2014 CTR Discussion

[apple]

The yurt is at N 37 deg 54.875 min x W 107 deg 17.265 min. You can check it out on Google Earth. Lots of those big edible Colorado mushrooms grow in the area but not too appetizing raw.   apple

[cmn529]

The yurt isn't visible in the southbound direction unless you look back in the northbound direction.

Yep, that's right.  After Jarosa you go down towards a stream and if you turn around you can see that beautiful yurt that saved me from worse hypothermia.  I lost a solid day racing because I needed to warm up due to this freak multi-day storm.  Huge lesson I learned is carry the following no matter what! :
1) waterproof mittens (or gloves), and I mean like ski gloves.  I had thermal layer and handwarmers and still was not warm enough.
2) gore-tex jacket; I had imitation fabric waterproof jacket that after 2 days of constant rain/sleet was saturated.  I came back and immediately purchased Gore bike gear jacket and pants, bomb proof!

I carried these items even during my AZT 750 attempt and used both up North during the nights.

-Chrissy

[apple]

Sargents Again... A while back y'all said Sargents Mesa is dry. Not true. I thought I saw a pond up on Google Earth  there so I drove up this morning and sure enough there is a nice pond with springs flowing into it and froggies croaking along the edge. I don't get it since it is very prominent from the Sargents Mesa trailhead. It is between the trail and the War Memorial. There is a fenced area where someone has apparently reamed out some springs with PVC to enhance them and there is a boulder on the north side of the pond with water flowing out from under it. The water must be very pure but I would still purify it. Those are tough frogs since there is still snow drifts up there. So is this old news to everybody? 

[Yogi the Barry]

Apple,
Re: Sargents Mesa War Memorial
How did I bike past this in 2012, in the daylight, without seeing it? And the spring/pond too? Will have to check it out, even if it's night when I pedal thru. Something to take the suck out of this segment and look forward to. I got my draft card just a few months before the Vietnam War ended. I was lucky...
http://blog.theveteranssite.com/the-secret-of-sargents-mesa-hidden-vietnam-war-memorial-holds-lonely-vigil/
Per my looking for it in Google Earth, monument at:
38°17'31.07"N
106°22'17.19"W
Edit: ~4 miles past Tank7
Thanks for sparking my curiosity.
-Barry

Sargents Again...the War Memorial. There is a fenced area...

[Woodland]

My Dad was in the war - maybe getting to that memorial will give me a little more motivation this year, to send Dad a picture of what must be the loneliest Vietnam war memorial in the country!

Perhaps an odd place to do so, but I have to recommend a book I just finished: The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown. I didn't know much about rowing - beyond watching the shells in the Charles river back in Boston growing up, and knowing that my grandfather rowed in the fours in the '36 Olympics in Berlin (which this book is about and why I wanted to read it in the first place).

This book has some powerful stuff and a perfect parallel can be made in so many ways between rowing and bikepacking. Here is a quote from the book if you are wondering where I am going with this:
"Great oarsmen and oarswomen...on the one hand must possess enormous self-confidence, strong egos, and titanic willpower. They must be almost immune to frustration. Nobody who does not believe deeply in himself or herself - in his or her ability to endure hardship and prevail over adversity - is likely even to attempt something as audacious as competitive rowing at the highest levels. The sport offers so many opportunities for suffering and so few opportunities for glory that only the most tenaciously self-reliant and self-motivated are likely to succeed at it." That should be enough to peak your interest!

Seriously, get this book.

[Couloirman]

Looks like the someone just released a new iPhone app Colorado Trail hiker guide that includes bike detours. Anyone who has an iPhone and wants to save weight, this looks like a good option! I haven't purchased it yet, only the free one, but it looks like the databook is on their and it allows you to switch directions so you don't have to do math if (like me) you are going Durango to Denver this year.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/the-colorado-trail-hiker/id892773591?mt=8

[Yogi the Barry]

Woodland,
Awesome quote I'm going to steal: "The sport offers so many opportunities for suffering and so few opportunities for glory..."
Thx for the book recommendation... -B

My Dad was in the war - maybe getting to that memorial will give me a little more motivation ... The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown... The sport offers so many opportunities for suffering and so few opportunities for glory that only the most tenaciously self-reliant and self-motivated are likely to succeed at it." ...

[Yogi the Barry]

Very cool. However, wish my 4S had a 24 hour battey life like my eTrex 30 GPS. Even though I'm now running a dynamo hub, I doubt it could keep the phone charged. Perhaps not as much of a problem if I upgraded to a 5 family iPhone. I might purchase and give it a try this weekend, since I'm either riding Copper to Leadville or Halfmoon to BV on Saturday.
-B

Looks like the someone just released a new iPhone app Colorado Trail hiker guide that includes bike detours...
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/the-colorado-trail-hiker/id892773591?mt=8

[Couloirman]

You're running a dynamo for the CTR? I was also debating that but wasn't sure if it could handle the rough riding of the CT. I thought maybe they were more for dirt road riding like the TD than rough all mountain singletrack. I HATE feeling like I have to use less light to conserve batteries so have seriously been considering running a dynamo as well, but not sure I can get a new wheelset laced up in time. Let us know how it performs, and if it survives the journey

[franzr]

I ran a dynohub last year to power my light and GPS--the hub was solid but the wiring broke from flexing with the suspension at the end of the first day! I managed to fix it several times but finally gave up around day 3. Had to get by with my backup headlamp and batteries for the GPS.

I still think it's a great way to go--I've ridden thousands of miles with a dynohub and rigid fork--but really watch the wiring setup as it bridges your suspension fork. Also, carry some extra wire in your repair kit!

Ryan

[Yogi the Barry]

Re: Dynamo for CTR?
Yes. I ran it during AZT300 back in April [Exposure Revo]. Very nice to have a light which doesn't require batteries. I do 24-hr races with two 800+ lumen lights, bar and helmet. But as a sad weight-weenie, no way I'm taking batteries for anything with that much light output. For CTR in 2012, I ran a single 110 lumen helmet light. And to make things even worse, I would turn it down, to save battery life, making it almost useless. Guess I have a strong primal fear of running out of light at night. Only problem with dynamo light is you have to be riding about 5mph for the light to really turn on. If I'm riding less than 5mph, it's probably going to be during HAB, so I'll supplement with my helmet mounted BD Revolt, turned way down. I recharge the Revolt during the day. The dynamo hub is on my lighter [of two] wheel sets and I've probably got 1000 miles on them so far sans any problems [knock on wood].
Re: Cable Breakage
I run the dynamo cable up the fork tube and then over to the front brake hose where it leaves the fork bridge. As the brake hose enters the brake lever, I route along the bar and over to the stem. Tying the dynamo cable onto the brake hose means the cable is flexing very little and over a very large radius. However, what I have to be careful of is to remember to unclip the cable from the hub when removing the wheel.

Edit: Photo here of what's happening at the bar/stem. Perhaps difficult to see, but cable down to dynamo is leaving the connector block and heading left, under the bar and over to the brake lever. You can also see the dynamo cable running down my brake hose, in the upper left. What I like most about this setup is the dashboard LED light, using the USB/tailight output from the Revo, to illuminate the GPS screen at night. No more worrying about sucking down the GPS battery when constantly toggling on the screen backlight.
http://www.bikepacking.net/forum/index.php?topic=5938.msg61115#msg61115

You're running a dynamo for the CTR? I was also debating that but wasn't sure if it could handle the rough riding of the CT. I thought maybe they were more for dirt road riding like the TD than rough all mountain singletrack. I HATE feeling like I have to use less light to conserve batteries so have seriously been considering running a dynamo as well, but not sure I can get a new wheelset laced up in time. Let us know how it performs, and if it survives the journey

[Yogi the Barry]

Re: Ethics / Rules
I've been somewhat following the TD thread and all the ethics/rules violations brought back memories of things I didn't care for during the 2012 CTR. There seems to be a lot of dirt in this year's TD. Many TD racers are getting disqualified...
The CTR is a race, right? With a well defined set of [IMHO, simple] rules, right? Hopefully this year's CTR will be cleaner. Things I witnessed in 2012...
1 - Rider-A called ahead to order a meal in Bailey.
2 - Rider-A drafted me most of the way up 285.
3 - Rider-A knew [from a friends call a few hours prior] exactly where a cooler, stocked with goodies, would be atop Georgia Pass.
4 - Rider-B told me he was going to meet his girlfriend in either Silverton or Molas Pass to jettison gear and strip down the bike. Finish line photo shows a bike that no longer had a rear rack and bag, which was mounted on the bike for most of the race.
I rode Copper to Leadville this past Saturday and it makes me wonder how many people will not follow the exact course on that segment. Lots of opportunities to shorten the course on that segment.
Sorry to some off sounding all self-righteous, just bummed at the occurrence rate, which is higher than I expect from the population of riders involved.
-Barry

[Done]

Sorry to some off sounding all self-righteous, just bummed at the occurrence rate, which is higher than I expect from the population of riders involved.

Yeah, I'm always bummed when I hear/see/read about the sort of crap that people find acceptable out there. You'll probably receive a bunch of flak from people who feel entitled to bring the race down to their level, and they will rationalize all sorts of murky behavior.

Those who care about the rules and ethics of this sport, and who aren't afraid to speak out, are kind of like bilge pumps in a leaky old boat. There's no way to stop the leaks--but it's better to keep pumping than to let it sink.

[fotooutdoors]

I am curious about the objection to ordering food ahead. That is a commercial service that isn't skirting the no driving rule (ie, I get the objection to trail head pizza delivery that came up in previous years). The other points, well, yes they seem fairly obvious to me. Can someone explain?

[Yogi the Barry]

Sorry for stirring the pot on this topic. Guess I need to offer up a wee bit more...
Was probably black and white many years ago, when only the privileged rider could carry a smart phone, but perhaps not such a deal breaker now. But someone out of state, who doesn't know the area, would still be at a disadvantage. And not all local restaurants show up on web searches. But what about some obscure restaurant mentioned in this thread? Does that make it fair and commercially known enough for everyone? I don't know. Wouldn't it be nice if every restaurant along the way, like one most people will pedal past on the first day of this year's CTR, stalked us and was preparing food in advance to anticipate what we'll be ordering? And even that kind gesture can burn the person who's out of synch with the peloton. A matter of life's not fair or an inherently unlevel playing field? I don't know. Guess the lines can get blurred...
I'll offer up some murkiness - I accepted a freeze dried meal, from Rider-B mentioned above, which was a big 600 calorie factor to help prevent me from having to bail into Lake City because I didn't buy enough food in BV. Rider-B mentioned that he was going to pitch it, so I took it. Although I had to eventually bail on the race, after making the same not-buying-enough-food [In Silverton this time] mistake a second time, accepting that meal still bugs me to this day...
And the trailside delivery of pizza? If it's within the normal delivery zone of the pizzeria, doesn't seem any more of a violation than picking it up in person. Or does it...?
Calling ahead sure would have been nice for me back in 2012, when I rolled into Silverton around midnight. I went past the only food-serving bar right as they were locking the door. Dinner that night was stale popcorn and beer at the only other bar still open...

I am curious about the objection to ordering food ahead. That is a commercial service that isn't skirting the no driving rule (ie, I get the objection to trail head pizza delivery that came up in previous years). The other points, well, yes they seem fairly obvious to me. Can someone explain?

[Done]

And the trailside delivery of pizza? If it's within the normal delivery zone of the pizzeria, doesn't seem any more of a violation than picking it up in person. Or does it...?
Calling ahead sure would have been nice for me back in 2012, when I rolled into Silverton around midnight. I went past the only food-serving bar right as they were locking the door. Dinner that night was stale popcorn and beer at the only other bar still open...

From the CTR rule FAQ: "Using a mobile phone to call ahead for any services along the route is the same as pre-arranged support, and as such, is strictly forbidden."

Eating stale popcorn and beer is better than eating nothing!

[joeydurango]

For me, a couple years back, it was hot dogs at a bar in Silverton.  I thought I had it rough, but popcorn sounds worse...

[mtbordie]

Doing the right thing and having integrity is often  not the easiest choice but has its own rewards, if some people can't seem
to abide by the rules in something as simple as a bike race makes you wonder what they do about the things that really
matter.

[fotooutdoors]

From the CTR rule FAQ: "Using a mobile phone to call ahead for any services along the route is the same as pre-arranged support, and as such, is strictly forbidden."

Gotcha.  I had not noticed that one before, and am more familiar with the TDR interpretation of "no pre-arranged support" which means nothing before the race clock starts.  Thanks.

[Stefan_G]

About a month out ya'll! Monsoon season in SW Colorado has been in full swing for the last week, so hopefully after a month we'll get a reprieve.

If you want a SPOT tracker or want to add yours to the trackleader webpage, go here:  http://trackleaders.com/ctr-signup