Days 17 & 18

Days 15 & 16 - Brendan is in!

WE HAVE A WINNER!

Day 14 - it's not over until they reach the border! 215 miles to go

Day 13 - The Last Sleep? + JayP's Birthday 🎂

Day 13 - The Tour Divide Graveyard

Day 12

Day 9

Day 5

Day 4 Wrap Up

For the beady eyed dotwatchers out there, you may have spotted one lonely yellow dot departing the Canada border over the weekend. Quinn Brett will be attempting the Tour Divide route in a target time of 25 days.

Quinn will not be riding a traditional bicycle, but instead she will be using an e-assist hand cycle due to her paralysis of her lower body sustained from a fall when climbing El Capitan in Yosemite National Park, almost 4 years ago.

To read more about Quinn, here's her [website](https://www.quinnbrett.com/) and her [Instagram account](https://www.instagram.com/quinndalina/).

Quinn Brett

📸 *Eddie Clark*

Brendan's time is 15D 2H and 15M.

![Brendan at finish](//images.contentful.com/6hyijb95boju/6BzaHTvC8bWJsLFLvOTKJU/0f182b534702c32517ad6a9bf880ed82/Brendan_at_finish.jpg)

Both Brendan and JP have generously done Q&As on their respective Instagram pages. Here are our takeaways from Brendan's:
He swapped his Lauf fork for a rigid fork only the day before the start.
Brendan brought 2 pairs of bib shorts, whereas JP only took one. Each to their own!
New Mexico was the hardest state for him as he was running low on fire.
He lost 15lbs (6.8 kgs).

Here's a clip Brendan posted sighting a bear and her cubs. Did he film it just to make sure he wasn't hallucinating or for the kudos?

![Brendan sees bears](//videos.contentful.com/6hyijb95boju/7A218tBdeNAKGwcPpNscSC/90d161c1d0556707a9f5a152765df893/Brendan_sees_bears.mp4)

Elsewhere in New Mexico, the photos of the mud has brought back all the dark memories of the 2019 Brush Mountain Lodge holdup. Daniel Connell posted this on the TD dotwatchers group and recommended riders carry some extra water and food. And maybe a stick, to scrape off all that mud!

![Daniel Connell mud in NM](//images.contentful.com/6hyijb95boju/2uaC5r6qIu5eMspThPdY3V/0cea2807d039674516c80b0dbfe968da/Daniel_Connell_mud_in_NM.jpg)

Daniel called in to [MTBCast](http://mtbcast.com/site2/2021/06/29/tour-divide-and-gdr-classic-21-daniel-connell-called-in-from-silver-city/) from Silver City with THE BEST call-in for 2021. It'll be hard to beat this!

We now have a total of 5 finishers in the following order with their provisional times:
1. Jay Petervary  14D 19H 15M
2. Brendan Heinig 15D 02H 15M
3. Chris Smith    17D 06H 57M
4. Daniel Connell 18D 11H 43M
5. Mark Cunnane   18D 18H 37M

Here's the shot of Chris Smith at the border.
![Chris Smith finishes](//images.contentful.com/6hyijb95boju/5jOsIWFCh1oHDEOiQKxytF/e1a43125a71fcbcf510affc19bab5b39/Chris_Smith_finishes.jpg)

First female, Lauren Brownlee currently sits in 9th position with 233 miles to go. The title of fastest female is all but won. 

Second place was taken by Brendan Heinig early afternoon yesterday in an approximate total time of 15 days 2 hours. Having spent much of the last week within a couple of miles of Jay and even havings shared some meals together, it appears Brendan's long rest on Thursday night cost him the race and allowed Jay to pull out a 40 mile lead which Brendan was never able to close.

![Brendan Heinig](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4cCSnqMTaqnctvlHI2dXhv/32d53dc1de44f5404d88aa86bda8e3f0/Brendan_Heinig.jpg)

📸 Tomas Jonsson

Chris Smith is set to be the third rider to Antelope Wells, he's currently 200 miles from the finish and will likely rest tonight as the gap to fourth position is 180 miles which gives him plenty of wiggle room for a sleep!

Behind him there seems to be a trio of riders including Daniel Conell (pictured), Mark Cunnane and Robert Bigelow-Rubin.

![209021712 1454091804951892 3502047901879566514 n (1)](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4lKdMQfldIzKERmu3y7sck/7f1d0d79429e9dc1957638484eb79214/209021712_1454091804951892_3502047901879566514_n__1_.jpg)

📸 Marcos Roybal

Rick Ashton, who suffered with a crash earlier in the race 
bumped into his 2017 Tour Divide buddy Bobby Smith (the one with the new bike!) but has since withdrawn from the race claiming his legs aren't what they used to be and his heart really isn't in it the race anymore. Rick is a multi-time veteran and is 74 years young. We think you're a hero, Rick!

Nathan Salle is also a scratch from Del Norte, Colorado.

In a provisional time of 14 days, 19 hours and 15 minutes, Jay Petervary won the Great Divide Classic. 

![206451712 4493191050713114 2796975848091122659 n](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3W6TF1Dm0P8mQLhMG6AiXl/27e310a2d5c67da2b44e3eb95e4f98a1/206451712_4493191050713114_2796975848091122659_n.jpg)

![202887961 4493191544046398 1529537428577545176 n](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/1mie1QyRI4ge3MCmMZTGab/cf3b5e5e53d5ced7d06444561fa0e053/202887961_4493191544046398_1529537428577545176_n.jpg)

📸 Tomas Jonsson

Having battled it out with Brendan Heinig over the final week of racing, he was able to establish a 40 mile lead on the second to last night while Brendan slept which he then never let come below 20 miles.

![Jay P Brendan Pie Town](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4ofprSfnYYWGrrv9hDwxgD/169fb5ca37af4e096ca2c7ad08eb221b/Jay_P_Brendan_Pie_Town.jpg)

Brendan and Jay ate together in Pie Town at 3:20 yesterday afernoon and left within minutes of each other. Brendan bedded down at 10pm whereas JP didn't rest until 2:30am at which point he had established a 40 mile lead over Brendan with 215 miles to go. Neither of their dots have started moving again, which puts Brendan stationary for the best part of 8 hours, which we suspect may be an error with his tracker. They'll not sleep until the border now and it's anyone's guess who wins. Could this be any more exciting?!

Edit: they are both now moving and there's only 30 miles between Brendan and JP. Jay's total stopped time was just shy of 3 hours whereas Brendan's is 6 hours. Has Brendan slept too much or is this a very strategic long rest before a big effort to the finish?

Third place Chris Smith is 300 miles behind Brendan but 120 miles ahead of fourth place. Barring disaster, he's set to complete the podium.

In the women's race Lauren took a nap in the thunderstorm in the afternoon and that seems to have done wonders for her morale. On the run in to Del Norte she ran out of food and claims the 20 mile run-in to Del Norte took forever. She took a moment to call ahead for a hotel and is very much looking forward to a good night's rest! While she has a 104 mile lead over Sarah, Lauren is aware from the tracker that Sarah's been well rested throughout the race and there's still 770 miles left.

Lauren's story of the post-mechanical pre-fix tantrum is certainly something many of us can relate to!

<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CQd2zenNcld/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CQd2zenNcld/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank"> <div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; 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font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;"> View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"><div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style=" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CQd2zenNcld/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Lauren Brownlee (@xplauren)</a></p></div></blockquote> <script async src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script>

On the reroute on Muddy Slide around the forest fire, there is reportedly a re-reroute due to a lakeside trail being closed. More reroutes!


![JP in Grants](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/5gV4OjKwmmBLNfTgoOT9Dg/13f91ea0f1cc79ad184d74aa15af8e9a/JP_in_Grants.jpg)

DotWatcher Chere Lawson sent in this picture this morning of Jay P at Alon gas station in Grants just now! As he's wearing waterproofs up top and bottom and there's water on the ground, it appears as though it may have been a wet night in New Mexico. He looks to have bedded down for 3.5 hours last night and was up by 2:50 this morning. Whereas Brendan looks to have stopped after Jay P got moving again. He's only just started moving again after just under 3 hours rest and they're now only a few miles apart. He may have chosen to rest later in the hope of making it straight through to the finish. We've not seen such a variance in their sleep strategies before and with only 380 miles left to go, it's anyone's guess whether they'll sleep again. They've averaged exactly 165 miles per day which puts their ETA around Saturday morning but it's unlikely they'll sleep Friday night and may only nap tonight, so we could be looking at a Friday evening arrival (total time 14.5 days).

In the women's race, second place Sarah Swallow is now where Lauren Brownlee was 24 hours ago. Sarah will be hard pushed to make up that much time over 1,000 miles, but it's possible. On Lauren's current daily average of 127 miles per day, she is set to finish in just under a week (6D 19H). 

The race flow below shows us the steady lead Lauren has been able to draw out on Sarah. We can see at the 190hr mark Sarah has been able to close in on Lauren but was forced to take 4.5 in Pinedale to have her bars replaced at Geared Up Bikes. Since then, Lauren appears to have drawn out her lead by sleeping less and riding faster. Simples!

![Womens race flow day 13](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/1Y9nMlFAhz3nSCRsMKlS9P/de0696beb0a80ddc277d52e98f0043ac/Womens_race_flow_day_13.jpg)

Brian Charette shares with us a classic roadside bodge: "Today, while coming down a SUPER ROUGH descent, the internal frame of my rear bag broke. I “fixed” it by finding a dry branch that I was able to whittle down to +/- the same diameter as the internal diameter of the tubing, jam the two pieces together, add a splint, tape them up, repack and carry on. 
Hoping it’ll last another 1200 miles! 😳"

[https://www.facebook.com/groups/tourdivide/permalink/1429251837408909/](https://www.facebook.com/groups/tourdivide/permalink/1429251837408909/)

It wouldn't be the Tour Divide without a reroute! At mile 135, there's now a reroute around the fire on Muddy Slide  which adds approximately 12 miles to the route shown by the orange line.


Thought bike changes were only for the World Tour pros? Think again!

Bobby Smith took an overnight stop in Pinedale, WY where he made one of the biggest changes a rider can make to their setup: he bought a new frame. In search of comfort for the remaining 1,500 miles, Bobby switched out his Marin Headlands 2 adventure frame for a Trek Supercaliber 9.7, the short travel full sus frame that had the XC world on tender hooks for its release in 2019. Bobby's carried his drop bars over to the Supercaliber and fortunately all his bags seem to fit and surprisingly well! Geared Up Bikes in Pinedale open their doors to riders every year to help with everything from a new chain to a frame swap!

![Bob bike change](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6IDPajckJoy2ewQDoVzzlI/3f5cd7e759264b81649ec0abf0b86691/Bob_bike_change.jpg)

![Bob bike change 2](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/1mRKjlwaGHAYidtvN672XP/6a0ee2f1df17556b430c3da5157f7b63/Bob_bike_change_2.jpg)

![Bob bike change 3](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4mIS5ITYhppWQFsQgbGHCb/58ca5abeb88aee4cc8d8ed4e20dda831/Bob_bike_change_3.jpg)

Andrew Zoot of Geared Up Bikes has been collecting the parts taken off the Tour Divide bikes for years and already, this is the collection of retired items from the racers' rigs.

![Andrew Zook TD graveyard](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6nvpgRKGpxJcUDCq7OOdE3/c7f56d0e5b6ca1b7078c898578ce6aef/Andrew_Zook_TD_graveyard.jpg)

The handlebars are from Sarah Swallow's bike. You may remember her bike falling off the vehicle on the way to the start line which cracked the seat post and handlebars. The former of which was replaced pre-grand depart. However, the latter of which was not discovered until a couple of days in. She was fortunate enough to have her new bars delivered ahead of her to Pinedale with still 250 miles riding until she reached the shop.

__Where did all that time go?!__

We mentioned yesterday about the different sleep and average speed strategies of the two mens and womens leaders, and today David Brillhart has excellently put together this scatter plot which shows us two things:

1. There is indeed a small difference in total percentage time riding between JP and Brendan.
2. There is a large difference between the two fastest men and women's % moving time. We're all guilty of coming to the end of a long day on the bike only to check the Garmin and see we must have spent a lot of time not moving. Did we really stop that much? Was it that second ice cream in the afternoon? Or have we just been faffing too much? Where did all that time go?!

Seasoned racers like JP and Brendan will be well aware of just how easy it is to lose time when off the bike and veterans of all races live by the "progress is progress" mantra. Anytime on the bike is time moving forward, no matter how fast or slow.

It is all too easy for new racers to misjudge their stopping time and expect to be able to make it up with a higher average speed. This is all the more hard when the fatigue levels are so high and decision making is at its poorest.

Last night JP took a 4 hr stop at 1:30am which is one of the latest times he's stopped. The 1 hr lead he had over Brendan yesterday appears unchanged and it's hard to know exactly how one of these riders will win this race. Can they do it with a big physical effort, lack of sleep, trimming down their stopping times? Or will they succeed when the other falters? Will they win on their own strengths or their opponents weaknesses?

Further back in the race, Robert Lesmerises has been seen to be off-track yet again. We're unsure whether he's intentionally taking these detours or is having problems with navigation.

![Rob Lesmerises TL dot off course 1](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/41DC0s2JIvVxSaO3vThuVp/4c3165f67b223b423874c2d30b4fb7b0/Rob_Lesmerises_TL_dot_off_course_1.jpg)

Randy Neill currently sits at mile 847 in the Tetons and has been stationary for 16 hours while he nurses a spider bite.

![Randy Neill spider bite](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4s4OPu4EJGWQ9tDiCNjwLb/b636db6831de0dae65807ca56c834ce3/Randy_Neill_spider_bite.jpg)

Scratches

Kellie Wilson is still active on TL but her dot is at the 631 mile point and hasn't moved for 2 days. She appears to really have enjoyed the social side of the race, as have many riders this year. It appears the Great Divide Classic is all about the good vibes and the memories.

![Kellie Wilson IG account](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2FOMi9gnZdrEbC57OBkrkY/b4cc782088b88becd61e5a610d8e1b7d/Kellie_Wilson_IG_account.jpg)

[https://www.instagram.com/p/CQaIXOys-7U/](https://www.instagram.com/p/CQaIXOys-7U/)

__Who's a good girl?__

Nina. Nina is a very good girl who's currently living her best life. Not racing, but touring the GDMR, [Alex Diaz](https://www.instagram.com/alexdiaz.pdf/), Steph Slater and their trail dog, [Nina](https://www.instagram.com/ninaaainc/), are taking 2 months to do the route. It's a dog's life, eh?

![Nina the dog](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/5sIArcpmq9jOCHyFhYX1Cf/1565f3fe58efde4b9d63b5d28c2ef1e5/Nina_the_dog.jpg)

JP currently holds a mere 1 hour advantage over Brendan with still 640 miles to go. In such a long distance race, 1 hour can be translated to the time it takes to fix one mechanical, 2 long refuel stops, some extra shut eye or a lapse in concentration to slow the pace.

Jay and Brendan have averaged 165 miles per 24 hour period over the past 11 days. Jay opted for less sleep and more riding time early on, while Brendan set a slightly faster average speed and rested longer. However, their efforts have now converged and they appear to be riding at a very similar pace. On their current daily average, they are set to finish Saturday late morning. However, with an expected cut to their sleeping hours over the next four nights we could see them at the Mexico border on Friday night!

Jay's report from Del Norte commenting on his lack of patience when re-entering civilisation and being forced to queue mid-race will certainly resonate with any ultra-race veteran. The depths of the solitude riders reach when out in the American wilderness alone is a perfect juxtaposition with the queue of any fast food restaurant.

Second woman, Sarah Swallow, made it to Brush Mountain Lodge yesterday mid-afternoon, where she appears to have stopped for 90 minutes for some refueling. We can see in the photos, Sarah has employed the age-old "T-Shirt under headwear" tactic to create some shade over her neck.

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Lauren Brownlee currently leads the womens category and has steadily drawn out her lead over the past 400 miles and now holds 60 miles over Sarah. They both appear to be resting well each night and both have occasionally been stationary for 10 hours overnight.

<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CQZtrhrBpE8/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CQZtrhrBpE8/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank"> <div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;"><svg width="50px" height="50px" viewBox="0 0 60 60" version="1.1" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd"><g transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)" fill="#000000"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style=" color:#3897f0; 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transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style=" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CQZtrhrBpE8/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Eddie Clark (@eddieclarkmedia)</a></p></div></blockquote> <script async src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script>

__Up to (un)scratch__

For the eager eyed dotwatchers out there, you may have spotted Peter Puenner (NOBO) as a scratch but he's since rejoined the Northbound race. An unscratch. We can't think of the last time we saw an unscratch, can you?! Let us know, info@dotwatcher.cc.


Day 11

In the women's field, Lauren Brownlee has 60 miles on Sarah Swallow, as Sarah rests in Atlantic City, Lauren has ticked off half of the approx. 134 mile Great Basin section from Atlantic City to Rawlins, known for its winds and lack of water. Check this out if you'd like to get a feel for its desolation.

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNAFLnoJDRA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNAFLnoJDRA)

The Basin leg for this year's race follows the ACA classic GDMBR route through the Basin which the Tour Divide hasn't done for a few years now and it's added approx. 30 miles of desert riding. It seems some veterans are enjoying this revival, although that's likely because of the sweet tailwind the riders are enjoying through this flat land.

Naturally, a tailwind for the Southbound (SOBO) riders is a headwind for the NOBO riders, here's [Kyle Peterson](https://www.instagram.com/the.dudeski/) battling on through Colorado.

![175747798 337950534521101 1199648697751079525 n](//videos.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2od44yZ4HUkA6aVnPQYMJR/69eeacbd8606ccb3509d2ce472dcce23/175747798_337950534521101_1199648697751079525_n.mp4)

JayP is in fact only 20 miles away from where Kyle has camped last night. We'll start to see the torquiose and yellow dots (pictured below) of the NOBO GD and NOBO ITT riders meeting and mingling with the SOBO riders. An added challenge to the fun of dotwatching!

![NOBO legend TL](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4qT1ai2aS8dmsJu7gHoj0O/b3114fc604d0675c90367e7d33221a0a/NOBO_legend_TL.png)

![ITT Legend TL](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/1xJoZnN38HU6oZzqmtbHp0/d67b04a9542ad4a1938feee53c91fad9/ITT_Legend_TL.png)

Further back in the women's field, Kellie Wilson's videos are making us wish we were right there with her.

<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CQU-pQjn_qc/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CQU-pQjn_qc/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank"> <div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;"><svg width="50px" height="50px" viewBox="0 0 60 60" version="1.1" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd"><g transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)" fill="#000000"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style=" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;"> View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"><div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style=" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CQU-pQjn_qc/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Kellie Wilson (@kellie_w55)</a></p></div></blockquote> <script async src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script>

It's been reported that Rick Ashton has taken a fall in the shower of a hotel room and suffered some mild concussion but has continued to ride.

At the front of the men's race JayP and Brendan look to have been within a stone's throw of each other all day with Brendan maintaining the slimmest of leads. Over 9 days of racing, to witness a mere 10 mile gap between the leaders is so exciting! At the time of writing (3:45am MDT), JayP is up and riding before Brendan, which has allowed him a 7 mile lead on Brendan. Let's see how that changes over the course of the day as they make their way to the New Mexico border today. They'll likely cross the border tomorrow midday with 700 miles left across the final state to finish before the weekend, maybe.

On the MTBCast JayP has claimed that this legs are finally coming around, and he's had a really hard first few days. If he's jostling for the win with bad legs, then we dread to imagine the pace he'll throw down with good legs.

That's it from me for this weekend and normal service with your trusty commentator, David Hawkins, will resume tomorrow, once he's back from a foray into the depths of God's own country: Wales. If you're not familiar with Wales, then a handy little quote I like to use is: "God called the dry ground 'land', and the gathered waters he called 'Wales' ". Hopefully, David dries out soon.

The original bikepacking race faces the biggest route adjustment ever; with no Canadian leg, the route has been reduced to a border to border race. An All-American roster means this edition is set to be an exciting and unique year.

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