Surprise! It's the Tour Divide riders!

Rolling into Ovando in the late afternoon yesterday, I remembered that someone at the great breakfast place in East Helena told me two things about Ovando: something about Trixi's, where I could get a meal, and that the town park welcomed bikers to camp there. Well, that was an understatement.

One of the sleeping choices

My abode last night 

As soon as I parked my bike next to the chuck wagon, other bikers started to roll into the town green. Not just any bikers--these were people who had been riding hard. In all, 7 participants in this year's Tour Divide Race came into Ovando in the course of an hour or so. The race started on June 9th in Banff, Alberta, and it concludes in New Mexico, at the US-Mexico border.

HJ pulling in to Ovando 

None of these riders is in contention to win the Tour Divide. From Brooklyn, Minnesota, and many other places, they entered the race to challenge themselves, knowing full well that there is no guarantee that they will make it to Colorado, let alone the finish line. Each has a different approach to the issues of hydration, calories, bikes, gear, navigation, and the psychology of keeping going when there seems to be no way to keep going. As a group, and individually, they're pretty amazing. To check in on HJ, Jim, Trevor, Clyde, Patrick, and Dan, take a look at http://trackleaders.com/tourdivide17f.php.