I was thinking of a mid April run at the 250 again. How much snow is still in Williams/Flag?

That should be okay in April. I can let you know as the date approaches.

I should have clarified...by "doing" I mean racing it.

He finished!

he is on the Kelvin Highway, it looks like it will be a night ride into Superior tonight, perhaps by 11pm tonight.

I chatted with Jonesy yesterday. He stayed at the Chateau in Oracle and had planned to wake up at 4am to leave. He does plan on making the final push and is just before the gasline near Antelope Peak.

Well done thus far!

road impassable thru next weekend with hip deep snow in places.

Sounds like an epic adventure...I'd say go up and over Lemmon. Knowing that it is going to be snowed in, you could be more prepared.

Anyone interested in doing the 350-mile version in reverse on June 26th, 2010?

Want to get a feel for schedules before I set the date.

Website/info: http://rockyroad5050.wordpress.com/5-coconino-250-and-350/

If you are northbound on that start date, you could potentially be in Colorado about the same time as me. That, in itself, it pretty advantageous.

Snow seems to be coating much of Lemmon right now. I have a funny feeling things could get interesting for you on the backside of Lemmon. I rode Oracle Ridge in what I would call "very minor" a amounts of snow. It was not pretty. Hold down brakes, take a step, use the bike to stand up, move bike a few inches, take a small step on ice...etc. It was pretty slow going.

I am a strong maybe for doing the 300 miles late March during my Spring Break.

Worst case is the pic I posted earlier in the thread -- feet of snow remaining!  Hard to say how much the north rim got.  Flag definitely got pounded.  I should be up there (North Rim) this weekend, so I may have some idea soon.

Warm thoughts going your way as I bike down here in the sun

SOOoo, what y'all think of all this snow, saw somewhere that Flagstaff got a bunch, like 40+", curious what those with experience with this route see there?

I agree with what Dave C said. The AZT through Flagstaff area should be melted come race day (minus upper levels), worse can scenario, you would end up taking some alternate routes (highway on the Kaibab).

I am not going to be able to make this happen this year. Realistically, I would find it hard to do an ITT in my the alloted Spring Break 10-day time I have.

It's official, I'm do'n the entire route or at least riding and camping for two weeks.

I think he means "10 days", right Max?

your picture

Probably the two most inspiring bike photos I have ever seen (you and Scott carrying your bikes in the Grand Canyon). The mere thought of carrying your bike that long says one thing....passion. I still hold true to one of my life-long goals: to ride up to the side of the canyon.

I salute you and Scott for making it up and down the canyon. Inspiring stuff.

After some thinking (especially about the gliders we talked do during the Coconino Loop Race), I think it migh be plausible to use my emergency bivvy as a parachute to skip the hike down the canyon. Would this be allowed?

September....hmmmmmmm. Maybe during labor day?

donkey and dave--you should just have an option to run down to the river and back that way you could ditch your running races.

Hey Scott, what exactly is at the Utah border where the AZT ends (i.e., how the hell do you get back to civilization?)?

A sign and a dirt road, a few picnic tables, parking lot....basically nothing. The nearest store is miles away...Jacob Lake. Two options for riding from the border: ride back up the singletrack (the way you came) or dirt road then highway to Jacob's Lake. I have done part of the later during the Kaibab MC, it was not very much fun with the traffic.

Getting picked up/leaving a car there is the way to go.

Actually I just meant the notion of longstanding, comparable records, year to year.  I am still keen to see just how fast this sucker can go, and I am hoping others are of the same mindset.

Oh, now that you said that, I am going to throw down.

It's on like flan!

I am not so concerned with the setting of 'records'

Each time I ride one of these ultra races, I seem to drift away from any notion of setting a record. I wish I had this mentaility earlier on in my ultra race career. That said, I think that completion seems a lot more important for this ride.

Saaaweeeeeeeet!

I am a "maybe" at this point.

Too big for me too.