I probably missed it but has anybody heard how to return the Spot units?

Jason, Glad to hear that your ride went well.  it was great to meet you up on Searle Pass.  Hope to see you out there again.
Alex

Ha, I told the wife I might have to show up in 2013 if someone over 50 lays down a target time this yr.  However, she wasn’t the least bit supportive of the idea.

Hmmm.... you being out there in 2013 Marshal would definitely motivate me to give it a go.  I will 50 next year as well.
Alex

What's next for the amazing Marshal Bird?  Congratulations!

Looks great Marshal!  Good Luck, I'll be watching.

I am a firm believer that regular core and upper body workouts help with back, neck and shoulder problems.

Mine is a large built up with XT and beefy wheels.  Weighs 27lbs.  It has a relatively tight geometry and x-country ride.  If I rode mostly in the desert I probably would have been interestd in a bike with slacker geometry and more travel like the Lenz. 

I think you are correct about the edema as the swelling was beyond what I would expect from just bruising and it actually started after I finished.  The rock and pedal strikes did bother me during the race though and while guards might be over kill some extra padding would have been nice.  There could be entire thread devoted to the physical abuse from the CTR.  My left pinky was numb for a couple of months after the finish.  In training for the race I did a bunch of core and upper body work, I think this helped me from having any back, shoulder or neck issues.

I used a 429 on the CTR last year.  I thought about the extra weight on the hike-a-bike sections but never when riding.  I can not say enough good things about it, laterally stiff, climbs brilliantly, supper fast, etc.  You may be able to get a frame bag on it but not a very big one.

Good idea.  I have not heard of anybody else having this problem, so maybe I am just a spaz.

A lot of the hike-a-bike sections are up steep, narrow trails with rocks on either side.  My ankles and feet were either hitting the rocks or my pedals.  At the end of the race my ankles were swollen for a couple of weeks.  I also tore open the sides of my shoes.  Amazingly, Universtity Bikes in Boulder warrantied them no questions asked.  I'll save you my diatribe on Boulder bike shops.  I think Pearl Izumi makes a high top shoe that might help or I was thinking of a soccer ankle guard.  BTW Marshal the new bike looks beautiful.

Marshal is a "bad ass" but also a really nice guy.  Calories are the key.  Figure out what you can buy along the way.  I started the race with too much heavy food and suffered the first couple of days with a heavy load.  When you get your bags, spend time figuring out how you want to weight them.  I started with a light backpack but during the race added weight to get my bike to handle better.  My ankles took a beating on the hike-a-bike, I would consider some type of guard next time.  Also need to decide how much you want to suffer.  I am on the older side (though not the oldest) and I decided that I wanted to be able to recover at night with a lot of good sleep.  I carried a full length air pad, light sleeping bag and gore tex bivy sack.  The guys up front carried a lot less.

I am still trying to process the real race and then I watch this virtual replay and it blows my mind.  It's funny, I had David Bowie's Major Tom playing in my head almost every day.  I hope to put some stuff down in writing soon but not quite there yet.  Thanks to Stefan for putting this together, the other riders for making it so fun, my wife Jenny for supporting my effort.  Marshal and Cat, you are awesome.  It was great to get to know you out there, thank you.  More soon,
Alex

Do these SPOT transceivers work as avalanche beacons?

HaHa, no kidding, all this twitter stuff is Greek to me.  I can't even deal with texting.

trail717 thanks for the clarification.  I went down the south shore for awhile but obviously not far enough, thought I was heading out the old trail.  I went back to the gate where I had last seen a CT sign and went straight out the road until I was out in the meadow then wandered around the maze of dirt roads.

Rode from Camp Hale to Poncha Springs this weekend to figure out gear including my Epic Designs bags.  Thanks to Eric for making the effort to get them to me on time.  They're brilliant!  Thanks also to Cycles of Life in Leadville for fixing a brake problem as I rode through.  Couple of observations: Rain and hail can really ruin a party so keeping a positive attitude is mandatory to finish the race.  Mosquitoes are out, they help keep the breaks short.  Leaving the Nevegal up front, it saved me more than once, a fully loaded bike can push some dirt around.  Trail south of Twin Lakes is difficult to follow starting with the barb wire fence crossing after the bridge.  I wandered all over the place until the smell of cheeseburgers in Buena Vista got the best of me.  Maybe a GPS would help but I'm not using one.  Hope I find it next time but would love some advice from somebody who knows it.  $15 for a soak at Cottonwood Hot Springs is well worth it.  Segment 14 was slower for me than I anticipated, lots of on-and-off the bike.  All in all it was great fun, looking forward to the real deal.

I am starting to think about what to bring for repair kit, tools, etc.  Also looking for the best way to make an emergency tire boot.  Any thoughts will be appreciated.