2012 AZTR/300 Discussion Thread

[ImAFred]

Maads been "camping" for awhile now

[jryter]

I'm cold sitting here watching them.. Gotta go get a sweater on. That is my worse fear is rain at higher altitudes--even 8,000 like you said where it is colder. I would much rather be at 12K now in Colorado as the snow wouldn't melt on you. Hope everyone is OK and has a great story to tell!

looks ok now!
http://www.wunderground.com/webcams/pocomas/1/show.html

watch the movie below it.

[maadjurguer]

I'm out.....I got into the slog in the death mud, took me an hour to go a mile....scrape and clean drivetrain and tires, chainstay and stanchions.....ride for 200yds....then have to stop and do it again.  After that last mile into Helvitia road, I called it over.  By my estimation, I had another 10 miles of that crap....dragging my bike downhill with two non-functioning wheels that won't turn was too much.  I guess that's they way the Limestone and igneous cookie crumbles...into clay and death mud.  

It makes me sick to my stomach to be here sitting down when others are going....I'm pulling for Chris D and Schilling...I'm envious of how they made it through.

The weather this morning out of Kentucky Camp was intense.....40mph gusts blowing me off my line.....ughhh.

[AZTtripper]

Just back from Oracle ridge.

No pics as my camera had a dead batt. Fritz will send me some tho.

We drove in on Bonita Creek road the same place Kurt bailed out last year.

2-4 inches of snow every where when we got there.

Even walking was tricky.

We got some good work done. Three more miles brushed out. So Kurt really had it easy this year. Yeah right.

Things are melting fast tho. As we came down the trail was starting to clear and the road was clear.

To all those still in stick with it things will only get better at this point.

[Chad B]

http://www.kgun9.com/news/local/147457975.html

The open sign stayed on at the Mt. Lemmon General Store and the new Sawmill Run Restaurant. This morning it was a lucky lifeline for hikers and cyclists on the mountain. Outdoor enthusiasts like Kurt Refsnider needed to escape the cold.

"It was raining hard," Refsnider said. "The higher I climbed, the whiter it got. Now there's four or five inches out there. I was covered in ice by the time I got here."

"His beard was icicles," Mack said. "He was a sight to see."


Classic. The video has some good clips of hikers, no Kurt though.

Looks like he is rolling into Oracle right now.

[TRB]

I am here in Tucson, cheering for Mike Brislin and following everyone on the Tracker. All the photos and discussions are AWESOME and yes, better than any reality show that Bravo, Survivor and The Amazing Race has to offer.
I am bummed for the peeps that have had to drop out and send a thumbs up to everyone that is still out there and hope they all have somewhere semi-warm to sleep tonight. I got to meet Erick's wife Jen yesterday at the start, sorry to see them head back to Cali - safe travels!

Cheers everyone, you all are amazing!

Tammy

[ScottM]

First, big thanks to Tim for the trailwork and everything else he has done to support this event!

Kurt skipped Oracle.  He must have shopped and planned well with his extra icicle melting time in Summerhaven.  Nice.  He is still on a great pace despite the slowdowns and brutal conditions.  Even if he ends up catching some Z's tonight, he should still set a new record, no problem.

Kurt S is making better time down Oracle Ridge, but still slow, and it is now dark.

A big group is making their way onto the slopes of Lemmon this evening.  Weather is looking good for the rest of the race.  Steady warming trend every day and clear conditions from here on out.  It will be cold tonight though.  I only know of six confirmed scratches now -- that is amazing given the conditions.

Please post any DNF's here and/or email heymatthewlee@gmail.com so he can mark them as such on the tracker.  I will be out on the trail, hopefully for 2.5 days or so, starting tomorrow @9.  Can't wait to get out there -- I am so ready for it -- other than the knee which is still a little questionable.

[AZTtripper]

Ruth and Justin made it back to my place.

Sounds like a great intro to the desert for them.

Making plans on what to ride with their remaining free time.

[mikepro]

That's pretty wild to see over dozen spot dots moving up the Catalina Hwy, this time of night.  Must be pretty fun for the riders.  A bike packer evening peloton.

[Dag Nabbit]

Chris and John are getting a motel for the night to dry out after eating, then they'll get at it again tomorrow! Edit: They might not be at it again after all. Lots of mud, hail, sleet, rain and everything today it seems. Had to be rough out there. Looks like they're at the Hilton on Broadway. Enjoy the warmth!

[chachi]

Wow! Amazing effort everyone! inspiring to see the sheer will to push on, so well expressed in athletes with a passion not often understood by the average mortal.. just wow! After hearing from Mark C.(about 8:46pm) he also described ....the "death mud" as someone earlier mentioned, and he added that the "death mud" was accompanied by sideways sleet/rain/snow mix, he also described  cleaning his bike over and over and thinking their was no way he could push a muddy bike he luckily found refuge in an overturned tank of some sort?  He said it was hell sitting there for so long.  He said he vividly remembered the 2010 snow and mud that ground down brake pads like he'd never seen? Mark is a determined man, but i did hear in his voice that this weather was demoralizing not only to his bike but to his body and mind...I support what this race means to Mark C. and to all of you involved, especially Scott M. spot tracking is amazing, thanks!

[cocorider]

After reading all the reports on weather and trail conditions my hat goes off to anybody still out there.  I can't believe my buddy Jeff B is still out there kicking butt and he is a rookie!?!  Thanks to all who contributed to put this event on and chose to take on this challenge.  I am really in awe of what the human spirit can achieve.

[flaggal]

Anyone know why Brad Mattingly's spot has not moved for over a day? 

[mikepro]

Wow, some serious effort being put forth by all.  Inspiring.

The 2 Kurts up front are amazing.  Kurt R needs to finish by 5:45p local time to beat his own course record (correct me if I'm wrong here).  Perhaps with some rest in Oracle last night, Kurt S can't get to Superior by sundown and then keep on moving towards Utah, in good position to put the 750 record under threat.

Scott M is underway this morning for his ITT effort.  Here's to hoping his knee holds up.

[maadjurguer]

I'm very envious of those still out there....here is my take:
 http://maadjurguer.blogspot.com/2012/04/failure-on-300.html

[mikepro]

Kurt R seems to be taking it leisurely the last 50miles or so...having gone 30miles in the last 9hrs ... and still 18 or so from the finish. 

Bunch of riders (peleton if you will) either through Oracle already, or re-fueling there, or just about there.  Looks like the Euros (Steve W from England and Pavel K from Poland) are beating the group out of Oracle.  Although Pete B's spot and some others haven't registered for a few hours so they could well up the trail from their current showing positions.

Scott M making good time on his ITT - having hit Patagonia in 4hr 38min which is right up there with the fastest from Friday morning.

[jryter]

Kurt R seems to be taking it leisurely the last 50miles or so...having gone 30miles in the last 9hrs ... and still 18 or so from the finish. 

If you look at his speeds at each point they are really slow.. Maybe he's running/walking with a broken bike? Now that would be an epic finish! Don't know what that trail is like but pretty slow for sure!

[LyndaW]

2:07:59 for Kurt! New record by 45 mins! Congrats Kurt! What a race!

[AZTtripper]

Alright Kurt way to pull it off.

Scott was 11 minutes ahead of Kurt's time at K-Camp.

Scott's goal is to finish before sunset on the 3rd day just like Kurt just did.

Lots of riders still hanging tough out there stick with it everyone.

Funny thing will be is Scott passes John Schilling and Chris DeTurk while there at the Hotel. They had been joking with each other that Scott could easily catch them before the end. Now it looks like he may catch them in Tucson while they are off course.

[AZTtripper]

Looks like Mike Brislin is at Tanke Verde Guest Ranch.

As a guest of the ranch he could likely take the jeep road right out of the ranch and skip Redington road. Not the fastest way to get out there but way more off road.

Not sure if I am guiding there in the morning or not.