CTR 2014 - Race Discussion

[nanath]

Sorry, I don't see you as a quitter, but as a man wise enough to know his limits.  Thanks for taking the time to record your adventure, I really enjoyed the write-up.  Hope to see you back at it next year! 

[rick miller]

I'm sure it's been said here before but worth repeating:  no bike race is worth permanent injury.

     - from an over 50 with more than his share.

[mtbcast]

I'm sure it's been said here before but worth repeating:  no bike race is worth permanent injury.

     - from an over 50 with more than his share.

Well said! And apologies for getting you confused with "Kyle." 

[mikepro]

I'm sure it's been said here before but worth repeating:  no bike race is worth permanent injury.

     - from an over 50 with more than his share.

Way to go, Rockstar Rick!  An AZT300 and a CTR finish this year!

[Yogi the Barry]

Scott, right? I posted to  your blog. It's a twelve step grieving process...  -B

A quitter's tale...

http://coloradotrailrace.blogspot.com/2014/08/ctr-fail.html

[Yogi the Barry]

Although I was still refining the make 'n' break camp process, after only four iterations and then my bail, here is what I posted to my circle of friends who just don't understand the whole bikepacking thing of the CTR.
 
The Making Camp Ritual - Once ‘stopped’ for the evening, usually after 16-18 hours of clock time, it would take about 30 minutes to actually be in the bag and trying to sleep. The alien-class might just be able to lean against a tree and fall asleep for twenty minutes, but I needed more down time than that. In those thirty minutes at the day’s end; I’d pitch my Cuben Fiber tarp tent; pretty much empty all the bike bags and toss the gear into the bathtub floor of the tarp, or within arm’s reach; if possible, lean or prop the bike upright to keep hungry critters from mistaking my bike/bags/saddle as food or a salt-lick; turn off the GPS; note and zero the bike computer moving time and mileage; make sure all the open bags on the bike are flopped down to keep from filling up with rain/condensation; swallow about 200-300 calories; brush teeth; empty the bladder; crawl into the tarp tub; inflate the sleeping pad; pull out the down sweater and sleeping bag to start lofting; pull off the diaper and get into cotton undies [such a delightful luxury], tights and dry wool-blend socks [feet are damp/wet at least 6 hours a day]; clean the equatorial region of the body and reapply a lighter-weight chamois cream; slide legs into the warmth of the bag because cold is setting in; pull off my jersey and put on a long-sleeve top, down sweater and full head balaclava; pile up all the gear to be inside the dripline of the tarp; hang and arrange the gear into somewhat logical piles; stuff just removed clothing into the bottom of the sleeping bag; stage the stove, fuel and hot drink items for the morning ritual; write down a few stats and thoughts for the day; get out to pee one more time; get back into the bag and zip up fully, with only the eyes, nose and mouth exposed; then try to get the body and brain to turn off.
Actual sleep time would be about 2-1/2 to 4 hours a night. During the night: I’d wake once to pee; yell out to animal sounds [real and imagined] in close proximity as my defense strategy [in my most guttural imitation of a T-rex]; sometimes relax and realize that half the animal sounds were my own stomach and GI tract; and wonder if that automobile [rising moon] was going to run me over…

[mtnbound]

Barry, that is way toooo funny (and pretty accurate of my get ready for sleep experiences!)

[Woodland]

Nailed it Barry!

[mtbcast]

CTR14: Norb DeKerchove called in with his final call with some final thoughts! And a shout out to Ray Porter!

http://mtbcast.com/site2/category/ctr14/

[nanath]

"To play in the heavens . . ."  Nailed it, Norb!  Congratulations and get home safe.

[mtbcast]

CTR14: Richie Mattson called in from near Orphan Butte. He and Jim Reed are doing well but Richie is battling a brake issue but enjoying the singing rivers!

http://mtbcast.com/site2/category/ctr14/

[nanath]

Richie cracks me up!  Best phone-ins EVER!  Wish I could be there to welcome him and Jim at the finish (and maybe share some spotted mushrooms), but I'll certainly be there in spirit!

[Woodland]

Pat gets to 'host' the Pro Cycling challenge tomorrow  

[mountainjah]

Sounds like a lot of us hit eject on the CTR this August. Here's my personal tale of woe.....

http://mountainjah.blogspot.com/2014/08/bullied-success-through-failure-on-2014.html

I enjoyed meeting and traveling with all of you. It was great to see who's really behind all these internet handles.... I'm disappointed I didn't run into more friends on the trail but feel super lucky to have made it back to Durango to see some great finishes! Camped out for a few days at Junction to celebrate with the victorious. I'm working on rolling out that content soon! But for now, please enjoy my personal TR.

Cheers to all! Michael

[mountainjah]

pull off the diaper and get into cotton undies ; clean the equatorial region of the body

Kudos Barry! You are an amazing bikepacker and storyteller! We'll see you out there soon! Best-M

[mountainjah]

I'm sure it's been said here before but worth repeating:  no bike race is worth permanent injury.

     - from an over 50 with more than his share.

Congrats Rick- you are a backcountry beast.... Nice job on all the finishes this season!
Cheers-Michael

[Done]

Great story, Michael. You've got it figured out--failure is actually success when you learn something from it. With a little better luck, you're going to make it happen next year!

[CKamp]

Hey Everybody, Chris Kampsnider here. Just about done resting and getting caught up at work and wanted to do a quick recap of the week out there and a few observations (this thing is still sinking in):
-The Tarryall detour was a grind compared to 285 however the better scenery and having the Stagestop to grab a quick bite at I think made up for it. They had my burger ready in about five minutes and I was probably out of there in under thirty.
-I had unbelievable weather after the first day only getting rained on briefly three more times the whole trip, once on Monarch Crest, once before Apple’s camp and once heading out of Silverton. The blue skies, white puffy clouds and unbelievable views had me pinching myself the whole time.
-Right before crossing Highway 550 I took a fall while climbing up a switchback, not making it over a rock and falling away from the mountain. I ended up tumbling about ten feet before a tree stopped me and I had a branch impaled about a half inch into my calf. Turns out the only thing I didn’t have in my first aid kit to patch it up was some neosporin and I’m not sure how effective the baby wipes were at cleaning it out. I got lucky and ran into a doctor from Salida who had alcohol wipes on the way up Fooses which got me through to Apple’s camp the next day where he, of course, had a whole tube of neosporin that I was able to take some of. Lesson learned on the neosporin (and making sure I have an up to date tetanus shot).
-I ran into way more thru hikers and segement backpackers than I did on my 2011 ITT which was awesome. Apple said he’d seen over 350 people during his stay which I think he said was the most ever. Definitely one of the coolest parts of the trip was the quick chats with people and hearing their different stories.
-Really happy with the way the Yeti SB95 performed on the trip. The 5” of travel made for an awesome ride and I don’t have the wrist and foot numbness that I’d gotten previously. The dropper seat post may have been unnecessary however sure was a lot of fun. When I was tired being able to get lower through the techy downhills was huge.
-As I went with the dropper and no seat bag I feel like I probably had the biggest back pack out there. The Osprey Manta 36 worked pretty awesome though. It’s got somewhat of a frame that was really comfortable and I wore it pretty low to keep the load around my hips and off of my back. With the abundance of water I would only fill up my bladder to about 1.5 liters for most stretches and it only got really heavy with the food haul coming out of BV.
-I used the Sawyer mini filter inline in my camelback. It flowed pretty well however after a couple of questionable fill ups at Tank Seven and Jarosa Mesa I had to backwash it in Silverton. Not a huge deal but not something I really wanted to mess with mid race either.
-Those cows in Sargents Mesa are hilarious. I ended up sleeping in between two groups who were mooing back and forth what seemed like all night with coyotes chiming in for a while. Haha, I’m just glad they didn’t wander through my camp.
-Some bivy sites I definitely won’t forget are the field before the Georgia Pass climb under the full moon with the whole valley lit up, Chalk Cliffs Campground once again with a full moon lighting up the cliffs and of course Sargents Mesa. Huge fan of planning the start around the full moon.
-Devin at Boneshaker Cycles in Buena Vista is the man! He helped me with a shifting issue and loaned me a bike to get some groceries at City Market and hit up the post office while I waited which was awesome. A great shop in a perfect location on the trail.
-Sections 22 and 23 are unreal.
-It was a blast leapfrogging back and forth with other riders and meeting people out there. An awesome group, I hope to run into you guys again in the future.
-Rolling into Junction Creek on a Saturday night was pretty unforgettable! Thanks to the locals, other racers, friends and family for the finish line celebration. Champagne shower, beer, chips, sandwiches…an awesome finish to the race.
-Huge thanks to Stefan, Toby, Colorado Trail Foundation and all of you other guys out there who dedicate so much time to recon, gpx files, sharing knowledge, advocating, etc. Your hard work makes it so guys like me are lucky enough to be able to do something like this. Huge thanks.
-Had to attach this picture from Rolling Pass, one of my favorite spots on the trail, pretty much sums up the trip.
Cheers,
Chris

[mountainjah]

-Had to attach this picture from Rolling Pass, one of my favorite spots on the trail, pretty much sums up the trip.

Love that spot! Great pic Chris.....here's one of you and the fam at the finish!

[rick miller]

It’s been a week since my finish and I’ve finally had time to sit down and record my impressions of the race, and bikepacking in general.  My first bikepacking trip was a little less than a year ago on the Kokopelli.  I knew right away that bikepacking combined a lot of the things I like most in life, and also filled some of the holes in the XC style riding that I’d been doing for several years.  Following the inspiration of my friend “Ski Loveland” Scott , I entered the AZT 300, had an unexpectedly good finish and an all round good time.  After doing a couple 2 day practice rides, aside from some chronic shoulder and neck problems, I didn’t have any excuse for not entering the CTR.

I tried to pace myself for a 6+ day plan, which mostly focused around getting to resupply points during business hours.  Except for a slow final day, this worked well.  I didn't have any equipment issues, not even a flat tire.  The only problems I had were physical:  a worn out meniscus in my right knee (the left had been repaired during an acl graft), which forced additional walking, and rib trauma from my only crash in Chicago Gulch.

Because a couple of these lists were a big help to me, I’m posting my own “Things that worked”:

 - Love of outdoors and comfort in that environment gained through a lifetime of varied outdoor pursuits.  Aside from helping make good routine decisions, broad experience helps you stay calm and keep things in perspective when the poo hits the fan.
 - RFP (relentless forward progress)  don’t have to be fast if you’re steady
 - Maintain schedule:  ride ~5:30 - 12:00 (never quit before 12)
 - No backpack (except stashable for BV-Silverton food supply) - almost eliminated neck problems
 - Self sufficiency.  Ride alone, avoid commercial services (hotels), know my equipment and make as much of it myself as possible, do my homework and know the route, resupply/ water/ etc.  I’m not saying be antisocial; the camaraderie is one of the great things about these events, but you have to ride your own race.
 - Flat pedals (5.10 Guide Tennies/ Black Ops nylon pedals)
 - Scrupulously follow the course.  It’s sometimes possible to cut small corners or ride roads that parallel the track, etc. (sometimes inadvertently)  Aside from being against the rules, this is bad karma which you will always ultimately regret.
 - Goretex socks and gloves
 - 30 T chainring (with cobbled up 12-40 cog on what is usually my SS bike).  Forces standing/mashing or walking, which helps prevent saddle sores and neck pain.  Note: 28 T or smaller is probably faster and I may try this in the future.
 - new XT brakes
 - 30 degree Golite bag with diy silnylon bivy, diy silnylon ‘biketarp’ and Klymit pad.
 - Carver ti 420 hard tail.

Without getting too sentimental, I’d like to say that the bikepacking community is one of the best groups of people I’ve met.  Cheerful (or at least humorous) in the worst conditions and always helpful and supportive, especially to newcomers.  I have well and truly enjoyed my rookie season!