Does anybody have a tin of bear-spray they can photo and measure the can dimensions so I can see it?  I am trying to see the best place to mount it on my bike, and allocate a small space to do so.  Presumably there are not many different manufacturers.  From the UK and we would only be able to pick up a can in Canmore (or last resort Banff).  For planning purposes at the moment I've mounted a tin of deodorant on my bike but don't expect that will be very good at protecting me from bears!

Ta
Chris

Hey Chris, I bought a small can and just kept mine in a jersey pocket. That was it was always with me and close at hand. It is no good if you go for a “rest break” and your spray is on your bike, which murphy’s law dictates will happen for sure!

NPS only has jurisdiction to their boundary, which is the first ~9 miles.  ADOT says it is open after that (actually they say the whole thing is open, disagreeing with NPS). 

No one is aware of any closure of the road through USFS land.

Hey Scott, when Dave W and I were doing our epic hire car shuttle the day after our finish (15 hours driving) I noted a road sign just out of Flagstaff, on the road to Page, that said that “HIGHWAY 67 CLOSED FROM JACOB LAKE”. Maybe ADOT does have it officially closed as there were temporary barriers across the road at JL and a large locked gate about 500 yards down the 67 toward the North Rim.

Doing the AZT from the north rim would make this thing MUCH more challenging (it just never gets any easier  ) but that first 9 miles might have to be added as a permanent section of the race trail to avoid conflict. Pack ya snowshoes folks............

Congrats Flyboy. Just checked in at Utah with Dave W hot on his heels.

Was a big party in the canyon last night!

Beagle, there was no party. It felt more like a wake! I am glad I didn’t know all of those guys were nipping at my heels.

Does anyone else see the irony here?  You have a NPS ranger berating a mountain biker for not riding the singletrack in a National Park.  And all the mountain biker wants to do is ride the pavement. 


Good to see Keith blazing through.  I ran into him last year at Kelvin just as he had to throw in the towel to make it to work. 

That is pretty funny actually Ev. I was sorta glad I didn't have to do thee AZT north of the rim. I would have been seriously short of calories.
I had a story ready for the pavement though.  My front hub half collapsed between Flag and Tusyan so I was going to be walking the bike and show any ranger it's screeching, grating operation. Luckily, I saw no one for about 2 hours out of the rim.

Yep, it's the one the dumps into the Gov't Reservoir area. That's the only super fun, flowy drainage I can think of that doesn't require a climb out!! You keep waiting, expecting it, but it simply opens up as you exit the trees. The Gov't Res. open area is where I ran into the sticky death mud in '16. Not pleasant.

No mud yesterday but that section has been pockmarked by cattle when it was last wet. It was like riding a jackhammer but at least we could ride it.

Oh yeah! i stayed in the east wing on my run.  Great accommodations.  Go get em Mark!

Yes, the East wing was the much cleaner last night!

I finished this afternoon at 3:50ish. It was a great run from Jacob Lake with the wind pushing us along.  Also, some of the best singletrack on the entire route along there. I loved that buffed out section along the drainage about 6-8 miles out of Jacob Lake.
Thanks Scott for organising this show and all the other competitors that I met along the route. There are some really great people in this bikepacking scene.
Also, cheers to Aaron D for the lift from Stateline to Page. You saved us another 50 miles AND has complimentary in-flight drinks! Champion!

Interesting drop into Mormon Lk for Beth S and Dave H, taking AZT to Dbl Sprngs CG then doubling-back on the paved road to the store.  Saves on 500ft of elev gain over Navajo Sprngs direct drop from the ridge to store but adds ~4miles (?) of bonus distance.  I've dropped down both the Nav Sprngs trail and road 219A/90N a little further North, and have my personal preference btwn those two were I ever in that situation again.  Maybe they were pushing past the store and gunnin' for Flag, then reconsidered.

Mike, it was a long, cold, windy day today and I was over the hab for the day. I preferred the easy distance with a tailwind back to route over another potential hab. Its brutal out there!
Dave H.

Well, I've arrived in SV and the butterflies are growing!
A huge thanks to Sun N Spoke here and Roadrunner Cycles on Broadway in Tucson for generously helping me with final preparations.
Looking forward to meeting fellow 750 lunatics in the morning!
Bring it on! Wink
Edit: Is this border securing exercise likely to effect us riders? I guess we will find out tomorrow......

Well, I've arrived in SV and the butterflies are growing!
A huge thanks to Sun N Spoke here and Roadrunner Cycles on Broadway in Tucson for generously helping me with final preparations.
Looking forward to meeting fellow 750 lunatics in the morning!
Bring it on!

Flyboy & others doing the hike, don't forget that the Phantom Ranch cantina closes from 4-8p, I missed my lemonade fix by 5 measly minutes, but that was quickly salvaged by some campers offering some whiskey....

Thanks John. Gee, that lemonade must be good as everyone mentions it..... 

I plan on through hiking the canyon in one hit but I can't find anything definitive about food at Phantom Ranch. I see most people talk about getting a Sprite or a Mountain Dew but I can't see that anyone eats there. Is there "proper" food that can be bought there and is it available to the walk up public? Is this the menu? Cheers in advance.
https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-RFBLCqr/0/21641300/M/i-RFBLCqr-M.jpg

This thing is getting real now! I fly out tomorrow morning for the US. Just wondering if there will be a separate race discussion thread or if it will continue in this one? I'd like to send a link to friend and family as my interwebs might be limited once in the US.

See you at The Fence!!

Just a quick question from a foreigner, in Australia there is NOTHING at all open on Easter Friday and Sunday. As in, you would be lucky to find a gas station open in a major city. Is this likely to be a problem for us racers over the Easter weekend or is it business as usual in the US?
Cheers.

Edit: Forget that one....I am a week late or early depending on how you look at it. 

Hope the thongs are double pluggas to survive the canyon walk 😜

Ahh, you know of the mighty double plugger? Alas, I will be foregoing the comfort and style of the pluggas for the practicalities of some X-Alp conformality. 

As for the start list, wow, some big names in there! Litterally decades of bikepacking experience on the start line this year.

I finally got around to getting my portage system arranged today. I was pleased to see that it only took a short time to get it comfortable. Using the Mountainsmith strappettes, some strap and my hydration pack it seemed to work well and was reasonably comfortable for a stroll around the backyard. How hard can this canyon hike be.......
Some more serious singletrack hiking is on the cards next week to shake it down.

Assuming I'll be the last one of 70-ish riders through this area, I would presume that the Freeman cache will be ransacked by then. What are the options for water, other than carrying 8 liters?

I see water sources listed in the AZT water table, but having ridden twice through this area, I have never seen (nor looked for) any of them. Has anyone used anything else than the Freeman cache in the past? What are "tanks"? Do you have to climb up and into them? Is green water bad for you?

Thanks!

Answers (in detail) are in the first 11 pages of this thread. As a rookie, I found the following links particularly helpful and no, unfortunately there isn’t any substitute to putting the time into researching this “monster”. Happy reading.  (note: it isn’t just exit logistics in those links)

I always like to chime in on "exit logistics" to help with what I've learned from two previous 750 finishes:
 - go back through previous year discussion threads on this forum for the large amount of detailed information that is just too large to recreate;
http://www.bikepacking.net/forum/ultra-racing/2017-aztr300750-race-discussion-thread/
http://www.bikepacking.net/forum/ultra-racing/azt-750300-2017-planning-thread/
http://www.bikepacking.net/forum/ultra-racing/2016-aztr300750-race-discussion-thread/
http://www.bikepacking.net/forum/ultra-racing/arizona-trail-race-aztr-planning-thread/

I'm also looking for a ride from the finish or Phoenix area or Tucson to the start...anyone?

Rebecca, from the blog link above, Erin used and recommends Kris from Ajo Bikes in Tucson. Maybe give them a call?
See you at The Border. 

It has been a cruisey morning....  live now:

https://form.jotform.com/trackleaders/aztr18

Who will win the race to sign up to the race?  Last year it was none other than El Freako if I recall.

Probably not me, but I wouldn’t be far off. 

Right! Signed up with the receipt to prove it.........and quietly getting very nervous......

That's a good question.  A lot of people do find the need to camp out of the canyon (and being out of the canyon is *much* better -- do not camp in the canyon without a permit!) once they cross.  As far as I know you do need a permit to camp in the park, even up on the rim.  There's the 'hiker/biker' site in the campground where cyclists are welcome at any time, but that's a little out of the way.

One thing to remember is that you exit the park after 9 (or 11?) miles.  Once in National Forest dispersed camping is allowed, so from there to the Utah border, camping is available everywhere.

If pulling a permit to camp in the canyon (e.g. the thru-hiker overflow site) then it's probably worth asking about a backcountry permit for up on the rim, if you think you might need it.  Otherwise, I wouldn't bother and plan to get out of the park before camping.

Ok, thanks Scott. I should be able to drag my carcase out of the park before lying down. Under the radar it is!

Just tuning back in here.

This issue is still not resolved.  It is something everyone considering or doing the 750 needs to know about.

The park service is saying that SR67 is closed to cyclists until May 15th, due to safety reasons.  From what I can gather it is unlikely to be an issue on the ground because few people in the park service agree with it.  That said, it does have the potential to become a major issue, and if the wrong person is encountered at the wrong time, well...

One option is to have the race end on one of the rims (north or south) and if people want to continue on, they may at their own risk.

This year it is sure shaping up as one where the trail may be rideable (is there even any snow yet?) in which case I'd opt to rescind the 'snow detour' that SR67 is, anyway.  That may be the way we deal with it this year.

Schillingsworth -- will wait for the deets on extra singletrack.  Those first couple miles of Apache Trail wouldn't be sorely missed, presuming the HAB quotient isn't too high.

Scott, if we do go with the full AZT on the North Rim this year would it be considered good form to get a backcountry permit or is it best to keep a low profile? Happy to go with what you locals recommend as being an international, I wouldn’t want to reflect badly on the race by doing the wrong thing.

Not sure what rumors you are talking about.

I really hope to see a Grizzly though...that would be a real highlight for me.

I'll watch the video though...after all these years solo camping in Colorado, I think I've developed a bit of complacency around bear safety.

Sorry, meant “wives tales”, not rumours. The video helps to dispel the wives tales.....plus he is actually pretty entertaining.