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So do people carry a tent or do you just bivy overnight for two or three nights? where does everyone sleep?

Quite a lot of prep work has already taken place for this year's EB. Trail Angels have been recruited, the turns on the Green Belt have been marked, an additional water stop has been added, and the route is being checked to make sure nothing has changed since last year. Stickers and decent first place finisher awards have been made, tee shirt ordering is being worked on. Once everything is as final as it can be, and the weather has cooled off some, one or two pre-rides will be announced. Hey, you can go ride any of it at any time, though!

I am afraid I am about 24 months to late "to build real fitness". But better late than not at all.

Your weekly rides look fine. I would start doing longer and longer distance to get used to the time / miles in the saddle. That Saturday ride needs to become 5 hours. Then 6 hours. etc. Nutrition is a personal thing. Go with what works for you. Your training is where you figure out what works for you. For me, I need real food. Gu / Cliff Bars / whatever are fine for a shorter ride. But I can't eat more than about one Cliff Bar a day or I will get sick. Probably could do two or three Gu's before I got sick. Similar with electrolyte / carb drinks. I carry Skratch / Portable Rice Cakes (see the Skratch Portable Cookbook) and stop for a Subway sandwich and chocolate milk about lunch time. I have to rest for 15 - 20 minutes after eating the Subway. I don't want to eat anything that is real spicy or loaded with grease, but otherwise most any real food works for me.

Then I'd wager there is a 99.9% chance that you'll finish! Over the years, this type of attitude is the #1 determiner if someone can complete the EB. Its not how fit you are, or how technical you can ride, or whatever....it's an unrelenting motivation to NO QUIT. Those other things, they determine how you will feel in the days following the EB. The first year of the EB we had 2 guys who were work friends who had picked up riding MTB together. I think by the time the EB came along they had only been riding lipless pedals for a few months. We had another guy who was riding long(er) travel trail bike before that was 'en vogue'. After finishing, he said the longest ride he'd ever done was only 25 miles. He completed the EB on a 5"+ travel bike with chunky rubber (this was back in 08'). I could keep going, but you get the idea... -CJB

Don't feel like you don't have to do it all if you don't feel like you can't do the whole thing. The whole spirit of this ride is you "eat" as much as you can. I highly recommend doing the morning neutral ride to the BCGB, doing some of the BCGB then heading back if you want.

There will be rider numbers this year, largely to assist the Thumper Trail Angels in counting riders in and out - most people exiting Thumper can't remember their own name, or manage to give a different name than the one they gave going in. While it's true that not everyone manages the full route - although most do - anyone vying for a Top Twenty position has to show the correct mileage on their GPS when they cross the finish line, and any subsequent protests are taken seriously (and conducted in private). A couple of positions were changed last year alone, based on protests and Strava tracks. If everyone uses a GPS and posts the track, it should be obvious if anyone missed a portion of the route.

Having never even done it once, but having had it on my bucket list for 4 years now I would like it to not get harder yet lol.

I'd be down for a harder version, although I'd like to minimize road if that's possible. I'm all for hurting myself on a trail, but getting drug to my death under some milf's SUV b/c she was sending emojis to the dude she's dinking at work isn't high on my list of things I wanna do on a bike (or on a milf)

This has been an informal group ride generally starting from the YMCA or the 183A overpass at 7:30AM. We mix up the routes using combinations of Snail, Rim, Picnic, Deception, and Peddlers. Definitely not a beginner friendly ride, but comfortable pace with a few stops over a couple of hours. Message me if you're interested in more details.

This year marks the 10 yr anniversary of the EB. I was digging through the original EB thread (and a few that lead up to it) recently. I was impressed and inspired by how people jumped at the chance to challenge themselves. At the time it seemed nearly herculean! But here we are 10 yrs later and its very common knowledge that the EB is COMPLETELY doable by most mortals. So now I have to ask..."Does the 10th anniversary warrant a step up in challenge?" When I direct that question to my self, I have to say that they answer may just be..."YES". Gimme your thoughts? Thanks CJB

PARD has been notified. Please pick up and trash all the nails, screws, glass, etc. you see. You are helping your follow riders.

The Violet Crown Trail web site has maps of their plans. Go to https://violetcrowntrail.com/explore/

Please don't get me wrong. I think it is very wise and prudent to prepare and train properly. The better prepared you are the better of a day you will have. Its part of why I try to lead a handful of Thumper EB pre-rides leading up to the event. I REALLY want people to be more familiar with that trail and what they are getting in to. But what I also want to convey is that this IS NOT an event for the 'hardcore' riders only. I think riders who look towards the EB end up feeling its just sooooo big and soooooo out of reach. Its not and thats the example I want to show them. All that being said, we are now about 2 months away from the event date. If you are wanting to build real fitness beforehand, you cannot wait any longer. Its time to get training, NOW. -CJB

I use an injector tube with Stans if I'm just trying to add some sealant. It comes with a big syringe. I screw the injector into my valve, poor Stans into the syringe (and it has measurements along the side), insert the plunger and plunge away. Works pretty well and is usually less of a mess than opening up the tire! https://www.amazon.com/Stans-No-Tubes-2-Ounce-Sealant-Injector/dp/B001GSKL4A

BikeRadar did a really nice job with their recent comparison. Stan's came out on top, which is what I've been using. Tried the orange seal too for a while, and it seems to work fine as well. The Stans seems to last longer. You can get an injector tube for the Stan's, but I just use my empty Orange Seal container with valve tube, and top it off from my big Stan's container. I've heard rumors that you shouldn't mix the two, but I have and haven't had any bad experience as a result.

that site id dead to me! if you click that link, the terrorists win.

My last ride out there a month ago, this one I started at 6pm. Rode everything but Deception. I'm not a big fan of Deception in this summer heat. Still did 25 miles. 😄 https://www.strava.com/activities/1712270749

That was fun this AM thanks gents As of now my Fri mornings look like I can more regularly do this. I feel awesome! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Here's my Strava from this morning (including to and from my house). We rode part of Picnic, then 1/4 Notch W-E, then Peddlers. Those guys split and then I rode Rim and Snail to finish things off. Definitely a casual pace but we'll likely pick it up once the weather cools. https://www.strava.com/activities/1794321994

I'll need to join that Friday morning ride one of these weeks to see if I can keep up.

It was great getting the Fri morning ride back on track today. Still missing #Morris, but #Cafeend joined me and #Chief this morning. Those guys both have to go to work though, while I get to fix omelets for me and my wife and then take a nap. I'm going to post this up in the Ride Calls section as a regular Fri morning thing in case others are interested.

You get what you pay for, at the EB!

Is the enchilada fake or actual food? That does not look edible if food.

^^^what she said.

If you move your mouse over the Like (thumbs up) button, a small popup should appear giving you four additional choices. Right now those are "Thanks", "Haha", "Confused", and "Sad". Once a post has some sort of "Like" applied to it, you can then click the icons to the left of the thumb to see who reacted in what way. ..Al

I'm on a forum that has multiple "like" buttons. Like, Love, Agree, Wow!, Funny, and Informative The little bar below the person's post will list it that way, "2 likes, 4 agrees, 1 funny" etc. It is helpful because it more accurately reflexes how you feel about a post. I frequently don't want to just "Like" something here, because I don't "like" what the post is telling us, that a certain area is being shut down by the BCP for example, but I want to acknowledge the poster for posting that information. Maybe we could have a "That's dumb" button in addition!

I came through that section in the other direction yesterday and didn't notice anything especially low. Then again it was hot and I might have been hunched over my handlebars begging for air.

I did a day in Sedona but it was with the family and we spent the whole day gift shopping. I was even planning to drive in to town down Schnebly Hill Rd, but that got nixed. No Sedona dirt for me this time. I’ll be back. We have friends with an awesome Airbnb in Flag so this was just the first journey out there. I’m headed to Bentonville next weekend, so maybe I’ll see if I can post a more concise edit when I return. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Maybe it's time I put together another Mojo AZ trip, "north edition" ...

I just think everything is growing and needs a little trimming! I took my helmet off my head pre hopping into the ditch by the regional trail the other day! I’ve done that hundreds of times and never had a problem.

every year I say I am going to drag my ass out for this, and every year I don't convince me to go do it!

Even one lap of LGT in the summer can be taxing because of the heat but it's doable as is 2 laps. Either your fitness is there or it isn't, but one thing you can control immediately is your hydration and nutrition for your ride. TAKE MORE WATER THAN YOU THINK YOU NEED! I rode a conservative 3:30:00 lap last week to get a feel for that pace and went through almost 90 oz before Tejas where I refilled. I would recommend taking a 100 oz camelbak with an additional 20-24 oz frozen water bottle in it as a bail-out. Still plan on refilling at Tejas at least to the point you have 50-60 oz total in case something goes amiss before you get back to Russell. It's better to finish with some extra water than ride the last several miles dehydrating yourself - your body will recover much faster after the ride. Don't forget food: you need to be taking in 300 calories an hour or there-abouts. Also - electrolytes. I use Hammer Nutrition Endurolyte Extremes, but whatever works for you, make sure you bring enough for four hours. In the summer heat, when there is no cloud cover, there are several spots along the Dragon where it feels like you are riding through a hair-dryer. Enjoy! Median temps historically for mid November are pretty mild so the event itself will likely just require dealing with the mileage/time and possessing mental/physical/emotional fortitude to complete without the added burden of too hot or too cold.

I don't mind City Park Road too much, usually there's enough visibility, and there are only a few sketchy turns. The one road I really do not like at all is Spicewood Springs. Lots of traffic, many people haul ass on it, lots of turns, and pretty much no or little shoulder for most of it.

Here are the details of the pre-ride. I've been meaning to bring some of this over here, but I've just been too busy and lazy. http://www.bikemojo.com/speak/14-austin-voodoo/177227-monday-sept-3rd-lgt-unofficial-dragonslayer-pre-ride-call.html To directly answer your question, no we will not try to stay together. However, last year we had about 12 people and a good few ended up riding together. My group settle into a group of 4 riders (for 2 laps). I don't really know what to say about the heat. My initial reaction is to tell everyone that this is Texas, its been 90-100 for months so HTFU. But then again, I don't want to brow-beat anyone into doing something that is overly dangerous for themselves. So in the end, I'll say this....if you're planning to come and do 2 laps at the pre-ride, then I trust that you are not a rookie rider. This should mean that you should know yourself, your limitations and how to prepare. Eat, dress, ride accordingly. I myself, do fine in the heat, especially if I keep moving. You can always just do one lap, and that could very well be completed before noon. -CJB

I was actually pretty impressed with this. The editing is on par if not better than a lot of the big names out there. I liked watching this more than endless singletrack edits that are thrown out there for mass consumption.

Meh...bring back The Matrix Thread!

Trail conditions = dry and naily

Also, Walnut Creek has changed a bit since we used to ride it in the early 2000s. Credit to Pedal Masher. D