The tourdivide.org website has been down for a few months - and many folk have asked about the rules of this event - so thought I would share them here - so everyone can see how 'self supported this event actually is.

The Tour Divide challenge is based on one guiding principle: Cycle the GDMBR end-to-end, as fast as possible in a solo, self-supported fashion.  

Courtesy: Mountainflymagazine.com

The Particulars:

Any determined cyclist may challenge the GDMBR at any time, in either direction to qualify for the Tour Divide (TD) historical general classification (GC).All attempts are intended to be solo, self-timed, and observed as one stage, i.e., one’s clock runs non-stop. There are no required checkpoints or designated rest periods on course. The challenge is complete upon arrival to the opposite GDMBR terminus from start. There is no finish time cut-off, however, current convention considers a competitive Divide Route finish time as approximately 155% of course record times. Currently this = 25days (~110 mi/day) for men, and 29.5 days (93 mi/day) for women. See Item 1 FAQs below. [Note from Tri-duffer: In 2012 Jay blew the record out and so if we apply the 155% rule to his time the closing for men should be 24 days, 8 hours].
To complete the Route a rider may resupply food/equipment, rent a room, launder clothing, even service their bike at commercial shops along the way.

• The intent is to ride unsupported between towns, and function self-supported when in towns. Any services utilized must always be commercially available to all challengers and not pre-arranged[1]. 
• No private resupply, no private lodging.Tour Divide strives for ‘equal opportunity’ within the GC. Whether riding an independent time trial or tackling a grand départ, TD requires that every challenger—from those living along the route to those living on other continents—have an equal playing field. Therefore, outside assistance[2] with navigation, lodging or resupply (especially receipt of supplies from a non-commercial shipper) is prohibited. Visitation: Divide racing is not intended to be a spectator sport! However, route-town locals only may interact with (i.e. visit briefly, cheer on) thru-racers as they pass through their locale. 
• Out-of-town visitation to the GDMBR mid-race from challengers’ family or friends—even if only a ‘loosely-planned’, remote possibility for rider rendezvous—is prohibited. See Item 2 FAQs below. 

TD Route: Aside from the exceptions listed below, challengers must always ride 100% of the ‘main’ ACA Great Divide Route as defined by the most current edition of the ACA maps.

• For TD`12, the 2011 printing is the most current edition. Previous map editions may not be used unless updated with the most current ACA Addenda. Addenda ‘sets’ are specific to each map version. *Don’t disqualify a perfectly good time trial simply because your maps are outdated and/or you paired them with the wrong addenda. 
• There is a supplemental GPX file of the official TD ‘race route’ revised annually. Refer to it, even if not navigating by GPS.ACA Alternates: At times along the GDMBR, ACA provides cues for alternates to their main route. 
• All ACA-mapped alternates are strictly forbidden except the three (b, c, & d) listed below.TD-specific exceptions to the ’100% main route’ rule: Below are four exceptions to the ‘ACA main route’ integral to the TD ‘race-route’. Two of the exceptions are required (a & d) and two are optional (b & c). Although b & c are optional, they are somewhat de facto for TD ‘record-seekers’.

Required: (for Southbounders only). Gold Dust trail south of Breckenridge, Colorado must be navigated southbound. This segment is not listed on the ACA section Map covering this area. Optional for Northbounders.
See complete details here.
Optional: The 116-mile ‘Chaco Alternate‘ is a TD-legal, ACA-official alternate segment between Cuba and Grants, New Mexico. The main route is impassable, potentially dangerous when wet, so riders have the option to follow the Chaco Alternate (paved) route. See ACAMap 5-B for cues.
Optional: The 40-mile ‘El Malpais Alternate‘ is a TD-legal ACA-official alternate segment between Grants and the Pie Town Rd., through El Malpais National Monument. Zuni Canyon (main route south of Grants) is commonly closed for fire danger. See ACA Map 5-B for cues.
Required: The ~12-mile ‘C.D.T. Alternate‘ is a very challenging ACA-official alternate between Sapillo Campground on NM Hwy 35 and NM 15 (just North of Pinos Altos / Silver City). It must be navigated by all TD challengers, north or southbound. It features 7 miles of narrow singletrack and 5miles of forest roads. DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE THE DIFFICULTY OF THIS SEGMENT!
See Item 3 FAQs below.

Advancing (forward) on the route by any means other than one’s own pedal power is strictly prohibited. No drafting. Use of any type of air scoop or umbrella sail intended to harness wind power is also prohibited. TD is a solo challenge, however, racing in the company of other challengers is tolerated. Again, no drafting (inline OR side-by-side). Each rider must maintain separate gear. One complete survival kit per rider.4a. In the event of a serious mechanical that renders a bike unrideable, a rider may hitchhike[3] by motor vehicle in ANY direction to repair the problem. The location of the incident must be well-documented by SPOT tracker or other GPS logger. A rider may also receive assistance returning back to the exact location of breakdown to begin forward progress. Again, the entire incident, from breakdown to return to the trail must be well-documented by GPS. See Item 4 FAQs below.

Shipping/receiving supplies (to the course): In the name of equal opportunity for international riders, and to minimize the TD ‘footprint’, challengers are encouraged to race as reliant as possible on commercial services along the route. However, in advance of a start, a competitor may cache food or equipment resupply at US Post Offices only, care of general delivery. Typical practice is to ship a replacement chain and fresh bike shorts to the halfway point on route. If a racer misses a resupply due to PO closure, that box may be forwarded to another PO, and only a PO, down route.5a. Once the race clock begins, a rider may be assisted by a third party in receiving emergency repair/replacement items only. Food resupply is not considered an emergency. No cookies from mom! Emergency items must be shipped using a commercial shipper such as USPS, UPS, Fed-Ex, DHL, etc. Items may not be delivered privately by family, friends or even anonymous persons. Items may only be shipped to a commercial address (P.O., motel, bike shop, restaurant etc.), provided that address is equally available to all racers. Use of a private address (residence) along the route is forbidden. Use of the Race Updates blog to ‘broadcast’ for help (ie. conjure ‘trail magic’) is also forbidden. See Item 5 FAQs below.
GPS navigators are permitted but non-essential. SPOT GPS trackers are strongly recommended but not required. Mobile phones are also permitted, however, mobile service on the GDMBR is spotty, at best (~15% of the route). Reliance on a mobile phone as a rider’s sole means of outside communication is not advised. Carry a calling card. See Item 7 FAQs below.

Tour Divide is a web-administered, do-it-yourself challenge based on the purest of wagers: thegentlemen’s bet or agreement. Nothing to win or lose but honor.Divide racing may be challenged at any time, however, TD emphasis is on a 2nd Friday in June (southbound) ‘grand départ’. For this common start:

• There is no Banff pre-start meeting
• There are no checkpoints or officials on course
• Riders alone alone are responsible for their safety
• Riders alone must police their conduct
• There is no mechanism to communicate to riders on course
• Riders alone are responsible for communicating with their loved ones
• Updates to the blog from rider call-ins are time-delayed and not intended ensure rider safety
• Online GPS tracking is also not intended to ensure rider safety. It is for info-only, and validation of course compliance

Again, Tour Divide simply provides a web-based framework to present rider progress. This is where TD responsibility ends. See Item 7 FAQs below.

Relegation: Tour Divide reserves the right to relegate a rider from the TD General Classification (GC) for confirmed rules violations.

• No rider will be notified of possible relegation mid-race. It is the sole responsibility of all riders to know the rules, police themselves, and in cases of course deviation, recognize their error + correct it before proceeding on route. Ideally any rider who defaults on any part of rules 2 through 5 will honorably scratch from the GC. As stated in rule 7, “TD is…a do-it-yourself challenge…racers alone must police themselves“.Note: If a racer voluntarily scratches from the GC mid-race, yet continues on to finish theGDMBR, their individual tracking page will remain online/updated for informational purposes, however, they will be removed from the group (GC) tracking map. See Item 8 FAQs below.

Rule 2. endnotes
[1] Pre-arranged is defined as prior to the start of the race clock.
[2] Outside assistance is defined as any third party assistance in navigation or lighting and any non-commercial assistance in food resupply and/or lodging. A service is deemed ‘commercial’ when it is for sustainable commerce, equally available to all racers (ITT + group-starters) year-to-year, preferably listed in the ‘services’ guide on ACA Route maps.
Rule 4. endnote:
[3] Riders may accept motorized transport assistance from bystanders, passersby or commercial transportation ONLY . A racer may not contact friends or family (private parties) living along the route for direct assistance.
FAQsRule 1 reads…Any determined cyclist may challenge the GDMBR at any time, in either direction to qualify for the Tour Divide (TD) historical general classification (GC).All attempts are intended to be solo, self-timed, and observed as one stage, i.e., one’s clock runs non-stop. There are no required checkpoints or designated rest periods on course. The challenge is completed upon arrival to the opposite GDMBR terminus from start. There is no finish time cut-off, however, current convention considers a competitive Divide Route finish time as within approximately 50% of record time for men, and 30% of record time for women. Currently [2010?] this = 27days(100mi/day) for men, and 31days (90mi/day) for women.
Rule 2 reads…To complete Tour Divide a rider may resupply food/equipment, rent a room, launder clothing, even service their bike at shops along the way. The intent is to ride UNsupported between towns, and function SELF-supported when in towns. Any services utilized must always be commercially available to all challengers and not pre-arranged[1]. No private resupply, no private lodging.Tour Divide strives to be an ‘equal opportunity epic’. Whether doing an independent time trial or tackling a grand départ, TD requires that every rider—from those living along the route to those living on other continents—have an equal playing field. Therefore, outside assistance[2] with navigation, lodging or resupply (especially receipt of supplies from a non-commercial shipper) is prohibited.
Visitation: Divide racing is not intended to be a spectator sport, however, route-town locals ONLY may interact with (i.e. visit briefly, cheer on) TD thru-racers in their locale. Out-of-town visitation to the GDMBR mid-race from challengers’ family or friends—even if only a ‘loosely-planned’, remote possibility for rider rendezvous—is prohibited.endnotes:
[1] Pre-arranged is defined as prior to the start of the race clock. It refers to arrangements like motel reservations or special orders of parts or food
[2] Outside assistance is defined as any third party assistance in navigation or lighting and any non-commercial assistance in food resupply and/or lodging. A service is deemed ‘commercial’ when it is for commerce, equally available to all racers (ITT + group-starters) year after year, preferably listed in the ‘services’ guide on ACA Route maps.