CTR 2010 Status and Updates.

[DaveH]

Sounds like their was a glitch? About 10 minutes ago I did not see Ryan anywhere near Silverton. Ok, never mind, WAY TO GO RYAN!

Hard to say...trackleaders depends on the SPOT network to deliver the trackpoint messages in a timely manner.  That does not always happen, particularly if SPOT is doing a network upgrade.  Trackpoint delivery can be delayed by hours.

In any case, GO RYAN!  

[NL]

OK, Ryan did call me about 10 minutes after my last post, absolutely adamant that it had only taken four days to get from Salida to Silverton  (left Salida on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday -- does this race mess with one's ability to count?). 

He said last night's camping experience was the most miserable of his life, 30-40 mph winds, five separate rain storms, he's using a tarp as a tent, which apparently is no match for a real storm and his sleeping bag got soaked (not for the first time on this venture).  He's planning to stay in Silverton tonight, something with a real roof I think, and is estimating 2-3 days to Durango.

And yeah, his spot tracker has been pretty hit or miss.  It seems to be updating more regularly, I'm wondering if it's because there are fewer other trackers on the course updating?

I had to laugh at the posts about "Is it normal to be thinking of doing this next year?"  I'm a mountain biker as well, it has been fascinating to follow this, and the thought has even been crossing MY mind that maybe I could do this next year, with the right preparation.  Although I most like the idea someone else mentioned, of doing it in July with a full moon, before the August monsoon season hits. 

[fcrider]

Big props to my Fort Collins riding buddy, Bob Butrico, who is apparently somewhere east of Bayview.  Maybe he's still going!  Welcome home to planet earth Bob, where us mere mortals toil.  Nice finish, after slogging through all the rain the FIRST WEEK, surviving the bad BV pizza, a broken derailleur and God knows what else.  Look forward to hearing all your trail stories, and trying to convince me to attempt the madness that is CTR.

JH

[ETURK]

Can I echo Full Moon please for 2011!

Without sharing my disappoint let me say that work took my time away from me doing it this year, as it did last year, and my fingers are still crossed for 2011. Its that addicting.  

[sanjuanrider]

Great to hear that Andy finished. We rode together for several days, and he was a solid and motivating companion. He lost his GPS and tent poles along the route, which was a serious psychological blow--but he plugged along anyway. Meeting people like Andy along the way was one of the highlights of the CTR. Nothing so quickly builds real friendship like sharing an intense experience, eh?

Thanks for the kind words Toby.  For those that have not met Toby he would be on the top of your list of best people to know and become friends with.  I also enjoyed riding with with him for several days and listening to his Canadian "eh" all day long.  I knew when he started pedaling strong up the Fooses Creek section that I probably would not see him again.  We both chatted from the very first few miles of the race that our goal was a finish and Im so glad he did it so strong.

This race was absolutely amazing.  There are so many things I would love to share about the race between the great people I met to the emotional and physical highs and lows.  I believe every one that entered this has a great love, respect, and admiration for the outdoors and Mtn biking.  We should all give Stefan a big "Thank You" for inventing and organizing this unique competition.  

As for me  - the bike will be heading to the shop for the many repairs that need to be done because of this race (broken brake level, broken granny gear sprocket, broken rear suspension). I'll try to post some pictures and ideas of things I thought were essential and things I would have left behind. I did realize that every ounce is essential to shed off the bike for a race of this nature but also take the essential gear to make it through the weather and high alltitude conditions.  

Good luck to the remaining rider(s) and "Ride Tough".

[nathaniel gallion]

Looks like Jeff and Ethan have finished the slog up out of Fooses Creek to the Crest with Jesse not too far behind.



Hike out of Fooses - it aint fun!

Next up they have some fun riding (and hiking) in Sergents Mesa



Followed by the relief of the Cochetopa Hills and some nice fast doubletrack before a long 50 mile detour around the La Garita Wilderness.



I wonder if the Trail Angel tent will be there again this year?  Those bags of Cheese-its and crackers sure hit the spot!!!

 

Trail angels?? Is leaving food on the trail littering or is it trail magic!?

[mtbcast]

Ryan Field called in from Silverton. And Bob Butrico called in from Durango.

[jp3d]

I'll try to post some pictures and ideas of things I thought were essential and things I would have left behind. I did realize that every ounce is essential to shed off the bike for a race of this nature but also take the essential gear to make it through the weather and high alltitude conditions.

That would be great. I'm seriously considering doing this thing next year, so any tips things that really worked well, or really sucked would be wonderful! The only thing better than learning from your mistakes is learning from other people's mistakes

[bradh]

Trail angels?? Is leaving food on the trail littering or is it trail magic!?

Littering!    The critters are going to find it before any 2 legged animals will.

[NL]

Trail angels?? Is leaving food on the trail littering or is it trail magic!?

People have talked here about meeting the trail angel -- I assumed that the trail angel was physically present to give food or water or encouragement to those passing by.  When the angel went home, so did the food and water.  It makes complete sense that animals would quickly notice if food were regularly left at a given location, or even random locations.  Food wrappers are no match for the teeth of a hungry squirrel, chipmunk, raccoon etc.

[Done]

Littering!    The critters are going to find it before any 2 legged animals will.

Agreed. I think the rules are pretty clear that it's not cool to dump stuff just because you don't want to carry it. Nathan is no Apple.

[Emily]

I finally finished up my race report here: http://sheridesbikes.blogspot.com/2010/08/colorado-trail-race-2010.html
It ended up being pretty long considering I only did half the race!! Good job everyone and great to meet you all, maybe (MAYBE) I'll see you again next year.

[Danno]

Agreed. I think the rules are pretty clear that it's not cool to dump stuff just because you don't want to carry it. Nathan is no Apple.

I don't know what has happened and why, and nothing in this thread indicates that items were dumped because he didn't want to carry them, so unless you have insider info that's a pretty lame thing to accuse someone of.  And while it may or may not be against the rules of this race, and while it may or may not be a good idea in general, "trail magic" is a well-known thing practiced by many and takes many forms, not just the form of a person handing out goodies at a trailhead.  I don't necessarily agree with the practice of leaving food unattended as trail magic, but I would surely be careful of accusing someone of cheating just because they did.

[riverfever]

This is directed to NL:

I do think that racers leaving food is not ok. I also want to say I don't think that Angels need to be present in order for the magic to be legit. Last year there was magic just outside of Leadville (left by the Hostel), there was Apples place (although those of us that hit it together had already missed the band), and there was more coolers of soda just a few miles past Apples place. All of these were very close to paved roads and very clean/organized so I assume that people had left the stuff in the mornings and monitored them frequently but I really don't care. All three of these examples are different than a racer leaving items (regardless of the intent).

Make sense?

[DaveH]

Let's not muddy this thread with mud slingin', eh?  Some monumental physical and emotional efforts have been laid down out there this year, let's not minimize them.

On the recent posts about racers leaving food as trail magic, it is for the racers involved and Stefan to discuss (and in private no doubt).  For everyone else it's mere speculation, and we all have opinions, just like...

[jalbersh]

I finally finished up my race report here: http://sheridesbikes.blogspot.com/2010/08/colorado-trail-race-2010.html
It ended up being pretty long considering I only did half the race!! Good job everyone and great to meet you all, maybe (MAYBE) I'll see you again next year.

Great report, Emily. Thanks for writing it and posting for all to see and learn from. I thought it was well written, contained some beautiful descriptions, and I loved the occasional prose thrown in there, too.

[mtbcast]

Littering!    The critters are going to find it before any 2 legged animals will.

If it's energy bars, I say trail magic. We're about the only "animals" that find those palatable. Give your dog a Cliff Bar and he'll look back at you like, "Dude? I pee on the floor or something?" 

[NL]

Maybe I should have preceded my post with something like "Just curious how this Trail Magic stuff is supposed to work."  It was not intended to be a judgment of how the world should be or inspire animosity, it just reflects my experience at age six that unprotected food left at out at a campsite is broken into.  Sorry to have said something that has caused others to take offense and thanks for the examples of acceptable trail magic.

[Done]

Apple is the ultimate trail angel! After the harshness of Sargent's Mesa, that big bowl of salty soup was incredibly delicious. Not to mention the crackers, cookies, and Crackerjacks. I don't know who pays for the goodies, but Apple refuses to accept any sort of donation or compensation--aside from recommending that people send some money to the Colorado Trail Foundation. When I told him that I'd sent some money before the race, he offered me a couple of extra boxes of Crackerjacks "for the road." What a guy!

The trail magic drop just down the road was a bit of a bummer though. When I got there in the afternoon, everything was gone aside from one smashed-up cooler and one stinky one. Black magic! I rode down the trail a bit and drowned my sorrows in a box of Apple's Crackerjacks...

The best trail magic was the encouraging words and positive vibes of other riders. The Crackerjacks were momentarily satisfying, but the shared moments with some great people will linger for a long, long time.

[dream4est]

Way to go Bob, Toby and Andy!! I saw Toby on the last day and his bike was holding him back big time but you could tell he was not bothered by it and was gonna plug on to the finish. Good work.

Bob and I stayed at the Leadville Hostel after being pummeled by rain for many hours. That bed really got me back into the race. PM me man I have something that belongs to you that I found on the trail.

Congrats to all official finishers. It was a tough year weather-wise. I am already thinking about the Coconino 250 even though I swore this year is over for me. I guess I am feeling much better now.

Special thanks to my girlfriend Leila. She picked me up at the end and nursed me back to human being form. Even though I was being a real ass for some of the trip (I hate going back to the real world after these races and am usually quite bitter about it), she still seemed to understand that I was on a adrenaline high and coming down was going to be a bit rocky. Thanks for being there Leila- hitchhiking home after this race is lame and spending two days with you taking the scenic route was MUCH better.



Mark C.