Adrian Stingaciu

This is Adrian Stingaciu, making my last call in via e-mail, post race, the day after finishing. I'm writing this from Long Beach, CA. on July 8 at 3:55pm. I guess I just wanted to wrap this up and say a few things which managed to slip through the cracks of my mind. I'm not sure if I can say this in a coherent way, since I've had less sleep in the last few days than during most days in the race. But yeah, just wanted to thank all the race organizers for putting this whole thing together so others can race the route from beginning to end, and thank you for that wonderful shirt, you guys are so awesome and giving of yourselves. The ACA's Great Divide Mountain Bike Route is such a beautiful route, no words will ever capture the feelings, light, love and joy of riding the whole thing. There have been moments of despair and moments of pure absolute bliss. I have been asked if I would ever do this race again, and my immediate reaction has been "no way", I do not want to repeat such pain and suffering twice in my life. But the more I think about it, the more the race becomes a legend in my mind, a beautiful story in which I felt honored to be part of. There have been only a few moments in my life where I have felt so alive as I have on the Great Divide. Oh, so alive !!! The camaraderie on the route between riders as well as people and other sentient beings who crossed our paths has been awesome. I don't know if I can ever duplicate the feelings of love and happiness that I felt on the route. I came to the Tour Divide Race to test myself and to punish myself like I've never done before. I came to find where the possible meets the impossible but instead I have found where the Great Divide meets the Great Divine. It is exactly at the point where I most fail to look, right in front of my face, right between the eyes, dead center, right now.

Hi this is Adrian Stingaciu calling in from Sargents, CO on Monday, June 30th at 12:36 p.m. Yesterday, I has a phenomenal day. My best day ever. Started out near (not sure exactly). Woke up next to the bike path there in about 39 degree Fahrenheit. Rode through the morning through a couple of towns there. Climbed up to Boreas Pass with a guy I met on the road, Todd. We descended down to Como together and got something to eat there. After that I pushed on. Got caught in a very superb thunderstorm with lots of hail. As I was riding through the thunderstorm, I noticed something hanging off my hat. I thought my hat was falling apart cause everything has been falling apart at the seams, my shorts, my gloves and I thought my hat was falling apart too. As I looked cross-eyed, I noticed that there was a dragonfly hanging off my hat bill trying to get out of the rain. Really special day. Moments like that I am reminded that all life is just as important as my own. All life is precious. All life is sacred. I was able to get out of the storm when I jumped over a fence and went into private property and went into a barn. The dragonfly dried off its wings. I dried off my jacket. An hour later I was back on the road. Went to Salida. I descended into Salida at night just in time to order some spaghetti with marina before the kitchen closed. Unfortunately, they made it with cheese and I refused to eat it. Even I have principles. I ended up just getting 3 loaves of bread from Safeway. Ate a loaf and half last night for dinner and another loaf and half this morning for breakfast. Push on now, looks like thunderstorms are building up again, but I don’t think they’ll get me today. Good luck to everybody else. Lots of love and hugs for everyone back home. (recorder time: 2008-06-30 13:38:34 EST)

Hi this is Adrian Stingaciu. I'm calling in from Silverthorne, CO. Its 8:34pm on Saturday, June 28. I just got into town. It has been a fun ride today. I wanted to say thanks to the nice folks at the Williams Forks Reservoir campground. Stopped there for water, but unfortunately it seems like all of the developed campgrounds in CO don’t have water. The nice folks camping there fixed me up. I stopped for 2 litters of water and they have me 5 litters and a bunch of food. So I’m good to go. Also, thanks to the folks at campground near the CO River, same thing, I stopped for water and they had me over for lunch. Also thanks to Matthew Lee for leaving the two bagels with pb in Atlantic City. He must have known I was running low on food. Also to Matthew Lee, Bear from NC says hi. I ran into him a while back. Also the 3 guys from the lst day at the cabin says hi as well. Pretty tired today. See how much further I can go on, if not maybe I’ll stay in town here. Got to get more food in me. Gotta go. (recorder time: 2008-06-28 21:36:03 EST)

Hi this is Adrian Stingaciu calling in from Steamboat Springs. Friday, June 27th 6:43pm. I just borrowing someone's cell phone to call in. The payphone in town was broke. I crossed over the CO border this morning around 9:30. I had a nice slog up the Pass over there. Still some snow up there. Whatever that -- Watershed Divide. Looks like I am going to miss my food drop tomorrow in Silverthorne. Still about another 140 miles from here. So I don't think I can make it by 1pm tomorrow. Looks like I'm going to live off some gas station food and restaurant food instead. Otherwise, doing good. I'm going to press on and not wait for food drop. Otherwise, I'd wait a day, day and half. Doing good. Good luck to everybody else. Cheers. (recorder time: 2008-06-27 19:43:44 ES)

Hi this is Adrian Stingaciu calling in from Rawlins, WY on Thursday, June 26th at 1:33 pm. I just stopped in at Murray's Bike Shop to get a rear deraulier adjustment and probably change the chain as well. Doing pretty good. Starting to get a little head wind out there so see how much more distance I can put in today. Yesterday, was a really nice Epic day riding through the Great Divide Basin. In a moment of clarity while riding on the crest of the Continental Divide I finally figured out what is wrong with me. What is really wrong with me ironically is the very thing that is really right with me. I think I have the Dreamer's Disease. Before they find a cure for this I hope to infect as many people as possible with it. (recorder time: 2008-06-26 14:34:09 EST)

Hi this Adrian Stingaciu calling in from Pinedale, WY on Tuesday, June 24th at 3:42pm I just picked up my package from the Post Office so I'm good to go with the raw food for a few days. Yesterday, coming over Togwotee Pass, everybody said yeah, it is clear of snow and then as soon as I get up there, there is snow everywhere on either side. Then I look at the map and oh no, we have to take a dirt road for about 10 miles. I fearing the worst of going for 10 miles in the snow around sunset. Luckily, it was only about 5 miles. But still…seems like...Does anyone else see a pattern here? Every other Pass seems like it is snowed in. Union Pass no snow, except on the south side a few patches of snow about a couple hundred feet or so. Anyway, I'm doing alright. Going to push on today and see how far I can get. Lots of love and hugs to everyone back home. Bye. (recorder time: 2008-06-24 16:43:53 EST. )

Hi this is Adrian calling in from the Grand Teton National Park, Buffalo something Ranger Station just before Moran Junction on Monday, June 23rd at 12:11p.m.. Just got out of Moose where Fred at the bike shop there was able to patch my bike up and give me a new granny gear, couple of new bolts that were stripped out and a bunch of lock tight. Hopefully that will hold it until the next big bike shop, about 500 miles from here, Steamboat Springs, I believe.. Starting to rain now, gotta go.. (recorder time: 2008-06-23 13:11:21 EST.)

Hi this is Adrian Stingaciu calling in from Coulter Bay Village in Grand Teton National Park, Sunday, June 22nd 8:02 p.m. I discovered the problem with my bike. I don't think it is the bottom bracket that is grinding. I actually lost a couple of bolts from my granny gear. So now my granny gear is wobbling. Everything else is lined up pretty good. Middle gear and top gear are working smoothly. But I can't use the granny gear. So I've got 2 big climbs to get up to my next food drop. Which is the other issue I have. I pretty much out of food so I went to two grocery stores in town and healthiest thing I could get was bananas. So I bought like10 lbs of bananas. I ate 7 bananas in 10 minutes. Bubt bananas is not going to be enough to get me to Pinedale, WY where is my next food drop. I’m going get off the raw food thing for a while just to survive out here. Going to hit a bike shop in the morning to get a couple of bolts and look the bike over. Have to detour south about 20 miles to Moose, WY, but should be back in the race by tomorrow afternoon. That is all from here. Bye.

(recorder time: 2008-06-22 21:03:04 EST.)

Hi this is Super Vegan calling in from ..... Where the heck am I? I'll call back.

(recorder time: 2008-06-22 16:47:21 EST.)

Hi this is Super Vegan calling in from Flagg Ranch, WY. Its Sunday, June 22nd 3:49pm. Yesterday, I crossed over into ID at 5pm. Had a little bit of a head wind in the morning and a little bit in the afternoon. At about 7pm, I decided to go ahead and do the length of the old rail bed trail which was very dusty and slow going. About half-way through it I was experiencing some stiffness with the crank. I guess the crank is not sealed as they say it is. Anyway, I guess going through creeks and washing the bike and going through a lot of dusty trails almost seized the crank. I put a bunch of oil in there and its seems to be working smooth now. But a couple of times on that trail, my crank kind of seized in. Felt like some sand or something was in there, in the bottom bracket. Anyway, crossed over into WY this morning and was greeted by rain, snow, mud and lots of bumpy, raggedy asX roads. Quite a welcome. Anyway, I'm going to head and see how far I get today. I wish everyone lots of luck. Love, Bye.

(recorder time: 2008-06-22 16:50:48 EST.)

Hi this is Andrian Super Vegan calling in from Lima, MT on Friday, June 20th at 10:20 pm. Just got into town. Long day. Last couple of days have been quite adventurous. Yesterday, descending into Basin I was sweatin bullets over the directions up there. There seem to be an extra direction which threw me off, but luckily I didn't get lost. Seemed like half the tire tracks when left and half the tire tracks when right. Then today again I sweatin bullets over the directions, but seem to taken the right route so I didn't get lost. Saw a bear today. Read more »