traditional route.
NoBo - Northbound rider. The route was originally discovered by two brothers riding northbound.

What is it?
Wikipedia - "Following the Continental Divide as closely as practicable and crossing it 30 times, about 90% of the GDMBR is on unpaved roads and trails and requires basic off-pavement riding skills to complete."
TourDivide.org - "By route's end a thru-rider will climb nearly 200,000 feet of vertical (equivalent to summiting Mount Everest from sea-level 7 times). "
It's self supported. No checkpoints, aid stations, race officials, or chase vehicles. Take your bike and get yourself from point A to point B.



My gear, pictured above plus a few items already mounted on the bike, weighs in at 25lbs. That weight does not include food, water, or my bike. I have 12L of water capacity for the longest dryest sections.

I feel poorly prepared. January to April were physical preparation. May was mental preparation. That left June 1-8 for gear and route preparation and no time for altitude sickness. The 2K elevation of NM and 11K elevation at the passes are going to be interesting. Its going be a slogfest and I'm okay with that.

Finally, note that I am NoBo. I have no interest in the desert in July. I'm going to blame a teenage heatstroke and a painfully hot first ever half ironman. I have similar feelings about cold. I'm hoping snow melts on most of the passes and especially on the Canadian flathead before I get there. If I get there. Finally there is a full field of SoBo racers this year. Resources along the route are sparse. I'm hoping for less resource contention for the ~5 of us going northbound.

Fingers crossed for a successful first post and continued good fortune with final preparation.

Warning Track

I awoke this morning to a shipping notification for an item that will arrive after I depart for the 2012 Tour Divide. All orders are done. Time for final prep of my kit and myself.

I tapered in May. I focused on critical details unrelated to the bike. I spent time with friends and family who I will miss dearly. Thanks for your patience to those who endured my borderline-awkward-lingering. Whether you knew it or not you were part of Tour Divide training.  You're all part of the story.

My coworkers have new questions about my sanity after my spending a day at the office in cycling clothes when I forgot street clothes.



My BoB trailer saw some miles fetching gas and, more interestingly, a 50lb bag of lawn fertilizer. The guys at the hardware store got quite a kick out of the bag loaded onto a bicycle trailer. 50lbs at a distant center of gravity makes for very interesting riding. It's also not the best for the carbon fiber frame. I might need ANOTHER bike.




All the riding and visiting meant good food. Some of my Whole Foods bills are almost embarrassing. I should by stock.



May also covered spring flower blooms, mother's day, and mom's birthday. It seems I know a lot of current, future, and hopeful moms. Good luck to all.



Durham is finally getting a pedestrian bridge over Interstate 40 for the American Tobacco Trail. Planning also includes surfacing the currently unfinished miles around Southpoint. Most importantly it will be smooth sailing all the way to Starbucks.



I took my first Amtrak trip in lieu of driving. Fresh off the train and a broken night of sleep I found this sign in Jesup, GA particularly entertaining. Georgia conservatives were either napping or laughing.



After reading about my knee pain David offered up a set of Speedplay Frog cleats. I love these cleats and pedals. In the picture below note the thickness of the caps for the studs on the left vs. the right. The left was my first clipless toe cleat ever. That's another piece of gear well worth the money. It endured use and abuse, then sat patient and idle, and then jumped right back into the thick of things. That speaks to me.



Memorial day weekend I did a little biking and a little packing. There was a test ride in there for new glasses which are back in for tuneup. Donna Hillsgrove's office of Eye Care Associates in Chapel Hill is great if you need an optometrist for any reason. They listened patiently to my goal, asked questions to understand, and then delivered several miracles to get me setup for the trip. I can't say enough about them. They are great.

I call this "Autopilot":



Compare that to the view from the Moots cockpit. Note the bike stem and then the width of the handlebars.


The Moots bars don't fit in the picture even with me leaning backward and the camera perched on my stomach. It's just that much bigger. That's why I think of it as an SUV.

This deer on 3rd Fork Creek Trail was particularly brazen. I had to clap and whistle to get it to look up for a picture. It was too busy grazing to be bothered by the pesky human.



In rambling around the neighborhood weaving around to everything that appeared rideable I couldn't decide on this one.



Well, I did decide, honestly from the other side first. I rode up this through the shrubs and down the subtle slope pictured above. It rode like a perfectly good sidewalk.



Go time is right around the corner. I'll be making changes to email notifications. If you stop receiving updates please check back for updated information.  Also, Thanks to my first blogger follower! I'm hoping to do a flurry of blog posts to vet the new system and decompress for departure.