2015 CTR: Durango to Denver vs Denver to Durango

[Cadence Lee]

Hello all!  Planning to do CTR for the first time next year.  I have so many questions.  Currently, I'm weighing the pro's/con's of starting in Durango with everyone else.  However, it seems substantially more challenging to ride the CTR Northbound.  So, I'm considering an ITT starting in Denver and riding the CTR Southbound.  On the one hand, starting with a large group may be very beneficial.  But, the segments of the Colorado Trail that I have ridden are simply MORE FUN in the Southbound direction (and thus, perhaps riding the CTR Southbound may be more FUN).  Any thoughts?

[THE LONG RANGER]

I rode the CTR southbound, when everyone else was doing it Northbound - I had fun! One of the best things, if you're not gunning for a pure record is seeing all the folks riding the opposite direction, as they pass you by. One of the challenges of going NB, as was seen a few years ago, is that there's a good chance you may be up high, when it's thunderstorm o'clock - several riders had to turn back, if i recall. But, the chances that you'll be in that position anyways are quite large - we sure were.

There also may be another challenge of resupply - hitting the first town (dumm, Silverton?) while things are open could be a hard window to get right. When going NB, there's a few things on the first enormous detour you could take advantage of, and then summit county in multiple places you'll most likely hit on the second day.

There is a theory that since the trail was designed to be hiked N -> S, the grade is made for steep hikes up, and gradual downhills, which may be hooey, or I've mixed that up.

[Cadence Lee]

Thanks for the insight.

[mountainjah]

If you are CTRacing, then the question I'd ask myself is this... Do you want to tackle the San Juans first? or last? That push from DRO to BV is cruxy and logistically challenging.  If you hunt around some of the past CTR threads on here, you'll see solid cases being made for both directions.

[Woodland]

BV to Durango is much harder than Waterton to BV.

So if you go Southbound, lot of potential to hit the wall in BV as many have done (myself included). You think, 'man this has already been pretty damn hard...now I have 180 miles with no resupply, far more remote, a shit ton more hike-a-bike, and a lot more rugged'.

I have heard that a higher percentage finish going northbound due to this (you get the hard stuff done early, while still somewhat fresh)...but can't back that up.

[mtnbound]

It also depends on what type of person you are and what type of ride you want. 

If you go north, you will be hit with the hardest and most scenic part of the trail right out of the gate and you may have logistical issues to get to Silverton (depending on how fast you are) and end on the "easiest" part of the trail, but least scenic (though, IMO, it's still good). 

On the other hand, if you go south, it starts out relatively easier (it's all relative ) and with lower elevation, allowing you a bit of time to get better adjusted to the altitude and after BV, you get to the hardest parts but also the most scenic, like building to the crescendo to end with a bang.

[Cadence Lee]

Hmm... I have a lot to think about.  Well... got 33 more weeks to figure it out!!!  Thank you.

[joeydurango]

Done it both ways.  Like 'em both.  Can't say one's more difficult than the other... some parts are easier NB, others SB.  I felt it was essentially the same, but different.  Make sense? 

If all goes well, I'll be lining up outside my shop door for my third CTR in 2015, heading NB - but I'd love to do it again SB, too.  The CTR is an addiction!

[Cadence Lee]

I'm probably overthinking this.  Since the moment I made up my mind to do this, all I do is obsess over little details like this, and how to carry water and how to treat water and should I use full suspension or hard tail?  Its amazing how many details there are to think through.  My goal is to have fun. I guess I was really anxious about making it to Silverton on Day 1.  I'll keep pondering on it.  Thank you for your thoughts.

[joeydurango]

I wouldn't even think about making Silverton on Day 1 unless you're really quite experienced at high, high country loaded bikepacking, hike-a-bike, and going really fast at the same time.  I live here and ride that section of trail quite a bit, and am no slouch when it comes to moving quickly, but I simply packed four days of food from the get-go.  Not having to worry was completely worth it.  And for the record, I did NOT make it to Silverton by the time the grocery closed... seems to be a theme for me, regardless of direction!

EDIT: Oh, and re: details and overthinking - yep, happens to almost everyone.  Best piece of advice I can give is just make sure you're familiar with your rig and kit, be able to take care of yourself, and just go do it.  The particulars of what bike, what bags, what gear, don't matter nearly as much as most people think.  Your first CTR is simply a practice run for the second - or, it's something you'd never dream of attempting again, depending on the person!  Gear does matter - but not nearly as much as mental and physical ability, in that order.

[mountainjah]

Don't attach yourself to anything on this route- especially not Silverton on Day 1. I try to break races down into stages-Breaking my plan down into "pushes" and getting my logistics dialed for each push.  Pushes should overlap with resupply points with lots of room for flex/adaptation.....Mother nature bats last out there. Control what you can control. Locking yourself into any "I've got to.....fill in the blank" has led me to plenty of DNFs. The more open I am to the experience the journey as it unfurls, the better my races/experiences have been. This is not to say that you shouldn't meticulously dial in the details and obsess over route beta- I guess I'm just suggesting is that the more informed and better prepared you are, the less likely you are to locking yourself into a rigid plan- that may prove hard to maintain......An extra dinner to aid with food stress, the ability to sleep out comfortably to aid with camp stress, fantastic rain gear to press on thru yucky conditions...I think this is the important stuff IMHO- Silverton has better breakfast anyway- Joey D can also share his experience with the "one day push" strategy....hotdogs.....yum

[joeydurango]

Oh, hot dogs in a nasty bar at 11pm after five days on the trail?  So tasty.  So tasty.  God, I hate hot dogs.

[Cadence Lee]

Thank you Moutainjah... thats good advice.  I can get super hyper-focused on a goal and its probably better to focus on controlling what I can, like being prepared... and having FUN!

[cable_actuated]

I wouldn't even think about making Silverton on Day 1 unless you're really quite experienced at high, high country loaded bikepacking, hike-a-bike, and going really fast at the same time.  I live here and ride that section of trail quite a bit, and am no slouch when it comes to moving quickly, but I simply packed four days of food from the get-go.  Not having to worry was completely worth it.  And for the record, I did NOT make it to Silverton by the time the grocery closed... seems to be a theme for me, regardless of direction!

Interesting. I wouldn't want to give someone strong advice that they could make it to Silverton before the store closes either, but I feel like a lot of people (at least 10-15) made it there in time to shop in 2013. I leap frogged back and forth with you and Danny on this portion and made it to Silverton just after 9 pm. I was doing a very conservative run through the Durango to BV portion as it was all new trail to me and so I carried more than enough food to get to BV from the start. I would be really tempted to run light if I do it again and commit to a Silverton re-supply. I'm pretty sure dropping all that food weight could get me there in time and with less effort!

BTW - Marie this is Ben (so you have a point of comparison). You should do the race from Durango to Denver with the group! I think it's nice to get the big push out of the way early. Plus, you won't have Tyson on standby for days deciding when he should drop everything and drive 8+ hrs to pick you up.

[joeydurango]

Maybe the store doesn't close so early anymore, but it used to be 8pm.  Less than 16 hours to Silverton with a loaded bike, and considering the climb out of Durango, isn't realistic for a lot of people.  Part of my calculus was the fact that I could pack 4 days of food really well, choosing what to eat, packing compactly, and so on, and if I just packed a day and shopped in Silverton, options would be limited and re-packing everything takes time.  I didn't feel like the food was a crazy amount of weight.  I think if I were in better physical shape (where I've been before, but wasn't in 2013), I could have easily made Silverton - but I think I'd still pack the food and just forget about the Silverton grocery.

Also, when dealing with an unknown person who's a CTR first-timer, I give very, very conservative advice.  As we all know, lots of people have high ambition but not the prep or willpower to match when facing the CTR.  No offense intended to anyone, just speaking in generalities!

[Cadence Lee]

Is that a vote of confidence from Ben?!!!
I'm like 75% set on the idea of a Durango start, but I'm really gonna work hard (train hard) to try an get to Silverton at end of day 1 (but bring extra food just in case). I've got a route that is comparable based on mileage and elevation (but obviously not similar terrain) that I'm gonna practice next week if weather permits. 

The really hard thing, right now, is my setup. I got a Sweet Roll, rode with it yesterday in Horsetooth and it was a total fail.  My frame is too small I think. And, I learned that i definitely Cant carry more than 2-3 pounds on the bars (cuz I am too weak) and the SweetRoll holds substantially more than that, and therefore is going to be a bit overkill. Its too bad that I got a pocket and everything to go with it only to realize it's just not gonna work logistically with my bike and I don't think I can HAB with that much weight on the bars. I'm looking into a seat bag like the Pika. I'm, most likely, gonna hafta use a camelback. I just don't see how I can possibly fit all my gear on the frame. Gonna try a different configuration with the SweetRoll today.

[Cadence Lee]

I really do appreciate everybody's feedback.  This will be my first CTR so I really am depending on trying to learn from other people's experiences and it is super helpful to hear your experiences and ideas.  Thank you!!!

[cable_actuated]

Similar to Joey, I wouldn't want to advocate a particular game plan for someone else, such as making it to Silverton in time to resupply on day one. I mostly chimed in because there was lots of discussion of this back in 2013 and the consensus was that only the fastest, gunning for the record types were going to make it to Silverton. I just wanted to point out that many normal people made it there before or close after the store closed. It's a move I might try if I race this summer.

[Cadence Lee]

I'm working to try and not set firm goals, just because I have no way to even know what a realistic goal is at this point.  I'm just super anxious about so many unknown factors and right now that anxiety is motivating me to train like crazy and learn like crazy. I played with a different setup yesterday and an even different one today.  That's all I can do.  Practice, practice, practice!!!