What a Race!

What a race!  The Tour Divide.  It's absolutely amazing.  I'm still trying to figure out exactly what went on out there.  The whole thing is a bit of a dream to me.  I'm sure it's gonna take me a while to remember all the bits and pieces from those two weeks on the bike.  In the meantime.  I've written out my entire 2015 Tour Divide kit for the website Bikepacking.com.  It contains some of my thoughts about the gear I used.  I'll be putting together a listing of my bike and parts in the near future.  It's easy to geek out on gear and bikes.  It's not so easy to formulate my thoughts and experiences from the race.  It's a lot of personal emotion and trying to translate that is a bit challenging for a guy that's spent a bit too much time at elevation.  Indeed, my story about the 2014 race took me more than half a year to tell.  However, I think that the interview I did with Outside Magazine shares a few of my thoughts and experiences from the race pretty well.  Of course there is also Eddie Clark's coverage of the event at Mountain Flyer Magazine that is fun to see.  Eddie got some lovely shots out there.  It was great bumping into him out on the back roads of the Divide.
I've also recently done a quick interview with Jill Homer for Revelate Designs blog.  More of my thoughts about the race including why I almost decided to stop racing within a couple days of the finish.   A link to the interview for Revelate- Revelate Designs Blog

In the meantime I wanted to give a big shout out to EVERYONE that competed in this years Tour Divide.  I'm sure there are a lot of awesome stories out there.  This is a race that truly has winners in everyone that completed their challenge.  I had a blast meeting a few of the racers as they came through Pie Town on their way south as I made my way back home.  It was a pleasure to meet all of you!

To those that didn't finish and tried their hardest to do so.  I've been there.  It is an emotional thing to pull out of something you've poured so much energy and time into.  I have full respect for everyone that lined up.  Pulling out of of the Divide last year is indeed one of the hardest things I've ever done.  I raise a glass to all of you starters, finishers and dreamers!

The Tour Divide is a special sort of race.  It defies the tradition of many other cycling events.  I love that about it.  Every year the bikepacking.net forum has some comments about changing it somehow.  Teams, rest-breaks, support personnel and any other number of modifications.  I still maintain that the Tour Divide is a supremely simple event.  It's beauty is that it is a beast of a race and yet once you break it down it is so, so simple.  You just go from point A to point B as fast as you can, on your own.  Ride when you want, sleep when you want and be sure to eat a lot in between.  During the race you will learn all you need to know about yourself.  All you have to do is ride and listen.

Oh, and have A LOT of FUN while doing it!!!