I see over on bikepacking.com there's an article about the *first* Colorado Trail Yo-Yo.

See more here:
https://bikepacking.com/plog/strempke-colorado-trail-yo-yo/

Anybody know if this is actually true?  I thought I'd heard of somebody yo-yo-ing it a few years ago.  

Just curious.

ETA:  I see they do make a mention of doing it on singlespeeds.  Maybe it's just the first time on one-speeds.

Thanks for the info Stefan. The hikeability was ultimately my concern. I have limited experience in your neck of the woods.

Sidebar - No idea why Chiappa has me quoted talking about delaying. I said nothing of delaying the race and would not interject my opinion on such matters when there's an active RD handling everything just fine.

I'd guess he just inadvertently typed his message within your quote.  It's not the first time it's happened.

Awesome write-up!  There's a few guys on here who set the bar for trip reports - you are one of them.

Thanks!

I'd love to hear about a long route that sounds like it's in my neighborhood, but the link tells me "page not found".

There shouldn't be a period at the end of the address link.  Here's the correct link:

https://www.bikepackingroots.org/wild-west-route.html

I always enjoy your photos and stories, Mike.  Thanks for sharing!

Have you tried Rockywoods?

There was a photographer/freelance journalist on the course this year.  I talked to him a few times but don't recall his name, super nice guy.

Anyone have any info and if/where/when his work might be published?

Was it a journalist from Mountain Flyer?  Maybe worth checking in with them?

By the way - nice ride out there!

I can't remember which way it's going next year

I think the race starts in Denver on even years, and in Durango on odd ones.

Can anyone who has used Giro's in both the normal version and the HV comment on how much of a difference there is between the two. A lot of shops don't carry the HV so it's hard to try before you buy.

I've had the HV in the Privateer, Addy.  I don't know much about the other shoes, but the Privateer seemed to do the trick pretty well for me, with some upscale insoles, too.  The Privateers were a decent shoe for a long time, but not so great for the hike-a-bike we know and love.  I now have a pair of HV Terradurros I'm giving a shot.  They're not quite what the Privateers were in volume, but they're not as broken in, either.  Those old ones have a lot of extra airflow.  At this point, they're just really, really ok.

Steve

Fantastic!  Love the words and photos, MC.

Yeah, I was hoping more people would chime in here, too.  For clipless, I used to have an old pair of Specialized shoes (not sure on the model), and they were by far the best shoes for my feet.  Size 13 4E.  Even the Sidi Megas I used to use were too narrow.  I use a pair of Giro Privateers HV (high volume) right now, and they suffice, but I feel like there should be something better.  I'm thinking of going back to platform pedals full-time just so I have more options in shoes.  I recently got a pair of OneUp composite pedals - I love them so far.

I've had good luck with silicone tape - I use the clear stuff, but there's a few color options out there, for sure.  It only sticks to itself, so there's no residue at all when pulling it off.

Always enjoy viewing your stories, with a little reading mixed in.  Thanks Mike!

Thanks, Dave!

If the weather holds up, I'm planning on doing an ITT next weekend, either Friday or Saturday.

If you can post up a complete .gpx, that'd be swell.  There could be one out there, but I haven't looked too hard.  This has been on my radar for a few years.  Have fun!

I've got great fondness of my 1UP rack.  Super stable.

For those of you that use the Sawyer Squeeze inline with a bladder, how hard to you have to suck to get water out?  Also, to fill your bladder, do you just dunk it in the water?

I don't usually drink directly from the filter, but on the rare occasion I do I've never had a problem.  With the squeezing action and the clean water Colorado has (for the most part), you probably won't have a problem.

For filling the bladder, I usually look for a little waterfall, or an area with good flow to put pressure into the mouth of the bladder/bag.  If the water is more stagnant, you may have to drag the bladder through the water to create the difference in pressure to get the bladder to fill better.  To combat this, I carry a small water bottle from a gas station.  I can crush it down to pretty much nothing and put the cap back on to keep it small.  When I'm ready to filter water, I'll take the cap off, blow it up and use it to collect dirty water to pour into the bladder for filtering.  It won't have a problem with filling like the bladder might.  A smaller bottle helps if the water source is shallower, too.

PM sent.

I'm interested and looking forward to the pictures. 

Where about are you located?

Steve

PM sent.