This is what I posted in 2012:



What is really important is the following:
1. No time limits. Each year many racers give themselves a strict time limit that is unrealistic. The trail is harder than they think. The moment comes when a person realizes that they cannot make their goal, and they quit. I have seen people that are way faster than me riding with me. That is very common as logistics become overwhelming under duress. The person has the ability to meet the goal, but reality means sleeping, breaks, being tired, not being able to eat, etc.
2. Adversity- how to overcome it without cheating or quitting. Things will not go your "way". What are you going to do when that happens? You may have to ride a tire with leaves in it-lash your frame bag with paracord-walk 80 miles-glue your shoe back together-etc.
3. Training is good but specific training is better. If one does not have a decade long endurance base, that is okay. By specific I mean HAB training. Overnight training. Weather training. Etc. I go out and hike a bike all the time in the fall and winter. I do overnighters in the cold or damp weather.
4. Mindset. What is your motivation? If it is 15 minutes of Warholian fame (like blog bragging, Facebook posting, etc.) your odds of quitting increase. This is a journey that has to be internalized. You must be one with the trail and block out human emotions that are ego driven.
5. Riding/racing alone. If you cannot handle being alone in the most remote stretch of Colorado, dont count on the company of other racers. Teaming up for anyone slower than true middle pack racers usually results in a DNF. The team slows you down almost all the time. I practice by camping alone near home often.
6. Injury. What happens when you have body issues? The will to continue the journey when dealing with pain is very important for all racers, not just fast ones. I had to deal with intense pain in 2012 in AZT and CTR. I ended up taking one aspirin in 25 days though I dealt with a heel/achilles injury in Arizona and a stress fracture in the lower leg in CTR. Do you have that drive to succeed? Even if it means your elapsed time sucks in comparison to others or your goal? Many folks quit because their final time would be not good enough or they cant break a record, etc.
7. Logistics. Dont fly in the day before. Have your gear ready prior to the morning of the race. Etc.
8. Practice with a fully loaded bike often. I am riding my bike fully loaded for the AZT 750 and it is 5.5 months from the start. Any gear movement or bike issues are being solved now-not on the trail day 1.
9. Eating. It is a skill to eat and keep up with caloric intake early in the race. Dont downplay this important aspect of the CTR. People quit all the time from this, even saying they got a bug or got sick from what they ate or whatever. It is calorie deficit not a bug. Your brain functions poorly without food not just your body.

So in conclusion if you can race with no time limit, handle adversity, ride alone, deal with pain, ride a loaded bike, HAB 50-100 miles out of 500 and eat food while moving then you have the ability to finish. If that sounds too hard then you understand why CTR is what it is. Is is a lot harder out there doing it than sitting here discussing it. Even people who finished the route underestimate it sitting at home/work talking about it. You "forget" how hard it really is. Time heals those wounds physical or mental. We forget how good it feels to finish or how painful/demoralizing the lows points were.



So after 2 years I reviewed what I said I believe 2,5 and 9 are the most important.

#2 relates to how internally tough one is. When the fight or flight reaction occurs do you fight? What I mean is do you find a way to continue on or do you quit? I just read a quote by Tom Savage, a quarterback drafted in the NFL round 4. When asked if he was disappointed about going below round 2, he replied "Adversity breaks some men, and makes some men break records!"

#5 is big for first timers. Resist the urge to team up either pre-planned or during the first few days. Trust me on this one. These "teams" quit like 80% of the time. Ride alone in your training and ride alone on the race. Its a race not a party or social scene. I equate the inablility to ride alone far from town as being "scared" of the wilderness. You have to embrace mans natural tendency to fear the unknown head-on.
Teaming up slows down both riders unless they are really good at it and it always slows down the faster rider. Non-racers always ask me how I ride alone at night or camp alone etc. I dont even really think about it I almost thrive off the fear.

#9 Anyone can eat normally. Eating the morning of the race and throughout day 1 is critical. It is a skill. Practice eating under duress. Like I said in 2012 racers dont get a stomach bug or sick from some burrito they have a calorie deficit they cant overcome. They "think" later its a bug but its an adverse reaction to forcing food down or the inability to. I ate food from the same cooler in 2013 in AZT750 at the Rincon Store near Tucson that supposedly got people sick. Some claimed that food was "bad". That is rubbish it was hot out people got behind in calories and tried to catch up at that store. If food was that bad at convenience stores and grocery stores like racers claim people would be getting sick who are not racers all the time. Its a mental game out there your mind will rationalize anything just to quit and then not have to deal with the adversity anymore. I have had food issues many times in the races and I dont think I ever got bad food. I have ate 3 day old fried chicken and other oddities.


So I have a new one to add:

10. Cheating. This occurs every race. I only bring it up because one ends up cheating themselves. Once one rationalizes cheating quitting aint far behind. Pre-planned sharing of gear, begging for water or food, caches, pizza deliveries, friends helping along the way, cutting the course, riding in a car. Go this route and a finish is about a 2% chance and likely you will be DQed like Nate Gallion in 2010.

Scott and Eszter are underway on the biggest singletrack bikepack ride EVER!!!!!

Good luck and enjoy the adventure. I plan to Spot stalk and track you down and ride with you at some point this summer, even if it is for 10 minutes until you both crush me. I will bring tacos and ice cream!!!

What changes tp Ctr would you make?

PM sent. I dont want to be a hypocrite and second guess Stefan online!

My take on route/course changes:

I have many ideas for changing the CTR and AZT750. You know how many times I have posted that the course should be changed unless prompted by Stefan to vote for my choice? Zero. Walk a mile in Matt's shoes and one realizes that Matt didnt just whine about the ideal course, he pioneered a better race! Vision and action are the lessons here not continual armchair second guessing.

Ride the course and enjoy it FWIW- the adventure and the scenery and the people one meets and the amazement of what a man or woman can accomplish.



PS- Happy Mothers Day to My Mom and everyones Mom out there.

Made the Tour Divide gas tank. Needs a new home. The new home should be here tomorrow!

The restaurant is good but SLOW. Even if u just say give me a cheeseburger pronto, they pull some lame fine dining crap and take forever to serve you. So allow for a slow kitchen they cant handle more than like 5-6 tables at a time. If you see the joint packed, expect an hour wait and a bunch of apologizing college kids.

Is long-term parking allowed at Waterton? If not, does anyone have suggestions for a suitable place to leave a vehicle for the duration of the race?

Long term is allowed. But rememeber this:

I left my crappy 2001 neon there in 2009 or 2012  and someone did the jam a screwdriver in my drivers side door handle just right open my door check to steal anything but nothing in there no cool stereo to steal dealio. It would have sucked if I left a real car there.

I have also left it there and nothing happened.

Well I really let this design get away from me didn't I...  Looks like all the big companies are going to a more modular system, similar to what I made 3 years ago...
 
http://www.bikepacking.net/forum/index.php?topic=1809.0

U should just start selling yours now. It looks nicer than JerryW's or the retailers.

well I see someone is feeling the stoke!!

Maybe I need to back off a little! Weighed 144 this morning. I am there. Gonna have to chill out a bit until the taper.

Just to clarify .... these are SPOT Gen3 [20-30 day battery life] and will be by personal delivery to Banff 11/12/13 June. You can post them back to a US address in NY or SFran. If you're riding slow i'll give you a slow  discount ... $75 for three weeks +$2.50 a day....  that'll help you go faster!

I dont know where you get 20-30 day battery life estimates from. Last month I got 6 days in the AZT. Turned it off while sleeping. On about 19 hrs a day.

how bad do i want the triple?
running on treadmill at 225am
dreamforest all in- quit tv quit all my vices rockin jack johnson destiny is rollin towards banff no limits no excuses
go for your dreams
never give up

wait till nest year used to be my lame azz motto
fukk next year 
CARPE FRIGGIN DIEM

Its 4-5 miles past Cathedral. On the Cebolla road, the 15 mile climb to Hwy 149. South side. Yellow house setback 75 yards.
I am going to ask them to put a small sign at the entrance saying $20 sack lunch or trailer rentals for CTR racers/ ITT ers etc.

http://www.mineralmountainoutfitters.com/dnn/AboutUs.aspx


I wanted all CTR racers to know about a very little known commercial spot on the La Garita detour. This ranch has trailers for rent ($60 bucks in 2012 for a nice clean 2 bedroom trailer) and they will sell u lunch. It is located about 12 miles short of Hwy 149 on the detour, or about 5 miles past Cathedral. A big sign on the south side of the road is hard to miss. Look for trailers and a setback home.

I just emailed them to see how things are going. They remembered me and said please stop by and see us again.
I am going to reply to them and tell them all CTR racers are going to know now about them now. Their outfitter business isnt what it used to be as a new permit rule for guiding in that area slowed their business in the last few years. Maybe we can rent a few rooms and buy a few $20 sack lunches to help them out as they help us out.

I sent the Martins an email. John is still going strong!!
Anyone who wants to get a lunch or rent a trailer should stop by and say Hi.
They are really nice folk. Its about 12 miles short of hwy149 on the la garita detour. Big sign next to the road you cant miss it.

My quote is paraphrased from Sylvester Stallones Speech in Rocky 5.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Z5OookwOoY


Plus the comeback speech:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jB-g-QgkiDc


If that doesnt move you, this one will.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RC6sMFbL288


this one is good too:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdmyoMe4iHM

I was 9yrs old when that happened. I still remember it like yesterday. I can still hear Al Micheals legendary phrase "Do you beleive in miracles? YESSS!!!



And then of course this one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSDhhZtRwFU

If those dont get you, this newer one may:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEL8PYu4RR4


Finally, the greatest speech ever:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuoVM9nm42E

Jimmy V. was the man.

You can just do an official CTR ITT and rent one from Stefan and Scott. Subscribe to the CTR 2014 discussion thread and act when Stefan or Scott posts about the spot rentals.

Its not really an RV park you may mean some other business closer to Lake City?The ranch is down at the bottom of the long climb to hwy 149. The John Wayne looking rancher guy rents trailers to hunters and such. I stayed there in 2012 when I was nursing a stress fracture. Saved my race I was done and the bed helped me limp it home to Durango.I was pretty sure that one of the 2007 racers got lunch before me (Matt Lee?) at the Mineral Mtn Ranch. I only say that because thats what John Martin, the rancher told me. I show up all hungry and wanting to quit in 07. I ask him, ready to eat his ranch hand buddy if it came to it, if I could buy lunch for 20 bucks (legit since he is a commercial ranch offering amenities). He goes "You in that race." I am confused. I dont know what he is talking about for a minute. I say Yes. He laughs and says that another guy looking just as hungry as you came here 2 days ago and asked the same thing. I dont have to end up killing and eating his employee the employee sells me a lunch.

Good people. Its basically the only commercial spot between Mt Princeton and Silverton. The secret spot!!

http://www.mineralmountainoutfitters.com/dnn/AboutUs.aspx

Pic is of John Martin circa 2012. About 85 years old. I hope he is still kicking I am going to say Hi this year again. Those fridges behind him are full of Coors Light. He gave me one. I usually wouldnt but I was hurting so bad I drank it and it was so nice.

Bikepack racing is so cool. You meet people you will remember forever.

I want to know how to load the track onto I-phone.

Thanx

Scott I just talked to an employee of Devils Thumb, a resort right near/on the High Lonesome Trail. Add that to your list of resupply/lodging. They have an amazing resort, just completed a remodel they started in 2007 or so. Dinner or Lunch or a room sounds nice if you hit Winter Park too early for a rest.

Just a thought rolling around in my brain for the last couple days:

Is a NOBO finish the same as a SOBO finish in terms of the Triple Crown? Logisitically and financially NOBO makes a lot more sense in my situation and is a huge cost saver as far as transportation to start and returning from finish as there is a vehicle needing returned from Banff from a SOBOer I know....

Just pondering the idea and thought I would throw it out to the "official governing body" of our little underground world

My take on the Goldberg "rules" for the triple is show up for the race on the race date and time for each triple event.
I interpret that to mean that going backwards at the same time/date in any of the 3 events counts.

And that just doing an ITT outside the race date/time doesn't count towards a "real" triple, thus that's what makes a triple so hard. You have to be able to complete the third event in the timeline, which makes for some beat up CTR riders so far in the Triple's history.

I figured you already knew most of this, as why would anyone endure the puking, pain, fainting, heat stroke dehydro ordeal you did? Why not just restart for an ITT in AZT750? You knew the triple was on the line, so you didnt quit. You are an animal, or insane, or both.

So basically fuse the 2011 and later addenda with 2011 narratives/maps and it should match scotts track.
Got it

thanks