I hope y'all have noticed how many options abound. All grassroots. The fever is building.
Soon we'll have a "Sierra trail Race" here in CA to create a third option for "A" triple crown. Arizona then Colorado then 'Californification'....
As for the Alaska thing...that's a single crown that blows all other away. I'm not much for dogma...but all hail the competitors in the Iditabike race. Ain't no fakin' it.

Do what is fun, forget the labels. Who cares if it is truly S.S. I certainly won't. Riding SS is awesome....period. Weight wise two chains is HEAVY and adds labor. a dingle cog and track drop outs( or eccentric BB) would make more sense. But hey, you gotta "ride whatcha brung". My experience tells me to keep it at one combo and just grin and bear it. Simply decide what will frustrate you more...spinning or walking. Personally walking a few miles here and there is WAY better then spinning like mad for hours on end. Then again, we all ride differently. It is A LOT of miles from Canada to Mexico.

P.S. If you want to set a "record"...only one gear will do. Simply finishing the TD though puts you a category all by itself. Dream big.

[SEPTEMBER 24TH]

Nevada City THC
(Nevada City Twenty-four Hour Challenge)

RIDERS WANTED

   No this is not a 24 hour race around and around. Not a controlled loop you do again again and again. Instead the challenge is to ride for LESS than 24 hours. This is a loop that combines together classic trails. It doesn’t take every trail possible. But it has a lot of singletrack never the less.  The trails are all well established and the loop should be repeatable from year to year.
   Northern California lacks a benchmark ultra-endurance course and this will remedy that situation. It is time for Nor Cal to join the grassroots ultra-endurance party.
   You can independently time trial (ITT) the route anytime you want and see how you measure up. Or you can start with me on SEPTEMBER 24TH at high noon. If you can complete the loop in under 24 hours I’ll buy you a case of beer. I’m confident though I won’t need to buy much beer. This is a tough loop.

In a nutshell the route goes out to Downieville via Grouse Ridge and returns via the Yuba rivers. ( A GPS track is in the works)

Start: Nevada City (Uren street)
Snow Mountain Ditch to Willow Valley Rd.
to Pioneer Trail
to Bear Valley (stay on Pioneer until it reaches Bowman Lake Rd. Pioneer trail at this point parallels the rd. but is really lame.)
Bowman lake rd. to where it crosses the S. Yuba
Back onto Pioneer trail to Fuller Lake
Bowman lake rd. to forest service rd. FS14 up to Grouse Ridge Lookout.
Grouse ridge trail to Sawmill lake
Meadow Lake Road which turns into FS07 to Jackson Meadows Res.
take the 2nd intersection with FF 88 and climb to a right turn on to Yuba Pass Rd.
Climb Yuba Pass Rd.
End Of Road 12-69 to Haypress creek trail.
Haypress creek trail to Plum Valley loop trail (this avoids the PCT)
get out to HWY 49 and turn left
HWY 49 to Sierra City
The Downieville Classic XC course
 climb to packer saddle on Sierra Buttes Rd. to Butcher Ranch Rd. to Packer saddle
Sunrise Trail back to Butcher Ranch Rd
to Pauley Creek Trail then third divide
then first divide to Downieville
North Yuba River Trail to Goodyears Bar
Mountain House Rd. to Forest
Mountain House Rd.. to  Ridge rd.
right on Ridge rd. to County route 294 (mangus orchard rd.)
over to Tyler-Foote Rd
right on Tyler Foot rd. (turn is signed)
Tyler foote rd. to Cruzon Grade.
left on Cruzon Grade. to Backbone
Left on Bloomfield to Malakroft Diggins/ Bloomfield townsite
left on Relief Hill rd. Right on Buck Rd. to Missouri Bar trail (turn is signed)
Missouri Bar trail to South Yuba trail
Yuba to Round Mtn. trail
Up Round Mtn. trail to ‘up & over’ trail
‘Up and Over” left on Hudson trail to the top of round mountain
right onto Rock Creek trail
onto Lower Hudson trail
Left onto Rock Creek Flume trail
left on Rector
Connect to Rock creek rd. and stay straight
Left on Aoli to Bloomfield Rd.
right on Bloomfield to Coyote st.
down Coyote st. to hwy 49
left on hwy 49 to Uren st.

These rules were borrowed almost word for word from the Colorado Trail Race website.
N.C. T.H.C. Rules:

Ride from Nevada City to Downieville and back, self-supported, under only your own power, along the entire DESIGNATED route.

No pre-arranged support.

Don't break the law.

The rules are simple and brief - ultimately, the Nevada City THC is dependent upon each racer's integrity. If you can't do this ride without outside or pre-arranged support, don't attempt the challenge. Breaking or bending these simple rules is unfair to yourself and to the other riders who are out there suffering just as bad as you are, yet they are still playing by the rules. So please, play fair. You know you're better than that - I know you're better than that!
    The guiding principal is "Do. It. Yourself" and "equal opportunity" for all racers, regardless of whether you live in a town the NC THC passes through or on a different continent. So, gas stations, restaurants, hotels, campgrounds, and any other commercial services along the route are fair game as long as they are not pre-arranged. Friend's houses, sag wagons, pacers, food-caches, etc. are obviously not commercial sources equally available to all riders, and absolutely are not allowed. It is important to communicate this to family/friends who may be observing the race. Their guiding principal should be "Look, but don't touch."
  Beautiful, beautiful trail magic. Totally unexpected and unplanned support. e.g. a random person giving you a coke or an orange. Or finding a box of girl scout cookies on the side of the road. But let's keep the magic, magic - if you personally know the person who is offering unplanned/unexpected support, politely decline their offer. And please, no begging!
    If your bike breaks and you wish to continue the race, you must hike, walk or crawl to the next town to get it repaired. Once fixed, you must return, under your own power, to the exact spot you left the route. This is a completely self-powered race against the clock. If you get in a motorized vehicle, your race is over.
    This is a solo competition - racers may not draft each other nor plan on sharing gear. However, be a good citizen. If you see fit to give a fellow racer directions, mechanical assistance, water, a tube, or moral support, do so. Similarly, do not expect or feel entitled to any of the above. It's nice to have good neighbors, but there isn't a law mandating it. 
 No trespassing. No littering. No riding in Wilderness Areas (or the PCT; see rule #3). Etc. This also means no ditching or stashing of any gear to pick up later. That is the same as littering as far as the NC THC is concerned. If you need to get rid of something, find a dumpster or a post office.
 It cannot be stressed enough that you are ON YOUR OWN out there and must take personal responsibility for yourself!! There are some seriously remote sections of trail where cellphone service is nonexistent and any medical assistance may be far, far away. Self-evacuation is likely the only option.

By the time I got there, Stafan had posted a note. Thus it was a no-brainer. I am still very amazed and impressed that Stefan went way up there for that. Never-the-less I gave the situation much thought. Especially when I looked up and saw bike-lights on the ridge. I REALLY wanted to ride the whole CT. But that's the way the cookie crumbled. As far as "time" goes, the other 400 miles of trail condition had a bigger effect. An afternoon in the muck "could' cost you more hours than that little bit of closed trail.  For instance,I vividly remember following inch deep tracks as I rode on dry hard  ground and thinking how "that rider" had tougher conditions than I did. However I did not think for a second it was unfair. It was just the way the cookie crumbled.
Next year it may happen somewhere else...to any of us...front, back or middle of the pack.
If I had encountered an "expect delays' sign I would have taken the trail.
If I had encountered the "trail closed" sign without a hand written CTR note...it would have been tough, but I'd choose to detour out of respect for the CTR and maintaining good relations with the powers that be. I'd rather risk a DQ for trying my best follow the CTR 'ethos' than a DQ for for intentionally breaking a stated rule.

The best thing to do now is reflect on how it went and plan on how to deal with such things in the future.

I've gone both ways and of course it's not about the food, it's about the riding. That said; I can pack more calories for less weight by bringing freeze dried food and a penny stove(entirely a Heiniken product). The heaviest thing in my cook kit is the bent spoke I use as a stand (I suppose I should find a Al spoke!). It does take up space though, close to the size of a 24 oz beer can. I brought one along on the CTR this year and had no regrets. When my fuel ran out I tossed (in a garbage can!) the plastic booze flask it was carried in.
In regard to racing though...most freeze dried meals are too many calories for a quick eat& ride, so I only cooked food before sleep or a long break.
And of course the best option is to bring no dinner at all and ride through a town with carne-asada and XX, then spin off to the woods for a good sleep.
As far as the traditional whisper-light/metal pot cook set....definitely not, too bulky and heavy.
Light , tight and RIGHT...my B.P. mantra.

My husband, Jeremy, is in Durango and could use a ride to Denver today. This rookie Californian finished the CTR yesterday and we are all so proud of him. Please call his cell if you happen to be driving to Denver today, Monday. Thanks, his wife, Susan. His cell is (530)264-6164.

Hey Yall,
I'm arriving in Denver by plane and I am wondering about a few things
1. How far is it to the trailhead from Denver? and are there any easy ways to get there?
2. Does anybody want to ride-share? or have their gas $ paid for as compensation for a ride?
3. What bike-shop do you recommend, IF I need one?(geography is important here)
4. Is there camping at the trailhead? with water?
5. And...is there a problem flying with pressurized tires? I want my tubeless tires already set-up ready upon arrival and don't want to search for compressed air if my tires get tempermental.

In short I don't know Denver at all. I'm arriving on the 31st (am) and have less than 24 hrs to be ready and at the starting line. Since the race won't have started yet it won't be cheating (or unethical) to help each other out .

Also if anyone else is in the same boat we can pool our resources and figure something out.
and yes suggestions are welcome...

For a bigger trip the area from lake Tahoe to north of Downieville has a web of trails and dirt roads. You can even start in Auburn or Nevada city and go "dirt only" the whole time. IN theory you could go all the way to Lassen on dirt and connect to the routes mentioned in that area.
One loop route I've a few time is from Nevada City up to the Truckee area and back through the Grouse Ridge Area. Many of these miles are technical and really fun. plenty of water and fishing.

In Southern Cal. I've done a route through the San Bernadino Mtns to Big Bear and down to Joshua Tree. my route was all dirt road but great never the less.

And then there is always the "Preferred Cycling Trail"....