Hey everyone,

I gave that trail a good run for its money and had a lot of fun the first two days.  I felt great, my bike was working awesome and I dodged the rain for the first day and a half.  I actually planned on sleeping the first night but after being curled up in my sleeping bag for two hours and still no zzz's I gave up and started pedaling again.  Tuesday was more of the same cruising and I was geeked to hit 50 before it even got dark but my demise had already begun.  Shortly past chalk creek my throat started locking up and I couldn't get gas in the tank.  I spent a little extra time at camp trying to eat but it wasnt working too well.  By morning I was in bad shape and was struggling even to walk and drinking water made me feel nauseous.  I spent the day hoping to nurse myself back to health but I wasnt making any progress nutrition or mileage wise.  Not wanting to quit I camped out past silver creek hoping I could regain myself but eating a poptart this morning took more effort than getting up Fooses creek.  Going fast only counts if you make it to the finish line!  I was left with no choice but to bail into Salida and call it the end of my adventure.

Good luck to everyone who is still out there!  

Just remember to honor the slow guys too if you're out on the course. In last year's race, spectators handed out goodies to CTR racers--but only to the fast guys. It was rather demoralizing to miss the cupcake stand. And it really sucked to come across the pile of trash that at one time held cool drinks enjoyed by the faster riders!

Personally, I think that ALL "trail magic" should be banned, aside from Apple (who has snacks for EVERYONE)!

I cant speak for anyone else but I probably qualify as a 'fast guy' and no goodies were ever handed out to me during my adventure last year.  I didnt even see the infamous Apple either cause I went through that area in the night with the Boogie man haunting me.  That area was creepy and I was seriously scared!  The only trail magic I had were the views, especially riding as the sun comes up!

Well that clears that up.  Thanks Jeff.

anyone know where the water is in Slumgullion campground?
this site says there is some:
http://www.publiclands.org/explore/site.php?id=5296
but my 30 second look last year didnt find any...

Any rules of thumb you folks use?

My strategy was not to get wet from the outside or the inside.  I had zero extra clothes with me and if it looked like rain I covered up from head to ankles with my rain gear.  Uncertain weather was annoying having to put on and repeatedly take off my jacket, pants and gloves but when the apocalypse came on top of the crest trail I was laughing.

Personally I'm not in favor of using the post office to obtain or discard supplies.  To me it doesn't seem much different than stashing gear on the side of the trial albeit a little more awkward to access but it has the same gain of getting exactly what you want at a point in the course that you essentially placed.  Not that it is cheating but to me the CTR is starting at one end and getting to the other using only what was you brought and what happened to be there.  If you race through a jungle full of bananas then get ready to eat bananas.  I'm not trying to change any rules, I'm just sharing my thoughts.

Jesse Jakomait  May 22, 2011

I’ve wanted to give the 230km Kokpelli trail another shot since I first tried it back in 2007 and in 2011 it was time.  Through some gained wisdom, experience and more stubbornness I knocked an hour off my ride and set a new trail record of 12hr18min. 

Full report is here:
http://jessejakomait.com/journal_details.asp?journal=873

What re-supply is available in Bailey or 285/Shawnee area? I see that there is a Conoco gas station in Bailey. Mainly looking for convience store type.

That gas station in Bailey is pretty well stocked with anything you can find at a 7eleven. 

How much water capacity is needed / how long between water sources? Were three 24oz bottles enough for you?

Like the idea of avoiding carrying a bunch of heavy water on my back. I seem to drink about 12oz per hour during a 24 hour race (when the weather is not hot).

first my disclaimer is I dont drink a lot no matter what race / ride I do.  rarely carried more than 1L and if i do it again I can get by with only 2x 24oz bottles but you have to max out before your critical dry points like hitting the crest and somewhere between silverton and durango.  my notes were paper in a double ziploc and it got wrecked the first day so i just winged it.  I ended up drinking some from a trickle that took 5 minutes to half fill a bottle cause I missed that last real stream.
3x 24oz bottles should be good for light drinkers and good planners.

thats a big list Trailrider11 but ultimately if you can fit it all and are willing to carry it then go for it.  Take ever item and think if you'll want it or absolutely need it.  Things like toothpaste and a an extra shirt or two are good things to have but could you live without them?  

Something more critical would be warm layers.  It can get pretty cold out there especially when wet.  A winter down coat may be a little more than you need but I brought a synthetic down sweater (but no fleece) and while I never rode in more than armwarmers, jersey and goretex coat I was glad i had it with me as insurance.

for calories, plan for a lot but there is a finite limit no matter how much you are moving what you stomach can digest.  depending on your size you may not be able to ingest 7000 cals per day.  

I’d like to add to the pool of information.  Last year’s CTR is the only overnight race I’ve done and before the race I had only seen maybe 30 miles of the Colorado Trail so a lot was new to me.  I combed these forums and managed to use everyone’s experience to get myself to Durango in one piece on the first try.  I'm not expert but here is one more thing to read.

Navigation:
I bought a GPS for this race and was glad I had it.  Like others have mentioned you don’t need it but it makes following the route pretty simple without wasting time pulling out maps.  On that note I stilled carried some backup info should the gizmo crapout, get broken or get lost.  The majority of the trial is pretty obvious to follow but it’s the one or two intersections a day that can trip you up.  The other good option is Ethan’s system.  He’s done it so many times he didn’t carry a gps or maps, he just knew where to go! 

Sleeping:
I’ve done some fast and light backpacking trips with a bivy sac and hated life when bad weather rolled in.  For the CTR I took a new 7x9 tarp and some string giving me a much more enjoyable way to sleep through a storm.  The downfall hit me hard the first night when I realized the bigger problem was not water falling from the sky but all the water on the ground.  I had to find some creative spots to lay on that weren’t wet, let alone drenched all but one of the nights.  If I took a ground sheet the problem wouldn’t have been so bad but I couldn’t justify the weight when planning it all out in my living room.  Moral of the story is cutting corners to be super light will always have some consequences.  It’s up to you which ones you are willing to face. 

Rain Gear:
Knowing rain is inevitable in August I took legitimate Goretex pants, jacket and gloves with me.  My feet were soggy the entire time but it was a life saver having in impenetrable wall between me and the rain over the rest of my body.  These shells basically doubled my gear weight but I don’t think I could have survived making it to Durango with only rain resistant gear.  The only thing else I can add here is it makes a big difference if you put the shells on before you get soaked rather than after.  I must have spent 2 hours taking on and off layers on the third day after learning a hard lesson on day one.  You never know when scattered showers will turn into a real rain storm.

Bike:
Everyone’s different here.  I ran a bike with 150mm of travel, 2.4” tires, Sram XX 2x10 parts, SLR ti seat, carbon bar…  No frame bags, no racks, just a small compression sac on the bars and water bottle cages.  Ride what you are used to cause you’ll be spending a lot of time pedaling!  I had a 25L pack on my back with basically everything but my sleeping bag and water in it.  Not the standard setup but it can work. 

Lights:
AA type lights make a lot of sense out there.  Fenix, BD Icon and such are pretty popular.  I ended up using what I already own and put my Ayup lights on my helmet and carrying a few battery packs.  I only ran them on low until the last day and had plenty of juice to spare but some real lumens if I needed them.  200 Lumens is pretty dim for standard night riding but out there it was a lot.

The only thing else I can add is its hella hard but super rewarding to make it all the way! 
Jesse J.

Still undecided if I need to do this more than once in my life but I voted for Aug 1 and have no preference on the direction.  The ride works well starting in Denver and maybe safer for those that get in over their heads but it would be fun to try the trails the other way too. 

After looking high and low for the lightest thing out there I found the winner with the ZPacks.  160g with padding in the shoulder straps, sternum and waist belt, side pockets you can actually use when riding and any other custom options you want or dont want.  Thing is tough as nails.  I also own a REI bag and a MH scrambler.  The scrambler is no where near as comfy and the REI is a tank vs Z Pack.

I run against the grain with my setup but I like to charge the downhills pretty hard so I found the lightest long travel trail bike I could get my grubby hands on.

I ride a Cannondale Rize Carbon 140 with RockShox Revelation 150 in front.  26" wheels, 2.4" tires run tubeless.  The rest is all fancy schmancy SRAM XX with carbon weight weenie stuff everywhere else.  I really like the 2x10 with 26/39 rings and 11-36 cog.  Bike is about 22lbs without gear and all I strap to it is a sleeping bag off the bars and my water in bottles.  Too much weight on the bike makes it handle poopy in the twisty stuff so I lug it around in a small pack on my back.  

Thanks Matt, 
I wasnt sure if that was a feature in a link I failed to find but looks like it takes a bunch of work compile.  Really neat to see the flow of riders and where time was gained (or not gained) with sleeping patterns and pace.

Can anyone show me how to see animated playback of the spot trackers on the map from the race?  I was in my own little bubble out there and was curious to see how it unfolded.

Did anyone find a pair of Oakley Radar glasses in the first 2 hours of riding on monday?  They were black frame with black tinted lenses.  I had them in my helmet vent and realized they wern't there anymore sometime after crossing the bridge.  I'll paypal 30 bucks for S&H if the finder is willing to send them back to their owner.

thanks,
Jesse

That was an experience of a life time! I've been obsessed with doing this for the last 6 months and it gave me the motivation to pour everthing I had into it. My commitment was severely tested when I made the decision to head over the ten mile range in the cold rain with darkness looming.  I lied to myself that I'd find a hotel when I made it over the other side. Instead I just found a soaked Ethan looking for a place to bivy and we took shelter under a chairlift.  Day two had me physically worn and day 3 was a mental struggle to get through Sergeants Mesa and running away from a charging bull didn't help the situation.

Day 4 brought new energy and I was climbing strong up the dirt roads.  Shortly after Hwy 149 to my disbelief I caught back up to Ethan.  But only got within 100 yards of him when he yelled back to ask who it was and when I answered he bolted.  I guess I smelled really bad by that point!  Unfortunately for me I got too excited and didnt fill up with water at the last stream.  I had to sip puddle cups on rocks and then found a nasty little mud puddle to fill up my bottle.  But things were still going good and I had the hope of hitting silverton before the stores closed but the last 20 miles were way harder than I anticipated.  I didn't reach the town till 10pm and with little food left I had no choice but to sleep in a ditch and wait till 7am for the store to open.  Precious time was lost but I didn't have a choice and needed calories.  The last push on the final day was hard.  I had to keep reminding myself even half way through there was a hell of a lot left to go.  Fortunately the weather was really stable on that last day and I never felt the same terror that the first day brought.  What a week!  
-Jesse Jakomait

few pics for ya
<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From Colorado Trail Race</td></tr></table>

<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From Colorado Trail Race</td></tr></table>

<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From Colorado Trail Race</td></tr></table>

<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From Colorado Trail Race</td></tr></table>

<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From Colorado Trail Race</td></tr></table>

Can anyone help a rookie out?  Section 8 goes by Copper but it isn't obvious where the quick access to a store is.  Any tips?  The CT guide book makes me think its 1.6 miles after crossing 91 with a store or two hiding in villas.  Seems kinda vague.   

can you sleep on a car visor?  Not if you have bony hips like mine, and sleep on your side (like I do).. I won't regret the added bulk of my big agnes...

ya but you only have one gear!  That seems way more hard core then sleeping on a poptart wrapper.