Some Useful Links, a budget, & a Schedule

So, in the interests of seeing 100% of starters actually finish, here's some info you might find handy.

The Great Divide race
David Blaines GDR blog
http://www.ultracycling.com/
The Tour Divide site
Bike Packing
Rough Stuff Fellowship

Warning! There's some really interesting reading in those links - take care not to let it get in the way of your riding!

If you are thinking about a budget for the Brevet, you first need to work out what gear you will take. After looking at the links above, Googling 'great divide gear list' will give you more to think about. Or you can look for the gear list on my Great Divide Kiwi blog. I'll probably carry a very similar load of gear (minus the overmitts, booties, anti-biotics, sun umbrella, and shower caps).

Once you have your gear sorted, what will the event cost you to complete? Here's my estimate:

Travel to the start/finish - $100
Accomodation (six nights in a backpackers) - $180
Extra Food than normal - $200 (plus normal expenditure)
Bike repairs/replacements (tyres, chain, brake pads, etc) - $350
SPOT nav-tracker hire - $65
Koha - $50
Misc (anit-flammes, sunblock, batteries, etc) - $100

Total - roughly $1045

Next up I was having a think about an 8-Day Finishers schedule - what're the minimum distances to aim for each day? Something like this perhaps:

Sat (noon start) - Blenheim to Havelock - 90 km
Sun - On to St Arnaud - 144 km
Mon - On to Springs Junction - 140 km
Tues - On to Jacksons - 180 km
Wed - On to Wharfedale/Townsend Hut - 156 km
Thurs - Thru to Hanmer - 150 km
Fri - Rest area at Hodder River - 135 km
Sat - Finish in Blenheim - 70 km

Since the eight day time limit actually kicks in at noon on the Sunday, this leaves a half day spare incase of delays required for bike repairs or bad weather. It's interesting to see that you could stay under a roof at the end of every day except for the night by the Hodder River.

The distances are estimates based on Google Maps and Classic NZ MTB Rides. They might be a tad on the short side for some legs. They come to a grand total of 1065 km.