|   Great Divide Race | Mike C
Dec 24, 2003 11:58 AM | | The Great Divide Race will commence on Friday, June 18, 2004.
We'll follow the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route 2476-miles from Canada to Mexico.
Maps of the trail and other pertinent info can be found at:
http://www.adventurecycling.org/routes/greatdivide.cfm
The pre-race meeting is Thursday night, June 17, over dinner in Whitefish, MT.
The race is going to be a self-supported affair. No checkpoints, no sag wagons or follow vehicles, no prearranged assistance anywhere on the course. We're going to be on our own out there, which means that we'll resupply in towns, stores, and post offices along the way, and we'll be solely responsible for our own safety and well-being. There are several reasons for this; if anyone needs explanation please feel free to ask.
The race is going to be filmed on the ground (primarily from trucks, with some ATV footage) and via helicopter (minimal), and then aired on The Discovery Channel in August. That fact carries with it some huge sponsor leverage; if you're on the fence about whether you can afford to go, this should put you over the top. There have also been inquiries from most North American cycling/outdoor media. In short, there will be media present.
I'm sure many of you will have many questions about the race, the route, gear, services along the way, etc... Send 'em this way and I'll help in any way that I can.
I'd love to get some idea of how many of you are seriously considering this race. Please simply reply to this (by email) with a brief note to let me know if you are or are not.
Feel free to pass this email along to anyone that you think is interested.
Looking forward to it.
Mike
mikec at bwn dot net |
| Seems a little early... | ss jimbo
Dec 25, 2003 10:42 PM | | To start riding on the divide in Montana. I ran into unrideable snow at ~8000 feet near Bozeman on June 28, 1.5 years ago. Sounds like a blast though. I'm just curious, what will the approx. entry fee be?
jimbo |
| It may be | Mike C
Dec 26, 2003 8:27 AM | | a bit early, but the GDMBR trail doesn't get that high in Northern Montana. I think the high point of the trail in Montana is about 7,700', but that's right where you cross into Idaho, and it's also about 5 days into the ride--so that gives it a few more days to clear before we get there. Plus, there has to be some compromise, as the longer you wait for snow to clear in Montana, the hotter it gets in New Mexico. Not to mention that mid-July starts the monsoon in NM, and that really makes the trail unrideable. I'd rather (potentially) carry my bike over a few passes on the first day in MT (which is what I did this year) than have to carry my bike several hundred miles while crossing NM, or cross NM at 115 degrees..
There will be no entry fee because I'm not providing any services. Getting to the start and home from the finish will be the major expense for racers.
MC |
| |
