July 3rd, 2006
Great Divide Race - Inspirational or Idiotic
By the wonders of technology you can keep up with the racers.
Or not.
Not many of them left and I am frankly stunned at the ill-informed equipment choices that have been made and and the naivety of some of the riders.
Lycra! WTF! Choose wool at least FFS!
Knees hurt from day after day of riding. No shit.
Bums are sore from long days in the saddle. No shit.
And this just cracks me up…
“I pretty much keep vegan and all I eat is organic foods. I’m not used to having refined sugars and meat.
…
“For some reason they label convenience stores that sell nothing but soda, beer, chips, and candy as grocery stores on the map, and that’s so not true. I show up there anticipating fruits and vegetables and all I find is peanuts and nutrolls, and, just crap basically. I feel like I’m in a high-fructose hellhole, and I can’t take it.”
Kevin Montgomery
Picture the scene, Kevin has just rolled into small town Montana and into the diner:
A tired GDR racer (Kevin) sits alone at the table. No-one wishes to sit near him as on a multi-day unsupported race he has chosen to wear XC racer lycra which is both garish and by now stinks like the inside of a skunks crotch pocket. Tired, and with bags under his eyes Kevin looks weakly up from his menu to the hovering waitress…
Kevin: I’m a vegan, what do you recommend?
Waitress: I recommend you leave the State, sir.
Kevin: I’m so hungry I could eat a horse…
… radish
Hello! Earth to Kevin. In all your preparation (you did prepare right?) did it never cross your mind that your dietary wierdo needs just might not be the norm. Maybe you should have trained your body before the event to handle any and all manner of crap.
I feel sorry for the drop-outs, especially for those who have broken.
I’m sadder that what I had hoped would be an event that provided adventurous tales of inspiration is turning into a damp squib.
![[Valid RSS]](http://32sixteen.com/wp-content/themes/three_column/images/valid-rss.png "Validate my RSS feed")
del.icio.us
July 3rd, 2006 at 11:02 pm
some interesting comments nick.I wonder why the event is attracting people new to ultra endurance racing and not people in the same mold as the Curiaks and Basingers of the world.Not that theres too many of those.It does seem theres a lack of respect for the challenge.To be fair to Kevin who i dont know from a bar of soap hes very young.It would have been as big a wake up for me as its been for him had i attempted this at 21 years old.
July 4th, 2006 at 11:53 am
I’m glad it attracts folk new to the challenge. Not sure if there’s a lack of respect or a naivety.
July 4th, 2006 at 2:18 pm
Um, Curiak’s won this race in the past and holds the record. So he was presumably attracted to it at some point ;-)
July 4th, 2006 at 2:53 pm
I think he means this years event Mike.
They’ve all got to start endurance racing somewhere. The GDR just seems to be rather epic for your first endurance race.
July 4th, 2006 at 6:25 pm
All true points, but at the same time, you gotta give these guys props for trying.
The GDR isn’t quite the Iditarod Invitational or other races where poor gear choices will get you killed. Most likley, you’ll have a sore butt and a stomach ache and drop out somewhere in Wyoming. It may not have to glory of finishing with record times, but at least they tried.
July 4th, 2006 at 9:56 pm
Its true Jill that gear choice is not to be taken lightly in the Alaskan racers but i see a huge difference and have trouble comparing the two.For Alaska you either live there and test gear or you turn up and hope what youve read about other racers using works for you.Conditions that the trail throw at you are hard to find unless you live in a very wintery place.With the GDR its something everybody can relate to.You could go ride 1000 miles tonight to try your gear out,see how you feel,put yourself through the motions.I think thats perhaps my frustration and maybe Nicks that what did these people expect,didnt they go and train for this,read about it,try different set ups.Im probably a bit of a hippy wanting the world to wake up and feel what i felt after completing endurance events.Its for this reason i get frustrated when i see others fail when its for no other reason then being…back to Nicks words Naive.
July 5th, 2006 at 9:12 am
Even the simple math will tell you that you’re going to be doing long days in the saddle day after day. More than just being able to cope with the distance the body needs to be able to cope with the saddle sores, the knee twinges, the carpal tunnel syndrome etc.
Throw into the mix the unsupported element and the level of preparation and research needed goes up another notch.
The ‘joke’ about vegans is actually a rehashing of a joke I was on the receiving end of many many times when I visited Montana/Wyoming/Idaho.
I haven’t completed a multi-day long distance ride for over 15 years, and with grown-up responsibilities it’s probably going to be another 15 before I get another shot at one. In the meantime I empathise and sympathise with these guys.
Despite their apparent failure to treat the race with the respect it deserves I do have admiration for all that entered.
I sincerely hope those that have been forced to drop out have the mindset to try again, and have learned enough to make a succesful attempt next year.
Eyes wide open.
July 11th, 2006 at 8:12 am
“Maybe you should have trained your body before the event to handle any and all manner of crap.”
Ace that means I’ll be great in that race.
July 11th, 2006 at 8:46 am
Not sure they sell meat pies with unidentifiable wobbly bits out in Montana either Tom.
July 11th, 2006 at 10:04 am
Oh crap I’ve just remembered I HATE Hersheys so called chocolate too.