AZTR 2014 Planning

[rick miller]

In for the 300.  Golden Colorado.  Rookie in ultra biking, but not in life.

[boatmana]

anyone have any SPOT discount codes they like to share?

Also still planning on the Tuesday EARLY start for the 750.

[ScottM]

If anyone is planning on dropping a car at the Utah border this week, we'd love a ride from there back to Tucson.  Can pay gas and provide loads of fresh-as-a-daisy trail beta.  

Speaking of that, we found very little snow so far, though we did skip the section north of the peaks as it was getting a little snowy as we hit 9000 feet.  I thought it would likely clear in time for the race, but now a fairly substantial winter storm looks like it may dump new snow.  We'll see.

I definitely have a number of small updates to the GPS track and will try to provide some other useful beta when I have more time.

The northern portion of the route is burly, but boy do I love it.

[ScottM]

We made it to the Utah border!  What a journey.  Mad respect to anyone that finishes the canyon hike, and the Arizona Trail from border to border, by any means -- racing and by any route.

If you want to rent a SPOT tracker, please get signed up by tomorrow (Sunday) night.  I have no gen3 trackers in my possession, so need to get them shipped to Tucson by start time.

New GPX file to come, hopefully by tomorrow.  Quite a few small updates and two route changes.  One is Oracle State Park that I mentioned earlier, and the other is an off-highway route for the 750 after Picketpost -- it gets you to services faster and cuts of quite a few US60 miles.  (Thanks to John Schilling).

I can't wait for the AZTR to start and to follow along.

[ScottM]

Also - Sorry about the issue with this thread -- all should be able to post here now.  I couldn't even post on the thread for some reason (session timed out error message).

[elfreako]

Scott,
FYI.......Per the Oracle State Park website the park is open Saturday and Sundays 8-5pm.

Also, will there be  a new GPX track?

Thanks.
Jeff

[ScottM]

Yep, new GPX file to come for both 300 and 750.  Oracle is the only change for the 300.   750 will have a number of updates and fixes.

We need a course that is open 24 hours and every day, especially by Oracle.

[elfreako]

Thanks Scott!

[fastmtnbiker33w]

The state park at Oracle was open when I went through?  LOL.  Both times I went through there were in the middle of the day and I didn't see a soul except for Boatman....and a mule.

[ScottM]

I am missing a small piece of GPX for the AZT in Flagstaff, a place where my track was wrong.

Driving back to Tucson tomorrow, so will not be able to get to it until Monday evening or Tuesday morning.  Will get GPX files out ASAP, though.  Sorry about the delay.

[Sean Allan]

I hope there's not a ton of changes or that it will be "official' since I, along with a few others will be leaving tomorrow morning early. Hopefully it's out tonight, otherwise I'm going to have to follow the '13 track.

[ScottM]

Right.  Given the late notice nobody will be DQ'd if they follow the '13 GPX.

Mostly the track is being improved in places that it was low res and not super clear, and a couple spots where AZT signs have changed, or the trail has been rerouted (e.g. Highline).

For the 750 the only real changes will be:

1 - Oracle State Park change
2 - Route from Hewitt Station Road through Queen Valley and parallel powerline is in

#1 I can describe pretty easily.  #2 if you don't have the GPX for, I would just stick with the '13 route.  And again, on both of these no one's going to get relegated for either.

#1 is the only one affecting the 300.  It's a pretty easy change because you simply stay on the AZT all the way to a culvert that goes under HWY 77 (Oracle Rd).  The '13 courses take you off the AZT through Oracle State Park.  Now just keep following AZT signs, and detour into Oracle (if needed) wherever you want.

Also, I'll be around in Tucson, just 1 mile off I-10, on Thursday, if anyone wants to load the latest track.  Drop me an email to get address/phone.  Same place I was at last year.

[Yogi the Barry]

Until Scott offers up the official Oracle SP bypass, does anyone think this will be the new route? Old in green and bypass in red. Oracle is in lower left of photo.

...snippage...  Will get GPX files out ASAP, though.  Sorry about the delay.

[schillingsworth]

Barry,
That looks to be correct from what I can tell.

I was down in Kelvin y'day, dropped some water in the cache. There are 10 gallons there now, but the Gila River is only 2 miles farther along & there's the hose at the Wilson Trailer court a quarter mile off route in Kelvin as well.

A few of us will be doing a ride on the Ripsey segment this Sat & we'll clean out / drop some water @Freeman rd although I think Scott said it was fairly well stocked when they went through about a week ago.

Best of luck to all the starters, wish I was lining up again this year.

[fastmtnbiker33w]

So....is that a bypass of the Kannally Ranch?

[-dan]

groovy.  thank you Scott.

[ScottM]

Barry's map is correct.  Red is the signed AZT and will be the course from here on out, or until Oracle State Park reopens.

This does eliminate water resupply at the Ranch house, but you can get water at the Hijinks Ranch, just barely off route and 7-8 (?) miles before that.  It's a little more than half way down the Cody Trail.  So the option to skip Oracle's resupply is still available, and if you do that, the course is about 2 miles shorter.  If you do resupply in Oracle, it'll be a bit more of a detour.

[Yogi the Barry]

If anyone wants to know...

Date                   Sunrise        Sunset        Daylight
Apr 11, 2014    6:00 AM     6:51 PM     12h 51m             
Apr 12, 2014    5:58 AM     6:51 PM     12h 52m             
Apr 13, 2014    5:57 AM     6:52 PM     12h 54m             
Apr 14, 2014    5:56 AM     6:53 PM     12h 56m             
Apr 15, 2014    5:55 AM     6:53 PM     12h 58m    

Moon              Rise           Set         Illuminated
Apr 11, 2014   3:45 PM   3:45 AM   90.2%   
Apr 12, 2014   4:40 PM   4:18 AM   95.4%   
Apr 13, 2014   5:37 PM   4:52 AM   98.8%   
Apr 14, 2014   6:35 PM   5:28 AM   
         

[mtbcast]

I want to encourage everyone that is willing to use the call in number at MTBCast. I'll be watching and posting! 888-866-4491

[ScottM]

Yes, please call in at MTBcast, especially for 750 racers.

New GPX files are up:

http://topofusion.com/azt/race-route.php

Go into the GPX directory to find pre-simplified versions (to 10,000 points).

I will work on updating the cue sheet tomorrow.

I'll also have some course updates and other infos to post.  Stay tuned.