Brett Davis Puttin' a Little Salsa on His Divide Ride

I love the folks who tour, race, or otherwise ride the Continental Divide Mountain Bike Route. I could easily write a book incorporating their amazingly interesting and diverse personal stories, the intricate shadings of character that drives them to attempt something as insane as this long distance endurance pursuit. Amid all their obvious fatigue there is always this underpinning of unbridled humor in dealing with anything the Great Divide can throw their way.

Pictured here is Brett Davis, Coordinator of Outdoor Pursuits at Ft. Lewis College in Durango, Colorado. Brett and his Divide riding buddy and friend, Sean Mailen, a Project Engineer and Designer for Salsa Cycles, came through Butte last week and stopped in at The Outdoorsman for a few hours to update their blog on the Salsa website. A couple of really nice guys who love the outdoors and riding the bikes they design. Another Salsa staffer, Joe Meiser, is a veteran of previous Tour Divide runs.

They come from all walks of life...with one common purpose....to challenge mind, body, spirit, mother nature, and the design of their machines.

How Do I Spell "Relief"?"

This seems to be the best way to describe my life as an adventurer on a bike----
any bike.

"Pain is nature's way of saying, "Don't do That!"

"Painkillers are mankind's way of saying, "Just watch me!"

My Sunday Stroll through the Park-Montana Style

The committee in my head has been beating me down lately for not taking time across the top tube since I returned to Montana some 36 days ago. I've just been too busy keeping my hands greasy with other folks bikes and drive trains since the Tour Divide started June 10th. But this past Sunday, on my day off from wrenching at the Outdoorsman, I managed to get in a great day on my new Stumpy Expert Carbon 29er.

This is my third summer in Butte, and I have barely scratched the surface for places to ride, so I went exploring. During 5 hours and 22 minutes of saddle time and enroute to doing 3025ft of climbing, I found myself alone in the forest with the marmots, elk, ground squirrels, and hawks. It was glorious! I rode a portion of the Butte 100 mountain bike race route up from Herman Gulch to Moose Creek and Highland Road.

 I had never before ridden this route, so I decided to head up Herman Gulch to explore a bit. I just made it a half mile up the trail when I encountered a badly washed out route full of mud holes. The 29er plowed through BB deep mud really well. But, when a hike-a-bike was evident I turned around and back tracked to were the trail split. 

This time, I took the uphill trail and rode all but some of the tighter switchbacks that were really steep.

In Thompson Park

I came to a small meadow and pond with an old stone fireplace. Then I headed south on the rutted, muddy road, crossed a small stream. 

About a mile uphill I surprised three cow elk grazing

along the trail. They leaped off the trail and watched me pedal out of sight. When I reached the mountain homes along Roosevelt Rd, I headed south to Highland Pass on the Continental Divide along Moose Creek Road. This is a section of the Tour Divide route.

View of the Basin Creek Reservoirs

About a 1/4 mile below the summit I stopped by a small stream to have a snack and take a bit of a rest after a constant climb for about 8 miles. 

The wild flowers at the pass were in full bloom and the snow covered views of the Highland and Pintler Mountains was stunning.

The return downhill trip on the Moose Creek forest road from the Highland Camp Ground was a fast 20-30mph screamer. It was exciting, but I kept feathering the disc brakes as thoughts of my crash in Las Vegas in March flashed in my head. Also omnipresent in my mind as I encountered vehicles on the blind curves of this forest road during the long descent, was what must have happened a year earlier to Tour Divide racer, Dave Blumenthal when he died in a collision with a truck on a narrow mountain road north of Steam Boat Springs, Colorado. It tempered my vigilance to take the corners cautiously. When I finally hit pavement on Roosevelt Drive I managed to hit 36.3mph on the section that runs alongside Blacktail Creek.

That relentless head wind on the downhill portion on Montana 2 (known locally as Harding Way) to Nine Mile and then all the way on Continental back into Butte ate my lunch. The legs were tired, the wind blew harder, and the road grew narrower. The cars passing within 6 to 7 feet of me on Continental at 65 mph kind of freaked me out. I was glad that I only had to travel two miles on this section to get back to home base.

Anyway it was a great ride. I enjoyed my time across the top tube. And, the committee in my head was well pleased.

There's More To The Tour Divide Than Just Riding A Bike- It's about People!

What a day full of providence for some folks today. There I was sitting at home on this Father's Day relaxing and writing in my blog about our week at the Outdoorsman with Tour Divide racers, when I decided to check on the location of the last racers in the southbound group that started from Banff on June 10.

 I knew Justin Simoni had to be close to Butte having left Helena Saturday. But, I was shocked to see that he had overnighted in Butte getting in at ~1:30am this morning. I've been following Justin since his deliberate departure from the first alternate in the Canadian Flathead region. When I hit the position refresh button it showed his last Spot position to be just south of my daughter's home on the route into Thompson Park. It was about 12:25pm, and the family was about to sit down for a wonderful Father's Day meal. I apologized to the kids and told them I really wanted to at least say hello and grab a few quick pictures of Justin before he got too far out of town. So, I grabbed the camera, car keys, ran out of the door, and drove like a wild man to catch up to him. As I rounded a curve on Montana 2 there sat Justin on a short mound of dirt beside the road, head in hand, and with his bike and gear strewn all about him. I pulled onto the shoulder, got out of the car (sans the camera) and asked him if he was all right. He said he was okay but was just a little despondent that he had a slit in his sidewall of his tubeless WTB Nano, had a worn out chain and that the nearest bike shop back in Butte was closed. I identified myself as the shop mechanic, and he looked a little stunned. He stated he was sitting beside the road trying to decided if he could make it to Wyoming with his current mechanical issues or if he should just cut his losses and head back to town and wait for the shop to open tomorrow morning. I gave Outdoorsman owner, Rob Leipheimer, a quick call on his cell and to my surprise learned he was actually in the shop at that moment doing some work. He said he had to be on the road for an appointment by 2PM, so if we hurried we could get Justin set up with a new chain, rear tire, install the Stans, and insert some new disk pads.

I quickly noted Justin's position on the route, so that after the work was done back at the shop I could return him to the exact same spot where he had stopped so he'd be within the rules regarding 'No forward assistance".

We loaded up all his gear and bike into my car and heading back to town at warp speed to meet Rob at the shop. When we got to the shop, Rob already had pulled the new tire and put it in the shop. While Rob took care of mounting the new tire, I pulled a new chain and brake pads and installed them.

We were in and out of the shop by 1:22pm less than 52 min after I found Justin beside the road. I then drove Justin back to the exact same location where I picked him up.

 I took a couple of parting photos and wished Justin a safe journey south. He waved goodbye as I turned around and headed back to town. The smile on his face spoke volumes.

Yes, Justin's lucky stars lined up in the right order on this day!
(1) Justin had stopped just outside town to think about his situation.
(2) I just happened to want to greet him before he left town.
(3) My family hadn't yet sat down to our Father's Day lunch.
(4) Rob just happened to be in the shop when I called his cell. And,
(5) We had the time and parts available to get the job done.

On our way back to his original stopping point along the route, Justin said he always knew that it would take a lot of folks to make this amazing journey along the divide work. And, that everyone he has met along the way has played an important role in his journey. A very humble man who faced adversity and dealt with it with grace. Typical of the type of person who rides in the Tour Divide.

From my perspective it was providence for me to meet such a remarkable Tour Divide rider. My Father's Day was all the better for the experience I can assure you. What a great day this has been.

Tour Divide Race Day 9 Update

Well, I had good intentions and had planned to do daily posts with Tour Divide updates, but the intensity of my work at the The Outdoorsman helping Rob and Jon service and make repairs on over 50 racer's bikes over four very long days left me with little energy to stay up late to write after the shop closed each day.

Suffice it to say, we all felt rode hard and put away wet after working hard to keep the racers in the game with clean drive trains, new chains, derailleurs, cables/housings, tires, tubs, Stans replacement, shifting/brake tuning, disc pads, and whatever else was needed. I'm proud of our team, and especially of shop owner, Rob Leipheimer, who goes above and beyond to make every Divide rider (racer or not) feel at home while they get the help they need. We work in total unison with one common overriding purpose: to make each racer's brief respite at the Outdoorsman enjoyable and supportive in mind, body, and spirit while at the same time ensuring that they leave on bikes that are in a safe operating condition to meet the demands of a very brutal environment that we call the Great Divide.

The stories contributed from each racer's perspective are as different as they can be. Every rider has their own unique spin on their race experiences, and we all relish the time they spent with us, albeit too short.

As the tempo of the race begins to slow for us, I'll have more time to post some of the interesting back stories on the racers and the Tour Divide from our perspective as observers on the sidelines.

For now, here are some select pictures I've taken during the past week as racers have come through Butte.

Day 2- Tour Divide Mountain Bike Race

Day 2 Race Clock 02:02:00 10:00AM MDT 

Current Race Anaysis:

TD NoBo Racer Status

(miles from Banff finish after their name)

In Pie Town, NM are

1-Russ McBride @2381.3mi. Russ was out front early this morning and got to Pie Town first, Followed by

2-Frank Gimard @2381.3mi and

In 3rd position-Paul Attalla @2381.3mi

Followed by

4-Denis Chazelle @ 2420.4mi

5-Pete Faeth @2422.9mi

NoBo Lantern Rouge racer remains Niki Yoblonski @ 2561.8mi in Silver City,NM

Day 2-TD SoBo Racer Status

(miles from Banff start after their name)

Only 7 racers are still on route in British Columbia heading toward the Roosville, MT Canada/US border crossing.

The current SpotTracker position report for Justin Simoni, rookie racer from Denver, CO shows a significant course deviation from the Sparewood, BC checkpoint. Looks like he might have taken the wrong turn on Route 3 as it splits at the Elk Valley Hwy junction. He went left but the race course goes right. He bivied overnight just SE of Beryl and Marl Lake in the East Kootenay Regional District in BC. He's on the move and appears to be heading southwesterly. According to my topo map research he's in deep kimchi as the only way to safely regain access to the race route is to back track to Sparwood the way he came, but he obviously has better situational information and awareness than I have using the internet. His southwesterly route looks like it will take him eventually northwesterly into Elko to regain the official race route, provided he takes all the correct turns along the way and can traverse deep snows indicated along his current heading. Looks like he is using GPS nav, but I fully expect him to withdraw at some point since he will probably DQ himself for deviating. Got to admire him for sure. Bet he's having an adventure of a lifetime and hope he remains safe! I'll continue to monitor his progress and pass along information.

The remaining main group of SoBo racers have crossed into Montana.

1-Jefe Branham 392.1mi @ 30mi south of Swan Lake east of Polson,MT is still n the lead, followed by

2-Ethan Passant @377.7mi

3-Kurt Refsnider @377.4mi

4-Mike Hill @355.6mi and

5-Josh Shifferly @348.7mi

Looks like the SoBo group is making great time because of the alternates planned out by @[800875152:Matthew Lee], but there is rain forecast along their route into Butte through Tuesday.

We just might see the first racers at the Outdoorsman some time late Monday or early Tuesday. We'll be ready for them. Rob has been busy making sure we have all the supplies and parts necessary that they might require.

Why Do They Race The Divide?

It's a question that frequently comes to mind for anyone who follows the progress of Tour Divide racers as they throw themselves in harms way against mother nature, wild beasts of the forest, and the unpredictability of Rocky Mountain weather along the Continental Divide.

This year, as they pass through The Outdoorsman Service Department,  I'll attempt to ask that question. I'm sure their answers will be as diverse as the machines they'll ride. Maybe I'll put their experiences to print and filter through the true meaning behind their insanity.

All I can say is, "I wish I were riding with them!" I will be...in spirit!

Follow the fun, the adventure, the mystery of the human spirit-

The 2011 Tour Divide Leader Board