CTR 2013 Discussion

[cmn529]

I forgot to mention that I ran into the CT chairman Steve Staley and another fellow on the board in Segment 14.  They knew all about the CTR and were so thankful for all the donations.  They said that they appreciated all of the support from the biking community. Nice work everyone!

[Woodland]

Hey all! First of all: why is there no rain in that video?   Second of all: Huge awe-inspiring congrats to Chrissy, I can attest to the extreme weather she survived in to finish - tough girl. I, on the other hand, couldn't handle it and bailed on US-50 into Gunnison...I was freezing and wet and couldn't imagine how I'd survive the crest. Not enough experience at treeline in weather like that for me I guess. (Snow on Wolf Creek pass on my way home tonight - crazy)

Well, once again this thing got the better of me - at the very least I got to Durango (still had a spectacular ride). As a couple people have mentioned to me in the last few days, 'third time is the charm'. But maybe I am not cut out to 'race' this thing, maybe I should have just done it on my own all along. Who knows.

Either way, I have tons of respect and awe for all of you in this community and am proud to be a part of it, even if just as a 'scratch' (again!). With all of your stories of survival and determination and adventure you inspired me to line up for this thing twice and give it my best go and for that I can only thank each and every one of you. Riding the CT in the CTR is one hell of a way to live, even if only for a week! I think a lot of people out there have things on their bucket lists, or a grand adventure, or an epic journey, or a big lifestyle change that they will never make happen for valid reasons that a lot of us can agree with (family, jobs, bills, health, etc, etc). But here in this group you guys don't make excuses, you get out there and live your damn life...and inspired me to live mine. Rock on  

And for the record, how awesome was Pat at the Stage Stop! He greeted me by name when I pulled in, 'Hey Nick!'...love that.

[JosiahM]

Chrissy,
way to persevere through everything mother nature threw at you.
on the food thing... being a low lander, I was never able to eat food while biking.  I had to stop just to take a sip of water cause I could not skip a breath while riding since the air was so thin.
I usually would stop for 5 minutes to relax and eat a gel or snickers bar or what not.  I don't think it really cost me much time especially given how infrequently I was eating... maybe like 4 stops a day.  I spent far more time sitting under shade trees trying to cool off from the sun than I spent eating.
I would pretty much just ride till I started not being able to put power into my pedals and my mind couldn't focus on the trail anymore (signs of low blood sugar) then I would stop and eat a couple hundred cals and go on my merry way.  btw, this is a horrible nutrition plan for doing a ride like that, but I liked how when I starve myself for long enough, everything I had to eat actually tasted really good
I'm still trying to wrap my head around how slow my moving speed was on the trail.  it's so hard to comprehend how you can push so hard and go so slow.
did anyone actually track how much time they spend walking vs biking? it feels like at least 40% in terms of time... at least on the trail.  I'm sure biking is a lot more miles than pushing, but I spent an insane amount of hours pushing.

[Matt Schiff]

Biggest issue was not eating enough calories.  I'm GF and try not to eat much 'race' food like gels.  I could feel how much stronger I was when I had a full meal but did not like to stop on the trail to take the time...other than bites of food while riding.  Do you take 15 min to occasionally stop and eat something more substantial?  I'm thinking maybe I should but the idea of slowing progress bugs me.  But barely moving because I'm depleted bugs me more...

I don't think you can justify not stopping to eat. Just how much time you take to eat is a different matter. In Leadville I was eating non-stop for 30 mins. I could have made it quicker by racing through the food, half chewing it, but I feel I deserved the time to properly eat.

[Shirey]

I wasn't all that fast or anything, but I do think I improved a lot as the race went on, and I attribute most of that to what I was learning about keeping my body fueled and staying ahead of the bonk.

I can relate to what Chrissy was saying about not wanting to stop to eat, because I kindof felt like that for the first couple days. I was also crashing into a bonk too often and having hard times recovering. On day 3, after yet another bonk-phase when I reached Jarosa Mesa, I think I finally put a plan into action that kept me fueled and helped eliminate the tough low periods and repeated bonking.

Near constant snacking - Just about any time I thought about it I'd try to reach in the gastank and put down a couple Honey Stingers. HAB usually offered plenty opportunity to do this without stopping forward progress.

About every 2 hours - I needed about 400-500 calories, but I could usually do this without really stopping. Typically it was a candy bar, some GORP, almonds, cheezits, etc...

Every 5 hours - this was the key for me. I had to stop and get off the bike for 15-20 minutes and really try to gorge myself and put down as many calories as I could. If I could get down 1000 then that was awesome. I had tortillas and tuna, cheddar cheese, salami, PB&Honey's so it was during these breaks that I would get down on that type of stuff.

Luckily, I never had any stomach issues and didn't really have a problem with the desire to eat. So, once I got in that routine, It seemed like I stopped sinking down into those terrible low points.

The main thing I'd like to get better at is dragging my lazy ass out of the bivy before the sun comes up. I must have been getting plenty of rest, because I couldn't get up before the sun started to peek out. I would set my alarm for 3am or 4am, every night, but I just ignored it until the sun started rising.

I calculated that over the 7 nights that I camped, I was in my camp for about 52 hours. That is way more than I game-planned for.

I guess like anything I just need to go out and practice doing it.

[franzr]

Very important topics--and I think everyone has a different method that works. Here's mine, FWIW.

I learned during the Durango Dirty Century that I'm not good at fueling while riding--I come from a road cycling background where my motto is basically to never stop the wheels turning, but mountain biking technical terrain is just a different beast. And CTR was even worse because I took the spreadsheet approach to minimizing weight for 16000 calories from Durango--7.2 pounds but that was slow burn (lots of fat). So I HAD to stop and grab a boatload of calories before I started to run low, then they'd take effect while I continued to ride at a decent pace. I'm talking chocolate bar with a couple tablespoons of almond butter, or a honey stinger waffle with a bunch of almond butter. Upwards of 400-800 calories at once--but since they were slow burn it seemed doable. Great, concentrated foods, but for me impossible to choke down while riding. Silly thing is I made Silverton at 7:30pm, so I carried all that crap for no reason (well, I saved time in Silverton). Sillier thing, I finished with a pound of almond butter!

I ALWAYS feel better starting early than riding late. I guess I'm a morning person. Getting up was brutal but then I loved the early morning riding and seeing the sunrise. Also seemed safer for afternoon storms (although depends where you start). For me, metabolic rate is on the upswing in the morning, instead of on a downward trend after 10pm.

[pro_out]

1 lonely ITTer out there giving it a go. Go AD, you have my undivided attention.

[Mini Bear]

Alright, after 2 weeks of 'digestion' I'll take a stab at a 'race' report. In short: I laughed, I cried (not actually), it was hard, I hiked a lot, so on and so forth. But, for a lengthy examination of some other facets of the trail: 

The ride started out with the usual pre-dawn start at Waterton Canyon. Fun fact: the tree right by the restrooms in the parking lot is filled to the brim with bats. What started out as a stroll to the bathroom became a sprint through bat wings brushing my face. The upshot is that I am very impressed with echolocation. After that fun foray, it was nice to finally be rolling. The first segments of the trail are awesome! Though I would be proven VERY wrong in a few days time, I thought that all this talk about the CT and hike-a-bike was a load. Beautifully ignorant bliss. The day still ended up a little rough. Note to self for the next attempt: don't stay up late building a new bike the night before the ride. Sleep deprivation and heat combined to end the day early...late afternoon early. Oh well.

With a solid 14 hours of sleep (there is a reason I put 'race' in quotes), I got to do a little gravel grinding. I know I'm definitely in the minority, but I actually enjoyed the Tarryall Detour. Yeah it's long, yeah it's hot, yeah the sandy gravel sucks, but I enjoy myself a little dirt road trekking from time to time. Bonus: the construction was on break for the weekend. Super bonus: port potties just when I wanted them, every time. Super mega bonus: the multiple unexpected food spots. I've heard a lot about Pat the Stage Top storeowner in others race reports. As one of the first riders through his store this year, it’s cool to see that this guy became a fan of the race by the end. When I came through, he didn't know much about the race or what it was all about. We chatted a little bit, but it was just casual conversation. It's neat that by the end of things, he had caught the trackleaders bug and was greeting riders by name. It's not the Tour, but there's at least one big fan out there. Once back on the trail I ran into two Canucks that were touring. Some of the nicest guys of the whole week. After a few 'ehs' and 'aboots' it was on to the cozy little Wayside Inn at Breck. And I thought to myself: "this whole CT thing isn't so tough..."

Aaaaaaaaand 10 Mile. Fuck that. Even looking back at Fooses, Sargents, Jarosa, Coney, Cataract, Indian Ridge, etc, Ten Mile was the worst. Not necessarily because it was the hardest or longest, but even the descent was miserable. Just brakes and brakes and brakes, a geriatric, grumpy, bike averse hiker (I made him my friend by the end), and brakes and brakes and brakes. At least the gas station in Copper had some tasty treats. Moving on, the ride up to Searle was lovely. Definitely going to do a hut trip to stay in that fancy cabin near the top. Doo-dee-doo, on to Camp Hale, Leadville, and the most depressing place on earth: the Leadville Pizza Hut. Never seen a more dejected, absolutely miserable group of people than the ones behind the counter of that place. I totally get it, but damn. Human sadness and misery distilled, refined, and served up in a cardboard box. Just an interesting juxtaposition to my euphoria of being on the trail. Had another night in a hotel to ponder that bit of the human condition while undertaking a little fit project. Pizza boxes have plenty of cardboard for making insole shim inserts in case you ever find yourself in a bike fit pickle. However, should you find yourself working in a high mountain town’s Pizza Hut, I'm afraid I didn't come up with any remedies.

Finally got a look at the unfolding race at the front on the way into Buena Vista, did a little mental math on their pace and damn...those dudes are ridiculous. Just damn. Got a perfectly timed bloody nose and some funny looks for the tissue sticking out of my nose on the way into town. But, gotta keep moving forward right? A nice little burrito later and it was onward and upward. Once you get past the horse-y horrible parts of the trail, there aren't many better bits of the CT than this one. Soooooo good. Though the mad cow that greeted me in the morning was a little unnerving. I was mooing back just for fun, but it didn't seem to like that. Let mad cows just be mad all by themselves. Just before Hwy 50 I finally got to see the normal (but still much faster than me) NoBo group. I must have seen 20 or more people throughout the day. It is nuts how many people I saw, much less how many started in Durango.

Moving on, Fooses was hard, the Crest was good, everything after wasn't, you all know the story. Got myself a nice case of the cracked ribs coming down to Tank 7, so that was fun. Still yelping today when I sneeze or the wifey hugs me too hard. At the time, it certainly made riding an interesting proposition. It was the only point in the ride that the idea of bailing loomed. Let's just say I was sooooooooo happy that Apple had Ibuprofen. I was also pleasantly surprised at my own drive to carry on. As most of my riding/racing friends can attest to, I'm kind of a bitch. So, that was good. And needless to say the Garita detour was a welcome reprieve from bracing and wincing my way down a marginally rideable trail. As an aside, I really, REALLY want to go back to that area to thrash around with a fly and rod. Got to Jarosa in the dark and met some canine companions. Gotta say, it’s a little unnerving to have several dogs running at/with you, barking and growling, in the middle of the night. But, I figured they were just doing their job and they did indeed lay off once I got a little ways away from their wooly charges. Though I didn’t know it at the time I ended up bedding down in literally the last stand of trees until Stony Pass. Lucky me.

Up and at ‘em, it was up to the sky. Not so much fun up there, but very pretty. I know that mountains are literally indifferent, being that they are inanimate objects and all, but goddamn, those were some indifferent mountains. And I’m not sure who routed the CDT, but I don’t think I’m a huge fan. At least I had all my little warrior pika friends chiding me on and out of their home. All the way to Silverton. Rant in 3…2…1… I hate ATV’s. Can’t stand them. At least motorcycles take a modicum of skill and fitness to ride. ATV’s are the lazy man’s way to ‘enjoy’ the outdoors. God forbid one should walk, bike, or otherwise exert themselves to get into the mountains. Please note that the foregoing does not apply to the handicapable. Rant end. Other than the OHV’s, Silverton was a beautiful sight. Tasty elk burger downed and up to the end game…

I saw my first porcupine ever above Molas! Hooray wildlife! Except that it wouldn’t get off the trail. So, I got to tail my little buddy for a stretch. Right to where I was going to sleep. But, I was pretty sure that porcupines would rather not hang around people, so sleep on. Got up with a little spring in my step, seeing as how the end was in sight. I’m sure it’s a very common thing but there is this perception on the last day when you want to be done, that everything takes soooooo long to get to. Even more so when you get a flat and you don’t fix it because you figure ‘its just one more downhill’. And an hour and a half later, your done and so is your rear rim. So nice to see the wife who wanted to both punch me in the face (spot blipped out about 12 hours earlier), and kiss me. Done.

All in all, quite the experience. Actually pretty enjoyable, but that could be due to my robust sleep schedule (8-14 hours/night). Some of you guys should try it. You know, sleeping. That said, even all the sleep deprived folks I met on the trail were awesome. I love this little corner of the cycling community, there aren’t many better representatives and ambassadors of our sport, than the people that do this race. I can’t even remember how many times I crossed the path of a day rider that had some variation of ‘I’ve always wanted to do the whole trail, but…’ For godsakes, join in! It’s worth it.

[mtbordie]

hey Ruffal great write up, I like to hear how everyone has a different point of veiw on the trail. I had heard so much about the
ten mile climb and was prepared for something way worse than what it was, I actually enjoyed it but I was so thrilled to be
out there last year even a rotten hab beats work.  Next year I plan to give it another go. Thanks everyone for your reports
and eating tips as I struggled with hydration and bonking bad on my second day, but learned alot because of it.

[Matt Schiff]

A bit more of a trip update after by first initial reaction.

http://travelingwild.wordpress.com/2013/08/12/ctr-wrapup/

[Gimmearaise]

Very nice Matt, I ask again...how the hell are you so fast on the descents.  wow wow wow wow

any ways I wrote a little something about my gear. check it out.
http://gimmearaise.blogspot.com/2013/08/ctr-vs-azt-gear.html

[KO]

"Even more so when you get a flat and you don’t fix it because you figure ‘its just one more downhill’. And an hour and a half later, your done and so is your rear rim."  Ruffal

Haha.  I had a similar experience.  I tried fixing my flat 4 times and finally gave up on the final descent.  I finished the last 4 miles of singletrack on rim and all the way into town.

[mikedeber]

Happy to hear that I'm not the only one to flat so close to finishing.  Mine was about 3 miles or so from finishing at Junction Creek, it was 2am and raining.  After a 23 or so hour push I ripped a knob off my rear tire that I was running tubeless.  The amount of concentration it took me to get a tube in there and get rolling again was comical, although maybe not at the time!

[Shirey]

So I haven't seen any pics of the legendary Indian Trail Ridge Hail & Lightning Storm of 2013.....

Noone was was snapping pics during the big ridgetop jailbreak...   but once we got warm and half-way got our shit together......

[ayayron]

Got a brief write-up in Breathe Magazine: http://www.breathemag.ca/race-reports/mountain-biking/bikepacking-in-colorado

[GrizzlyAdam]

I *almost* flatted about a mile above popping out onto the Water canyon road. Burped a bunch of air dropping a little roll over. Luckily I had a Co2 stashed away for such an occasion, and was rolling again in no time.

My race write up is huge, and not finished. But here's a little taste of our rollout from Durango: http://grizzlyadam.net/2013/08/ctr-excerpt.html

It's been more than 2 weeks since I finished, and the race is still dominating my thoughts. I tell ya, the CT gets into your blood!

[Gimmearaise]

any word on Aaron Denberg? his dot stopped moving on Sunday.

[WyoRacerX]

Trackleaders shows he started his ITT this am @0400. He's moving currently

Sent from my mobile

[RonDog]

I guess some people don't have facebook so here's a non facebook link to my trip report
http://josiahmorgan.blogspot.com/2013/08/colorado-trail-journey-2013.html

It was a surprise to meet you in Cochetopa Park. Glad we helped motivate you to get to Apple's. Sad to here you didn't get a root beer float.

[JosiahM]

It was a surprise to meet you in Cochetopa Park. Glad we helped motivate you to get to Apple's. Sad to here you didn't get a root beer float.

hey thanks for the motivation.  and the pictures.  BTW, that tape on the leg gave me the most retarded looking sun tan line lol