Well it's about time to hit it. Marshal, Goldberg and I are at quality inn in Sierra vista. Good luck everyone!! I hope I can sleep tonight as Christmas is coming!!

Mark C.

To Jacob Lake -- but feel free to jump on earlier if it looks good.  Cues are simple - take the pavement to JL. 

Cool- I know that pavement well after 2010. Nearly 50 miles of hunger-based riding. The burger at Jacob Lake was not that good but to me it was amazing at the time.

Hey Scott how about a quick cue-style rundown of that North Rim detour? Are we just detouring until we find no snow-mud or the whole way to Jacob Lake?

Mark C.

Sorry Scott I just signed up this morning but was always in just being lazy. 13 days and change until AZT 750. The singletrack race/ride of a lifetime. I will see you all at the start. Thanks to Marshal and Beardog- the Colorado contingent will be dialed in and ready to roll at the border.

Great deal. I use this bag as my drybag harness system and it works great. I end up with a cut blue foam pad between the cable loops (right at the headtube badge) and my Event bag attached above and directly to the Novara bag. 3 straps. No movement. the 2 outside straps wrap all the way around the pad below. Inside strap just mounts the Event bag to the Novara. I added the outside strapping after working with just the middle strap last summer (it moved too much on rocky descents). I actually have my setup attached to my gas tank as well for additional stability fore/aft.

The map bag top part worked well. I used velcro to attach a solar aa/aaa phone charger and that worked great too. The bag can hold full 20oz rain gear and my solar stuff so very roomy. And it centers the dry bag weight over the bars/stem more than in front/below for better handling.

Hey everyone we are now offering free shipping ($25 minimum). Geronimo Pain Cream will also be available soon on the site in an 8oz. plastic jar size. Call us at the shop for the bigger size in the meantime.

Mark
303-567-0152
Fall River Botanicals

Didn't Mark Caminiti ride the CTR, AZT 750, and Coconino in one season in 2010? If he did, I think that he deserves credit for technically completing the "First" Triple Bikepacking Crown. But replacing the Coconino with the TD certainly raises the stakes! I'm looking forward to watching your progress, David!

No I only rode the AZT 300 and 750 and CTR, so that was my 'kinda' triple. And I was not fast at any of them.
I had a blast in 2010, and this year I am hoping for the exact same thing plus Coconino, which looks fun.
I think the triple should be any 3 races u want on any bike. Even cool ITT's should count.

Hey guys, I'm new to this and am planning to ride the 300 this year.  The plan was/is to drive from my home base in Denver down to Superior and catch a shuttle. 

So question is, any room for a rookie (happy to pitch in on gas) on the shuttle?  If so, how do I get on the official list?  Also, sounds like it might be leaving out from somewhere other than Superior? 

Let me know and thanks MUCH in advance for any help --

--  David

Hey David if you are looking to split gas on the trip from Denver to Superior (or ?) I am looking for a ride down from Colorado. I am in Idaho Springs and looking to ride to 750 for the second time. PM me and we can work out the details.

Mark C.

I would bet that the race starts on a Monday due to the Hwy 285 stretch from Shawnee to Kenosha Pass. It is a very dangerous stretch of road to navigate during heavy traffic hours (weekend).

Daily mileage goals for folks who finish in 7 days or more can be problematic too. A good example would be not clearing Georgia Pass on day 1 (mile 80 or so). Those who do get good mileage on day 2 and clear 10 mile and Searle/Kokomo (usually). Those who dont have low mileage on day 2, sometimes half of day 1. But then you can bust out a 100 mile 24hrs after that and reach Beuna Vista if the slow progress on day 2 does not demoralize you. I guess what I am saying is wake up each morning and forget yesterdays mileage or issues and just plug away.

As far as bike bags go, I bet Jeremy11 from this site could make you a nice bag for that small front tri area Stumpy, and he charges about half of what the big boys do (around 70-80 bucks).

Monday, July 30th, 2012 - 6am

My 2 cents on a first attempt in the CTR:
Race something else this season first to get used to the concept, like ITT of the Grand Loop or AZT 300 or DaveH's Utah race. If that cant be done, no biggie but the first 2 days of the CTR can be overwhelming.

Work on your fitness MORE than working on gear choices this winter. I think that the goal should be the best shape/lowest weight that is acceptable in your life. I mix it up and run many miles/do tons of pushups,curls, upper body. You can finish with average fitness ( I did in an 08 ITT, 09 and 10 races) but it makes things more difficult and mentally challenging.

As long as your camping gear is light, it does not matter really what choices you come up with. Bivies, tents, tarps, sleeping bags, no bag, etc. have all been tried and some things work well for some people but not for others. Custom bike bags are a great thing, but you do not have to have the best to compete. Homemade gear works just as well IMO.

Bikes: 26 or 29, HT or FS, all seem to work well if set up right.

Do not give yourself a time limit to complete the race that is unrealistic. In my experience that results in quitting before Durango nearly every time. Having to catch a flight or make a wedding or whatever will ruin your race effort mentally. Maybe Krefs (AZT 300/750 record holder) can do that, but the average human will succumb to the added stress of a time limit. Any excuse in your mind to quit will be madly amplified by the stress of an event like the CTR.

I have used one since 2007 in singletrack bikepack races. They rule. 12oz. penalty over Thomson Masterpiece. I can even get a decent sized bag, a FS bike and a 5" dropper post to work together. YMMV. By decent sized bag I do not mean anything bigger than large day bags- not custom stuff. Custom bags would work with a hardtail though. For the FS bike I use a Novara bag from REI, the biggest one, and attach a small stuff sack (like the one sold with a 3.5oz Adventure Medical Bivy) to the back of it.

Does it help with descending? Yes. Does it help with leg fatigue after 3-4 days? Yes. Do I notice the 12oz penalty? No. It is not rotating weight.

Think of it this way too if weight issues are bugging you. A custom seatbag is about 6oz heavier my seat bag/stuff sack combo. You wont get a sleeping bag in my setup, but that is the trade off.

I used mine in AZT and CTR, but would not for TD, as anything with mostly roads would not see a benefit at all (I went Thomson for the Grand Loop after using a dropper post the first time because it made no sense).

edit- I only mount the Novara Seat Bag  to the rails and add a zip tie for security. It works well. The Novara has a nice 2-piece clip-in setup like a binding. I just zip-tie all that together in case of accidental rotation.

http://www.rei.com/product/780453/novara-expanding-wedge-seat-bag

I second that Rampage vote of confidence. I ran it from Apache Junction to the finish (on the front) in 2010 and then in the 2010 CTR. It would be a slower rear tire than the Geax Sagauro TNT but it weighs less so over a long distance it may equal out.

Upon further review of specialized.com I would say that Bart's tire choice (The Captain UST GRID) looks good, just like the Armadillo Captain and Geax TNT Saguaro.

The weight of the new UST Captain is beefy, 100g+ over the Armadillo Captain and 150g + over the control model. Nice.

I think about riding AZT this year especially that I am in California now so it is much closer from here than from Poland.

I wonder how difficult AZT is in comparison to CTR in terms of technical sections? It seems that AZT is even more harsh. What do you think?

The rocks just seem sharper and more abundant in AZ. No harder to ride a section IMO than CT, but AZT beats the bike up more.

I also think I had mad chain wear in 2010 over the 730ish miles. I had a shop check the chain after and decided to run the same chain in the 2010 CTR (did not seem stretched). Toastage to the cassette, pulleys, mid and granny. I may get a new chain in Flag this time around.

If it rains/snows in Southern AZ the fine dirt will destroy the brake pads while the wheel just rotates. That fine dirt also took out a tubeless tire and made the other slow leak in just 18 miles or so. Basically my bike was a mess and I had not even left the 300 start. 18 miles of dirt roads that were basically flat killed my bike. But for the rest of the 750 it was dry and pad/tire wear was normal again.

I learned a valuable lesson. If conditions were the same down there again I would walk and carry or wait a day. It was that bad.

edit- Bart I ran 2.0 captain control and it failed twice tubeless. Once in the first 18 miles. Go Geax TNT or Spec. Armadillo. The captain control seems to work well here in Colorado but I flatted it on Warren Gulch recently, which is rocky like Arizona. The Captain 2.0 or 2.2 Armadillo would work well in 'Zona.

Bart- the Captain control tire would work, but I had issues with them in AZ just like here in Idaho Springs. They are weird tires. Sometimes they act like they will last forever. Then I slice a sidewall or just lose air a day after a ride (tubeless).  In the 2010 AZT that tire worked after an early tube was inserted until Apache Junction, where I reset the tubeless. In Payson I ran over a 2" deck screw and it held tubeless with Slime Pro but I replaced the tire with a Geax Sagauro TNT and it held for the rest of the year, CTR included.

Tim is right all 5 starters in 2010 for the full meal deal destroyed the brake pads they started with in the snow. I had no spares. Now I carry back up pads. The plastic pad was needed to take up space as my Elixirs faded too much for metal on metal contact to work.

Carry pad spacers too. For the ditch haul/bike disassemble. My front brake faded from a lever pull or something.

Tripper is right I experienced some extreme weather/temp differences. 6-7" of snow on the border. 89F on Oracle Ridge. 21F at 5am on top of Mogollon Rim. 87F at the bottom of the ditch. 2 feet of snow on the north rim and 27F.

The colder temps were easier to work with for a Colorado rider for sure. Water in the heat is a must. Carry 180 or more everywhere (220 out of Oracle).

I agree with Tim- Slime filled tubes are a must. 3 tubes to start. Tubeless tires that are brand new to start. Tough tires like Geax TNT bead. Extra brake pads.

I had to buy various tires, tubes and pads to survive (barely, and sometimes by sheer luck) in 2010 for 15 days. I finished on one brake but with a intact tubeless kit after two tire replacements, flats, tube failures, etc. Know where the bike shops are the whole way.

Bart- for the 300- dont leave Tucson (halfway point) with a hobbled bike- go to the shop. I didnt, thinking I could score stuff in Oracle or something. That was a bad idea.

We just wanted to let everyone know we are back in stock with all products including the Geronimo chamois/pain cream. You can call us at the shop to order by phone or just go to the site listed below and order by CC or Paypal.

Thanks,

Mark and Leila

I have been thinking of it for a few years. Mapped out Colorado with detours. IMHO I think it would take the average bikepack racer about 45-60 days if one was to ride every open to mtb section. 1100+ miles of singletrack and about 2800 total miles (guesstimates). Some/most of the ST would be slow going. Even the detours would have some ST and 4x4 stuff.

Basically it would make the AZT 750 look easy by comparison. Like doing that 3 times in a row.