dream sponsors...

you know, its amazing to see that people and companies are willing to help me fulfill my long time dream, knowing it will benefit them as well...

after months of preparations, things have started to align and fall into place. i'm not talking about the training, which is going rather well, thank you... i'm talking about the sponsors for this amazing journey.
ofcourse, my CTC/TREK ISRAEL sponsors have been there for me for a long time, and they provide the bike, components, shoes and much, much more...
the guys at RUDY PROJECT are helping me, as always, with new shades and helmet, but also financially, which is awesome. thanx Or and Roni.

                        this is my next month test for the magazine...

new sponsors for my Tour Divide quest are here, too, big time...
JOE NO FLATS are providing me with their latest and greatest sealant and lubrication (god knows i'll need a lot of that- no pun intended, huh!), and help me greatly, financially wise, too.
the guys at COLUMBIA (the best camping gear ever) are helping me with an amazing sleeping bag (480 grams !!!), bivy (the cover for the sleeping bag, as i'm not taking a tent), and their best thermal shirts.

          and anothe bike for next month's issue... i smell a shootout!!!
                                                          

my navigation system will be a TwoNav Aventura, by CompeGPS, which is probably the best navigation system for the real outdoor epic aficionados, given to me by the Israeli importer,Guy, and i thank him for that.
other sponsors include FUNKIER clothing, with their bibs, jerseys and vests and RIDEFOX Israel, with their WTB NANO 29ER tires and (maybe) WTB seat.
still working on a few details for sponsoring, but thats about it.
life is good.

Oh man...

This tour divide journey is so much more than training hard and riding your bike in the Rockies... The planning has begun long ago, and the preparation has been ramping up considerably in the past month or so. The bags have been ordered, the right camping gear has been found (hopefully), the TwoNav GPS is on the way. I ordered the the maps (all 6 of them) and the cue sheets (the route narratives). I'm getting the frame this week, and will build the bike next week. Still working on the plane tickets and booking a room in Banff for the 4 nights prior to the Grand Depart. So much things are running in my head, but at the end it will all come down to a single pedal stroke, heading south, towards the biggest adventure of my life. Easy. Justsome random thoughts, no picture. Deal with it.

my mind is about to explode...

 i've been searching the web for more details about the tour divide, and the more i see, the more complicated of a task it seems to be. to me it seems that the riding itself is the easiest part of this great adventure. you see, i will not lie to you- i'm not much of an explorer, nor am i an outdoorsy kind of guy. i ride fast, i ride long and  i get better as the conditions get rougher. but i have never been that much of a happy camper (and i mean in the most simple of ways...)

 the tour divide is an epic adventure in that it takes to the limit in so many ways- it tests your soul, body and spirit, and most of all, it tests your will power (no- not wheel power, although it does that, too). the closer it gets, the bigger the challenge looks. i've been writing notes, building the bike, picking the parts and watching youtube videos of the riders and their gear for the tour. crazy stuff...

meanwhile, i ordered the bike bags i'm going to use. i've gone all the way, and bought some custom made bags, fabricated by a guy from Canada named Scott, who makes special bags for special bikes and events. you should check his creations: www.theporcelainrocket.com. its awesome.
anyway, i went for the aluminium frame for the race, with a 9 speed drivetrain (i think it'll be more durable), consisted of an XTR 970 cassete, cranks and front der .the shifting will be done via an XO gripshift and rear der. the brakes are the new 988 XTR trail disc system. still thinking about the fork and wheels...
happy trails...