Thanks for sharing your experience. You did great! You'll always remember that trip. I'm on vacation by the pool for multiple days I watched all the videos wishing I could have been along with you..doing some amazing stuff!
Like so many others, I spent the evening watching this whole series. I believe I made many more comments and crys of agony when things went wrong than you did. You are a beast my friend. Great videos and your narration leaves us on the edge of our seats till the next entry. Thank you so much for sharing!
Thank you.. it is an incredible adventure/experience that sticks with you, and i am sure i will never forget.. I am glad i could relay some level of this over to you..
Respect. Despite your exhaustion, I believe you took the right, if understandably disappointing, decision. You overcame many setbacks, self doubt, and all that goes with soloing anything. Your achievement stands. Thank you for sharing this.
Wow, Awesome vids, watched all 3 episodes. I camped in my RV Toy Hauler near the Smokey Bar Store for 5 days. Rode many of the trails in that area each day, out and back to my RV. Been following the TOI for several years, have ridden several of the sections but am quite sure, at 75 yrs old now, that the TOI is a No Go. Kudos to you for your effort !!!
Good on ya bud!! Amazing effort you put in solo!! What a fantastic experience!! Lack of sleep can really be dangerous in those situations.. Thanks for sharing.. Excellent quality video.. Great editing and fantastic music..
This looks like a ride I would like to try but not as a timed event. At this point in my life I like to slow down and smell the roses. Congratulations on following your dreams. They don't always pan out exactly as planned but still worth the effort.
Kudos to you. What a great adventure! A word of advice from an old man. Come back and finish the adventure someday before you can't anymore. I wish I had taken the time to do this trail when I was younger. And I LIVE in Idaho! Now I still have great adventures on my adventure bike, but I sure miss the single track stuff. I'm just too old and fat to do much of it anymore. I do have a question for you. What camera setup are you using? The video quality was outstanding. I could never get that kind of quality out of my Go Pro cameras. Great videos my friend!
Brian, the steep section where you last flipped your bike before calling it quits caused my buddy Uli and I similar challenges. We completed the TOI the last 2 weeks of August this year along with 2 other buddies. Uli and I both nearly flipped our bikes in the same spot due to the steepness, boulder covered and washed out terrain. We had Tugger straps on the front end to hold the bikes down. Kudos to you for hitting it solo. That spot was probably the worst on the whole TOI with a few others being close but not as difficult.
Thank you.. Its a tremendous adventure. Did you run a T1 or T2 ? Congrats to you and your guys on your achievement. Paradise creek was actually easier, this year (2023) than it was in the video (2022). it looked like they had done some trail work and filled in the crevice. still pretty knarly. I hope to have the 2023 run up this winter which includes a lot of unseen mayhem i wasn't able to share in 2022
We ran T1. The hurricane(Hilary) that hit southern California that also brought torrential rain as far north as Idaho caught us on Day 3 leaving Arco and stayed with us the next several days. That steep section was totally washed out and I had first tracks on the hill above it at the first canyon(Skillern Peak) which had a huge mud slide down it all the way into Paradise Creek. We picked our way thru that slide with its downed trees, boulders, heavy mud, etc.. Damn fine memories............
Wonderful adventure, fantastic - video, narration, planning, riding … As you rode up narrow ridge toward Dollarhide Summit and then single track/side slope with very steep drop off, I became keenly aware of the stress of such riding. A slight mistake and you’re done. Knowing when to stop is a good thing. Thank you again for sharing your journey!
You get it.. it wears you down. its a fine line between fast enough to balance correct, but slow enough to not launch if something goes wrong. huge respect to the guys that ride this stuff all the time.
I have the same GL bags and Mosko tank bag on my KTM 690 Enduro R. I’m a Husky / KTM guy. And you’re right - never put your phone somewhere you can’t get to if you run your bike off a cliff! 🙀🙀
I don’t blame you for turning around. You shouldn’t push yourself too hard. Hitting the trail at 4:40 a.m. when you could be sleeping doesn’t make sense.
My 350 hates to be washed. I let it sit for about an hour every time before starting it again. Don't neglect your body either on a trip like this! Could make the difference between cruising it and failing (and even injuring yourself).
I've been there and I feel your pain. The TOI is difficult on so many levels. Paradise is also a tricky trail. The locals have a name for that section that got you. I thinks it's hamburger hill. Thanks for sharing.
it was a mess.. Someone did some trail work after, and in August 2023 it was a breeze. I didn't realize i was there until i was half way through, didnt even get it on camera... Thank you trail crew !!!
No good deed (pressure washing the bike) goes unpunished eh? I know that EXACT spot on Paradise very well - and not in a good way. That is one steep, loose, rocky, slippery bugger. Well done on the valiant attempt.
Fantastic documentary. Good call. Return safe and try again. Stronger, better. I soloed the TAT. Sleep was my highest priority for sure. Waiting to see your next attempt. Good luck.
Maybe next time, plan a month to ride the TOI route without the pressure of following all the ryles and finishing in the prescribed time. TOI is more difficult and requires more skill and endurance than a Baja 1000 solo.
Thank you.. So you're saying that needs to be next on my list..?? :-) The trip is absolutely worth doing as a scenic ride.. that's the downside of the TOI (as it use to be), you don't have that time to look around. I am sure it is a different experience when you are not under the challenge rules.
This was an awesome series. I binge watched it all! So sorry about the bike problems starting in Ketchem. With the benefit of hindsight, I'd love to hear what you might do differently next time. The tank bag robbing your ability to get your weight forward was noted earlier, but what else? I'd love for you to do one more 15 minute video reflecting the highs and the lows, what you did right, and where you could improve. This was an awesome effort. It would take me 3x the time to get as far as you. I know the Tour is both a distance AND TIME challenge, but perhaps the next trip shouldn't be on a schedule? There was some amazing riding on those routes. Sucks to be tired and riding in the dark missing out. Heck, I'd love to just spend a day or two in major towns and explore at my leisure.
Awesome.. :-) yes, there is a list of things i will do, or attempt to do differently. The tour website has a section for this, i may just write a "lessons learned" report and post it there. The event I am running is called the T1 version. This will cease to exist after the 2023 season. There is also a version called the T2, which is just as you described.. The T1 but at your on pace and leisure. many teams, after not completing day 1, continue on and run a T2. Idaho is an amazing place, and if you have the time and equipment, it is highly recommended.
Nice series. I’ve only done a couple of the GRIT rides solo and went off trail once down some side hill. Took hours with an 5:1 pulley to get back up. As you say, it can be terrifying. Did you ever use your pulley setup? Bummer about the mechanical and sleep issues. Have you ever considered taking melatonin or Unisom? A tablet of that stuff will knock me out in about 15 minutes, regardless of butterflies. Last question - other than the tank bag, anything else you’d ditch if you did it again?
Hey Chris, thank you.. I did use melatonin and Advil PM. it wasn't powerful enough. Ill have something more potent this summer. thankfully I did not use the recovery kit. though i did go off the trail getting the bike out on day 6, when it flamed out at the wrong moment, confirming my fears. took 20 min or so for a minor off on a steep gully. There are a lot of small changes ill make to my kit. mostly concerning weight. All little things you dont know if you need or not until you are out there doing it.
I was wondering how good g.p.s mount was then u rolled bike works good lol and fan that clutch up them bad spots but i know u were tired lucky nothin broke or got hurt
Correct, with the long miles, days.. you get fried, and your response time and cognitive ability really fades. I did get luck, and good safety gear played its part.
Now I am VERY curious about the route on the second half of day three and most of day four if you rode over 300 miles and ended up in Mackay (you pronounced it correctly) It is just under 30 miles between the two towns on the highway... If you had politely explained your situation to the folks at the lodge, they probably would have cooked you a steak.
it is one big long loop winding through the ranges east of Mackay/Arco. These will be covered in detail on the 2023 videos. I did explain to the young girl checking me into the lodge, Explained that i just rode a dirtbike 500 miles and had not eaten a good meal in 2 days, and she knew i was staying at the inn that is part of the business. i said i would eat it in my room. even though the dining room still was full of people, she did not care and told me to go elsewhere. I had no energy to argue or ask for the manager at that point. worst service I found the whole trip. (owner of the business is wonderful, this was just a horrible employee)
Garmin Montana 700. The base model. I'm very happy with them. Huge upgrade from th 6xx series. Only complaint is, if you try and use the feature to synchronize the GPS tracks and waypoints with earthmate on your cell phone. And you have a large set of waypoints, such as TOI, it will crash the GPS. The constant sync overloads the system.
Well Brian, sorry it ended early but the story you told was epic. My first Tour was in 2013 and it had a much different vibe and the routes have changed drastically as well. I know Martin had his reasons and I get it. In the end it's up to the rider to decide what the meaning is. I have millions of questions but here are two... Did you ever unholster the saw? I cut like 8 cords of wood with a damn handsaw on those trails. Lol Do they still have the "Motorcycle Parking " sign out in BFE in the video that you couldn't show the location? That area was some dope riding! I'm not quite sure how you managed to be upside down three times but nonetheless, you sacked up and handled like a man. All around impressive Brother.
Thank you very much, glad you enjoyed it, i was hoping to capture the solo aspect of the challenge, the event is a lot different solo vs with others, and that's hard to capture. i have a lot of ideas for then next go around.. :-) I never touched the saw.. but that was by design. I started later in the schedule, for one, most of the saw work would be done, and two i could learn more about the route ahead by watching the teams in front of me. most of the sawing i believe takes place on the 2nd half of the tour anyhow, so i didn't really get into the areas where there are a lot of downed trees. the route has changed a lot since 2013, I want to say it was something like 7 days and 1400 miles max back then ?? the two new days 3 & 4 are a beat down, we will see how changes for 23 year play out.
Ha! Stupid saw. Lol Great plan letting the other dudes cut it up. You are correct, I think I had 1465 miles in 2013. I ran in in 97 hours officially. In 2014 I started in North Carolina and rode the TAT across to the Conti Divide then up and over to the T1. Did the 7 days then continued to WABDAR, OBDAR, Conti to Mexico, and back to California on Camino De Diablo. 10, 860 miles in 46 days. Those trails with camping crap bolted everywhere was a gem!! Thanks for responding man, I love this stuff!!!
Crap in the fuel injector. While at the shop in Ketchum, we pulled the injector and the shop tech cleaned it using a Motion Pro cleaning tool. I can only assume gunk somehow got introduced into the system at that point. I thought of it that morning, but said to my self " we just cleaned it". once back home I used a trailside cleaning method and it was fixed. It was frustrating, that I purposely setup the fuel system so I could do that clean on the trail. Yet, in the state I was in, at that moment, I wasn't able to think that through clearly.
@@briangoss glad it was a simple fix even it if stopped you. looks like you learned a great deal from your first time out. i really enjoyed your videos thanks for making them.
![ลองสุ่มไอโฟน 990 โกงมั้ย? [ โกงมั้ยครับ ep.101 ] | DOM](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/bfsWe0j492k/mqdefault.jpg)
Loving this! Outstanding editing and music choice! Narration on point!
Thanks for sharing your experience. You did great! You'll always remember that trip. I'm on vacation by the pool for multiple days I watched all the videos wishing I could have been along with you..doing some amazing stuff!
Love the Uncle Lucious song! You have good taste in music too. 🎸🎸
Good soundtrack all over. The Dead South too. 👍🏻👍🏻
Incredible ride and achievement. Thanks for sharing!
Like so many others, I spent the evening watching this whole series. I believe I made many more comments and crys of agony when things went wrong than you did. You are a beast my friend. Great videos and your narration leaves us on the edge of our seats till the next entry. Thank you so much for sharing!
Thank you.. it is an incredible adventure/experience that sticks with you, and i am sure i will never forget.. I am glad i could relay some level of this over to you..
Respect. Despite your exhaustion, I believe you took the right, if understandably disappointing, decision. You overcame many setbacks, self doubt, and all that goes with soloing anything. Your achievement stands. Thank you for sharing this.
Thank you. Appreciate the comment. Glad you enjoyed the videos.
Wow, Awesome vids, watched all 3 episodes. I camped in my RV Toy Hauler near the Smokey Bar Store for 5 days. Rode many of the trails in that area each day, out and back to my RV. Been following the TOI for several years, have ridden several of the sections but am quite sure, at 75 yrs old now, that the TOI is a No Go. Kudos to you for your effort !!!
Nice.. appreciate it. Idaho is a beautiful place. I cant wait to be able to camp out for a few weeks, deep in the wilderness, and take it all in.
Brother, YOU ARE THE MAN!
Awesome documentation of your adventure! I see you are signed up again for this year. I will be rooting for you!!! 💪
Good on ya bud!! Amazing effort you put in solo!! What a fantastic experience!! Lack of sleep can really be dangerous in those situations.. Thanks for sharing.. Excellent quality video.. Great editing and fantastic music..
This looks like a ride I would like to try but not as a timed event. At this point in my life I like to slow down and smell the roses. Congratulations on following your dreams. They don't always pan out exactly as planned but still worth the effort.
awesome video and narrating. Chase and live the dream.
Kudos to you. What a great adventure! A word of advice from an old man. Come back and finish the adventure someday before you can't anymore. I wish I had taken the time to do this trail when I was younger. And I LIVE in Idaho! Now I still have great adventures on my adventure bike, but I sure miss the single track stuff. I'm just too old and fat to do much of it anymore. I do have a question for you. What camera setup are you using? The video quality was outstanding. I could never get that kind of quality out of my Go Pro cameras. Great videos my friend!
I agree. I’m 70 with bad arthritis all over now. I do good to put in 100 miles / day. Get it while you can!
Brian, the steep section where you last flipped your bike before calling it quits caused my buddy Uli and I similar challenges. We completed the TOI the last 2 weeks of August this year along with 2 other buddies. Uli and I both nearly flipped our bikes in the same spot due to the steepness, boulder covered and washed out terrain. We had Tugger straps on the front end to hold the bikes down. Kudos to you for hitting it solo. That spot was probably the worst on the whole TOI with a few others being close but not as difficult.
Thank you.. Its a tremendous adventure. Did you run a T1 or T2 ? Congrats to you and your guys on your achievement. Paradise creek was actually easier, this year (2023) than it was in the video (2022). it looked like they had done some trail work and filled in the crevice. still pretty knarly. I hope to have the 2023 run up this winter which includes a lot of unseen mayhem i wasn't able to share in 2022
We ran T1. The hurricane(Hilary) that hit southern California that also brought torrential rain as far north as Idaho caught us on Day 3 leaving Arco and stayed with us the next several days. That steep section was totally washed out and I had first tracks on the hill above it at the first canyon(Skillern Peak) which had a huge mud slide down it all the way into Paradise Creek. We picked our way thru that slide with its downed trees, boulders, heavy mud, etc.. Damn fine memories............
Wonderful adventure, fantastic - video, narration, planning, riding … As you rode up narrow ridge toward Dollarhide Summit and then single track/side slope with very steep drop off, I became keenly aware of the stress of such riding. A slight mistake and you’re done. Knowing when to stop is a good thing. Thank you again for sharing your journey!
You get it.. it wears you down. its a fine line between fast enough to balance correct, but slow enough to not launch if something goes wrong. huge respect to the guys that ride this stuff all the time.
Awesome series great job
I have the same GL bags and Mosko tank bag on my KTM 690 Enduro R. I’m a Husky / KTM guy. And you’re right - never put your phone somewhere you can’t get to if you run your bike off a cliff! 🙀🙀
I don’t blame you for turning around. You shouldn’t push yourself too hard. Hitting the trail at 4:40 a.m. when you could be sleeping doesn’t make sense.
My 350 hates to be washed. I let it sit for about an hour every time before starting it again.
Don't neglect your body either on a trip like this! Could make the difference between cruising it and failing (and even injuring yourself).
I've been there and I feel your pain. The TOI is difficult on so many levels. Paradise is also a tricky trail. The locals have a name for that section that got you. I thinks it's hamburger hill. Thanks for sharing.
it was a mess.. Someone did some trail work after, and in August 2023 it was a breeze. I didn't realize i was there until i was half way through, didnt even get it on camera... Thank you trail crew !!!
This is great! Loving the whole thing. Thanks for uploading this for us all to enjoy.
Glad you enjoyed it!
No good deed (pressure washing the bike) goes unpunished eh?
I know that EXACT spot on Paradise very well - and not in a good way. That is one steep, loose, rocky, slippery bugger.
Well done on the valiant attempt.
Amazing trip!
love it Brian, what an adventure! shame you didn't get to finish.
Fantastic documentary. Good call. Return safe and try again. Stronger, better. I soloed the TAT. Sleep was my highest priority for sure. Waiting to see your next attempt. Good luck.
So completely impressed!
Great music choice! It’s like your tapped into my playlist
Another super helpful vid, Brian.
Lots of folks are getting a lot out of your efforts.
Thank you so much.
Maybe next time, plan a month to ride the TOI route without the pressure of following all the ryles and finishing in the prescribed time. TOI is more difficult and requires more skill and endurance than a Baja 1000 solo.
Thank you.. So you're saying that needs to be next on my list..?? :-) The trip is absolutely worth doing as a scenic ride.. that's the downside of the TOI (as it use to be), you don't have that time to look around. I am sure it is a different experience when you are not under the challenge rules.
So good.
Great videos! Best ones i seen so far of the tour of Idaho. 👍
thanks! Glad you enjoyed them.
This was an awesome series. I binge watched it all! So sorry about the bike problems starting in Ketchem. With the benefit of hindsight, I'd love to hear what you might do differently next time. The tank bag robbing your ability to get your weight forward was noted earlier, but what else? I'd love for you to do one more 15 minute video reflecting the highs and the lows, what you did right, and where you could improve. This was an awesome effort. It would take me 3x the time to get as far as you. I know the Tour is both a distance AND TIME challenge, but perhaps the next trip shouldn't be on a schedule? There was some amazing riding on those routes. Sucks to be tired and riding in the dark missing out. Heck, I'd love to just spend a day or two in major towns and explore at my leisure.
Awesome.. :-) yes, there is a list of things i will do, or attempt to do differently. The tour website has a section for this, i may just write a "lessons learned" report and post it there.
The event I am running is called the T1 version. This will cease to exist after the 2023 season. There is also a version called the T2, which is just as you described.. The T1 but at your on pace and leisure. many teams, after not completing day 1, continue on and run a T2. Idaho is an amazing place, and if you have the time and equipment, it is highly recommended.
I agree but dont like music like to hear bike makes it seem your there
Wish i was near that trail i love it me and my ktm xew 530 would be on that
Xcw 530 i ment
If you ever want to do this again I would be honored to go with you. I have the same bike by the way
Ride on
Nice series. I’ve only done a couple of the GRIT rides solo and went off trail once down some side hill. Took hours with an 5:1 pulley to get back up. As you say, it can be terrifying. Did you ever use your pulley setup? Bummer about the mechanical and sleep issues. Have you ever considered taking melatonin or Unisom? A tablet of that stuff will knock me out in about 15 minutes, regardless of butterflies. Last question - other than the tank bag, anything else you’d ditch if you did it again?
Hey Chris, thank you.. I did use melatonin and Advil PM. it wasn't powerful enough. Ill have something more potent this summer. thankfully I did not use the recovery kit. though i did go off the trail getting the bike out on day 6, when it flamed out at the wrong moment, confirming my fears. took 20 min or so for a minor off on a steep gully. There are a lot of small changes ill make to my kit. mostly concerning weight. All little things you dont know if you need or not until you are out there doing it.
I was wondering how good g.p.s mount was then u rolled bike works good lol and fan that clutch up them bad spots but i know u were tired lucky nothin broke or got hurt
Correct, with the long miles, days.. you get fried, and your response time and cognitive ability really fades. I did get luck, and good safety gear played its part.
Now I am VERY curious about the route on the second half of day three and most of day four if you rode over 300 miles and ended up in Mackay (you pronounced it correctly) It is just under 30 miles between the two towns on the highway... If you had politely explained your situation to the folks at the lodge, they probably would have cooked you a steak.
it is one big long loop winding through the ranges east of Mackay/Arco. These will be covered in detail on the 2023 videos. I did explain to the young girl checking me into the lodge, Explained that i just rode a dirtbike 500 miles and had not eaten a good meal in 2 days, and she knew i was staying at the inn that is part of the business. i said i would eat it in my room. even though the dining room still was full of people, she did not care and told me to go elsewhere. I had no energy to argue or ask for the manager at that point. worst service I found the whole trip. (owner of the business is wonderful, this was just a horrible employee)
What GPS units are you using? Were you happy with them? Great videos!
Garmin Montana 700. The base model. I'm very happy with them. Huge upgrade from th 6xx series. Only complaint is, if you try and use the feature to synchronize the GPS tracks and waypoints with earthmate on your cell phone. And you have a large set of waypoints, such as TOI, it will crash the GPS. The constant sync overloads the system.
Well Brian, sorry it ended early but the story you told was epic.
My first Tour was in 2013 and it had a much different vibe and the routes have changed drastically as well.
I know Martin had his reasons and I get it.
In the end it's up to the rider to decide what the meaning is.
I have millions of questions but here are two...
Did you ever unholster the saw?
I cut like 8 cords of wood with a damn handsaw on those trails. Lol
Do they still have the "Motorcycle Parking " sign out in BFE in the video that you couldn't show the location?
That area was some dope riding!
I'm not quite sure how you managed to be upside down three times but nonetheless, you sacked up and handled like a man.
All around impressive Brother.
Thank you very much, glad you enjoyed it, i was hoping to capture the solo aspect of the challenge, the event is a lot different solo vs with others, and that's hard to capture. i have a lot of ideas for then next go around.. :-) I never touched the saw.. but that was by design. I started later in the schedule, for one, most of the saw work would be done, and two i could learn more about the route ahead by watching the teams in front of me. most of the sawing i believe takes place on the 2nd half of the tour anyhow, so i didn't really get into the areas where there are a lot of downed trees.
the route has changed a lot since 2013, I want to say it was something like 7 days and 1400 miles max back then ?? the two new days 3 & 4 are a beat down, we will see how changes for 23 year play out.
Ha! Stupid saw. Lol
Great plan letting the other dudes cut it up.
You are correct, I think I had 1465 miles in 2013.
I ran in in 97 hours officially.
In 2014 I started in North Carolina and rode the TAT across to the Conti Divide then up and over to the T1. Did the 7 days then continued to WABDAR, OBDAR, Conti to Mexico, and back to California on Camino De Diablo.
10, 860 miles in 46 days.
Those trails with camping crap bolted everywhere was a gem!!
Thanks for responding man, I love this stuff!!!
What time of year did you rid it and how was the temperature?
I started on August 16.. coldest it got was in the 40's and high 90's on a couple days.
So what ended up being the problem with the bike
Crap in the fuel injector. While at the shop in Ketchum, we pulled the injector and the shop tech cleaned it using a Motion Pro cleaning tool. I can only assume gunk somehow got introduced into the system at that point. I thought of it that morning, but said to my self " we just cleaned it". once back home I used a trailside cleaning method and it was fixed. It was frustrating, that I purposely setup the fuel system so I could do that clean on the trail. Yet, in the state I was in, at that moment, I wasn't able to think that through clearly.
@@briangoss glad it was a simple fix even it if stopped you. looks like you learned a great deal from your first time out. i really enjoyed your videos thanks for making them.