Originally Posted by
WalksOn2Wheels
People ruin everything. Same thing happened/is happening with the Tour Divide. It's supposed to be fully self supported, but all of a sudden in the last few years, everybody wants to help riders out, so they end up offering stuff the riders aren't really supposed to take advantage of.
For the most part, the serious front runners don't get mixed up in it, but it creates this massive, massive gray area in their wake.
to be fair, the "tour divide" has a looser set of rules, and unplanned help like that is fine; "trail magic". you still cant have visitors of friends and family or help another racer. there are multiple stops along the route known for their hospitality specifically for divide racers
the "great divide race" is only the US section, and is shrouded in more mystery and is very strict in the rules. absolutely no help is allowed from anyone outside of buying things from stores along the way. there is no spot tracking page for the fans
i am worried though with the quickly growing popularity of bikepacking in general. a lot of "fixiebro" types going out into the woods with no prior experience or respect for nature and are just doing it because its "in". multiple portions in oregon are now closed
completely to bikes and camping because people simply dont know how to take a **** in the woods without making a mess. if that trend continues the best type of cycling (IMHO) is in grave danger.