TracyTracker...

I cannot hide. Via satelitte .....you will be able to see if I am napping underneath a tree, soaking in a creek or bicycling like I am supposed to be. Yep. If you put the satelitte tracker on satelitte view you can see me that closely.... well almost. It is amazing how well you can see where I am.
You'll be tracking me through a device called a SPOT tracker.... my personal device has been nicknamed
" Tracytracker". 
As long as it is not in the belly of a bear and has a clear view of the sky it will track my progress on the race. Nearly every other racer will have one of these as well.
 If you go to tourdivide.org  you will be able to see how I am matching up against the other racers, where I stayed for the night and what town I am buying supplies in.
We can all do this race together!

Check-in/OK message from tracytracker SPOT Messenger

tracytracker
Latitude:39.16026
Longitude:-84.41238
GPS location Date/Time:05/16/2012 21:46:09 EDT

Message:Checking in with my SPOT tracker. I am A-OK.

Click the link below to see where I am located.
http://fms.ws/7v_Us/39.16026N/84.41238W

If the above link does not work, try this link:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=39.16026,-84.41238&ll=39.16026,-84.41238&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

tracytracker

You have received this message because tracytracker has added you to their SPOT contact list.

Every day is an Adventure. Share Yours.
http://www.findmespot.com

MOOTS MILES

In a pizza parlor in January.

 It was suggested that I use this race as a platform to raise money for recreational and conservationist organizations.

And so...

In honor of MOOTS my bike sponsor and to repay organizations that provide opportunities for all of us to get out or get fit "MOOTS MILES" was born.

If you would like, you can go to http://www.riversunlimited.org/  or http://littlemiamistatepark.org/ and look for the "MOOTS MILES" "donate" button. Consider giving a small donation for each of the 2745 miles I will ride.

MOOTS is in the Mail!

The Moots bike that is.
 It is headed to BioWheels in Cincinnati where Mitch will build it and I will pick it up.
Wow it is finally here. This thing is happening....
MOOTS bikes are the best fitting, finest riding bikes you will ever own and they are built to last a lifetime.
Go to MOOTS.com and take a look at their website. It is quite an education.

Lessons in the Rain

Sunday's ride was more of a "shake out" then a shake down. Rain all day. It was a good day to test out the rain gear, the booties, combinations of clothing; my resolve...
 First. I left my favortie Moon Pies in the car. Then I found out those orange colored peanut butter crackers.... do not stand up well when being opened in the pouring rain or handled with wet gloves. Also, I can't see chit out of glasses polka dotted with rain and grit. In addition, a hood over my helmet is more of a parachute then anything else, a hood underneath my helmet is worse for other reasons. All of these were good lessons.
The best lesson however came at the end of the day.
The last mile or two was a long down hill and I let it fly...38mph on wet pavement is a thrill. When I slid to a stop at the car, I got off my bike and hooked my fingers underneath my seat to lift the rear of my bike over to the car .... as I did my rear tire.... fell off.  FELL off!
I am lucky. In the rain.

Three weeks.

I am three weeks away from leaving. As I say that my belly flips. I am excited to say the least. At this point I am trying to dot my I's and cross my T's. May 12th I am loading my bike with all my gear and will go to Shawnee state park to do some training with Sara and Aaron. It will be "shake down" number one.

Why ride the tour divide? An Interview with Tracy Burge