2017 CTR: Planning & Who's In?

[ezr4d]

Yeah that's all I would have time for too, so probably best to just get there right before like Joey suggested. 
Time to do some serious planning, but that's half the fun.

[Joliver]

I was hoping to be able to do it this year, as having a little girl under 2 and some odd health issues have prohibited me from doing so the past couple of years.  However, nagging back issues and/or old bones seem to be impeding progress again this year.  Ugh!  So, I am hopeful that I can make it next year.  I envy each of you who is fortunate enough to do it this year.  The Colorado Trail will no doubt be as beautiful as it always is. Good luck!

-Jerry

[jgriffiths]

Hey all,

I'm keen to come sample some fine Colorado singletrack. Looking forward to it! I'm a CTR rookie and an out of towner (I'm based in Melbourne, AUS) so have a few basic questions:

- Do I need to register intent anywhere? I couldn't find this info on climbingdreams.
- Do most racers get a Colorado Outdoor Recreation Search and Rescue card? Necessary? I'll have travel insurance.
- Any recommendations on somewhere cheap/decent to stay in Durango for a few days before the race starts?

I'll no doubt 100 more annoying questions as my research continues...

Thanks!

[aarond]

Hey jgriffiths,

You don't have to register intent anywhere, but it is a good idea to use trackleaders during the race.  You also don't have to purchase a search and rescue card, but it is not a bad idea as a corsar card  would cover costs in the unlikely event you needed a rescue and your travel insurance wouldn't cover it.  They are very inexpensive and can be purchased online or at any dgo outdoor store.

Cheers!

[joeydurango]

- Do I need to register intent anywhere?

You just did...

- Do most racers get a Colorado Outdoor Recreation Search and Rescue card?

I always carry one in the backcountry.  Not necessary, but as Aaron said, cheap and not a bad idea.

- Any recommendations on somewhere cheap/decent to stay in Durango for a few days before the race starts?

Depending on your standards, it's more like pick one:  Cheap OR decent.    Junction Creek campground is both, but you might want things like hot showers and proximity to restaurants before heading out for 550 miles of camping and trail food.  The places here most frequented by bikepackers are the Adobe Inn, Spanish Trails Inn, and Royal Inn - we have larger, newer, nicer chain hotels too, but more expensive.  The Rochester or Strater hotels downtown are excellent, but not cheap.  Unfortunately, our one hostel closed down a while back...

Welcome to the board and we'll see you in July!

[joeydurango]

By the way, Denberg, are you in this year?  Thinking about it?

[aarond]

Yes sir, Mr. Durango, I'm in like Flynn.  Dgo-denver is my favorite direction.  You?

[joeydurango]

Mmm... not certain yet.  I have a long way to go to get back to CTR shape after a couple years of forced lameness.  But I am definitely thinking about it, will just have to see how the riding goes this spring.

[Hoka Hey]

I'm in. What is the GD date and time?

[Adam Alphabet]

Hey all,
.....
- Any recommendations on somewhere cheap/decent to stay in Durango for a few days before the race starts?
.....

I stayed at the Days End in 2012 after touring, 2015 pre start and 2016 post race... If you're into listening to meth heads arguing and beating on each other at all hours of the day and night I can't recommend it enough! and the price is right!

[bmattingly]

I got some most excellent news that an awesome employee that planned to move in May is staying through October.  This frees me up for the CTR in July.  This has been on my list for a while.  At the recent age of 50 my drive hasn't wained but my body cannot always endure what it could in 30s, early 40s.  I'm always up for a big adventure which this fits the bill.  A couple friends have done this and had amazing things to say about the experience.  Can any of you veterans give any advice for dealing with storms/lightning at the highest elevations?  Any advice is appreciated.  Also how do some of you get back to Durango after completion in Denver?  Wow I'm excited, scared, and psyched all at the same time. 

[joeydurango]

RE storms, lightning:

-Start high sections early (pre-dawn) if possible and the timing works out
-Have experience watching, experiencing, calling high country weather (ideally) or, barring that, just know that high country weather is quick to change and WILL catch you out
-Make smart decisions and manage risk; you probably won't avoid all storms, but if you're not going for the record you can wait out the nastiest weather
-When you get caught out, don't hang out under solo trees, or small stands of trees.  Entire forests are good.  Stay off ridgelines, away from open areas, the bottoms of drainages, etc.

I generally don't worry too much about riding in a lightning storm through an alpine forest, unless the storm is centered directly over my head.  But I don't mess around with lightning above treeline.  In the 2011 CTR, I ditched my bike along Section 22 and ran down about 600 vertical feet into some low scrub when a sudden squall blew up over the ridgeline and threw a bolt onto the ground directly ahead of me.

This story brings up an interesting point:  Don't let peer pressure dictate your moves.  I was with a small group that day - about 3-4 of us riding together for a few hours.  It was sunny, with large thunderheads popping up here and there, but nothing overhead.  The CT passed to the south of this large, deep valley, but just enough on the other side of the ridge that we couldn't see over into that valley.  We were at about 12,500', well above treeline.  Suddenly a small but violent squall just blew up out of that valley and over the ridge ahead of us; as soon as it came over I told the group I didn't like the look of it and was ditching my bike temporarily.  I received a skeptical response, so I headed down alone.  Not 15 seconds later and the low grumbles coming from that squall turned into incredibly close and sharp cracks of thunder - cloud to ground lightning, directly ahead of us and not more than 1/4 mile away.  Everyone else dropped their bikes and followed me down with no delay!  Moral of this story - if you don't like something, don't follow someone else's lead, unless they're much more experienced than you and you trust their judgement. 

[aarond]

Also, there are a few high, tree less parts of the trail where there are no ridges to run down, so timing is important.  If you get caught here you are supposed to take this position:

Of course, this is the position you will naturally assume anyway.
Getting back from Denver, I rent one way from enterprise rentals, and return in town instead of the Durango airport.

[bmattingly44@yahoo.com]

Joey, Aaron,

Great beta.  Thank you so much!!

[Paadria]

Hey all,
This is my first post wanting to put it out there that I'm committed to starting and hopefully finishing this monumental challenge.  I've started commuting everyday to increase my riding volume.  I spend all of my free Time planning, reading, and prepping.  I'm from a flat and low elevation area in MN so that adds to the challenge.  I read that I should expect to Push my bike for 100 miles out of the 550.  Is that accurate or hopefully an exaggeration.  I'll keep following and sucking in information.  What are the top things a rookie should be aware of?  Tire suggestions?
Excited,
Pat Adrian
46 year old rookie,
Yeti ASRC
Northern MN

[Bob Loblaw]

100 miles might be an exaggeration, but the amount of hiking you do is really dependent on your fitness, gearing, and weight of your setup. I'd guess I probably did closer to 50-60 miles of hiking.

Here is some great advice from a very experienced racer:

What is really important is the following:
1. No time limits. Each year many racers give themselves a strict time limit that is unrealistic. The trail is harder than they think. The moment comes when a person realizes that they cannot make their goal, and they quit. I have seen people that are way faster than me riding with me. That is very common as logistics become overwhelming under duress. The person has the ability to meet the goal, but reality means sleeping, breaks, being tired, not being able to eat, etc.
2. Adversity- how to overcome it without cheating or quitting. Things will not go your "way". What are you going to do when that happens? You may have to ride a tire with leaves in it-lash your frame bag with paracord-walk 80 miles-glue your shoe back together-etc.
3. Training is good but specific training is better. If one does not have a decade long endurance base, that is okay. By specific I mean HAB training. Overnight training. Weather training. Etc. I go out and hike a bike all the time in the fall and winter. I do overnighters in the cold or damp weather.
4. Mindset. What is your motivation? If it is 15 minutes of Warholian fame (like blog bragging, Facebook posting, etc.) your odds of quitting increase. This is a journey that has to be internalized. You must be one with the trail and block out human emotions that are ego driven.
5. Riding/racing alone. If you cannot handle being alone in the most remote stretch of Colorado, dont count on the company of other racers. Teaming up for anyone slower than true middle pack racers usually results in a DNF. The team slows you down almost all the time. I practice by camping alone near home often.
6. Injury. What happens when you have body issues? The will to continue the journey when dealing with pain is very important for all racers, not just fast ones. I had to deal with intense pain in 2012 in AZT and CTR. I ended up taking one aspirin in 25 days though I dealt with a heel/achilles injury in Arizona and a stress fracture in the lower leg in CTR. Do you have that drive to succeed? Even if it means your elapsed time sucks in comparison to others or your goal? Many folks quit because their final time would be not good enough or they cant break a record, etc.
7. Logistics. Dont fly in the day before. Have your gear ready prior to the morning of the race. Etc.
8. Practice with a fully loaded bike often. I am riding my bike fully loaded for the AZT 750 and it is 5.5 months from the start. Any gear movement or bike issues are being solved now-not on the trail day 1.
9. Eating. It is a skill to eat and keep up with caloric intake early in the race. Dont downplay this important aspect of the CTR. People quit all the time from this, even saying they got a bug or got sick from what they ate or whatever. It is calorie deficit not a bug. Your brain functions poorly without food not just your body.

So in conclusion if you can race with no time limit, handle adversity, ride alone, deal with pain, ride a loaded bike, HAB 50-100 miles out of 500 and eat food while moving then you have the ability to finish. If that sounds too hard then you understand why CTR is what it is. Is is a lot harder out there doing it than sitting here discussing it. Even people who finished the route underestimate it sitting at home/work talking about it. You "forget" how hard it really is. Time heals those wounds physical or mental. We forget how good it feels to finish or how painful/demoralizing the lows points were.

I'd add two things to this advice:

• Do some practice "races" with your complete setup long before the CTR starts. Things that are annoying on a 1-2 day trip can end your race when you get out there.
• Since you're coming from a flat, low-elevation area, I would highly recommend some form of structured training plan

[Paadria]

Thanks for the advice.  I will use these ideas to enhance my training.  This race is right up my alley as I love point to point racing.  I'm curious what people suggest for cold weather gear.  I'll have a bivy, neoair pad, and 30f down bag.  I'm planning warm socks, wool bottoms, wool top, hat, fleece gloves, rain suit, and maybe a down sweater.  I slept at 35f the other night and was comfortable.  I think this will be different when running on empty.  Am I on the right track?  Also, how much water should I be ready to carry for the longer drier sections?  I'll maybe finish in 10 days.
I'm having fun learning and appreciate your help.
Pat from Minnesota

[Bob Loblaw]

Cold Weather
Your setup will definitely be warm enough. I would hazard to say that you could leave some of that stuff at home if speed is a concern for you. Last year I slept in my SOL bivy with a 30 degree quilt (no pad, no insulating layers) and was completely warm sleeping 4-5 hours a night. Your setup as listed would be comfortable even on the coldest CTR nights (as long as it's not raining).

Water
Water is abundant on the CT, and the only places where water is "scarce" is from the La Garita detour to Tank 7 Creek. And even then for bikers, it's really not that bad to manage (and there are less-than-ideal options if you get in a pickle). Just make sure you get lots of water near the bottom of the long dirt road descent off of Slumgullion. There are limited options for water from there to Hwy 114, and that section can be blazing hot. There are creeks in the detour, but they're on private property for the most part and fenced off.

[Paadria]

How abut brakes?  I'm thinking to just start with freshly bled brakes and new pads.  Shouldn't need extra pads.  My Yeti Asrc has Avid X0 trail brakes with 160mm rotors.

[Bob Loblaw]

Most definitely carry extra pads. I haven't needed them but many others have