2012 AZT 300/750

[maadjurguer]

Just a PSA for folks:  There is a growing yellowjacket nest in the water cache on the Boulders segment of the AZT as of this afternoon....they're not angry yet...but if it gets bigger in the next few weeks, that might change.

[borderlander]

Couple of dead cows just past Red Bank on Segment 3.  They were ripe, to say the least, last weekend.  The third cattle corpse just disappeared, a good thing considering it was in the middle of the trail.  Local rancher thought it was due to gates being left open.
Lot's of tire tracks on the trail south of Patagonia.  Every additional one makes it (my daily ride) a bit more rideable, thanks.
All the best to the racers.
Cheers,
M

[maadjurguer]

Yeah, I came across those guys down in the gulley a few weeks ago...and they were real fresh...I fought off nausea as I stepped over them....the entire gulley just smelled of death.

[tanman1337]

Well hopefully the coyotes will finish them up in the next few weeks

[tanman1337]

If I keep getting an "Invalid JNX File" every time I turn my new E-trex on is it a bad thing? It only happened after I've downloaded birdseye imagery of the 300, topos, and the AZT track. I just wanna be sure that everything is ok with my route before I take off.

[fastmtnbiker33w]

EARLY STARTER?

I mentioned to Scott that I may start a bit earlier than the unofficial/official start time of 9 am.  I'm sure one reason for that start time is that it gives the Tucsonians enough time to have a fairly normal morning and still drive to the start.  He said he might give my dot a different color and that other riders also mentioned an early start.  

For those who might want to start early, I was thinking 6 am.  Looking at last year's fastest splits of about 5 hours to that point, that would get us there for an early lunch at the Velvet Elvis which opens at 11:30.  

Who else was thinking of starting early and what time were you thinking?

[tanman1337]

No thanks... I like my sleep

[bmattingly]

Hey FastMtnBiker,

Two of us  from Flagstaff are planning on camping at the trailhead Thursday night and getting a 6:00 am start or so.  We want to maximize dailylight and take advantage of morning coolness if weather is forcaste hot.  My friend Eric and I will be there with our ride.  I think the 9am start is cool being based out of Tucson but like others we have some travel hours to get to the start.  Curious  how many people are in for the 300??  Anyone know??  Sure hope we can ride the new AZT section out of Kelvin across the Gila River.

Also that 2 1/2 feet of snow we got about 9 days ago completely melted within a few days.  Trails in N. Az. should be pretty good for the 750 riders.

Looking forward to the ride.

Brad

[tanman1337]

Not sure how many people are going to be at the start, but seems like it will be quite a few this year! I think a lot of people probably feel the same about wanting to start a bit earlier to possibly beat the heat, but I really want to meet all of the people and get a good picture of the whole group. Good luck to you guys!

[fastmtnbiker33w]

Hey FastMtnBiker,

Two of us  from Flagstaff are planning on camping at the trailhead Thursday night and getting a 6:00 am start or so.  We want to maximize dailylight and take advantage of morning coolness if weather is forcaste hot.  My friend Eric and I will be there with our ride.  I think the 9am start is cool being based out of Tucson but like others we have some travel hours to get to the start.  Curious  how many people are in for the 300??  Anyone know??  Sure hope we can ride the new AZT section out of Kelvin across the Gila River.

Also that 2 1/2 feet of snow we got about 9 days ago completely melted within a few days.  Trails in N. Az. should be pretty good for the 750 riders.

Looking forward to the ride.

Brad

I'll be there with my wife and kid in the phat truck camper.  May get there early enough on Thursday to ride down to the border.

[mb]

If I had my druthers I'd say start at 7:30 or 8 but I do want to start with the big group, so I'm assuming that's 9 so I'll jest roll with that.

[schillingsworth]

Hey all,
Anyone else having an issue loading the track for the 300? I'm using TF with a Garmin Edge 705 I load the file, then move the .tcx over to the courses folder. When I 'Do Course', the track loads but just ends atop Mt. Lemmon. I'm not getting a 'route truncated' message either. My understanding was that the 705 is not limited to number of track points, but rather memory size. I have plenty of memory space. Any ideas? Thanks.

-John

[fastmtnbiker33w]

Yep all of that would be good info either as waypoints or at least in a personal cue sheet.

I stopped in at the Subway at Broadway and Houghton after work yesterday. That and Magpie's Pizza in the Safeway shopping center on the SE corner both are open until 10 pm Friday and Saturday nights. I'll be out on Redington this weekend and I'll check the hours of the Circle K that's out that way.

Also there's Broadway Bikes and a Performance shop not far off course. Uno bikes was the closest and people went there last year but he has shut down. Summit Hut is on east Speedway for an outdoor store if there's a real need.

Google imagery is showing a Basha's and a Quizno's at the same intersection.  Basha's website doesn't show any location there.  Was wondering if they had different hours if it's still open.  Lord Google has some info about some bankruptcy issues.

[AZTtripper]

Google imagery is showing a Basha's and a Quizno's at the same intersection.  Basha's website doesn't show any location there.  Was wondering if they had different hours if it's still open.  Lord Google has some info about some bankruptcy issues.

Bashes have mostly closed down. Quizno's is still there.

There is a Safeway on the SE corner as well as a Subway and Magpies Pizza. Both Subway and Magpies are open until 10 on Friday and Saturday. Subway opens early for B-fast. Not sure the hours of Safeway.

Also there is a Circle K not far west on Tanque Verde/Redington.

[jbuchanan]

Hey all,
Anyone else having an issue loading the track for the 300? I'm using TF with a Garmin Edge 705 I load the file, then move the .tcx over to the courses folder. When I 'Do Course', the track loads but just ends atop Mt. Lemmon. I'm not getting a 'route truncated' message either. My understanding was that the 705 is not limited to number of track points, but rather memory size. I have plenty of memory space. Any ideas? Thanks.

 http://topofusion.com/tutorials/uploading-tracks-edge-705.php

[raybum]

Maybe a dumb question, but regarding the list of water sources, are the ones with "spigot" in the description safe to drink w/o purification?
specifically Kentucky Camp, LaSevilla, Pallisaides TH, ORacle State park?

[tanman1337]

Definitely not a stupid question, I'm wondering the same thing. Also, does anyone know if the 2012 cue sheets will be posted on here or the AZT website?

[ScottM]

If I had my druthers I'd say start at 7:30 or 8 but I do want to start with the big group, so I'm assuming that's 9 so I'll jest roll with that.

Yeah, there's something to the energy of the group start, and meeting / chatting with people before setting off.  It ain't no official race, so I have no problem with people starting early, but technically you're an ITT at that point, and may be listed as such on the tracker and the results.

[ScottM]

Definitely not a stupid question, I'm wondering the same thing. Also, does anyone know if the 2012 cue sheets will be posted on here or the AZT website?

All spigots should be potable, yes.

Cues will be on the site, I'll post a note here when ready.

[forest_on_bike]

A little help with picking a campground at the start...

If I arrive at Parker Canyon Lake on Thursday night, which campground should I stay at? Two campgrounds are listed on www.parkercanyonlake.com, but they don't show a map.

I'd like to stay at the campground that is most convenient to the start and where everyone else is staying.

Also, I hate the heat, so I might be joining the 6am start group.

Forest