The Colorado posse is now drunk and ready to face mud tomorrow.  We're leaving from Flag whenever we wake up and sticking to plan A.
ZG

Hi, the calendar on this site says the Coconino loop is October 11, 2013.  The website says Friday, October 5th (which seems like they haven't updated from last year)  Can anyone clarify the date?  Thanks!

'From the 3 Brits' - Thanks very much indeed to the many supportive and friendly people we met en route. Having decided to retire Forest Baker was very generous in donating part of his rear mech to me somewhere above Slumgullion, I had ridden from Fish creek on a zip tie jury rig and the prospect of continuing to Silverton before a repair wasn't appealling. Forest, I'll put you on my Christmas card list.
We are currently lazing in Durango, any suggestions on post race holiday activities in this town?
Jonathan Edwards

Great mountain biking in that town...
Or go tubing

Congrats to all the racers finishing up!
I picked up a black Pearl Izumi beanie heading up the CT from Gold Hill; lemme know if its yours.
The flowers this year were out of this world! Felt like I was riding through a pack of Skittles the whole time.
Thanks to all the awesome people out there for their company and encouragement, especially Sean, Steve, the German girls, and my family/friends for moral boosts when they were most needed.  My brother hike-a-biked up from Kennebec pass to Indian Ridge to cheer me on as I staggered through there in the middle of the night, mostly delirious, and then he drove to Junction Creek to pick me up as I collapsed at the trailhead at 3 a.m.  Holding it together down those last 25 miles was incredibly brutal.

Anyone know what opening/closing hours would be for food resupply in Silverton?  Thanks.

Thanks for the glove advice - warm gloves packed!
Next questions:
Am I right in thinking there are no resupply options between Hot Springs and Silverton.
In case of mechanical problems, bike shops in Breckenridge, Leadville, Buena Vista and Silverton?

There also aren't any good resupply options between Bailey and Copper.  If I hadn't found a box full of 40 cupcakes last year on Kenosha Pass, I would have bonked so hard.  They were delicious though.  All of them.

use the mileages and road names at http://www.climbingdreams.net/ctr/.  Detours aren't marked, but its tough to get lost if you have an odometer, and maybe preview some maps so you have a general sense of direction out there.

From the Breck 100 website, which uses a fair amount of CT in their course:

"Race Update: 7/8
Loops 2 and 3 are clear and ready to go! Plan on getting your feet wet walking across a snowfield or two on loop 1.  It's melting fast but there will certainly still be some."

Even if you have to walk through some big snowfields over the passes, there's going to be tons of good riding in between.  Do it!

I don't care whether there are PO drops or not; it just changes planning and strategy a bit.  But so long as the rule is in place, the same opportunities exist for everyone, so it is not cheating or unethical or "gaining some special advantage" to use the PO.  While the motivations behind ditching gear at a PO and trailside are the same, the difference is trailside gear stashes are a stain on the scenery and qualify as littering. 

The rule is very clear an easy to interpret:

"No pre-arranged support, with the exception of maildrops to a post office and only a post office."
"If you need to get rid of something, find a dumpster or a post office."

If you want to ship yourself a Clif bar or a shiny new bike or a stack of porns, go ahead.  Last year I shipped gear to BV that I didn't need the first 200 miles.  Racers have shipped excess gear home from Silverton that they didn't need for the last 70 miles.

Do you think City Market closes at midnight or more like 10?

Does anyone know if there are any gas stations/ grocery stores open 24 hours in BV? Thanks

Thanks Tom for hooking me up with a Ramstrong gear deal to get my bike back in working order

[Decided it was time to toss in the towel and hike.]

 ANNOUNCING THE 2010 CTR RAMSTRONG AWARD

I want to put up a award for the racer er...........lunatic who stays out the longest and lives to tell about it!  I'm pretty poor so no cash involved, but I will give the opportunity to place an UNLIMITED wholesale order with my bike wholesaler to the last rider into Junction Creek.  I will also donate $50.00 to the charity that I rode for last year RAMSTRONG in the name of the rider.  I hope this will give a tiny incentive to the racer willing to hold off on pulling the plug and suffer the longest in their quest to finish.  Chances are that your bike and gear will be battered and torn up so this could take the sting out of replacing you tires, drivetrain, brakepads, wheels and who knows what else got trashed.  If anyone has questions about the logistics or who should actually win the award, we will have a thread discussion to vote in the recipient.  Since I did not do 22 and 23 last year (I rode Cinnamon Pass), so sticking to the official course is not as important as just making it.  Please talk amongst yourselves..............................

Although I didn't cross the line last, I thought I might be a candidate.  I put together a timeline of the downward spiraling bike failures from the race

430 miles to go: 3 flats all within a few miles. First one was the seam broke on the tube, second was valve failure (probably from frantic pumping), third was glass on 285.
370 miles to go: wear both sets of brake pads to the metal after a long, wet descent to Gold Hill TH from Georgia Pass. Also the front brake lost fluid. No problemo, bailed to Frisco, got the parts and the guys pulled an emergency blake breed, back on the bike by 11:30 the next day.
200 miles to go: Pinch flat on Sargents Mesa
180 miles to go: Another pinch flat, Segment 18 (...wishing I had tubeless...)
110 miles to go: Another pinch flat on Segment 22.  Mini pump begins to fail; I can only get the tire up to about 25 or 30 psi.
100 miles to go: 2 more pinch flats and another valve failure flat.  Things getting desperate, and I'm starting to panic with big dark clouds approaching.  I began pulling used patches off of spare tubes and recycling them, cutting them in half.  I realize I can't afford to continue like this so I take apart my pump and get it working again (should have done that earlier but I was afraid I'd ruin the thing completely and be SOL)
90 miles to go: On segment 23, freewheel begins to fail, probably clogged from mud.  I'm unable to coast.  Spray it down with water and dump as much lube in there as I can, which gets it to function intermittently
80 miles to go: Another pinch flat on Stoney Pass road
70 miles to go: another wet bivy, but I don't care because I am absolutely certain I will make it to Durango the next day!
60 miles to go: On segment 25, the freewheel is progressively getting worse...On a technical section I'm forced to coast and it pulls the derailluer into the wheel.  The hanger and pulley cage both snap in half (lousy carbon XTR).  I whip up a single speed, which seems to be working ok but tough to keep the proper tension with a full suspension.  I'm still optimistic and know that I will make it to Durango today! Nothing can stop me.
50 miles to go: Chain snaps, rebuild the single speed
40 miles to go: Little chainring snaps off.  Spent a long time attempting to get the single speed working with the middle chainring, but just couldn't make the tension work for me and ran out of links.  Decided it was time to toss in the towel and hike.  Feeling so rejected
25 miles to go: Bike rack snaps coasting down from Indian Ridge.
22 miles to go: ANOTHER pinch flat, this time while walking my bike.  Not sure how thats even possible...I spend a short amount of time debating throwing my bike off the edge and yelling curses at whoever is out to get me.
14 miles to go, 10:30 at night: Fed up with my worst day on a bike ever, bonking from running out of food, my feet destroyed from hiking/jogging, I go for one more wet bivy with the hopes that descending the last 10 miles in daylight the next day will cheer me up.  I'm completely and utterly crushed as a fall asleep.
0 miles to go: Cross the line the next morning, half in tears of joy, half in tears of frustration.  I drink PBR, do some reflecting, and decide that I loved the race, in spite of a miserable last day, and I'm glad I stuck it out

Thank you Cat, Garret, and Matt for keeping my spirits up that last day.  You guys kept me going.

Hey everyone! Great race, beautiful trails, and loved the comraderie and positive vibes out there. and loved the few rays of sunshine that came out.  I'm in Durango hoping to catch a ride in the Denver direction if anyone has room for one person (yes, i showered and won't wreak up your car) and one heap of metal. Please call me 208 371 8046.  In the mean time, I'm going tubing.  cheers.
also, any of you folks i met out on the race hit me up if you pass through bozeman and want to ski or bike.