CTR 2014 - Race Discussion

[InYerBlood]

Rear brake dead
Front failing
Still in sec 26
May end up walking???
Lame

Hang in their Mark!

Remember how your strap broke during your trip through the GC in the AZT750 of 2012, and you had to carry everything, including your bike, in your arms? I don't know how many people know that, but friends of mine saw you on your death march up to the N Rim. If you can do that, you can surely ride without brakes. You shouldn't be using them anyway! The object is to GO, GO, GO, not stop!

Go, Mark!

[Shirey]

Congrats to Bryan Klahn on his 4th place finish, he WAS tracking as Dave Stewart the whole time

Hell yeah Bryan! Way to go! I had a lot of fun riding with you and I could tell you were not going to be denied!

I've been road-tripping with my wife and licking my wounds for the last few days so I'm just catching up on some results.

Rick Miller, you are a bad-ass! Congrats on a fine result! I can't wait to hear about it.

Aaron Boatman - good times out there with you for sure! Sorry life got in the way of your finish... still would like to hear about the rest of your ride... wish I coulda kept up, but so goes life in the CTR....

Garrett Alexander.... I bet you finished too..... thanks for the laughs out there!
 
Even though I finished last year, it was mostly a solitary experience at the back of the pack..... rewarding for sure, but I don't know if I had a lot of fun. But this year was different. Even dropping in BV, I am disappointed but have no regrets.... just wasn't tough enough.... but I had shitloads of fun riding with these guys and pushing myself while I was out there. If I can transplant some bionic achilles or figure something else out I'll be back for sure.

Congrats to Neil on the Victory.... you have a scary future in whatever bike racing you continue to pursue.

And finally.... Go Caminiti!!!!!!!

[nanath]

Does anyone know what's going on with Mark C?  Is it a spot problem?  Has he bailed because of his dead brakes?  Great to see Ritchie and Jim making such good progress.  Thanks, person who mentioned that they're retired firemen.  It makes me cheer for them even more!  Oh, and before I forget, congrats to everyone who's finished so far.  I haven't been commenting, but I have been spot-watching.  Fantastic runs, all of you!

[Gimmearaise]

Looking at the sporadic spot history...this seems to be a spot issue. We will find out when he wakes. But I don't see a road in the valley where he is, if he wanted to bail he would take 435 just further south. That was my last out if my knee/ibuprofen didn't work.

[nanath]

Thanks!  I didn't see a road, either, but I thought there might be a secret bail-trail known only to The Initiated.  As you say, we'll find out when he wakes.  And well done, you!  In terms of excitement, your amazing ride was right up there with the Jefe/Jesse showdown.  Hope your knee heals quickly and never troubles you again. 

[gdillon]

Agreed on the spot issue. I took a look and it had him going 32 mph on the side of a mountain, refreshed and he was going 63 mph! So close to the finish, but with bad brakes can only ride UPhill. Crazy.

[JimL]

Finally made it to Silverton after four grueling days from bv.  Been riding with Jeff Taylor and another untracked rider Chris.  Luckily for us one of the bars was still open and we were able to score some late night vittles.  Had a good crash on the dirt road coming down off cataract.  Hoping to make Durango in two more days!  Man this course is a beast...   

[nanath]

Let's hear it for late-night bars!

As for Mark's 63mph---seems like something that could happen when riding without brakes!  Glad it was only a spot issue.

[nanath]

Meanwhile, Garrett Alexander appears to be riding at 5.5mph in his tent.  Late-night spot-watching reveals some amazing cycling skills.  Or, possibly, spot anomalies.

[BryanK]

Meanwhile, Garrett Alexander appears to be riding at 5.5mph in his tent.  Late-night spot-watching reveals some amazing cycling skills.  Or, possibly, spot anomalies.

Not sure whats going on with Garrets spot, but he finished after me shortly before Robert and Chris.

[nanath]

Thanks, Bryan.  Garrett hasn't been listed as Finished yet, but I'm sure he will be soon.

[tomis916]

Sorry about the locked thread. Not sure who hit the wrong one, but I fixed it and merged the new one into this one so all the in race discussion is in one place.

Thanks, Scott.  All the while, on Day 83 of your CDT exploration.  Pretty amazing.

[mtbcast]

Back home! Glad to see some pics of Garrett. There were some locals watching for him I'm sure.

[mtnbound]

Go Mark Go!  It looks like he will set a new PR today.  His old PR was 8 days and 10 hours (which was on the course prior to the addition of Tarryall!), so he has until about 4pm today to break it and end up with a Triple Crown and a new PR on the final leg!!!  He is off Indian Trail Ridge now.  Very exciting! 

Good luck to the remaining racers! 

[mtnbound]

Looks like Mark is close and will finish in about an hour (and beat his old PR by about an hour, despite the addition of Tarryall)!   

[InYerBlood]

In view of Mark's failing brakes, I was going to suggest that he ride down backwards, and pedal to slow down. But he seems do be doing fine on the downhill.

[mtnbound]

Congrats to Mark! He has finished the CTR with a new PR and (I believe) is the sole Triple Crown finisher this year!!

[bmattingly]

Mark,

You rock.  Huge congratulations.  Less than a handful of others have ever completed this great racing/riding achievement.  My friend Eric Foster completed his last year.  He told me by the 3rd race he was in a zombie mode out on the CTR.  He does not have near the experience as you but maybe similar strong will and determination.  You are the iron man of endurance mtn biking.  Good job.  Enjoy the rest, shelter and food!

[Yogi the Barry]

I'm back at my grindstone, this fine Monday afternoon, when I should be finished with or just finishing the CTR. What happened? I woke up Wed morning [at the Avalanche trailhead] feeling relatively good. But by the end of the climb out of that drainage, I knew something was wrong with my Achilles. After hitting the Mt. Princeton store, and by the top of the HAB out of that drainage, I was basically reduced to walking on my heel of my right leg for the HAB and only being able to soft pedal the flats. My brain would not fire the calf muscle properly. Then the pain in my neck and shoulder, normal for me in the PM on multi-day rides, progressed into stabbing shoulder pain which progressed into my arm and finger numbness. It took me almost twice as long to get from Avalanche to US-50 than expected. I rolled down US-50 to the Monarch Spur CG for an early stop that day and a reboot. I knew not to make a decision all tired, wet, in pain and angry. Next morning, after sleeping almost 11 hours, went up Fooses feeling recovered. Then the Achilles issue came back strong, even after dosing with the last of my IBU. By the time I got to Marshall Pass, I came to the conclusion that I could not made decent progress thru the Sargeants, Coney/Catarace, and all the HAB after Molas, at a half-speed pace. I rolled down Marshall pass, in the cold rain and mud, totally pissed-off, into Salida. I was literally spitting [mud and sand out of my mouth] mad. Hosed-off at the Poncha shuttle gas station so I could be clean enough to shower at the Community center pool. Then decided to check into the Aspen Leaf, basically mentally quitting at that point. Waiting in the hotel for my better half to come and get me, I stripped down and cleaned my bike. Reminded me of one of those movies where someone totally dismembers a murder victim in the motel tub. I only had Kleenex, Dr. Brommers soap and a cut-down toothbrush. However, my bike was frickin' spotless. Late that evening, I started to scheme. Maybe a down day was enough. I put all the bags back on, lubed the chain, reloaded the bags, went to Wally World at 10PM for food, laid out all my clothes and went to bed at 11PM, with the alarm set for 4:30 and an intended pedal back up to Marshall Pass and back onto the CT. Woke up at about 3:45, scanned my body and realized my second reboot wasn't going to work. I was just fooling myself. Made my second, and final, "quitting" call to MTBcast later that morning. At that point, I concluded my 7-8 day CTR hopes had turned into a 10-11 day CTT - "T" for Tour, not "R" for race. All my training had been to prep for a race, not a tour.
Ironically, the body issues I was worried about and working thru before the race - the sprained left thumb that was only well enough to allow me to shift the front derailleur a couple days before the start and the left knee with meniscus issues awaiting surgery like the other knee - hardly surfaced at all during the race. I had injured my Achilles [impact hit, not overuse] 6-8 weeks prior and had been bugging me a bit after long training rides leading up to the CTR, but I felt it was at least 90-95% healed. The neck and shoulder issue had surfaced on the last day of the AZT300, but hadn't been an issue since April or during any of my training. Compared to 2012, my progress of working thru this CTR Failure 12-Step Program is going well...
   -Barry
[I pretty much leap-frogged for over 300 miles of the race with Rick and Robert [my fellow 50-something-year-old comrads], so I'm racing vicariously thru them].

[joeydurango]

Sorry to hear about that, Barry!  Maybe next year?