Holy winter storm, Batman!!!  Even my Krampus with 29+ tires would be crying.  Mike Hall's dot continues to go...he must be on a Ski-doo...

Josh isn't too far from the top of the climb, but he'll have to slog through snow on the other side for a while, too.  The riders will likely be exhausted, cold, and very wet by the time they can ride again.  Hopefully the convenience store in Clark has a good supply of hot chocolate and coffee on tap.

Sofiane's dots show him going forward as far as 1529.2 miles on the route.  Josh has a mile and a half to go to reach that point.  If they're in a snowfield, I'm sure Josh can see that Sofiane has turned around, so...

Another move forward for Josh.  Yeah, hopefully Sofiane is alright...if I were up there, I'd be wishing for some hot chocolate right about now...

Josh's dot awakens...and he's pushing forward!!  Let's see if he can boldly go where no one has ventured yet this year...

And radar shows a little snow falling in the area of Boreas Pass.  For the first time in years, New Mexico is going to look good to the racers!!

Regardless of what happens, this race just got a whole lot closer...there are seven possible winners within four hours of each other!!!

PS - A big thanks to ScottM for adding the single-speed records to the map...fantastic!!!

Josh's Spot has been very slow to update at times so far.  I keep refreshing in hopes of seeing where he actually is.

Exactly...he might be with Sofiane at this point...I highly doubt he's sleeping at 6:30am...

Well, I was at least partially wrong.  Unless Josh has moved down and his SPOT hasn't updated, Sofiane has passed him and could be heading back to Brush...

There's another road that branches off right there at Brush Mtn Lodge.  It goes south, then east over to Steamboat.  Maybe he's headed there...guess we'll follow the dots and see...

A very tough slog right now!!

Very possible, although more likely it is just not findable.  The descent off that divide is supposed to be extremely rough and rocky and in the dark, with snow falling, it might look like the rest of the woods around it.

Sofiane knows that Josh isn't too far back, though he may not know exactly how far back.  He may have decided that it's better to have a buddy with him if conditions are poor...just for safety.  So, find Josh, work with him over this section, which is very steep and difficult even in good conditions, then start the race again.

If that's the case, very smart, very prudent, very mature of Sofiane.

Ruh roh...no snow on Lynx Pass right now, but it may see up to a foot of snow starting late tonight and going into tomorrow morning...

https://snoflo.org/report/snow/colorado/lynx-pass/

https://snoflo.org/report/snow/colorado/lynx-pass/forecast/

Forecasts can be wrong, but...

Sofiane has reached Brush Mtn Lodge with Josh about an hour behind him.  I'm guessing he will try to push to Steamboat Springs, but we'll see.

FWIW, a post from four days ago on the AllTrails.com site regarding Boreas Pass Road:

We drove to the end of the paved road to the trailhead lot which holds quite a few cars.  The road is currently closed to vehicles which made for a great bike ride, not having to worry about sharing the road with cars.  The trail is not ‘easy’ to bike to the summit as it’s entirely on a grade.  Took us 1:40 to ascend and 40 min to descend.  Road is pretty soft but no snow.  Also it can be quite rocky in places.  It was absolutely fantastic...highly recommend.  You will know when you reach the summit.  

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/colorado/boreas-pass-road

Yesterdays NOAA was saying it would be some of both.

Yep, and radar confirms both rain and snow in that area...

Mike Hall's dot has just about caught up with Sofiane again.

There is currently precipitation in and around Wamsutter and down into northern Colorado, but Wamsutter webcams on I-80 show dry pavement.  Maybe the precip isn't reaching the ground.  When I looked very early this morning (3am MDT), there was freezing rain and snow indicated on the radar west of Wamsutter.  It's very cool in the Basin this morning for the leaders...

Josh's dot hasn't moved now for a bit, though the updates from his SPOT have been inconsistent.  I can't believe he's stopped early, but I suppose it's possible...rest for a couple hours, then cross the Basin and up to Brush Mtn in one giant push?

No idea...

Angler, thanks for the photos again...they are wonderful!!

I will miss Hal's MTBCast calls SO much.  They are a highlight of the entire event for sure!  All the best to you!

Ok...weather looks good through the Basin (albeit windy) and the route should be good from Pinedale to Brush Mtn Lodge at least...let's see them ride again!!!

Agreed, but what a prime opportunity to earn that elusive "Snow Shovelling" badge

I would have been happy to have a few of them earn that badge working our sidewalk and driveway this year...wow!!