Bikepacking under a Blood Moon.

...someone should write a song.

It's about to get weird out there for anyone still moving 

Yes, impossible to please everyone. So let's just stick with the communicated date (10th) and either ride with the group or do an ITT. The beauty of the CTR.

Probably the group start could use a little whittling down anyway as it seems to be approaching the FS group size limits.

Making my 3rd (1st finish) attempt this year. It IS the year. See ya out there.

Same here Hubach! 3rd time's the charm, as they say. 

If this is gonna be the '14 CTR thread, can I throw in some gear questions?
for the CTR vets out there.. which of these options would you choose:
a) 4" carbon FS
b) hardtail 1 - steel frame
c) hardtail 2 - carbon frame. 3-4 lbs lighter than steel bike.
d) pick one at random and spend more time training

Wish I was able to have such a fleet to choose from - nice!
I attempted it the last two years on a FS, and will be attempting this years run on a new El Mariachi (steel hard tail)
I have a feeling that the actual bike you choose makes little difference to the final outcome. Lot more to do with grit, determination, will power and luck!

This is of course assuming you can actually see the moon.

Monsoon season has a way of obscuring a nice big full moon :-)

Man was it wet and cold last year - here's to a dry spell right around Aug 10th 

I have to be honest, who gives a shit how much Adam charges for his book? The CTR will never be a Leadville 100 - it doesn't matter how many people make videos or write books about it, it's very nature (challenging us to experience a solo endeavor like nothing else) it's terrain, and it's participants (soul seekers, self-doubters, restless loners, quiet fighters - ok some of us are a little more 'together' than others) will never allow it to become a big media blitz.  It will (I think) always, always be a locals race...and I think that's why we all love it!

Either way you slice it (Toby camp, non-Toby camp) it doesn't really matter. I think what matters is that Adam's book has the potential to change people's lives...I'm serious. I read Jon Billman's 2007(?) article in Outside magazine about a rag tag group of dudes racing the Divide and it literally changed my life. I devoted - and continue to devote - every moment, thought and dollar to getting myself to be a bike packer because I had never heard of a more awesome way to cover ground.

Why should the CTR be a mystery to people who don't have a close tie to it somehow? I think if Adam's book fell into some kids hands (like Jon Billman's article did in mine) than he has been successful on so many levels. Does he have to charge for it? Stupid debate, it's his material, his to do what he wants with it.

Back to the book, my experiences pre-trail race Adam are so similar to you that I am reading your book as if it was written about me. Kids, jobs, nervous excitement, every single ride being a step closer the CTR, seriously doubting my intention to even race in such a thing (ok, maybe that one is all me) every waking moment wondering about your ability, planning, pre-riding, overnight testing.

The only thing I am left wondering is this: Is it easier to do it with a friend (or with other people)? Or is it truly the ultimate challenge to do it on your own. I have tackled it twice now and FAILED. And I hate that, but attempting it ITT style is the true expression of self-supported bikepack racing and the true test.

Thanks for the read Adam. And damn impressive ride.

Awesome, thanks for sharing dgjessee.

Any good pics out there from the race this year?

Hey all! First of all: why is there no rain in that video?   Second of all: Huge awe-inspiring congrats to Chrissy, I can attest to the extreme weather she survived in to finish - tough girl. I, on the other hand, couldn't handle it and bailed on US-50 into Gunnison...I was freezing and wet and couldn't imagine how I'd survive the crest. Not enough experience at treeline in weather like that for me I guess. (Snow on Wolf Creek pass on my way home tonight - crazy)

Well, once again this thing got the better of me - at the very least I got to Durango (still had a spectacular ride). As a couple people have mentioned to me in the last few days, 'third time is the charm'. But maybe I am not cut out to 'race' this thing, maybe I should have just done it on my own all along. Who knows.

Either way, I have tons of respect and awe for all of you in this community and am proud to be a part of it, even if just as a 'scratch' (again!). With all of your stories of survival and determination and adventure you inspired me to line up for this thing twice and give it my best go and for that I can only thank each and every one of you. Riding the CT in the CTR is one hell of a way to live, even if only for a week! I think a lot of people out there have things on their bucket lists, or a grand adventure, or an epic journey, or a big lifestyle change that they will never make happen for valid reasons that a lot of us can agree with (family, jobs, bills, health, etc, etc). But here in this group you guys don't make excuses, you get out there and live your damn life...and inspired me to live mine. Rock on  

And for the record, how awesome was Pat at the Stage Stop! He greeted me by name when I pulled in, 'Hey Nick!'...love that.

Chrissy arrived at Kenosha Pass about 30 minutes ago.  This is about 12 hours slower than I expected out of her.

I thought she was plugging along pretty well :-)

Probably underestimated the Tarryall detour...I can't wait to slog around in the sand out there tomorrow!

Good luck Chrissy - I'll be two days behind you (starting on the 3rd)

Just don't drop your camera like Scott did (I have enough to carry) 

Mark Caminiti called in from Matukat Road!
http://mtbcast.com/site2/category/ctr13/

Hands down the best MTBcast 'caller-in' award goes to Mark. Love his call-ins!

- Did I hallucinate? Descending the last descent, but before the small uphill into waterton, was there not an american flag and a carriage of belongings that looked like a homeless man pushed up? That would be the only real hallucination. Everything else was just things in nature that as you get closer is just a stump or tree.

Not unless we both did  That thing has been sitting there for ages - what is the deal?


Nice effort Matt, and thanks for sharing some insightful, personal stuff.

Wayne, Neil and Travis are about to get very, very wet.

We just got 3/4" of rain in the last 30 min here.

Here is a little gem I just found. Obviously he has learned quite a bit in the last few years!

Colorado Trail Race 2007 jefe

Congrats once again to Jefe and Jesse. Amazing rides both!

Good luck to all the other multi-colored dots out there.

So, Jesse's blue dot is currently bouncing up and down in front of Bubbles Liquor World!

Dude doesn't waste any time!

Either that or Jerry Oliver, Mark Caniniti and Long Ranger have quit the race to form an acapella quartet with the Irish Amish lady. :-)

Given what I have heard about Sargeant's Mesa you might not be too far off base 

Well it looks like Jefe opened a gap somewhere on the last half of the Matakat road. He arrived at the CT at 1:45am or so and Jesse got to the CT at 3am. I can't imagine how they are starting to feel about now...

We all thought sub-5 days was a ringer until Owen single-handedly laid down a 4d03h in 2009. With no one nearby to push him, he beat the next fastest racer by 17 hours!! Leave no doubt, that was the revolutionary eye-opener for the race to a sub-4 day CTR finish.

I remember going to the CT trailhead area on HWY-126 outside Buff creek to watch the racers come through in '09 (as thoughts of racing it myself were beginning to grow) and not even realizing until much later that we saw Owen come through. He was so far ahead of everyone and carrying next to nothing that it never occurred to me that he was even in the race. I just figured he was a day-tripper...that was some ride.

So they have 70ish miles left. Can they possibly finish before 4am?