Don't quote me on it but I think JP ran into storms in NM that slowed him down a bit.  And of course there's the other worry through NM that I won't even name...

Could always use the archive here:
http://trackleaders.com/tourdividei.php?name=Jay_Petervary

[Jefe not going to the Art Festival]

Jefe not going to the Art Festival

Could have fooled me - I mean he is waaaaay ahead 

The post by "'muma" (Ms. Branham) is a wonderful reminder of just what a unique sport this is.  I remember Ms. Olsen's "Cordillera" entry about James-o, the Kraft's father/son race last year, the loving exchanges (via "Angler") between Mr. Devries and his son, etc..  Yeah, this year's leather-tough uncompromising leader may seem inhuman, but he still has a  Mom and shes's still "with him."  Family support, concern, and removed "omnipresence" are such a cool part of this race.  We all become family members, especially the first week of this year's race!  

Well said Mike!

I rode the Wellington Lake/Tarryall section yesterday.Pretty cool section,and even though it's longer than the Baily section,it was awesome to be out there with very limited traffic.Amazing what a wildfire can do(Stoney Pass).

The Tarryall detour is a pretty special place, it's so quiet and lonely out there. And yes, the burn scars are impressive to say the least.

Check out the Bailey Hundo someday.

Never seen pics from a bikepacking race with so much muddy rain gear! Hardened field out there this year. Must have been a tough night last night to bivy after being wet all day and then dealing with temps in the 30s. Man!

I have a feeling Mike Dion is missing the real story this year 

According to trackleaders 'weather conditions' overlay it's 32 and snowing in Wise River and it looks as if Jefe's momentum has finally stopped. Just spotty SPOT data? Or is he holed up somewhere? What's to offer in Wise River?

That is one ugly weather pattern in place, the whole field from Wise River north looks to be getting wet and awfully cold.

Reminds me of the weather I hit last year on the CT which I was wholly unprepared for - I hope they are better prepared than I was!

Stay warm out there folks

While we're speaking of BV, there is new (at least last year it was) bike shop in town called Boneshaker Cycles. This is a great, full-service shop, and Davin a part-owner helped me out big time last year. He's one of those lucky ones who left the corporate world to open his dream shop, so helping out cyclists in need is top on his list (I left his shop last year with a wheel from his own bike so I could carry on since he didn't have any inventory yet (granted it relegated me from the race)). Make sure to stop in, it is right on the route...north side of Main St east of US-24.

http://boneshakerbv.com/

I've done it twice and will do it again simply because it makes me feel more alive.  The good, the bad, the crushing lows, the amazing highs - I've not found any other way to experience such a wide range of human-ness.  The CTR is a beautiful journey through amazing places - but even more so, it's a journey through the internal wilderness.

Should change your username to joeywordsmith! You nailed it!

I remember in my first attempt in 2012 feeling so depressed on the tenmile - seriously on the verge of throwing my bike off the mtn - at my pathetic performance on that HAB...and then a short two hours later feeling this absurd joy just pouring out of me as I was rolling out of Copper on that feathery singletrack - bunny hopping over little bumps, and whopping and hollering like an 8 year old.

Or the time last year when I rolled into BV after 70 miles on a kevlar replacement spoke (fiber fix) to find a bike shop that either wasn't closed or couldn't help and being so proud of myself for 1: installing the replacement since it required a fair amount of jimmy-rigging since my hubs had slots instead of holes for the spokes, and 2: at riding so far on it and getting to a shop that could help. And then as the tech has the tire halfway off the rim realizing he doesn't have the right spokes for the job and that feeling of pride and accomplishment and raw excitement and - the buzz from the Dale's Pale they gave me - just vanishes in despair and anxiety!

Yeah, that's what brings me back. Also, the unknowns - there is so much you can't anticipate when you set off. There is nothing to compare to that feeling you have on Day 1.

Well good lord, isn't this the CTR Discussion thread?  You know, where people can discuss logistics?  Yes, I have the databook, have the mapbook, have the GPX File and have ridden it.  I was just trying to have some discussion.  This is a forum afterall.  

I'm not asking how much water I need.  I'm asking how much you carried.  I'm having flashbacks of ~6 or 7 years ago when people were holding their cards closely to their chests about gear and logistics.  That in my opinion is not the way to grow a sport.

YMMV

Ok look, sorry to sound like a stingy bastard. Sometimes I feel like people are asking for hard earned info that people have spent years researching, experiencing, and finding on their own - and that it shouldn't be so easy to get key beta like hard to find water sources. Maybe it was just the way you posed the question that rubbed me the wrong way - seemed more like a demand than a discussion point.

At the end of the day though, yes it's a forum for discussion and I'm just stirring the pot (maybe I should leave that to Toby though  ).

Sherpaxc - again, this info is clearly delineated in the data book which you say you already have. Plus you say you've already ridden the CT.

And how much water I need is not the same as how much you will need, and what time of year makes a difference, and how fast are you, and how much are you able to carry...

Isn't that half the fun anyway, not knowing exactly everything?

Give FatGuy a break, he has some points. However, it sounds more like the Unsupported vs. Self-Supported discussion.

Hotels and fast food are less pure - these are backcountry (mostly) adventures after all. Not saying I haven't indulged.

I prefer doing ITT's over the Group Starts because I feel they are more pure, and that I am truly self-supported when things get rough. I don't have the group to rely on for company when things get quiet and lonely, or other racers to vent to and share stories and camp with at night, etc, etc. (I have been in all those situations for the record)

Just going fast within the given rule set is not pure, that is just conformity. There is room to wiggle here, by doing ITT's, by skipping hotels, by mailing all your food ahead - that is all still within most rule sets, yet more pure.

But what is pure? You can hit a perfect golf shot that feels so pure you hardly felt it strike the club, but the guy next to you can shank it, hit a tree, hit the cart path and bounce closer to the hole than you.

I'd hate to take up that little vacation time just seeing a little bit of CO alone.

Isn't the CT the BEST parts of Colorado?

I think the best excuse I ever heard for not doing the CT came from Karl Meltzer (ultrarunner) whom I had the pleasure of running with for a while in the World Run down in Denver last month. When I asked him why he hasn't attempted the speed record on the CT, he replied: 'Because it's too short'. And he wasn't joking.

I don't have to tell you where this is...lots of snow still up in them thar hills

Sorry there Woodland;.

No prob, got a little touchy there. Needless to say I'll do some experimenting when I pick up some 2.4 Ardent's here soon.

Don't just go out with what the shop said you should run. Try for yourself!
 Just for the love of god, don't blindly listen to everything people say.

Do I look like a lemming?

I'm not in the mood for a lecture.

...I'm about 150 and run 20psi in the front and 15-18psi in the rear.

15-20psi! Wow. I have never taken the proper psi very seriously as I pump mine up to 35psi and go. Am I missing something?

Yes, I'm riding the highway up. Not racing.

All the more reason to take your time and do the Tarryall...no need to rush up to Kenosha via that strip of hell called 285 

And God forbid you miss out on the Stage Stop...I'm already looking forward to Pat's warm welcome!

"It's not how hard it hits you, it's how hard you hit BACK!"

Indeed - Mark's call-ins are always the best!

So how does one carry bike and gear through the canyon? Can't imagine. How long is the hike?