Getting in the Miles

Training for the Tour Divide has involved getting in lots miles and time on any bike.  Winter training was in the 'Cave' on the computrainer four days a week, riding hills as much as possible, and getting some run miles in as well.  The end of February I was able to pull off a trip to Boulder City, NV for four days of riding pavement on the TT bike.  Here are a few photos from the archive:

Nevada = excellent weather, glassy roads and open space

Since the Fargo build I've been riding and dragging whoever I can with me on some training rides.

 Near Emmett

Above Boise

Coming down 'Hard Guy'

Bonneville Point area

Chuck grinding it out

 Near Pearl

 Steve and Tom near Pearl

Motorcycle reconnaissance on South Fork checking out conditions

 for a three day shakedown ride later in the week

Yep, had to pick up 575 pounds of love.  Thanks for the assist, Bill.



Saving Harrison Hollow

Not the Highlands Hollow Brewpub, that is...they are doing just fine with their handcrafted quality brews....love the hoppy Hippie Shake!

Harrison Hollow is a privately held 58 acre undeveloped parcel just off Bogus Basin Road.  The current owners generously allow the land to be used for mountain biking, running, hiking or whatever.  It is a very unique place close to downtown and just out our backdoor.  We are very fortunate to have such a fantastic amenity so close to where we work, live and play.

The Land Trust of the Treasure Valley is raising money to preserve this parcel of ground.  The Land Trust works to conserve important recreational, scenic and natural land from development through conservation easements.  They have until the end of 2011 to raise the remaining funds and make the purchase. 

Please consider helping the Land Trust make this important purchase by making a donation, and get out and enjoy these trails with your friends, your family and your dog!

Training and Unpredictable Weather.

It has been an interesting evolution to ween myself from swim, bike and run training to a more focused effort on simply riding my bike.  I've been getting in more long, off road endurance oriented rides along with bouts of single track.  All of it includes as much vertical elevation that I can throw in.  However, a major issue is the continuation of unpredictable weather.  On rides north the snow line is at around 5,400 feet.  This limits your options for mountain rides and the desert is just too wet.  Cold hands and cold feet just seem to be the norm these days.

April 26 - NWS Treasure Valley Forecast:   TODAY...PARTLY SUNNY WITH A SLIGHT CHANCE OF RAIN SHOWERS. A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SNOW SHOWERS IN THE MORNING. CHANCE OF  PRECIPITATION 20 PERCENT. HIGHS 48 TO 53. BREEZY. NORTHWEST WINDS 15 TO 25 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 40 MPH. 


But I gotta keep training on the hills.  The Great Divide route has some serious elevation gain!

Elevation Profile for the Tour Divide

A few hours mountain climbing turns a rogue and a saint into two roughly equal creatures. Weariness is the shortest path to equality and fraternity—and liberty is finally added by sleep. —Nietzsche

My Tour Divide Letter of Intent

The Tour Divide accepts letters of intent annually, from the Winter Solstice, December 21st, until the Grand Départ, which is the second Friday in June.  Prospective challengers are encouraged to declare their intent, but may also simply show up in Banff on June 10th.

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Dear Rulers of the Tour:


I hereby declare my intent to be at the starting line in Banff, Canada, on June 10th for the 'Grand Depart' of the 2011 Tour Divide.

This pursuit has been a wicked burn in my soul and now it is time to quench the fire and explore, dream, and discover.  Uncertainty and trepidation are a part of this decision, along with a steroidal-like sense of adventure and the desire to push the boundaries and challenge myself in body, mind and spirit.  I am ready to submerse myself into life on the divide in this border-to-border battle of attrition.

I resolve to abide by the rules and the honor code which has been laid down by the chiefs, as well as race with respect to those souls of the past who have suffered and endured in their own spiritual 'divide' quest.

See you in Banff in June and, God and knees willing, Antelope Wells sometime down the road.

It will be a good suffering.....

Cheers,

Norb DeKerchove
Boise, Idaho

....................

"Time-trial season on the Great Divide Route begins annually with a Grand Départ, occurring approximately the 2nd weekend in June from both termini of the Route. The goal of a Solstice common start is for athletes to challenge the Route in situ, under similar weather conditions and maximum daylight.  Tour Divide requires no entry fee or formal registration. There is no prizing for finishing. A toll-free phone number with voice mail is provided to all riders for field reporting. Voice messages are podcasted on the Race Updates blog. Riders who carry SPOT GPS Messengers are tracked via the Live Tracker."

~from the TD web site

Hard parts.....Salsa Fargo

My Tour Divide ride will be a titanium Salsa Fargo 29'er with  a steel 'enabler fork' - so called due to the multiple bosses for bottle cages, racks or other bolt on items as needed for carrying options.

I ordered my frame back in November from Paul, the owner of Meridian Cycles. While waiting for the frame from Salsa we brainstormed on components and finally put together the parts list. Wheels were built while waiting for the frame and parts. Frame finally arrived the end of February, but I was delayed in building the bike since I was in Boulder City for training. 

Once back to Boise I arranged time to work on the bike.  The welds and the fit and finish on this frame are superb.  The natural finish with 'Salsa' and 'Fargo' etched into the frame makes this a work of art worthy of any museum wall.

I Spent a day at Meridian Cycles building the bike with help from Paul and the super cool crew at the shop.   I gotta say their jobs are secure since I am a very slow bike builder!  Thanks so much Paul, George, Skye, and Eli for your patience and help.  The international currency for bike shops - beer -coming your way.....

The plan from the start was to do a conservative 'build' for durability.  The Divide tears bikes up with all the mud, water, dirt and debris.  Riders ship drivetrains and other hard parts to various points along the route and hope things don't blow up beforehand.  And if you don't need it ship it 1000 miles down the road and hope you still don't need it!

Finished product in the shop at home.

And in the kitchen.....Eve was impressed!

She rides like a dream.  Titanium is super comfortable, light, responsive, and durable!  The ride feels quick in the steering but not twitchy.  And it behaves very nicely on climbs due to the stiffness of the material.  And on steep descents the bike is super stable.  Being a rigid frame with no front suspension however, it can be jarring in the rough stuff at speed so picking the right line is essential.  The more I ride it the more I like it!! 

It's about time...

Well, here I go as I enter the world of blogging.  There are 60 days until the Grand Depart from Banff and I am compelled to get this blog off the ground.  I told myself April would be a good time to launch this thing. 

My motivation?  Simply to document my preparation, training and experiences during the 2011 Tour Divide mountain bike race.  It has been an amazing several months, since about October when I decided to pull the trigger on this epic event.  How did I get here?  Let's see if I can make sense of it...

It all began with a couple friends inviting me to see a documentary playing at the local theatre in September of 2010.  This inspiring and moving film was Ride the Divide, which is an exceptional movie about the 'world's toughest mountain bike race.'  That alone hooked me plus the chance to have some beers and hang out with friends.  But, it really was the amazing beauty, the remote landscape, the isolation and the possibility of such an adventure that just captured me.

That same night I started doing some research on 'Bikepacking' and had all sorts of thoughts of getting out and doing some cool trips in the Idaho backcountry.  I was all amped up, quickly sending good friends John and Darren emails suggesting we start incorporating bikepacking into Ironman  training.  My thought was simple.....get a rigid frame 29'er and hit the backroads and trails like I do for dual-sporting on my motorcycle.  This would be a great way to log triathlon training miles while getting off the pavement.  Throw on some gear for an overnighter and suddenly your building an adventure!  I was later told that when they left the theatre the night before they were wondering how long it would take for me to start planning some bikepacking adventures..........my friends know me well!  My interest at the time was simply bikepacking, learning and getting in some off-road training miles.

....................

Rewind to a chapter further back in time, I have always had a love affair with all things two-wheeled.    Early recollections include tricycles and bicycles - riding in rain and mud and snow.  Wheelying around the 'hood on a Schwinn Stingray and riding trails and dirt on my sisters 'big bike'.  Graduating to motorcycles and motorcycle racing, back to bikes and long distance bicycle touring, then back into motorcycles and adventure touring - and bikes!  Why two wheels vs. four?

'Two wheels move the soul to distant horizons, clearing the mind of clutter and eliminating the noise of our everyday world.  One is in the moment - there is no other choice'

....................

Sometime in October I was on a training ride out in the desert on some pavement training for Ironman Arizona.....long miles and lots of hours in the saddle.  Two months earlier I had competed in Ironman Canada and was very fatigued - mentally - with pounding out these long rides on pavement.  I was ready for a change but had to stay focused and get through the Arizona race. 

However, the Tour Divide had wrapped itself around my brain by this time and that seemed to be all I could think about.  An obsession?  Definitely!  A compulsion?  Probably!  So many questions: Could I do this race - mentally get through it and physically not blow up?  Could I handle being essentially ALONE for that long - emotionally?  Could I take the time away from family, business and commitments for three weeks, a month?  And what could I learn from the process of preparing for a race of this scale?  What kind of spiritual journey would present itself?  Another awakening?

"A ferocious and sadistic itch.....

I am obsessed and sick of you Tour Divide!

You are a life sucking apparition and I hate you for ruining my life!"

                                                                                                                                             ~ Anonymous 

....................

Ironman Arizona hit in November and after the race I was in full Tour Divide research and planning mode.  Equipment, logistics and planning ensued.  All of this was done quietly and family and friends were not aware of my covert operation.  I avoided questions about my race calendar for 2012.  I had to make sure I was commited and had a long way to go before I threw this out there.

....................

The Tour Divide accepts letters of intent annually, from the Winter Solstice until the Grand Depart on the 2nd Friday in June.  My letter of intent was drafted and this adventure was becoming real.  Time to have a discussion with my soul mate and best friend, Evadna, my lovely wife of 30 years.  A romantic dinner downtown, snow falling, drinking wine and talking over the race.  She was on-board with little hesitation and since has been drawn into the vortex of the divide race.  I am damn lucky and blessed to have such an amazing, supportive and loving person in my life!  Forever and Always.  

....................

The next day we had breakfast with our two daughters, Erin and Ali.  I told them of the plans for the Tour Divide and I guess they were not terribly surprised.  Ali had seen the film with us in September and she even made the comment, "how soon before dad decides to do that?"  They were interested and engaged and I think it captured their own imaginations.  Life without so many borders.....

I truly hope my beautiful daughters have a life of love, passion and adventure and that they find their own Ironman or Tour Divide or whatever it may be that ignites their imagination and creativity.

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So here I am, the 2011 Edition of the Tour Divide is coming up very soon.  I'll have the luxury of riding my bike for - how long?  Who knows how long it will take me to pedal 2,745 miles.  I'll be racing in the shadows of the fast guys and will feel very fortunate just to make it to the finish line.  But for now I dream of spending several weeks in some very beautiful and remote mountain and desert landscapes. 

...................

"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