As I was going through the process last fall of trying to understand if the Tour Divide was a potential reality or just a dream left to others, I started making lots of notes from my research and it grew into a booklet of ideas, inspirations, pictures and quotes. I ended up with a 26 page manifesto.
I spent some time re-reading this document recently and it has taken on an entirely new perspective for me. What follows is an edited version of 'divide' wordsmithing that caught my attention.
Authors noted if known with apologies otherwise.
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"The most difficult thing in life is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity. The fears are paper tigers. You can do anything you decide to do. You can act to change and control your life; and the procedure, the process is its own reward."
~ Amelia Earhart
Your travel arrangements and most importantly your safety is up to you. Approach the TD as if you are doing an independent adventure and have your own emergency plan in place.
Of course, I am not actually intimately involved in this race. What do I know? I haven't been close enough to feel the rhythm of The Race's heart. All I know is what I've read online and seen in photos and skimmed in comments on posts. What's interesting though is that even from my computer screen-- I can feel the heat!!!
The Tour Divide will test a rider’s physical stamina and mental capacity to endure. Physically, the route poses many challenges. Cardiovascular fitness is key. Most of the route is in the high desert above 7,000 feet and ascends up to 11,900 feet. Approximately 85 to 90% of the route is on dirt. A rider may loose up to 15 or 20 pounds of body weight by the end of the ride. Carbohydrate, protein, hydration, and salt intake are critical for stamina and health.
A rider will pass through free range cattle lands and be exposed to water born parasites and viruses, (much like traveling to a third world country).
Endurance is more important than speed. Some sections it is impossible to go fast and the downhill sections can be just as hard to ride as some of the long uphill portions. Wind currents blow from south to north and a rider will experience strong head winds, especial in the exposed basin regions. A rider may also be exposed to rain, thunderstorms, and even a mid summer snow. A rider should be prepared at all times for extreme temperatures that may range from 0 degrees to 120 degrees F.
The route is mentally demanding. A positive attitude is key to success on this ride. Some days a rider may feel like giving up. Don’t, the rewards are worth it. A rider will have to experience the bad to appreciate the good and there is much more good than bad. The route will push every rider outside of their comfort zone and challenge them in ways road tours cannot. A rider must be confident in their abilities and react to pressure with a level head. Common sense is also key.
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My point earlier…..asceticism was not that it is the answer for all, only that for each of us there are 'personal conditions' favorable for tapping into the awe of a grand tour race. It's up to each of us to figure out what those are, ipod or not. One thing's for sure: you will probably leave Banff thinking one way on many ideas/methods that you turn 180 on by Mexico.
Toughness is displayed at the moment one is confronted with the option to motel it -- at the 'choice' junctures (usually in towns). If you make it past this and out of town, the survival part down route in the backcountry will take care of itself -- no matter how not conducive to good sleep or resupply it might be. You have no choice, really. You bivy. You cope. Part of toughness is great physical strength/endurance but just as important is the unwillingness to be influenced from gobbling miles no matter what. This is where my talk on uncluttered and no concessions come from. Eliminate the 'tough' choices and you have no choice but to be tough -- because ultimately we all have that capacity. And therein lays the beginning of the 'heightened experience' and one of the more beautiful elements of racing a grand tour. Ask of yourself earnestly with faith to go bigger than you've ever thought possible. When/if you respond and break through to the next level, the possibilities seem endless.
One last thing regarding mental…….I am hereby calling you and anyone else out that tries to cite their age as a factor in their 'choices' on how to race a grand tour. I would like you to stop it. And get that nonsense out of your head. It's you against the course- Period. Not you on an age curve, but you on toughness curve. Cool!
You'll come to conclusions about what your own circadian rhythm will be out there. I suggest you arrive at it quickly and stick with it. The race is too long, too painful to be mixing it up too much. Train the machine early, let it do its thing and it will be happy. Happy machine = happy mind.
~Mathew Lee, multiple Tour Divide winner
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"Living on the road
My friend,
Is gonna keep you
Free and clean..."
~willie nelson
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Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.
~Mark Twain
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