Thanks for the great coverage, Joe!

I love your style, Dominic! Best CTR post ever. Good luck with the rest of the race.

I think Joe from MTBCast will be there though, along with Neil's girlfriend!

Fame and love. Two out of three ain't bad!

What stupid sign?  Someone sharpie an arrow pointing the wrong way?

There used to be an old CT sign that incorrectly pointed up the road. I thought that somebody finally ripped it out, but the recent route errors make me think that maybe it's still there. If so, I will rip the damn thing out myself next year!

I hope that Neil's greeting party has lots of ice. A bag for his knee--and another for his beer!

Ahhhh, dang it!

Do you suppose that stupid sign is still up there? I was planning on moving it this year, but then ended up not being able to race.

Wow, for a guy who's got a 10/10 in pain, he's still moving right along. In fact, I bet that he's clearing that section more quickly than most day-riders!

If I recall, Dave Harris walked and coasted down from Indian Ridge--and made great time. There are only a few climbs, and not much pedaling from Kennebec to the the trailhead. So if Neil can get to Kennebec without destroying his knee, then he'll probably make it to Durango.

I just hope that he's not wrecking his knee. He's of that age when some people push hard enough to develop lifetime injuries. Those of us who have them generally regret it as we age.

Been a few years but I don't recall a spot where you can bail from where he is at. I don't even see any side roads on the map.

When I posted that,  he was right next to Forest Road 564--which is a decent-looking road. I remember riding past it on my previous two CTR finishes. I've seen cars on it, along with people parked at trailheads.

Edit: If you look at satellite view, there's even a car parked by the road.

I really hope that he doesn't permanently injure himself
 He is young and had a lifetime of riding ahead of him
 Any pain that rates  10 is likely very serious.

Bummer about Neil for sure. 10 out of 10 on the pain scale seems like justification enough to quit, even for someone as tough as he is.  At least he's in a good spot at the moment for someone to pick him up. Hard to imagine making it through the next section with that much pain.

Spots aren't required to get an official finish. As long as Bryan has some way to demonstrate that he completed the route, Stefan will probably count it--at least he has in the past. Since Bryan has been riding with other people, they can vouch for him. Photos, GPS logs, etc. are good too if there are any questions. I think that only one guy has ever been disqualified for not being able to verify his ride--and that is because several other riders, including me, reported him for cutting the course by taking long car rides.

So tell Bryan to take photos, keep his GPS log, make friends, and ride hard. He's going to be fine!

What happened!  That sucks to bail after going so fast... or maybe that's WHY he bailed... would be the case with me.

Here's his post: "Sitting in Copper eating and reflecting on the fact that my body is letting me down this time. I rode here faster than 2008 despite not doing Ten Mile last time. Unfortunately my right Achilles is making me limp when I walk already and I'm not here to do anything less than race 100%. I'm proud of my effort and perhaps only a year to get ready was ambitious."

I just saw on Facebook that Chris Plesko quit. Bummer--he was having one hell of a start!

Yes, I agree.  And thanks for the "non" off-track input, was wondering the same myself

Here's where the conversation started: http://www.bikepacking.net/forum/index.php?topic=6817.msg66153#msg66153

July 25th is pretty last-minute. And not everyone who races the CTR reads these forums.

The fact that Trackleaders didn't even get the updated track into the system helps add support to the argument that either route could be deemed acceptable.

I did just notice that some riders are following the error in the old GPX, which suggests that they didn't load the latest version of the track. Oops.

Whether there are consequences, that'll be up to Stefan.

My vote (not that I really have any say) is to count either route as acceptable this year. While people should have been paying better attention to Stefan's site, the GPX was changed pretty late in the game. The penalty for their inattention is having to climb up that hill--which seems sufficiently punitive.

It looks to me like a lot of riders are missing the right turn at Rock Creek Hills Rd (39)?  The last 5 have missed it, and the current leader.  Is that a legal?

Trackleaders doesn't seem to be displaying the updated CTR track. The current track doesn't go right, it stays on 39.

In other words, the riders are doing fine.

I wish that I could be out there with everyone. But seeing so many familiar names on Trackleaders makes it easier to at least get some vicarious pleasure. Mark sure is having a fast day, especially considering what a big year he's already had.

Speaking of the bible, the official CTR web site says for the Collegiate Peaks detour we go:

"Left for 3 mi. on Clear Creek Road, right for 5.9 mi. on US-24, left on Rd-371 for 10 mi. on old railroad grade to B.V. Right on Main...etc."

Is it okay to continue on US 24 to main and then turn right, skipping the gravel road section? Guide book says it is acceptable, but don't know if it is CTR acceptable. Speed limit is 55, but shoulder is 6 feet wide.

The gravel road is actually pretty nice. Not much traffic, nice views of the river, cool tunnels, etc. And, yes, that is the CTR route--which is not always the same as the guidebook. If you're racing, you must follow the course.

Figured a few of you folks would like to read this...http://bikepackersmagazine.com/stefan-griebel/

Great interview. Thanks for the link!