TOUR DIVIDE 2018

For an extensive recap and tale about my 2018 Tour Divide adventure, please click the link below and purchase my book. 100% of book sales proceeds are for the benefit of First Descents. 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0960051716/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_LYOnDbSRGD66T

2018 Leadville Trail 100 MTB Race

August 11, 2018

This recap will be short and sweet. 2018 was my 12th consecutive Leadville 100 mountain bike race. Once again, I raced for First Descents. I had no expectations for this race as I was still only a month removed from completing the Tour Divide, a 2,731 mile self-supported mountain bike race from Banff, Alberta, Canada down the Continental Divide to the US-Mexico border at Antelope Wells, New Mexico. I was still physically and mentally fried and also still injured in several places.  Although I always start Leadville with a sub-9 goal, my only real goal for this year was to get through it and try to enjoy it.

The start was fast, but I was well off a sub-9 pace by the first checkpoint at Carter Summit. I tried to give a big push up Hagerman Pass Road and Sugarloaf, but I was even farther off pace when I reached the Pipeline Aid station. It was a beautiful morning, so I just settled into a comfortable rhythm and arrived at the FD Aid station at Twin Lakes at about the 2:55 mark.  This was the first year that Lisa wasn’t there to greet me as she had to get home to help my daughter get off to school. Andrew “Tops” Coulter was my man on the ground and he got me resupplied with great efficiency and expertise. Though he was a little confused when I just hung around gabbing for a few minutes as my typical stop at Twin Lakes outbound is less than a minute.

Heading up Columbine, my legs felt heavy so I didn’t push too hard.  I arrived at the Goat Trail at 4:34, hopped off the bike and happily enjoyed the hike, thinking how much easier this hike was with an unladen bike versus some of the crazy hikes on the Tour Divide toting 25-35 pounds of gear, food and fluids. 

I reached the turnaround at about 5 hours, still pretty respectable as I was only 15-20 minutes off a sub-9 pace. I stopped, had some cookies, rapped with the volunteers and headed back to Leadville.

Back to Twin Lakes at 5:40, more lollygagging at the FD aid station and then off to enjoy the last 40 miles.  Like 2017, there was something nice about not worrying about the finishing time and just enjoying the ride.

I hit Pipeline aid at 6:50 and stopped for more refreshments. It looked like I would finish sometime between 9:40 and 9:50.  I didn’t really care either way, but I knew that my competitiveness would kick in if I started flirting with 10 hours.

The Powerline climb was the usual slog but, surprisingly, I did it in roughly the same time as my sub-9 years. While I felt cumulatively taxed from a long summer, the weariness thankfully wasn’t manifesting itself as misery in Leadville.

Tailwind on the Carter Summit pavement climb.  #winning. 

Reached Carter Summit at 8:48. Stopped for Cokes and salted watermelon. After 11 years of this race, I knew that I was between 50 and 55 minutes to the finish, depending on how hard I wanted to push.

Took the St. Kevin’s descent a little cautiously as my fingers, still totally numb from the Tour Divide, were not doing their jobs with my brakes. Cruised through the valley, hit the rocks at the bottom of the Boulevard, embarrassingly spun out and had to walk for about 50 yards, and then cruised up the Boulevard.

Hit the finish at 9:42:55 and was met by my Dad and several folks from FD.

Despite the soreness and weariness, I had a great day on the trail and found it to be a great cap-off to my Tour Divide summer.

TOUR DIVIDE - MAY 18, 2018 - THREE WEEKS UNTIL RACE START

10 years ago next month, cancer stole my best friend, Allan Goldberg.  Since then, I have been consumed with making the world a better place for cancer survivors and fighters through my service as a Board Member and fundraiser for the First Descents organization (www.firstdescents.org). First Descents' mission is to provide life-changing/healing outdoor adventures for young adults impacted by cancer (and this summer, for the first time, those impacted by Multiple Sclerosis).  Think Make-a-Wish crossed with Outward Bound crossed with group therapy. 

Most of my fundraising efforts for First Descents have been in conjunction with my competing in the Leadville 100 mountain-bike race every August.  I have done the race 11 straight years and it has been a major fixture in my life.  Last summer Lisa and I were driving across the country and Lisa asked me if I was getting bored yet with Leadville. Here is how the rest of the conversation went:

Me: "I actually am getting a little bored with Leadville, but can't imagine not doing it."

Lisa:  "I know you.  You obviously have something else on your bucket-list that would top Leadville.  Care to share it?"

Me:  "Are you sure you want to know?

Lisa:  "Shit, I knew there was something.  What is it?

Me:  "Well, about 8 years ago I saw a documentary about a mountain-bike race called the Tour Divide which was the story of 15 nut-cases who raced down the Continental Divide from Banff, Alberta, Canada to the US-Mexico border in New Mexico.  Over the years, the race has grown in stature and myth and I think I'd like to give it a shot someday . . . maybe in 5 or 6 years when the kids are all out of the house."

Lisa:  Silence.  More Silence.  Then "why wait 6 years?  You are turning 50 in a few months and aren't getting any younger.  Who knows what the future will bring?  Why don't you do it next summer?"

Me:  "Wait . . . WHAAAAATTTTT?  You know that I would be gone for 4-6 weeks?

Lisa:  "It wouldn't be ideal, but I'll survive!"

Me:  "Who's the boyfriend?"

Both:  Laughing out loud

Sooooo, here we are on Friday, May 18, 2018 and exactly three weeks from today a gun will blast from a park in Banff, Alberta, Canada and, to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Allan's passing, I will embark on the Tour Divide (www.tourdivide.org). Here's the real skinny about the Tour Divide:  for one, it travels 2,760 off-road UNsupported miles from Banff down the Continental Divide ending some 26-33 days later at the U.S./Mexico border in Antelope Wells, New Mexico. Second, my chances of finishing are probably 50/50 as I'll have to overcome snow, wind, sleet, rain, heat, cold, dehydration, hunger, physical ailments, river-crossings, downed-trees, bird-sized Montana mosquitos, sleep-deprivation, bears and mountain-lions, bike-hating rednecks in pick-up trucks, boredom, loneliness, saddle sores, raw taint, flat tires and other mechanical failures, scary wilderness noises at night, never-ending climbs up Rocky-mountains, steep technical descents, an unwieldy 50+ pounds of bike and bags and tent and food and water, and massive cumulative mental, emotional and physical fatigue. Third, the total elevation gain on the route is some 235,000 feet (think riding a heavy bike from sea-level to the top of Mt Everest . . . 8 frickin' times).  Fourth, I'm an idiot.  What I'll have spurring me on is my usual mission to raise money for First Descents and, more importantly, the inspiring stories of all those cancer survivors who have attended First Descents programs after (and sometime while) battling their own personal medical Tour Divides to defeat such a pernicious disease.  For this epically insane adventure, I am setting an epically ambitious goal of raising $200,000 for FD.  As of today, we are about halfway there.

CLICK HERE TO DONATE

I have spent the past 12 months planning, training, accessorizing, purchasing gear and generally fretting (and stressing) over this adventure.  I can't believe it is now just a few weeks away.  About a week before the race, I will publish a web-link to a webpage where everyone can track my progress online throughout the race via a gps tracker.  I also plan to update this blog with narrative, pictures and video during the race whenever I have some downtime in a location with a wireless signal.

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