CTR 2013 Planning

[Done]

I don't think section 22-23 is near as fun for us low land people as it is for colorado residents who are used to the altitudes.  that section made time slow down and my head pound for 11 hours straight.  I remember barely having the strength to hold me head up cause the altitude seemed to make everything on my body feel like it weighed 10x as much as at sea level.  can't argue with the fact that the scenery was amazing but it is difficult to "take it in" when you feel like you have a plastic bag over your head.... can't wait to take it on again this year. LOL

I am wondering what the attrition rate will look like this year. Leaving from Durango gets everyone up higher more quickly, and keeps them there longer, that starting from Denver. Slower riders will have a hard time recovering from a tough day if they can't make it down to the relatively lower elevations of Silverton for the night.

[markphx]

I don't think section 22-23 is near as fun for us low land people as it is for colorado residents who are used to the altitudes.  that section made time slow down and my head pound for 11 hours straight.  I remember barely having the strength to hold me head up cause the altitude seemed to make everything on my body feel like it weighed 10x as much as at sea level.  can't argue with the fact that the scenery was amazing but it is difficult to "take it in" when you feel like you have a plastic bag over your head.... can't wait to take it on again this year. LOL

Well put sir. I'm really looking forward to the climb/walk up to Stoney Pass . On the bright side, at least there will be a ton of easy miles following Segments 22/23. Then there is good ol' Sargents Mesa to look forward to. I'm sure it will "flow" better in the Northbound direction though  .

[Stefan_G]

Or getting hit by a car on 285 during the race.  For SURE the most dangerous part of the whole thing.

Hopefully not going in reverse!! Everyone will be waaaay spread out by then, and the all-downhill 285 section will go super quickly.

[Stefan_G]

I am wondering what the attrition rate will look like this year. Leaving from Durango gets everyone up higher more quickly, and keeps them there longer, that starting from Denver. Slower riders will have a hard time recovering from a tough day if they can't make it down to the relatively lower elevations of Silverton for the night.

I've given some thought to this too, and I'm guessing it may be lower for a couple reasons:

• Starting in Dgo = more commitment right away = fewer "uncommitted" starters
• Anyone who gets to B.V. will likely finish due to the more civilized nature of the course between B.V. and Denver, whereas normally near B.V. you really have to pile on the mental stamina to keep going.

Typically, lots of folks make Breck (~100 miles) by the end of the first day starting at 6am. Starting at 4am, I'm hoping about the same number can make Silverton (~80 miles) by the end of the first day.

[Done]

I've given some thought to this too, and I'm guessing it may be lower for a couple reasons:

• Starting in Dgo = more commitment right away = fewer "uncommitted" starters
• Anyone who gets to B.V. will likely finish due to the more civilized nature of the course between B.V. and Denver, whereas normally near B.V. you really have to pile on the mental stamina to keep going.

Typically, lots of folks make Breck (~100 miles) by the end of the first day starting at 6am. Starting at 4am, I'm hoping about the same number can make Silverton (~80 miles) by the end of the first day.

Yeah, when riding from Denver, the launch out of BV can be pretty intimidating. By that time, people are starting to get tired--and the thought of the Coney/Cataract sections seems to knock some people out. Maybe from the other direction, people will feel that they've put the hardest part behind them and keep going.

But I think that those from lower elevations will really feel the pain leaving Durango. It's a LONG climb, and the air gets thin quickly. I don't know that I could make it to Silverton.

I'm not sure which way I'm going to ride it this year. The idea of ITTing it is attractive. While I've really enjoyed meeting some truly great people on the trail, I'm curious how hard I can push myself without anyone else around. I know that I've benefited by riding with other people--some shared smiles and grimaces have a way of speeding things up.

285 sucks, from pretty much every perspective. It's dangerous, noisy, smelly, and ugly. I'm going to check out the dirt road detour this summer to see if I prefer it to 285. I know that you prefer the highway, Stefan, so the dirt roads must REALLY suck!

[Woodland]

There's been some talk of bears and food in this thread, but to the extent that we are mostly pretty high and above treeline a lot, I'm not too worried about bears. (But I probably /will/ tree my food.)

Now, I hate to be accused of worrying about the wrong things for the CTR, but a friend of mine had a very (!) close encounter with a mountain lion whiile mtb'ing in MT...for some reason the big cats make me more nervous than bears.

I've encountered several cats in Buffalo Creek over the years (almost rode into one coming around a corner, it ran off into the trees leaving me breathless and unable to move for a while) One cat at night just sat there and watched us ride by - maybe guarding a kill, spooky.

Lots of stories of cats holding their ground, or following along. Early morning or mid-late evening in Buff Creek is 'Nice Kitty' time...

Gotta think moving out of the front range on the CT diminishes the odds for close cat encounters.

I don't really worry about Bears either. As Toby said, plenty of other things to worry about (like those evil looking black squirrels with the pointy ears rummaging around in your pack in the middle of the night) 

[Woodland]

I'm going to check out the dirt road detour this summer to see if I prefer it to 285. I know that you prefer the highway, Stefan, so the dirt roads must REALLY suck!

That route takes you through some really neat country: very quiet, scenic and seldom visited. There was a good decent I should say - general store somewhere along there (Ute something or other?)

I felt like I had this special experience out there on the Matakat and Tarryall roads. Definitely worth exploring.

[Done]

That route takes you through some really neat country: very quiet, scenic and seldom visited. There was a good general store somewhere along there (Ute something or other?)

I felt like I had this special experience out there on the Matakat and Tarryall roads. Definitely worth exploring.

Awesome, thanks for the encouragement!

Any word on how the Bailey Trails Project is coming along? Think that we'll ever see a singletrack CT wilderness detour?

[Woodland]

They seem to be building some momentum, but still in the 'gaining awareness' stages. I would imagine any actual trail work is a long way out.

But you can keep up to date here - they have a conceptual trail map up:
http://www.baileytrails.org/

[Gimmearaise]

. Then there is good ol' Sargents Mesa to look forward to. I'm sure it will "flow" better in the Northbound direction though  .

I forgot about Sargents Mesa, it will be much better West to East! just a steady climb from highway 114. I also am very excited on doing 285 down hill.

I would have to agree on Stefan's Thoughts. As long as you can make it past the San Juan's, I think the motivation will be there!

[timroz]

Isn't Sargents Mesa downhill both ways?

[markphx]

I forgot about Sargents Mesa, it will be much better West to East!

Sargents may be better Northbound. I can't say for sure though. Either direction, there will definitely be some HAB involved. Hopefully these guys will be hard at work this year continuing to dissolve the topsoil .

Sargents mesa with Bad company

[JosiahM]

oh man gotta love the ATVs on sargents.
about the wildlife, last year on the CT, Mark and I saw a brown bear on the decent right after sargents mesa and we saw a mountain lion on the decent from stoney pass.
in both cases, we were flying down a super fast decent.... and in both cases, the animals were far more scared of us than we were of them.  I don't think the odds of seeing one on an uphill are very high cause they don't really like people and will flee the area.
after having a couple cat encounters on the trail and a brown bear encounter.... none of these encounters scared me near as bad as when I'm riding through rual oklahoma and some redneck's pit bull or doberman takes on the chase... I have had a couple of really close calls with domesticated dogs where I wasn't sure I was going to be able to get away... non domesticated animals on the other hand aren't so bad.  Just be smart about it and don't let your mind wonder.  The brain tends to play tricks on us in the woods after dark to try to scare us.

[sherpaxc]

Yeah, 22 and 23 aren't fun.  Not for this Texan.  Pretty?  YES.  But there was very little riding going on for me.  Especially on 23.  Oh, and to add to the excitement getting caught in a hail storm on a ridge on 23 didn't help either.  Makes my palms sweat just thinking about that experience. 

I'll be there again in 2014.  Not gonna happen this summer.  I love me some CT.

[Beardog]

ANYONE HEADING OVER FRM THE FRONT RANGE HAVE ROOM FOR ME & A MY BIKE? PLEASE CONTACT ON OR OFF SITE-WILL SPLIT GAS, DRIVING BEER--ETC


-beardog1960@mn.com

[timroz]

Sargents may be better Northbound. I can't say for sure though. Either direction, there will definitely be some HAB involved. Hopefully these guys will be hard at work this year continuing to dissolve the topsoil . Sargents mesa with Bad company

I was hoping for a happier ending.  Redneck over the bars into a tree without a helmet at about 35.  Oh well.

[jackinmd]

I'm in for sure - although riding southbound is really tempting because of the lower elevation start (my lowlander lungs are used to breathing at 300' above sea level, not the rarefied air up in Durango), I think logistically it will be easier for me to get myself and my gear from Denver to Durango than the other way around.

Right now I'm planning on either shipping or checking my bike & gear, leaving the bike case at a friend's house, and getting a 1-way rental car from Denver to Durango.

Incredibly stoked - I've been researching, amassing, and testing gear for about 4 months now and am realizing what a daunting challenge this is going to be. But I think I'm up for it if I just pace myself and don't blow up physically and mentally on the first day or two.

As far as food goes, what kind of goods do people usually pick up at the grocery stores? I'm a softy who likes an occassional hot meal at night and I can't imagine that dehydrated backpacking meals are available all over the place, so what... Ramen?

[Mini Bear]

Just a heads up for anyone thinking of going southbound instead of the official northbound route this year: I've posted up an thread for anyone going south that wants a little camaraderie. Going out the same time/day as the northbound guys, just going southbound. Check it out: http://www.bikepacking.net/forum/index.php/topic,5445.0.htm

[Stefan_G]

Hey all-

I just updated the CTR webpage with .gpx files for 2013, and a terse reversed route description.  A couple things to note:

• Optional Leadville Bypass
• Start is at Velorution Cycles in Durango

Those are the only changes, so probably nothing new for most people here.

[Stefan_G]

GPX file(s) updated once again using Toby's more accurate GPS data file.  I modified his waypoints and added the extension to 11th and Main in Durango, but otherwise the tracks on the CTR webpage and Toby's blog are now identical.  Toby, thanks for all the hard work you've done tweaking that file over the last 3 years!