American Trail Race 5000

[dream4est]

Hi Neal I doubt it anytime soon. Geyser Pass road isnt open until after Memorial Day. Last year it was about June 15th ish and very muddy and snowy near the top. The commercial shuttles didnt go officially until July 12th.

[Inertiaman]

Colorado 606 miles with 56,700' of lovely uphilling. Thats only 93 feet per mile..... makes it feel more manageable.

Actually the average gradient is 2X that because the net gain is negligble/neutral and therefore the cumulative climbing is accomplished in half the noted distance . . . so on average you'll do 186 feet per mile climbing for 300 miles and 186 feet per mile descending for 300 miles.

Still makes it sound easier than it is!

[jjmundt]

Actually the average gradient is 2X that because the net gain is negligble/neutral and therefore the cumulative climbing is accomplished in half the noted distance . . . so on average you'll do 186 feet per mile climbing for 300 miles and 186 feet per mile descending for 300 miles.

Still makes it sound easier than it is!

I've reached Salida in my mapping / spreadsheet and clearly, not all the pathways will be "railroad-grade" climbs.   Someone else mentioned it as well, but the lack of bike shops is shaping up to be a real issue.  By comparison, the TD is flush with on-route options.  I'm guessing riders will need to carry a few extra repair items and prepare to self-maintain.

[jjmundt]

In case you hadn't noticed, a modified route has been published...

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/18684940

It's roughly 40 miles longer than v1.0.

I'm working through my map breakdowns and, so far, there are some significant changes in the hills of North Carolina.  It'll take me another week or two to find any other changes.

Be sure to inspect carefully and update your GPX.

[Rob Colliver]

I think the change is missing Tellico Plains. There is some alternate resupply on the newer version, so all is good.

Also, I'm proud to say I have a jersey for the race!

https://endura.me/design/details/e2c9dbc3-5724-e711-80c3-000d3a2081ea

[THE LONG RANGER]

The part through the San Juans in Colorado will be less CT and more Alpine Loop. Perhaps a little faster, but more traffic fer sure. Going over Imogene Pass should be fun.

[jjmundt]

The part through the San Juans in Colorado will be less CT and more Alpine Loop. Perhaps a little faster, but more traffic fer sure. Going over Imogene Pass should be fun.

I just watched a video of a guy taking a 4x4 over Imogene out of Telluride.  Holy buckets, is that some stout climbing!!

So I (finally!!) finished the state-by-state breakdowns and, again, you have to put a bit of faith in MapMyRide, so...:

North Carolina - 699 miles & 53,650' of climb
Tennessee - 500 miles & 38,400'
Mississippi - 299 miles & 10,400'
Arkansas - 443 miles & 27,200'
Oklahoma - 700 miles & 18,200'
Kansas - 7 miles & 115'
Texas - 17 miles & 350'
New Mexico - 73 miles & 3700'
Colorado - 606 miles & 59,200'
Utah - 515 miles & 38,100'
Nevada - 498 miles & 29,700'
California - 48 miles & 4,100'
Oregon - 650 miles & 56,200'

My theoretical day-by-day breakdowns total 39 days on-route.  It's going to be brutal at a race pace.  The final 260 miles in Oregon have 30,000' of climbing.

All the best to those challenging this!!

[THE LONG RANGER]

I just watched a video of a guy taking a 4x4 over Imogene out of Telluride.  Holy buckets, is that some stout climbing!!

MUHAHAHAAHA! It'll be a highlight fer sure, but nothing out of the ordinary for San Juan Passes like Stony Pass that the Colorado Trail racers face. Is it the highpoint of the race?

Totally worth it going down into Telluride.

[Jeff Tomassetti]

We will attempt this in sections on the MTB tandem soon.
But not in year one!

[Rob Colliver]

Just a quick call out to say good luck and stay safe to all playing in this daft race. See you in Morehead City or on the beach! I'm flying tomorrow.

[THE LONG RANGER]

Bumped into Skinny Aaron just a couple of days ago here in Salida, right before he was getting on a flight to the start. He's stoked! That guy's been all over the place bikepacking recently, and he's loving The Life. Wish him luck! I'll be following the race/Aaron fer sure!

[jjmundt]

http://www.lakecity.com/plan-your-colorado-trip/trail-road-conditions

Barring snow it looks as though Engineer Pass might be open next week...?

http://www.sanmiguelcounty.org/406/Road-Conditions

Imogene Pass still closed...?

Fortunately, it's a couple of weeks before the riders arrive, so maybe there's time for improvement.

[jjmundt]

And they're off!!...Well, they got started a few hours ago.  All the best to all of them.  Ride safely.  Between this race, the Trans Am, and the Tour Divide, I'm not going to get much done the next month or so.

[THE LONG RANGER]

Safe trails, everyone! I was merely scrolling east -> west on the route through the trackleaders interface, and I got too tired to even make it out of Colorado! Looks like a major adventure out there!

[jjmundt]

I wonder if Jen Marsh is the first casualty of the ATR (is that how we abbreviate it?)...either that or her SPOT stopped working some time ago.  Dylan Taylor and Indiana Schulz are setting a blistering pace so far.

[THE LONG RANGER]

Just reposting the trackleaders link:

http://trackleaders.com/americantrail17

[flyboy]

Hey guys. Is there a FB page where there is chatter about the race? Obviously not much going on in here.

[schillingsworth]

Dylan's been giving updates on his FB page fairly regularly, Aaron as well.

Dylan should knock out a few states today as he leaves OK, pops in/out of TX & NM in short order in favor of CO.

[woody]

Read that Imogene Pass is scheduled to open around July 4th.

So can these guys ride/hike/carry their bikes over it if it is officially closed?

[jjmundt]

Read that Imogene Pass is scheduled to open around July 4th.

So can these guys ride/hike/carry their bikes over it if it is officially closed?

Yeah, I would reiterate that question?  Dylan has just 3 passes left before arriving in Ouray to tackle Imogene, so I'm guessing he'll be there Thursday at the latest.  Will he - and eventually Indiana - be allowed to go over?  I don't know exactly how that works.  Are there gates blocking the way?...is it go-at-your-own-risk?...will they be forced to re-route?