2014 CTR Discussion

[mountainjah]

Anyone hip to the deal here?

Received a bit of clarity from the Director of our local trail advocacy group in Dgo....Sounds like it's a shared CDT/CT issue? I guess there's a pretty strong push by some CDT folks to keep the bikes away. Not sure on the accuracy of this intel...

[T.Ray]

I rode the Wellington Lake/Tarryall section yesterday.Pretty cool section,and even though it's longer than the Baily section,it was awesome to be out there with very limited traffic.Amazing what a wildfire can do(Stoney Pass).

[naturenurturesme]

Hi Aaron, I  had friends ride it last fall and the trail crew told them it was open to biles as far as they knew. I heard it was an awesome ride and seems like it would link up to the section from tincup to the Alpine tunnel quite well.  Which I believe is open to bikes.  This would make for an epic canyon creek ride.  Btw good riding with you on the ctr last year it was nice we had such a big posse on that hot as hell day in cochetopa hills.-  Nate from gunny.

[aaron w]

Nate!  Cheers and thanks for the info.  Guess I need to get up there and check it out soon. 

[Yogi the Barry]

T.Ray,
Can you elaborate? The "Stoney Pass" at the end of the Cataract Ridge segment?
-Barry

...snip...Amazing what a wildfire can do(Stoney Pass).

[aaron w]

There's 2 stoney passes on the ctr, the end of cataract and also on the tarryall detour. 

[Woodland]

I rode the Wellington Lake/Tarryall section yesterday.Pretty cool section,and even though it's longer than the Baily section,it was awesome to be out there with very limited traffic.Amazing what a wildfire can do(Stoney Pass).

The Tarryall detour is a pretty special place, it's so quiet and lonely out there. And yes, the burn scars are impressive to say the least.

Check out the Bailey Hundo someday.

[Gimmearaise]

Hi Aaron, I  had friends ride it last fall and the trail crew told them it was open to biles as far as they knew. I heard it was an awesome ride and seems like it would link up to the section from tincup to the Alpine tunnel quite well.  Which I believe is open to bikes.  This would make for an epic canyon creek ride.  Btw good riding with you on the ctr last year it was nice we had such a big posse on that hot as hell day in cochetopa hills.-  Nate from gunny.

I have heard people riding the new segment, I would like to do it this year at some point if it is legal. Nate, your racing again this year?

Neil

[Shirey]

Did a little shakedown ride from Waterton Canyon and back home to Silverthorne via Boreas Pass this weekend; too much snow to continue on over Georgia. We started at 6am on the nose to try and duplicate race day. Had a fairly solid ride and made the Stagestop Saloon at 8pm. Pat was in his spot on the porch and recognized me from last year. He is already fired up for the race. Asked me how many I thought would race so he could be sure and stock the store up for us. I told him 75 might be a good estimate. I crushed a cheeseburger and hot wings there continued on up the road a little bit until I got a flat tire and just decided to get a good nights rest. Main goal was just to see what time I would make the Stagestop anyways.

Tarryall detour was pretty hot, but there was a little breeze that made things manageable. Good times!

[Yogi the Barry]

Re: Still Too Much Snow?
I had hoped to ride from Copper to Leadville on July 5th. Sounds like there may still be too much snow to make it thru Searle/Kokomo. Note to self: Never say "too much snow" come winter. Can anybody comment/confirm how snowy it still is around Copper?
-Barry

...too much snow to continue on over Georgia...

[Shirey]

Re: Still Too Much Snow?
 Can anybody comment/confirm how snowy it still is around Copper?
-Barry

Have not laid eyes on it, but I bet its a little better than the Breckenridge side of Georgia Pass. That section is usually the last thing to dry out since it is north-facing and doesn't get as much direct sunlight. There was a shoveling party all weekend on the Firecracker 50 course @ Little French Gulch which is very close-by that section of the CT off Georgia Pass. I had seen a picture so that's why I didn't even attempt Georgia.

I may try to ride over Kokomo / Searle this Friday, so I will update if I get a chance to do that. I bet you will be fine by July 5th though.

[nepbug]

Re: Still Too Much Snow?
I had hoped to ride from Copper to Leadville on July 5th. Sounds like there may still be too much snow to make it thru Searle/Kokomo. Note to self: Never say "too much snow" come winter. Can anybody comment/confirm how snowy it still is around Copper?
-Barry

I've been keepng an eye on the Fremont Pass SNOTEL station.  I was going to go try the Searle/Kokomo travers 2 weeks after Fremont melted out.  It looks like Fremont will melt out today.
http://www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/reportGenerator/view/customSingleStationReport/daily/485:co:SNTL%7Cid=%22%22%7Cname/-7,0/WTEQ::value,WTEQ::delta,SNWD::value,SNWD::delta

Hopefully Ski Loveland comes back with a pleasing report of conditions come next week though.

[Gimmearaise]

Did a little shakedown ride from Waterton Canyon and back home to Silverthorne via Boreas Pass this weekend; too much snow to continue on over Georgia. We started at 6am on the nose to try and duplicate race day. Had a fairly solid ride and made the Stagestop Saloon at 8pm. Pat was in his spot on the porch and recognized me from last year. He is already fired up for the race.

Pat was such a great guy to see at that point last year. Was there any construction going on like last year? I remember the workers saying they were going to be doing the 2nd half next year. If so what time did you get there?  That may be a bit of an annoyance yet again, trying to time it perfectly may be easier coming from Denver.

[Shirey]

Was there any construction going on like last year? I remember the workers saying they were going to be doing the 2nd half next year. If so what time did you get there?  

There was no construction and not really any indication that there would be any starting soon. Did not notice any staging of equipment or anything.

I hit pavement at Tarryall road 5:45pm. Here is my GPS track:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/526900833

I'm in significantly better shape than last year, but I'm not really in the same league as you Neil, so you will undoubtedly be much faster than that.

I guess since we start on Sunday, construction should be a non-issue though, right? I went through on Sunday last year and they had taken the day off.

[Joliver]

Re: Still Too Much Snow?
I had hoped to ride from Copper to Leadville on July 5th. Sounds like there may still be too much snow to make it thru Searle/Kokomo. Note to self: Never say "too much snow" come winter. Can anybody comment/confirm how snowy it still is around Copper?
-Barry

Hey Barry,

I just came over Vail Pass this morning, and there looked to be a good bit of snow up there still.  I would be surprised if you could swing it on the 5th, but I will let you know if I see anything different in the next week.

Jerry

[Gimmearaise]

I guess since we start on Sunday, construction should be a non-issue though, right? I went through on Sunday last year and they had taken the day off.

Haha, whoops...Valid point. I got stuck last year, and it really put a damper on my last day, I ended up sleeping under the pilot car, then got absolutely soaked in Tarryall... and the sun never came back out. I really hope I have better luck this year, I was pretty wet from Leadville on. Monsoons are starting early, maybe they will end early, wishful thinking !!!

[Woodland]

Last year's monsoon was bad - I remember the forecast for Aug. 7th when I woke up outside of Mt. Princeton last year: increasing monsoonal moisture, lowering ceiling, approaching cold front, embedded thunderstorms. I was pretty sure it couldn't get any worse than that!

I think it was the cold that surprised me. I can deal with the rain, and the storms - but I wasn't prepared for the cold. I finally bailed on the trail at HWY 50 realizing I was not prepared for treeline and decided at that point to ride to Gunnison, and continue on to Durango via Lake City and cinnamon pass (today it still seems like a smart decision, but smart is no fun). When I topped out on Monarch Pass, there was slushy snow at the top...and I was pretty close to hypothermic coming down the other side with all my layers on. I must have looked a sight, wicked grimace on my face, wobbling all over the road, teeth chattering, hands losing ability to grip the bars.

I'm going to chalk up last year's attempt as 'gaining valuable experience' but am hoping this year for better luck with the weather. I shouldn't be surprised by it anymore though...and better be prepared now for Cold, Rain and Snow.

-Nick

[Yogi the Barry]

Re: Rain-Cold   
Come August 9th or so, I'll be checking out the link below. No purple in the extended forecast would be winning the lottery, but please, please no other rainbow blue-green-yellow-red colors! BTW, times are Zulu. Example: 000Z Friday is 5PM Thursday. Usually the 000Z maps, instead of the 12Z maps, give a good indication of the afternoon t-storm cycle. A heavy monsoon moisture push might cause me to postpone, because even much less than 40 days and 40 nights of rain would just suck all the joy out of the ride for me. I pity the poor folks who suffered [still suffering] thru the first few days of this year's TD. -B
http://weather.unisys.com/gfs/gfs.php?inv=0&plot=pres&region=us&t=9p

Last year's monsoon was bad - ... but am hoping this year for better luck with the weather. I shouldn't be surprised by it anymore though...and better be prepared now for Cold, Rain and Snow.
-Nick

[Yogi the Barry]

Re: TD coverage and Bottom Bracket failures
I've been listening to the daily MTBCast.com True Ups and hearing about the bottom bracket failures got me thinking. But first, I have to really give a thanks to Joe Polk for providing such a great and entertaining service. I'm sure he'll be able to retire early with all the money he makes from MTBCast.com. Not! Which reminds me to send in a donation before the start. http://mtbcast.com/site2/category/podcasts/ Back to those bottom bracket failures...
Most bikes these days have a seat tube which connects openly down to the bottom bracket. Picture rain/water getting past the seatpost and flowing down to the bottom bracket shell, where it just pools up. Most bottom brackets have a plastic sleeve between the bearings, but it's not designed to seal the bearings under full water immersion. Bikes with cables running under the BB shell might have a rivet or threaded fastener as a cable guide, which can allow trapped water to drain out, but most bikes have a BB shell that has no way for water to drain out. Eventually the water penetrates the interior bearing seals and the bearings will rust and then fail. Which brings back my BB bearings failing the week after my CTR run in 2012. When I replaced the BB bearings, I pried off the dust shields on the old bearings and found both bearings nearly dry and rusted. The rusted bearings were the result of riding the last day of riding the CTR in torrential rain, for hours. Doubt this happens to your bike? After the next time you wash your bike or complete a big ride in the rain, pull out the seatpost, turn the bike upside down and see how much water comes out...
What am I going to do about this? Note to self... I'm going to drill a small hole in the bottom of the BB shell, so that any water which comes down the seatpost can drain out.

[mtbcast]

Note to self... I'm going to drill a small hole in the bottom of the BB shell, so that any water which comes down the seatpost can drain out.

Good points! And thanks for the plug. Yes, I'm gathering all my monies and putting them together to by a drill bit to drill my own BB hole!  No, I'm grateful for any and all donations.

But seriously, I have seen these on some frames. It seems like a simple solution. OTOH, that same hole can also be access for water and open air that can still contribute to rusting. I'd think the benefits would outweigh the issues, though.