CTR 2013 Planning

[cjdunn]

Nice photo.  I've been toying with the idea of doing the CTR for the first time this year but am losing momentum.  The fires changing the course etc. are making it less likely now.  This photo on the other hand is getting the juices flowing a bit.  I hope to do some exploring on the CT between Silverton and Durango next week.  Is that part of the trail fairly representative of the difficulty of the rest?

FWIW: I live in Prescott AZ area (a great mtb town) where we have had some serious fires very close to home the worst of which is the one that killed 19 local hotshots yesterday.  It has really hit our close community hard.  Keep those hotshots fighting the Colorado fires in your thoughts and buy them a drink if you see them around town.

[cjdunn]

that saddle looks evil. I can't imagine if you had a backpack sitting on that thing.

Says the guy who rode 150 miles on a rental bike seat.

[THE LONG RANGER]

that saddle looks evil. I can't imagine if you had a backpack sitting on that thing.

Fairly evil. The only other saddle I have is a Selle Anatomica, which I love, but it's just not the right saddle for this route - it's far too wide to be comfortable when screaming downhill (and it weights > 1lb). Probably try out a Rocket V or something this week.

No backpack in my setup. What you see is my entire current CTR kit

[JosiahM]

I've been toying with the idea of doing the CTR for the first time this year but am losing momentum.  

Chris,
Mark and I are planning to start the ctr on the afternoon of the 27th.  You are welcome to start with us if waiting another week will help you get prepared.

[THE LONG RANGER]

Nice photo.  I've been toying with the idea of doing the CTR for the first time this year but am losing momentum.  The fires changing the course etc. are making it less likely now.  This photo on the other hand is getting the juices flowing a bit.  I hope to do some exploring on the CT between Silverton and Durango next week.  Is that part of the trail fairly representative of the difficulty of the rest?

From what I understand, the trail gets more rougher, the closer to Durango you get. Waterton starts as a dirt road, you can ride a road bike on, and then turns into a smooth as silk singletrack on the CT proper. Gets a bit bumpy on the descents from Georgia Pass, but there's some really nice rideable parts all the way to where I stopped in Copper Village. Even the Peaks Trail over 10 mile was "mostly" rideable, if you had the energy. Surely, you needed to do some HaB, but the hellish sections were certainly introductory in nature.

I think once you get over Copper, and then through Leadville, things start to get, "ahem": real. Nice though if you're starting in Durango - it's all "downhill" and certainly gets mellower on the trail. The interesting thing to see is if the trail design will be harder or easier going NoBo, or SoBo. The ascents/descents are now switched. It's possible the CT was designed with hikers primarily in mind, and as a SoBo route. That may mean, mellow ascents, and quick descents. Switch that around, and you *might* have big HaB sections going up, followed by awesome never-ending descents. We'll see I guess what the opinion is


Man, I love the idea of hitting up a 14er during the race. If the fires keep sections closed - which I actually think is a fairly small possibility, rather than an inevitability, I may just wait a few weeks and tour the route and hit up some of the 14ers along the way. It's basically been what I've been doing since this Spring. The elevation gain would be monstrous.

[bartspedden]

The Ergons are leaving my R. thumb  numb. I think the Ergon little fin thing is doing more harm than good on these rocky portions. Or maybe figure out some more hand positions - little pads to put in the middle of the bars for the "road" portions, and maybe bar ends as well?
 

I have the same problems with the ergons and so did my wife. I know lots of folks have good experiences with these grips so I tried many different angles without any success.  I also talked to different people at multiple LBSs, still no luck. So I went back to what worked in the past, which is a set of ODI Rogue's and I put the ergon's on my SS commuter.  I don't seem to have any issues on the SS with the ergon's - who know's for sure, but one idea that I've had is that the top tube on my mtb is longer then my SS causing me to put more pressure on my hands. I carry a couple sections of blue closed cell foam in case my hands ever get too numb so that I can zip-tie/tape them to bars for some relief. Super light, so it's not hard to justify.

As for weight, how much does your gear weigh? Looks like you have a well thought out kit.

[cjdunn]

That could make a difference.  I'll keep that in mind.  

I just did a fun bikepack trip with my daughter Zoe on the AZT last week for more preparation.  We did the section from Flagstaff south to the Mogollon Rim. She did well considering it was 100 miles in two days and it was her first time pedaling a loaded bike. It was her 15th birthday present.

I figured some more issues out that I need to deal with.  The biggest thing is that I think I want FS if I'm going to be riding so much rocky stuff.  I put a suspension fork on the Karate Monkey but my butt still took a beating.  I need to trim more weight off my rig too.  Also, I need to figure out my food better.  No cake mix for me.

[JosiahM]

no rent bike? no hard tail? no cake mix? gotta loosen up and live a little

[THE LONG RANGER]

It's getting tuned in, from - you know, some experience The sleep system is down to ~1.5 lbs which is ridiculous. I'm guessing the idea is to not sleep so much on this race?! My idea plan would to sleep when needed, but hopefully in the first part of the night, when temps are at their highest, and be riding the times of the night were temps dip way low in the highcountry - but who knows how "planned" sleep times go.

I'm carrying two Fenix BT 20's (plus a head torch), which is 1 too many. They're pretty bulky and the batteries are heavy and just not available easily on route, so one of those can go + the extra batteries. I may call up Greg @ Bolder Bikepacking and see if he has time to look at a new handlebar sling. The one I have now is too accommodating for the tiny load it needs to carry.  I also found I'm not eating enough while riding without a gas tank with food right in front of me. That was a pretty major blunder on my part. BUT! that's why it's good to do these dress rehearsal rides.

It was also positively awesome riding. I wanna go up to everyone and ask them if they know about this, "Mountain Bike" thing. Riding 20 hours on mostly single track, without hitting the same trail twice is just incredible. It's also insane to think I'll have to do that same ride, ~3 more times. In a row. With the trail getting progressively harder. Ha!

Wonderful to bump into all the touring bike packers, as well. Fun to see everyone's system.

[JosiahM]

I'm jealous. where I'm from, you can't ride 20 minutes (much less 20 hours) without hitting the same trail twice lol.
have you tried to see if you will be able to fit enough food in there for some of the longer stretches? that stretch between bv and silverton left me quite hungry last year

[GrizzlyAdam]

The Ergons are leaving my R. thumb  numb. I think the Ergon little fin thing is doing more harm than good on these rocky portions.

Try the GA1 grips from Ergon. My hands are a bit small for the fin-style lineup, but I really like the tech series.

[mtnbound]

The sleep system is down to ~1.5 lbs which is ridiculous. I'm guessing the idea is to not sleep so much on this race?!

That is one sweet setup!!  It looks great!  Just remember (I am sure you already know), though, that it gets into the 30s at night (particularly sections 20+) at higher elevation and that if it is hailing/lightning and you are cold, wet or injured, a good, warm, dry sleep system is not only helpful but crucial to survival (not necessarily sleep).  And allow lots of extra room to store about 3 days of food for the long section between Silverton and BV (the rest of the course you will likely be near re-supply almost (if not) every day).  Good luck!

[THE LONG RANGER]

have you tried to see if you will be able to fit enough food in there for some of the longer stretches? that stretch between bv and silverton left me quite hungry last year

Yeah, I'll be fine - I had a whole ton of GORP in the framebag that made it from the house, to the end, without even touching it. Not wearing a proper pack, I'll have 3 jersey pockets as well. Ditching one of the lights will release some room for extra snacks in the frame pack as well. Getting another bag for the the top tube should bring me up to some major carrying capacity The only thing really in the frame pack was my repair kit, and extra water flask (that never was used), my electronic kit that will be paired down to a few AA's (gps), AAA's (SPOT), and CR123a's (Fenix), and MAYBE a external battery for my phone, sunscreen and food. I'll be carrying my lights in a bag on top of the handlebar sling, so that when in use, the battery pack can stay inside of the bag itself. That seems to work out well and keeps things clean.

A food secret I may enact on the trail is to buy a pint of icecream, before taking a nap. The nap will be just long enough to have the ice cream melt for quick consumption. Instant 1500 calories

Try the GA1 grips from Ergon. My hands are a bit small for the fin-style lineup, but I really like the tech series.

I'll check those out. My hands are hyooooge, and the Ergons worked well with me in 2011 for the TD, but made 3 fingers numb for months in 2012 - my guess is that they're just going to be pre-conditioned to go numb from now on. Although, I've hand little problems with drop bar handlebars and long rides. Happily will be getting on trail later this week in Crested Butte for the 4th! WOO!

 

[Matt Schiff]

I'm carrying two Fenix BT 20's (plus a head torch), which is 1 too many. They're pretty bulky and the batteries are heavy and just not available easily on route, so one of those can go + the extra batteries.

what kind of run time have you gotten on the BT 20 and with what battery system?

[timroz]

Fairly evil. The only other saddle I have is a Selle Anatomica, which I love, but it's just not the right saddle for this route - it's far too wide to be comfortable when screaming downhill

Really?  I would never, ever ride the CTR again on any other saddle.  The ability to sit down - and I mean full weight on the seat without hesitation or doing the scoootch around looking for a non bruised part of my ass -  and take weight off the legs, feet, and hands is super important to me.  

[THE LONG RANGER]

what kind of run time have you gotten on the BT 20 and with what battery system?

I was fearing the worst for those things, but I keep them on the lowest of settings - comparable to around my Black Diamond Storm 100 lumen head torch and only use the higher settings for things like bumpy descents and the likes - think of it more like a "burst" mode. Never really ever used them at full power - didn't really feel the need.

When I was HaB'ing, I'd switch it totally off to conserve the battery. 4 non-rechargeable Lithiums have lasted me a few sub 24 to 5 day trips. Just make sure the light is disattached from the battery pack when not in use as they do tend to turn on "by themselves"

Batteries are pricey, but buy them online and they go for much less than at a store. There's also rechargeables that fit in - those should probably be on my "to-buy" list, but they're not realistic for the race, as there won't be any time to recharge them, and the charger is yet another thing to bring. Plan is to bring 4 in the pack, and maybe 8 more to last the rest of the race? Be a little frugal with using them and that should work out just fine. Having the light mounted on the Handlebar worked well to get a good idea of dimensions/relief of the various obstacles on the course. No falling! Except from just extreme fatigue.

Anyways, happy to have invested in the light. I read about Kurt's amazing AZTR 300 run and how he had 2 of those suckers. There's some gnarly parts of the AZTR and I could totally see why he'd want two of them, but the CT seems to be of a different character. Maybe folks who've done the more gnarlier parts of the CT can chime in with what they think an ideal lighting setup would be.

Really?  I would never, ever ride the CTR again on any other saddle.  The ability to sit down - and I mean full weight on the seat without hesitation or doing the scoootch around looking for a non bruised part of my ass -  and take weight off the legs, feet, and hands is super important to me. 

I'll keep that in mind. The Selle Anatomica Titanico NSX is def. my go-to saddle for everything and it treated me like a king on last year's TD - I'd def. NOT want to do that race on anything else, ever. Maybe on my next trip, I'll bring a loaner Rocket V or Fizik, plus my Titanico and do some comparisons. I also need to work on understanding how to properly inflate my tires for this type of ride. I tend to over-inflate everything.

[Couloirman]

Do you guys have the titanico nsx that is advertised for mountain biking or the regular slotted one? I am 160 lbs on the dot and can't decide if I need the titanico x (advertised for 160-250 lbs) because of my pack which puts me just over the edge in terms of weight. I wonder how comfy the not slotted one for mountain bikes is. Probably too late to break one of them in anyway at this point though

[Matt Schiff]

I ask about the runtime because on mtbr or some other site there were some pretty bad reviews because the light was lasting like 1/3 of the advertised time.

[THE LONG RANGER]

Do you guys have the titanico nsx that is advertised for mountain biking or the regular slotted one?

I'm around 175 and they wouldn't let me buy the slotted one As far as comfortability goes, it's way WAY comfy - didn't regret not buying the slotted one. There's also no real break-in period, like a Brooks. If anything the saddles have a bad rep. of becoming too pliable - mine's been fine. The TD was the first time I rode on the saddle, father than 5 miles. I bought the saddle the week before the race.

I ask about the runtime because on mtbr or some other site there were some pretty bad reviews because the light was lasting like 1/3 of the advertised time.

Interesting - is there a link to the review? I'd have to go with being realistic with, you know, physics and how much power that damn thing is putting out. At 750 lumens, the light is hot to the touch. At the third lowest setting, I was still surprised I could illuminate the next hill over, several hundred yards away. That's enough for me!

[Couloirman]

I'm around 175 and they wouldn't let me buy the slotted one As far as comfortability goes, it's way WAY comfy - didn't regret not buying the slotted one. There's also no real break-in period, like a Brooks. If anything the saddles have a bad rep. of becoming too pliable - mine's been fine. The TD was the first time I rode on the saddle, father than 5 miles. I bought the saddle the week before the race.

Thats funny cause their site recommend the slotted titanico x version for 'intense' biking in our weight class which I thought also meant mountain biking. Kinda thought their whole advertising thing was that each side moved independently. Oh well, Ill prob just flip a coin, buy one and see