2011 CTR Planning

[timroz]

Todd, I am starting on the 8th.  Can't make the 1st work.

[JonathanEdwards]

I would like to download a base map for the CT to my Garmin Edge 705. Any ideas on where I'll find one please? ( I am based in England if that is relevant)

Thanks

Jonathan

[gregclimbs]

http://www.gpsfiledepot.com/maps/view/197/

g

[bartspedden]

I road the portion of segment 6 that over laps with loop 2 http://www.warriorscycling.com/courseMaps/B100-loop2-2010.pdf on the breck 100 (think "before breck" for south bounders).  The trail was in great shape! The previous night rain tacked up the dirt nicely for some hero mud on the downhill sections.  A couple of the turns were bogged out greasy mud, but you could see them coming because they were that dark greasy colored mud.  Overall though, the trail was exceptional!  It looks like the ten mile segment still has some snow.  Has anyone been up to Searle Pass and had a look out towards Kokomo Pass? I wonder what the snow pack is like over there?

[sherpaxc]

Man, I've been hanging out in Ouray and the monsoon is in FULL effect.  Super duper heavy rain in the afternoon/early evening.  How is it on the Front Range?  I start in less than 2 weeks!

[Done]

Man, I've been hanging out in Ouray and the monsoon is in FULL effect.  Super duper heavy rain in the afternoon/early evening.  How is it on the Front Range?  I start in less than 2 weeks!

Wet in the afternoons. But the forecast looks better!

[bartspedden]

We're starting to see some of the more typical afternoon rain storms.  Heavy with lots of thunder/lighting/wind, but rather short lived.  The past week has been pretty humid in the front range for Colorado.  I dare say even muggy at times.  

This past weekend in Breck the rain came in between noon and 1pm. It felt pretty cold to me!

[sherpaxc]

Yeah, boy howdy...you can try to imagine the cold Colorado rain while in Texas but until it's experienced it's hard to imagine.  It's not like it's my first rodeo either, but when you come from 100 degree days in May with zero rain for months you kind of forget.  It changed what I packed.  I decided to add a wind jacket with the rain jacket.  It's my 4 oz safety net I guess!

[bartspedden]

Not a bad idea sherpaxc! Getting the clothing dialed sure makes for a nicer time of things.  I got a good reminder about riding in all day rain yesterday.  I have a 26.4 mile commute home from the office and it rained the ENTIRE ride. I had a rain jacket and was able to vent well enough to not get soaked from sweat.  I had rain pants too, but choose not to put them on because I thought I might get too hot.  If I would of known the rain was going to last until I got to my jeep I think I would of just put them on.  As it was, sans pants, my lower half was completely drenched and the rain just funneled down my legs into my shoes.  My shoes filled up with water and I just had to laugh because I knew a mistake like this on the right day in the mountains could mean a pretty miserable day/night. I always struggle with when to put on the rain gear and how much of it to put on.  I prefer to ride with as little rain gear as possible, but sometimes when I do this the rain comes on fast and furious and I'm soaked before I have time to get the pants on.  

Any rules of thumb you folks use?

[Done]

Any rules of thumb you folks use?

One way or another, I figure that I'm just going to get wet if I'm riding hard during a mountain rainstorm. Rain gear is just a way to keep new colder water from soaking through and replacing the nice warm water already on my body. Staying warm is the primary objective, with staying dry being more of a bonus. More like a wetsuit than a drysuit! I usually change into rain gear when I figure that more water is falling out of the sky than I'm sweating, and change back out when the opposite is true.

That said, it's important to be able to dry out eventually. Usually this just means just letting evaporation do its thing once the storm passes. But in the mountains, I always have one fresh warm layer packed away in a dry bag that I can change into if I get really cold. I consider this my safety cushion if I crash hard and/or things get disorganized...

[bartspedden]

Thanks Toby! I like idea of balancing the sweating versus wet-by-rain equation.  Makes perfect sense.  And I've got a set of base layers in a dry bag for if I get "really" cold too. 

[Done]

And I've got a set of base layers in a dry bag for if I get "really" cold too. 

I figured that you did--you've played in the Colorado mountains enough to know what you're doing! But I'm a little worried about some of the newbies from more hospitable climates, who might not have suffered through sleet at 12,000 feet before...

[trailrider11]

As a Newbie I have packed a few extra layers than if I were experienced out there.
I am actually looking forward to the cooler temps, these 90 degree long days.

[Yogi the Barry]

A couple years back, mid-July, I was riding a section of trail [Aspen Vista] in New Mexico as pre Leadville training. Just below the 12,500 highpoint of the ride, it started to pour [mostly rain/some sleet]. I didn't have true rain gear and got totally drenched in about fifteen minutes, while dropping from about 12,000 to 10,500. I went from happy and sweating to cold and shivering [temp probably went from 70-ish to upper 40s]. At a point of the trail where there's a forest service bathroom, I went inside to warm-up. I literally did 20-minutes of jumping jacks, squats, etc., but couldn't get warmed up. I just bailed on my ride and hammered down 10 miles of pavement, dragging my brakes the whole time to make it harder to help warm-up. I drove with the heater on for half the 90-minute drive home, with the outside air temp in the 90s. This experience changed my gear selection attitude on chance-of-rain rides... -B

... who might not have suffered through sleet at 12,000 feet before...

[jakomait]

Any rules of thumb you folks use?

My strategy was not to get wet from the outside or the inside.  I had zero extra clothes with me and if it looked like rain I covered up from head to ankles with my rain gear.  Uncertain weather was annoying having to put on and repeatedly take off my jacket, pants and gloves but when the apocalypse came on top of the crest trail I was laughing.

[DaveH]

My strategy (for bikepacking) is the same as Jesse's - and not getting wet from the inside means I have to slow it down in the wet.

[bartspedden]

Thanks for all ideas guys.  I'm working on some ideas for covering my ankles too    Don't know if I'm the only one, but my shoes always seem to fill up with water in the downpours.  Not really sure if anything can be done, but it gives me something to obsess over.

One other question.  Sometimes when it's raining I keep my hood down because it's cooler.  At some point, my head will start getting wet and water starts running down my neck and gets my insides wet.  I've learned to pre-empt this and get my hood up sooner.  I saw the goretex bike helmet covers and was wondering if anyone has any experience or opinions about them.

Thanks for helping out a guy on back of the pack!

[sherpaxc]

Shower caps work just as well. Super fredalicios yes, bit they work and are a heck of a lot cheaper than gortex!

[trailrider11]

Great idea on slowing down to avoid overheating while in the rain gear. seems so easy to think of but i didnt........lol

[ETURK]

Wet in the afternoons. But the forecast looks better!

I leave from Durango - which typically holds the snow up longer! I got the rain gear dialed in, but snow....hummmmm. I am not bringing boots. Booties maybe. Newspaper bags - probably. Will see when I drive down over wolf creak how bad it's looking. Maybe need more than a car visor this year for ground warmth....hummmmm