CTR 2013 Planning

[THE LONG RANGER]

Stoked you got the race flow on, "live" as well.

[joeydurango]

I still vote for the 4am start.  As Aaron said, any earlier is going to just get a few more people into Silverton before that closing time, and a whole bunch of someones are still going to show up after closing time.  Starting at six will guarantee only a couple (if any) people make it to the stores, but will also make the climb out of town such that we end up on Indian Trail Ridge right at peak storm blow-up time.

[JosiahM]

is the ride starting from the bike shop or from the trail head as it is in the gps?

[Stefan_G]

is the ride starting from the bike shop or from the trail head as it is in the gps?

From the bike shop!!  Everyone meet there, and we're gonna roll at 4am sharp!

[Matt Schiff]

Starting at six will guarantee only a couple (if any) people make it to the stores, but will also make the climb out of town such that we end up on Indian Trail Ridge right at peak storm blow-up time.

True. I'm just lazy about getting up early.

Did I hear free breakfast? details?

[joeydurango]

Yeah, guess it's about that time.  Here are some details for the CTR start morning!

Velorution Cycles is located at 1077 Main Avenue in downtown Durango.  We're starting at 4am, and I expect I'll be there very early, probably about 2:30 or so, 3:00am at the latest.  We like to partner with our friends at Carver Brewing Company (across the street) for various events, and for the CTR they've agreed to provide a super-early breakfast for us.  We won't have access to their full normal breakfast menu, but they're planning on cooking up some breakfast sandwiches and having coffee, tea, and pastries available.  I'm still working on final details of this - what time they'll be open, whether the breakfast is free (if not, it won't be expensive), etc.  I'll post back soon with those final details.

I'd assume that we'll all pretty much ride from the shop to the trailhead together - it's not a long ride.  But just in case someone starts late: From the shop, ride up Main Avenue one block to 12th St, then west for a block to cross HWY 550 at the crosswalk.  Once across the highway, take the bike path bridge across the river, then hang a right (north) and the path will very shortly dump you out on the road, near the skatepark.  Follow this through the stop sign to W 2nd Ave, then take W 2nd Ave all the way north to 25th St.  Hang a left on 25th and ride about five miles up to the CT trailhead.  At this point, it's an easy hop, skip, jump to Denver... yeah right!

Finally, does anyone have any interest in getting together as a group EARLY the evening before, just to hang out and talk before we get spread all over the state?  I could talk to Carver's about reserving some table space if a bunch of folks were into the idea...

[Joliver]

I just finished preparing a new GPX files that contains the latest waypoints from to 2013 Databook. But before I post it, Stefan is checking to make sure that it's accurate. Once I get his approval, I'll update my blog with a 10,000-point version and a 20X500-point version.

Toby, thank you for all of your hard work on the GPX file.  It is really appreciated!

[Stefan_G]

I just perused the new databook and it is fantastic!  The cycling detours are exactly the same as what the CTR uses, including Tarryall.

Once again, one more plug to donate to the CTF for this great on-the-trail and/or planning resource.

[GrizzlyAdam]

Silverton stores open at 7? Well that changes things. I'd thought they didn't open until 9. Does anyone know if the Sunday hours are the same as every other day?

That first day is still going to be a puzzle. I suspect that at 6:00 Monday morning there will be 50 people waiting outside the grocery store. Maybe we can convince the owner to stay open all night.

[jakomait]

Store hours are 9pm on Sunday and open 7am all week long.  One year I missed the closing time and the grocery store was actually open at 6:40am.  Its a small town and they are pretty flexible and go with the flow.  I'm sure if customers kept coming in they'd stay open longer but we CTR people should never ask for this. 

[Done]

Toby, thank you for all of your hard work on the GPX file.  It is really appreciated!

It's fun to be able to give something back to the community. Working on the file also brings back many good memories.

[TruthRider]

Interesting that the GPX track doesn't start from Joey's shop?  He said it's pretty easy to get to the trailhead, but then lists a paragraph of directions including at least six turns.

I'm not riding this year so this isn't a complaint, and Toby is awesome for putting all the time he does on the GPX data.  I would just hate for someone who's not familiar with Durango to waste time spinning their wheels looking for the trailhead.

[Done]

Interesting that the GPX track doesn't start from Joey's shop?  He said it's pretty easy to get to the trailhead, but then lists a paragraph of directions including at least six turns.

I'm not riding this year so this isn't a complaint, and Toby is awesome for putting all the time he does on the GPX data.  I would just hate for someone who's not familiar with Durango to waste time spinning their wheels looking for the trailhead.

The reason that it doesn't include the bike shop is because I haven't ridden to it before with my GPS turned on! And it's also not a part of the Denver-to-Durango route.

That said, I've been to Durango before--and it's not complicated to get to the trailhead. With so many starters, I expect that it'll be pretty easy to just follow the conga line.

Edit: I've posted the full 1x10K and 20x500 tracks to my blog. But I think that Stefan's 8K version is a good idea if fire detours look imminent.

[joeydurango]

It IS easy to get to the trailhead.  Put the most simply, just go north on Main to 25th St., turn left and ride 5 miles to the TH.  But that ride on Main sucks, so I listed more bike-friendly directions.  And, I figured, if one can't follow those directions, one might have trouble making it all the way to Denver...

[Stefan_G]

It IS easy to get to the trailhead.  Put the most simply, just go north on Main to 25th St., turn left and ride 5 miles to the TH.  But that ride on Main sucks, so I listed more bike-friendly directions.  And, I figured, if one can't follow those directions, one might have trouble making it all the way to Denver...

I just posted a .gpx for the bikeshop ---> Junction Creek, and also one for the Leadville Bypass.  Though they are straightforward, no guarantees about their accuracy, so ya'll have a look and let me know if you see anything funny.

[Done]

And, I figured, if one can't follow those directions, one might have trouble making it all the way to Denver...

Yep.

[elfreako]

Toby or Stefan,
Which GPX file is more user friendly to load on my Garmin 705, the 1x10, 1x8 or the 20x500?

Thanks.
Jeff

[Done]

Toby or Stefan,
Which GPX file is more user friendly to load on my Garmin 705, the 1x10, 1x8 or the 20x500?

Thanks.
Jeff

Looks to me like the 705 can store 16383 points in a single track. So I'd try the 1x10K or 1x8K.

[Done]

Looks to me like the 705 can store 16383 points in a single track. So I'd try the 1x10K or 1x8K.

Some sources seem to indicate that the 705 has only room for 100 waypoints. If that's true, you'll need to manually reduce them in Mapsource, Topofusion, etc.

FYI, I think that the 705 isn't the best choice for the CTR. Most folks use units with replaceable batteries, such as the eTrex line.

[elfreako]

Toby,
Yeah, I know the 705 isn't the best but its what I have to use so I'm going with it. I plan on turning it on only when I need it.

Jeff