I'm here so I guess I have to do this

Made it to Banff yesterday just fine. Meeting racers at every turn. Some truly dedicated riders turning out for this but the atmosphere is exactly as I'd hoped- helpful, optimistic and mutually supportive.  Wish that was true in more places these days. 

With an event like TD, the pecking order sorts itself quickly. Those willing to endure the most will survive, and those able to make the most of their situation  will come out ahead. 

My race strategy is coming together as a balance between pace and risk. Hotel stops give better rest but slow the pace with comfort and gravitational pull. 

A racer today said it best - towns are for eating. You ride until you're done for that day then sleep wherever that is. 

I will adopt that strategy with a couple tweaks. I want to race as fast as I can with reasonable risk and that means I have to step outside my comfort zone. 

We had a grizzly in the hotel grounds this morning. Up here, it's a celebrity moment. Back home- different story. 

Funny how your experience shapes your perspective. 

Lots more to tell. Rode about 35 miles on the course today with Evan Deutsch, an MD from Portland. Instant friends. I talked him into a Garmin GPS instead of just paper maps and we stood in a store transferring files from my unit into his.  That alone will save him at least an hour a day plus whatever he'd lose being off-course without it. 

Got my overnight box from Navenka today. Another story. Quite the drama our last 24 hours before I left. She is a keeper let me tell you. 

A couple pics from the ride today.