Tour Divide Day 10

Day 10:

Grit. Something the 4 leaders have in abundance.

Here's the current leader Chris Seistrup sucking it up and getting it done:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BzDX_2hFCAH/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet

https://www.instagram.com/p/BzDX1Z7lnLS/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet

(Pic Billy Rice)

(Pic Kim Bunning)

(Pic Peter Dubbeld)

With the leading four sleeping only 35 miles apart the race was on. Nate Ginzton took a very short break of around 3 hours and passed Steve Halligan into 3rd place during the early morning. Steve stopped a solid 8.5 hours, then got going to cross Cow Creek which had halted his progress the night before.

From Steve Halligan: This Tour Divide is crazy! I chased Josh and Chris out of Steamboat last night, over lynx pass, maybe less than an hour ahead. Came to a river that was in flood and swift . Their tracks were there but was not sure if they went through. My headlight battery was dead so could not see how deep. Decided to sleep in abandoned log house , cold night. This morning I awoke to a snow storm, shite . What to do. Went to the river again, it was up to my thighs , freezing . Snow on the roads made it very slow , soon I was a cycling snowman. Hill after hill eventually I'm out ....the boys obviously went through as they are further ahead .... keep on rolling

The top 4 are the only racers riding south of Brush Mountain Lodge. Chris had a short stop in Silverthorne but then got going and was quickly over Boreas Pass.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BzFE1I3luce/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet

He gave dotwatchers a heart in mouth moment when he missed the turn to Gold Dust Trail ... but spotted it quickly and returned. Chris met NOBO rider Max Southam in Hartsel so will have some beta on the route ahead. It was a super quick stop there and then he pushed on until mid-night, camping trail side 25 miles before Salida.

Josh Kato stopped early in Silverthorne (see his post below) while both Nate and Steve both called it a day in Breckinridge area.

From Josh Kato: *This is me. I haven't been on FB since the beginning of this epic little tale I’m in right now. * *It is epic. * *My dot is paused at the moment. The past two days have taken a significant toll on my body. For the first several days of the race I pushed behind my competitor/friend Sofiane Sehili. He pushed ahead of the record flag of Mike Hall while I chased Mike’s flag itself and to push Sofiane as I had hoped to push Mike to the fastest time possible. I was red-lining but feeling fantastic. When I finally touched and rode with the record flag of Mike Hall near the Lima, Montana area the ride became extremely emotional for me beyond what I will say here. * *Such a crazy story is unfolding on this race. I’m loving it but my body is taking a beating. I wrecked rather hard last night on a muddy, dark downhill. Shoulder and knee took quite a beating. Shoulder is getting a look at now. Had initially thought I fractured my clavicle but looking more like a subluxation at this point. I’ve ruined this shoulder in the past. Getting off the mountains and all the rough descents have beaten me up. Not to mention my “little” walk over a mountain in blizzard conditions and one of my scariest nights bivied up in a blizzard in the hills ever. Only my fellow competitor Sofiane knows just how horrible that night was. Breaking trail all the way down that mountain has left me destroyed. * *Never show your cards to your competitors? Well, I’m not here to compete with anyone. I’m here to race myself. I was here to touch Mike Halls flag. I have found new channels of strength and speed I’ve not known before. I am having an amazing time. I also have saddle sores upon secondary saddle sores and my GI issues from 2017 are re-surfacing. After a few nights/days in freezing conditions I am drying out, getting checked out and eating a proper meal. I’ll get back out there but I just need a little pause. From what I understand there are only 4 of us who have made it away from Brush Mt. I’ll be back out there with them and fill a few more chapters of story by the end. * Also, I am so saddened to hear that Sofiane is out of the race. He was flying! His night on the mountain is the stuff legends are made of. It really was quite a night up there.

Greg Goodman caught this short clip of Josh Kato:

https://www.facebook.com/greg.goodman.963/videos/10157831030572923/

So, what happened at Brush Mountain Lodge ... the chase group hit seriously deep mud, and rather than face an ardous hike through miles of mud carrying there bikes, they decided to out-play mother nature and wait for it to dry up so that they could ride/push across at mid-night, when the mud is drier and the snow firmer. How did that work out .... a torrential downpour at midnight!! So they stayed. In the morning, eventually Evan Deutsch and Kai Edel went out ... only to return about an hour later ...

(pics Grace Ragland)

With no-one wanting to carry their bikes, they sat and waited at BML.

Alexandera Houchin and Nico Deportago-Cabrera on their single speeds arrived in BML around 22:30 - hopefully they can find some floor space! Alexandera Houchin: “Got caught in scariest storm of my life. I thought i was going to blow right off that ridge”

(Pic Simone Bailey)

Les Brown, Ryan Simmons (also single speed), Beau Troesch, Peter Kraft and David Langley coming in close behind. There's now 19 riders at Brush Mountain Lodge and it seems that no-one wants to walk their bike over the pass. Apperently the mud is "completely unbelievable" according to TD mud pro Billy Rice.

Rumour is that some riders will press over at 03:00, and that some are thinking of scratching from the race.

Sofiane, the former leader, decided to withdraw from the race, posting: I got real scared up that pass, 3000m high, pitch dark, -5C, sometimes sinking waist deep in snow, unable to find the track despite my 2 GPS. You need to remember that I am just a city boy, not accustomed to extreme weather, with little to no knowledge of how to survive in these conditions. It's a good thing I was smart enough to turn back rather than keep pushing and getting lost in the woods where nobody could find me.

The Tour divide is tough race and the 2019 edition proved to be too tough for me. I know there is more snow coming and I don't want to find myself in a dangerous situation again. It is just bike ride and there is no point risking my life for it. On top of that, the front on the race is now unreachable. Going back at it just to finish seems pointless to me. It's actually harder to give 80% when your goal is out of reach than to give it 100% when you are keeping in touch with it. I know it would leave me with nothing but bad memories and regrets. It's not just an adventure, it's a race. And I came here to win.

It's never easy to quit but it's not all bad. I had a good run and realized I can break Mike's record. I will be back and I will break it. Thanks for all the support.

Billy Rice posted this summary video on the TD Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/billyrice12/videos/10217239723098914/

Josh Kato on his Day 9: I carried/pushed my bike from about a quarter mile after Brush Mt lodge. Sofiane broke trail through the deep snow to the top. The next morning I broke trail to the bottom. No idea of how many miles but it was tough going indeed and took me from leaving Brush Mt at 2100, slept for a few bivied to escape the blizzard then got down the other side around noon. I rode the bike none through the mud. If I tried to roll it it would pack up instantly. I hiked through the brush along the road. It is harsh up there. Sofiane who broke trail to the top is out and I who broke trail down am destroyed. The other three guys that made it over, animals.

No rescue options up there if storm is brewing. I fell into a few creek holes and said a quick prayer that I wouldn't be swept away. Breaking that trail was hard. I’m laying in a hotel while the other guys are riding their bikes. Their strategy is much better race strategy. My strategy gives me great memories and stories to tell.

Kim Raeymaekers posted this of the situation: Woke up early in Atlantic city WY. Ready to cross the basin. with a pretty good tailwind we should make it to Brush mountain lodge in Colorado. About 286km. With a bit of rain in the morning it wasn't a bad day in the Basin since the wind was in our back about 80% of the time. Had some lunch in warmsutter An kept going to the Brush mountain lodge. On the only big climb the road surface turned into a peanut butterish kind of surface and it was impossible to ride with all the mud building up on the tires and the frame. Luckly it only lasted for a good 500 meters and was able to keep riding towards savery. After getting there, a bit of a paved road and a 16km offroad climb we finaly reached the Brush Mountain lodge where most of the racers ahead of us were stranded due to the fact that the pass after the lodge is impossible to ride because of the peanut butterish clay sticking on your tires and frame and the long snow stretch on top of the mountain. These are all experienced riders and they all came back after the first attempt. Getting a night's rest and make new decisions in the morning. We will see what the night brings. Weaterforecast tells us rain and snow. Time will tell

At 02:30 Day 10:

Chris Seistrup - 1,780

Nate Ginzton - 1,707

Steve Halligan - 1,705

Josh Kato - 1,690

Josh Ibbett/Lael/Kai/Evan/Kim/Peter P/Tony/Peter S/Stefano R/Lucas/Bear/ Les Brown, Ryan Simmons, Beau Troesch, Peter Kraft , David Langley,Alexandera Houchin, Nico Deportago-Cabrera, and Robert Goldie - 1,513 stopped at Brush Mountain Lodge.

NOBO leader Graham Suffield stopped early around 17:00 at Steamboat Springs.