CannondaleSobe pro Matthew Lee leaves Helena headed for Butte while he maintains a forty mile lead on the chase group of Kurt Refsnider, Joe Meiser and single speeder Chris Plesko as Tour Divide racers roll into Day 5. The field of 42 riders is beginning its process of natural selection as riders begin to fall off the back and their SPOT replica Rolex Datejusts watch trackers show them finding towns with transportation back to civilization. Most riders have reported bear sightings. tourdivideMy friend Steve McGuire phoned me late last night from behind a taco pizza in Big Fork, Montana.
He said Canada was brutal and the night before he and Jeff Kerby got soaked in border thunderstorms. Jeff scouted a laundromat while Steve tried to race nightfall over Red Meadow Pass on the Whitefish Divide. Didnt make it and the cold was near hypothermic, so what does a cunning Divide racer do? He takes shelter in a warm replica Breitling watch outhouse. The in the tank below was surprisingly warm, he told me. Note that one, Survivorman.The tandem team of Jay and Tracey Petervary arent far behind after playing leapfrog with the chasers.The Petervarys report stoked stoking and the Love Shack has not yet turned into the Divorce Horse.
Tracey gives us a description:Coming downhill on loose, gravelly rocks and wet, mud-slicked roads at forty miles an hour out the back of a tandem can be a little scary. Remember, theyve only had the bike for a month and are still working on rhythm and pacing. Matthew Lee should not be surprised to hear the buzz of a very long replica Chopard watches chain as the race hits some of the long flat valleys of southern Montana. Jon BillmanThe National Park Service is waiving entrance fees for three weekends this summer at more than 100 parks. The dates are: June 20-21, July 18-19, and August 15-16, 2009.
