Tour Divide Day 4

Day 4: Sofi woke still in the lead and was heading out of Helena (mile 650) around 03:00. He is cleary running to his own plan and commented "I love that a plan is going on without a hitch". 20 miles further back Josh Kato was moving around the same time and Steve Halligan was leaving Lincoln at mile 586.

Sofi noted that: "Eureka and Whitefish were fun. Saw a lot of people cheering but had no idea I was in the lead 😅" and as the sun rose posted this morning pic:

https://www.instagram.com/p/Byz2nmyIVGJ/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet

Kim Raeymakers had this to say of his previous days progress into the top 20: https://www.instagram.com/p/By0ahAXoE-r/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet

Nate (trailside), Josh Ibbett and Evan Deutsch (both in Lincoln) all were moving around 03:45 and heading owards Stemple Pass. The climb is OK, but each year some riders miss a right hand turn-off .... and 2019 proved to be no exception with Josh Ibbett missing the turn and climbing to the top of Stemple Pass before realsing his error. Kai Edel was an 1:45 behind and made the same mistake but corrected it much earlier. Seems like this Rookie error cost him about 45 mins and a lot of stress. Steve, Nate, Evan and Josh Ibbett all passed by Lael's trailside spot (or maybe she was at the Llama Ranch?) before she got underway around 07:00.

Lael's sleep system is a Vapour Barrier Line bag, down pants, booties and vest, plus rain jacket .... seems to be having a moisture issue as she's drying it out in this pic from Ovando:

(Pic Spencer Harding)

Back in the pack, Janie Hayes at Holland Lake Lodge took a 13hr stop and decided to take the hammer off to enable her to smell the roses a bit more: https://www.instagram.com/p/By0JW7Nl0wz/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet

Meanwhile, John Schilling (stopped at Ferndale) was being badgered by badgers:

Hal Russell slept night 3 on the Whitefish Divide climb around mile 300. Hal is on track for the over 70 record and is currently averaging 100 miles per day though the tough opening sections. He put in a solid day and is now at Ferndale.

Here's Hal's call-in on MTB Cast:

http://mtbcast.com/site2/category/td19/

(Pic John Schilling)

Some action shots of the front bunch in Swan Valley and Ovando yesterday. You can see what a difference a few hours makes to the weather - Lael is drying out her gear in the sun, and a few hours later Kai is in the same spot in the rain. The weather is a massive part of this race, and more so the further south they go as they face heat, snow and peanut butter mud.

10 race photo's in Lael's Instagram post (post by Rugile Kaladyte, not Lael who is a busy riding)

https://www.instagram.com/p/By0JN93g9RV/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet

Top 40 Rider Davy Patterson sent this in to Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1206309332881244&set=gm.865525770448188&type=3&theater&ifg=1

*Monday was tough ride in heat.. but ok, lots of riders saddle sore and chaffed , me too , due to heat.. cheap motel tonight Lincoln to get hygiene and re administer all kit.. early start in dark tomorr some big climbs before butte, it seems all climbs are 10 or 20 miles long and high altitude. Montana is cool but remote, I don’t see anyone on the trails for hours and hours , then a racer appears either behind or in front .. In a western bar for burgers everyone drunk and with guns and shootin pool for dollars .. Alll the resupply places are small and closed .. except Ovando where they watch the dots comin then open everything up, even the jail , where riders sleep .. but it makes Straid look like a metropolis . Pissed rain last night thru Flathead forest , slept in abandoned wood shed, bear shit everywhere ... Trying to take care of legs and not push, and care in the downhill , loaded bikes are like Rally Motorbike they don’t change direction good or like leaning over! Give transmission a clean up in hotel room, shame about the towels .. Janie Hayes past me across a flat plain in TT pursuit mode , aero bars and tri suit on, made me feel like a Goon in my trainers and baggy merino wool T-shirt on straight mtb bars.. nonetheless she fair brighten up your day when goes by.. Richmond peak was mega but too cold on top to get phone out for pic.. *

The mid-pack are starting to have some scratches with a mix of injury, motivation, illness and one poor fella fell on his bear spray which promptly exploded on him which has left him with painfully burnt back and arms.

Steve Moat posted this from Lincoln: I'm in Lincoln and having the ride of my life. I wanted to reach out to say thanks for all the support and donations that meant my ride could continue. I am overwhelmed by this cycling community and I'm putting maximum effort all be it with sore knees at the end of each day. So thanks once again and here are some pictures. View from Richmond Peak traverse:

After Helena and its two bike shops, there is a nasty little 400m climb which then drops quickly just to be repeated again to get up to Park Lake ... where the trail veers off for the Lava Mountain Trail. This is a rather gnarly and deeply rutted (by ATV's) section of true technical riding both up and down. The highpoint comes after 850m climbing. Following this there's the small town of Basin with a couple of restaurants with random opening hours and then the haul up the valley to Butte at mile 728.

The front runners all went through Helena pretty quick with Nate Ginzton having a quick stop at The Great Divide Cyclery and Josh Ibbett hitting Big Sky Cycling - both short stops so maybe a chain change or just a drive chain clean and adjustment, or they want to by some clothing (the amount of lost glasses, armwarmers etc is quite high on the TD). Evan Deutsch passed Nate whilst he was at the bike shop, and Lael passed both Nate and Josh Ibbett but a few miles out of town returned to Helena - most likely to The Base Camp to pick up some gear - and lost 40mins in the process. Kai was through about and hour behind Lael and Tony Lesueur, Peter Sandholt and Chris Siestrup were a further 2 hours back.

Evan, Nate, Josh Ibbett and Lael were seperate by mere minutes coming into Basin, but Evan made a navigation error and headed off on the old route into Butte (he has ridden the TD twice before on this route) and lost an hour there, and then another 45min off the pace heading into Butte from Joshn and Nate, who cranked it up from Basin and put 45mins into Lael as well.

Steve spent an hour in Butte and was departing from the south and the chasers arrived at the other end of town. Despite being early (only 21:00), Nate, Josh Ibbett, Evan Deutsch, and Kai Edel all choose to take a hotel in Butte , with only Lael and Steve riding off towards Fleecer Ridge. Tony Lesueur camped trailside on the valley into Butte around 22:00 and Chris Seistrup rode through to Butte, arriving around 01:00. Peter Sandholt called it a day at Basin at 20:30, and Kim Raeymakers joined him around midnight, with Dylan Morton arriving an hour later, with Peter Puenner and Alexandera Houchin pulling in at 02:00, and probably sleeping in the non-stop laundry.

Pic of Steve Halligan south of Butte from Brian Sullivan:

From Butte the next resupply is 55 miles later at Wise River, with a climb over to the I15 of 550m, and then a 650m climb up to Fleecer Ridge. The views from Fleecer are stunning, but the descent is one of the few highly technical truely MTB part of the route - it is a steep shale track with no traction ... any braking leads to sliding as it on ice ... but it is too steep to easily ride out clean without brakes. Each year a few ride it - including 2018 winner Lewis Ciddor.

After a quick stop at Wise River, our leader Sofi was on his way up the paved Montana Scenic Byeway. A paved but lightly trafficed road which climbs over a pass (600m climb) to Polaris, and Russ Kipp's Montana High Counrty Lodge which is 50 miles away. The Lodge welcomes Tour Dividers for a fast pitstop where you can eat, shower, wash kit and get some takeaway supplies - it's a long haul from here to Lima (mile 895) with nothing in between and little clean water due to the heavy livestock concentration. If it is dry, this section is fast and fun. If it is wet, the roads can be peanut butter mud and destroy your drivetrain. Bannock Rd is legendary for this, and Medicine Pass Rd is not much better. The forecast is for rain.

Top racer standings at 02:00:

Sofiane Sehili: 817 - at High Country Mountain Lodge

Josh Kato: 783 - at a Campground on the Montanan Scenic Byway

Steve Halligan: 762 - at a Beaverdam Campground

Lael Wilcox: 757 - trailside

Kai Edel 726 - hotel in Butte

Nate Ginzton 726 - hotel in Butte

Evan Deutsch 726 - hotel in Butte

Josh Ibbett 726 - hotel in Butte

Chris Seistrup 726 - hotel in Butte

Tony Lesuer 705 - trailside

Peter Sandholt 688 - in hotel at Basin, MT

Kim Raeymakers 688 - in Basin, MT

Dylan Morton 688 - in Basin, MT

Peter Puenner 688 - in Basin, MT

Alexandera Houchin 688 - in Basin, MT

NOBO lead rider Graham Suffield crossed over Polvedera Mesa to Abiquiu and on Day 5 will have some interval training with the dogs of Vallecitos - and NOBO it is uphill through town. After that he's got a nice ride through Carson National Forest to Hopewell Lake before heading to La Lagunitas and Brazos Ridge where the last reports are that snow/mud starts and lasts until the NM/CO border - hopefully it has melted off and dried out for Graham.

Some more pictures of riders through Ovando from Kathy Schroedoerfer:

Dylan Gonda: Aaron Denberg: Janie Hayes: David Langley: David Stowe: Ryan Simon: Petr Kraft (3rd time rider) Lucas Ratcliff: Randall Riecker: Davy Patterson: Nate Stillwagon: Lee Brown:

Other Media: The Radavist has an article focusing on Lael Wilcox's first 3 days here: https://theradavist.com/2019/06/2019-tour-divide-race-part-1/